 A fiery horse with a speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty high of silver, the lone ranger. With his faithful Indian companion, Tato, the daring and resourceful mass brider of the plains led the fight for law and order in the early western United States, nowhere in the pages of history, can one find a greater champion of justice. Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear. From out of the past come the thundering hoofbeats of the great horse Silver. The lone ranger rides again. Jeff Wilson was 19 years old when he spoke to a white girl for the first time. It happened when Winnie Foster's spirited young Gelding got a free reign for a moment and began to run. A girl had completely lost control over her mount. She was swaying in the saddle when young Jeff, riding with the easy grace of an Indian, saw what was happening. He touched a moccasin heel to the flank of his Mustang and spoke sharply in the Indian tongue. When he Foster heard the approaching hoofbeats frightened as she was by her own runaway mount, she became even more terrified when she saw a bronzed youth wearing buckskin trousers and a feather in his braided hair. Jeff guided his horse alongside the Gelding, then reaching out he grappled loose reins of the runaway. Get away, get away, you let me go! Don't be afraid, I'm not going to hurt you. You speak English? Is that strange? Well, I guess a lot of Indians speak English. Yes, they do. Only I'm not an Indianess. You're not an Indian? But you look like one. Why do you dress that way if you're not an Indian? Does it make any difference? No, I suppose it doesn't. I'm just excited. I don't mean any offense, really. I appreciate what you've done. Now that you know I'm a white man, is that it? Oh, no, I mean it. It doesn't make any difference. I'm sure my horse will be all right now. I'll go back to town. Your horse might run away again. I'll ride along with you until it quits down. You'll be all right. It won't be necessary. I'll decide that, Miss. That horse looks mean. Come here, boy. Winnie Foster was impressed with the forcefulness and self-confidence of the young man who rode beside her. No longer afraid of him, she pressed him for his story. And he told her with the brevity of the Indian. When I was about five years old, my folks started to California. A big sandstorm came up and it blew for many days. We ran out of water and my mother and father died. Indians found me, named me Little Elk, and I've lived with them ever since. But a few moments ago you said your name was Jeff Wilson. How do you know that's your name? I remember my folks calling me Jeff. Oh, I see. Then I have this locket. Inside of it is my name and the date I was born. I'm 19. The one who has lived with the Indians so long you speak English very well. My Indian father, Chief Fat Outer, speaks English. Also, I talk to the white traders who come into our camp. I see. Are you married? No, I'm not. Are you, Jeff? No. Maybe I'll leave you now. Your horse is quieter down. Yes, I'm sure he'll be all right now. You better get a tame horse. Horse that'll not run away. Quite the contrary, Jeff. I think I'll keep this one. Why keep him? He might run away again sometime. And maybe I catch him. When a fosters' horse never ran away again, but in the year that followed, she and Jeff Wilson saw each other many times. On his 20th birthday, Jeff entered the teepee of his Indian father, Chief Fat Outer. My son's brow is troubled like the sky before the storm breaks. Yes, Father. I am troubled. Fat Outer was young once. He knows a young man in love. I have known about the white girl for a long time, Little Elk. Father, she is why I wish to leave the child. Does she love Little Elk? I don't know. I only hope she will someday. My son, you know only the customs and the ways of the red man. What will you do among your own people whose ways you have never known? I've got a job at the feed store in Porcupine. It is owned by the white girl's uncle I've heard. That is right, Fat Outer. Sam Foster is her uncle. There I'll learn to work like the white man and be paid for it. Very well, my son. You have my permission to go. You and your people have been good to me, Father. I shall always remember it. You will always be my friends. I believe you, Little Elk. Should you ever wish to return to the campfires of the tribe, you will be welcome. Welcome as the son of Fat Outer, great chief of the Cheyennes. It was mid-summer when the Lone Ranger and Tonto crossed Northward over the Arkansas River shortly after daybreak. And after an hour's ride, pitched camp a few miles from the town of Porcupine. After a hearty breakfast, they took stock of supplies and the masked man said, They're running low, Tonto. Get the stock up before we break camp. Ah, town of Porcupine near here, Kimisabi. Yes, you can get everything we need at Sam Foster's door. Oh, here's a $20 gold piece. I think that'll more than cover the cost. Ah, me go now. Get back when sun high in the sky. When Winnie Foster came into her uncle's feed store with a basket over her arm, Steve Lester, the bookkeeper, turned on his high stools to greet the girl. Well, well, I was just hoping someone would bring my breakfast to me. Hello, Steve. Now you can just spread it out here on my desk and I'll show you how a real man eats. Now, Steve, you know this is for Uncle Sam. He left without his breakfast again, Simone. Ah, some men have all the luck. Your Uncle Sam, for instance. I'd sure like to have a pretty girl wait on me like that once in a while. Where is he? Your Uncle Sam. He's out in the warehouse talking to that half-breed, I think. Want me to go call him? Steve Lester, what did you say? Huh? I said he's out there in the warehouse with a breed. Do you mean Jeff Wilson by any means? Yeah, that's who I mean. I told you to stop calling Jeff a breed. He's as much a white man as you are, and you know it. You kind of like him, don't you, Winnie? That's none of your fare. You got him his job here, didn't you? I did not. He asked Uncle Sam for the job and Uncle Sam hired him. If it hadn't been for you, he wouldn't have. Your Uncle doesn't like Indians any better than I do. Steve Lester, if you ever call Jeff an Indian again, I'll... Never speak to me again. You told me that before. And I mean it. Now listen, Winnie, let's talk sense. Jeff Wilson may have white skin, but underneath the skin is an Indian. You live with him too long, he'll never change. Ever since he came to work here, you've done everything possible to poison Uncle Sam against Jeff. You've even tried to turn me against him. I'm just talking facts. If it ever came to show down as to whether he's more of a red skin than a white man, I know which side Jeff Wilson would choose. That's a lie. One of these days I'll prove it to you, Winnie. You'll have to before I'll believe it. Now I'll go find Uncle Sam myself. Now hold on, he's busy right now. He's filling an order for an Indian who calls himself Tantum. Busy or not, he's going to have his breakfast. Hello there, Winnie. Where have you got? Your breakfast, Uncle Sam. Hello, Jeff. Good morning, Miss Winnie. What's wrong, Winnie? What's your face so red for? Nothing. Nothing, eh? Well, now it appears to me you're mighty upset about something. I am not. Uncle Sam, do you want to eat your breakfast here or in the office? I'll eat it right here. I've got a lot of grain to sack. Let me have it. I'll spread it out for you. Listen, while you get it out, I'll finish waiting on this Indian. Now, Tando, is there anything else you need? No. No, me got everything. How much it cost? Have you kept Tally on the stuff, Jeff? Yes, Mr. Foster. It's all here on the slip he brought with him. I've checked it off. All right. Now, Tando, you go into the office and show the slip to the bookkeeper. He'll tell you how much it comes to, and you'll take your money. Uh, me go pay. Then me put supplies on horse. I'll pack it on your horse, Tando. You go pay up. Oh, that's good. Then me go pay. I guess that comes to $16.15, Indian. Uh-huh. Here, money. But $20 gold piece. Hey, Redskine, where'd you get that kind of money? From friends. He wants change. Oh, so you want your change, huh? Well, tell me who this friend is that trusts you with gold money. You give Tando change and Tando gold. The supplies are packed on your horse, Tando. He's ready to ride. That's good. Me go and him give change. I'm not passing out your change until you answer my question. Where'd you get this $20 gold piece? Me not tell. Give change. Don't you talk to me that way, Redskine. When I ask you a question, you better answer it. Just a minute. What's the trouble here? You keep your big nose out of this breed. Did you give him that gold piece, Tando? $20. Give him his change, Steve. Give him his change. Why, you have that breed, Redskine? Let go of me. That's better. Pick it up, Tando. Let go of me and I'll kill it to you. Go on, Ray, Indians. You better get out of here, Tando. I don't want you getting into trouble. You'll not fight him. You get into trouble. You better turn me loose, you breed or... I'll do as I say. Get out of town. You'll make trouble for you if you don't. Well, you go then, but you'll not fight him. You get in trouble. You better take your filthy hands off me. You stinkin' brain. Steve, you take that back. I'm not taking anything back. You Redskine, I said take it back. You breed. You dirty Redskine. Get up on your feet. Get up. And I'll kill you. You kill nobody. But you take back what you called me. Now take it back before I beat the life out of you. I'll take nothin' back. Hey, what's goin' on? He was gonna kill me. I wish I had it. What? Now, Winnie, you better stay out of here. There's trouble goin' on. What's happened, Uncle Sam? Oh, Steve. Your face. What happened? Steve said that Jeff tried to kill him. What have you got to say about it, Jeff? He wouldn't give time to his change. He's a liar. That Indian got sassy with me. Jeff sided with the Indian. You did side with the Indian, Jeff? Yes. I wasn't going to stand here and see Steve rob him. What'd I tell you, Winnie? I knew he'd show his color on a showdown. You take that back. Hey, hey, hey. Stand back here, Jeff. I'm sorry, Mr. Foster. We can't have this sort of thing goin' on around here. I know it. What'll I do about it, Winnie? I don't know, Uncle Sam. Jeff, don't know. Miss Winnie, I... I won't be the cause of trouble and unhappiness for ya. I... I'll return to my... my people. Goodbye. The curtain falls on the first act of our Lone Ranger story. Before the next exciting scenes, please permit us to pause for just a few moments. Now to continue our story. Without knowing the outcome of the argument between Jeff Wilson and Steve Lester, Tonto returned to camp and told the Lone Ranger about his argument with the bookkeeper of the feed store in Porcupine. Jeff Wilson, say to me, get out of town. You're not gettin' trouble, Tonto. You did the right thing, Tonto. It's easy for a white man to stir up trouble against an engine. Maybe Jeff Wilson in trouble. Oh, I doubt that. He's a white man. He can take care of himself among white men. But you not know, Kimusabi. Jeff Wilson is little elk. Him adopted son of that otter. He is. That's right. Him leave tribe to work in store. That's strange. I wonder why he left the Indians. Me not know, Kimusabi. But clerk in store call him breed. Clerk maybe think him Indian. Make trouble. Tonto, Jeff's still a white man. Clerk won't be able to stir up trouble for him. The Lone Ranger didn't know that Jeff had left the store, the town, and Winnie Foster. There was no reason to suspect that Steve Lester had found the smoldering flames of hatred into full fury to stir up trouble between the Indians and the white men. The Lone Ranger and Tonto, returning from the Platte country after several weeks, were quick to observe the signs of trouble as they neared Porcupine. There's something going on around here, Tonto. See those smoke signals? Ah, me see them. They make talk about us. Yes, I was able to read them. Indians are keeping a close watch on us. Ah. And what we do, Kimusabi? Keep to cover as well as we can and we'll camp near Porcupine tonight. Now that we've been spotted, it won't be safe to camp too far. Easy, big fella. Look, Kimusabi. Man on ground. Looks like the work of Indians, Tonto. Is that a big fella? I'll see if he's dead. Him not scout. No. He's still alive. We know that man, Kimusabi. You do? Ah, him named Steve, work in feed store. The one you had trouble with a few weeks ago? That right. What happened to him? I don't know. I see no wounds, no blood on his clothing. He's sick, Tonto. Very sick. We've got to get him to a doctor. Look, Kimusabi, many Indians. Yes, we'll have to make a run for it. I'll get Steve in my saddle. There he is, Silver. Hurry, Kimusabi. Easy, big fella. Now I get a good grip on it so he doesn't fall. Indians, come fast. Let's go, Tonto. Come on, Tonto. Where'd you find him, Mass Man? About five miles from town, doctor. We were looking all over for him since he walked out of the dance last night. He was acting mighty strange. Strange? Yes. You see, he took me to the dance, but he didn't act like himself. It must have been the fever that caused it. He kept saying he was going out to kill a man. Of course it was the fever, or he wouldn't have gone looking for trouble. Not with the grass full of Indians, he wouldn't. Who did he want to kill? A man named Jeff Wilson. He's a white renegade that lives with the Redskins. Steve hated him. I understand. How serious is he, doctor? Very serious. In fact, critically ill. That's not the worst of it. What do you mean, doc? He has smallpox. And we've all been exposed to him. The whole town was at the dance last night. I know that. The whole town will be down with it, buddy, soon. Oh, this is terrible. What'll we do? Maybe the dogs got somewhere that's here, and they tell them about it. Have you a doctor? No, I haven't. I've heard of it, but I have none here. Where can we get it? I think the army uses it to protect the soldiers at Fort Leonard. That's no help to us. Not with the town surrounded by shayans. Tondo and I outran the Indians to get here. Perhaps I can do it to get out. You'll never get through, mister. It won't last an hour when you ride out of town. Me go, Kimosavi. No, Tondo, no. I'll go first. If I'm not back in two days, you try to get through. Ah, me do what you say. Good. Adios, Tondo. Adios. Well, I'll be dead burned. He calls you Tondo. I thought I'd seen you before. You're the Indian that started all this trouble in the first place. Well, he's no time to start more trouble, Sam. If that man doesn't get back from Leonard, he'll bury all our troubles with us. Darkness was just beginning to fall when the Lone Ranger rode out of Porcupine and headed the Great Horse Silver Eastward toward Fort Leonard. Knowing the country to be seething with Indians, he kept to the cover of gullies, draws, and brush country as much as possible and kept a wary eye for signal fires that would indicate his presence had been detected. He saw none. But one of our 10 miles from town, he had to top a low ridge. I've seen your silver. Come on, big fella. A rifle cracked in the distance and a bullet whined over his head, and this was followed by Indian yells only a few hundred yards away. The masked man bent low in the saddle and urged the big white stallion to greater effort. But the Lone Ranger soon realized that a steep was impossible, for he heard the yelling savages closing in on him from all sides. At any moment, he knew he would be brought down by a bullet from an Indian's rifle, and he decided that his only hope for survival was by immediate surrender. He drew rain on Silver. Almost immediately, the masked man was surrounded by the painted Cheyennes. Instead of waiting to be questioned by them, the Lone Ranger, showing no fear, began giving orders. Take me to Chief Fedor. I want to see him at once. There's no time to lose. Take me to Chief Fedor. There you come. We take you to Great Chief. Come on. I've told you the truth, Chief. If smallpox breaks out in the village, a breakout among your people, too. You lie. You go to Fort Leonard for soldiers. What's going on here? This white man goes to Fort Leonard. He will bring soldiers. Man. And a big white stallion, too. Are you Jeff Wilson? He is my son, Little Elk. He is no longer Jeff Wilson, the white man. Masked man. Do you know an Indian named Tondo? Yes. He's my friend. He rides with me. Tell me why you are here. I believe you. When the Lone Ranger had explained his mission and its urgency, Jeff Wilson asked, This great medicine you go for. Will it save the life of Steve Lester? He may live. The vaccine will not save him. He has a disease already. Will it save the life of Winnie Foster? Yes, and others in the village as well. I'm not interested in the others. Can you persuade the Chief to let me proceed? No. I could never convince him that you wouldn't bring soldiers from Fort Leonard. You're willing that Winnie Foster's life shall be in danger? No, I'm not. Masked man, you will stay here in the camp of my adopted people. You'll be a prisoner. But I will go to Fort Leonard for the great medicine. I'm agreeable to that. But you must lose no time. Speed and timing everything now. Your horse is the greatest in the West. I'll ride him. You'll get you there. He'll get you back. Come, Silver. Well, I told you. If you do not return in two sons, the Masked Man dies. All right, Silver. Take him through. Adios, Masked Man. Adios, Jeff. Get up! Two days later, Dr. Saunders bent over and crossed the hands of Steve Lester. Then he drew the white sheet over the face and turned to Winnie Foster. He's gone with him. If only the Masked Man had come back. It wouldn't have done any good. Steve had the disease before he left. Now we'll all face the same fate. Unless the Masked Man gets back muddy soon, we will. And we'd better be prepared in case he does come. Yes, Sam. There, darling. Round up everybody in the village. They have to be vaccinated. You bet I will. I'll have them on hand when the Masked Man gets here. And Winnie, I'll need your help. You've got to be my nurse. I'll do anything you tell me, Dr. Saunders. There. Listen. Hey, it's him. The Masked Man's riding in now. Quick, Dr. Let's go meet him. Hey, dog, that hurts! Quit your yelling, Sam Foster. It's all over now. I'm sure glad it is. I lost 10 pounds waiting for you to get around to me. Is Sam the last to be vaccinated, Dr? Yes, my friend. Sam's the last. Everybody in town's vaccinated now. Hey, work's done. No, not yet, Doctor. They've got to get to the Indian camp at once. Indian camp? We're not going to vaccinate them. Winnie, I didn't go to Fort Launard for the vaccine. You didn't? And how did you get here? I was captured by the Cheyennes in Hell Prisoner. Jeff Wilson rode to Launard in my place. What's that? He did it for Winnie. Jeff... Jeff did that for me? Certainly you'll do as much for him and his people. Yes, yes, I will. Come, Doctor, let's go with the Mass Man. You bet I will. Let's go, my friend. Come, Doctor. Boss has already came a savvy. That hurts! Now sit still, Chief Fat Otter. There. It's all over now. Hurt, funny man. Well, Mass Man, can you beat that? Here's old Chief Fat Otter, who's risked his hide in life many a time against white men's knives and bullets. And he wasn't afraid at all. He just scratched his arm with a goose quill to vaccinate him and he yelps like a hurt puppy. Just like Uncle Sam did in the village. In an hour before it would risk his life to kill an Indian. Both red men and white do foolhardy things when they hate each other. But both realize how helpless they are when plague and disease threaten them. And in some ways, I suppose disease is a great peacemaker. Unfortunately, that's true, Jeff. It forces enemies to be friends. Yes, we must join forces to fight disease. Well, Jeff, my work is done here. Adios. Adios, my good friend. Jeff? Yes, Winnie? You call the mass man your good friend. Who is he? The best friend all of us will ever have. Winnie, he's the Lone Ranger. This is a feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated, created and produced by George W. Trendle, directed by Charles D. Livingston, and edited by Fran Stryker. Part of our Lone Ranger is played by Brace Beamer.