 The fiery horse with a speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hockey hyosilver, the moon rangers. With his faithful Indian companion, Tonto, the daring and resourceful masked rider of the planes 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. Hank Webster ran the general store in Broken Bow. He also ran the post office in one corner of his store. His duties as postmaster took but little of his time, because the stagecoach came in only once a week to deliver the mail in a small pouch and pick up outgoing mail, if any. Frequently, because of holdups, letters bound for the east didn't go beyond the badlands that began at the edge of town. For three days, Hank had been increasingly uneasy. He paced the floor from the front door of the store through the living quarters in the rear. In every few minutes, he would go to the front porch where his 10-year-old grandson sat listening to the tall tales of Hank's old friend called Idaho. Thanks a lot, Hank. Idaho, have you seen anything of it? They were strangers in town. Yeah? No, Dad, glad it, Hank. You asked that a half hour, go on a half hour before that. Now, me and Bobby told you that we'd let you know if we'd seen anyone. Ram, you keep busting in on the story, Idaho's telling me. What lie are you telling the youngster this time, Idaho? That ain't no lie. It's about the time the lone ranger whipped a whole army of outlaws. Another lone ranger yarn and... I want to hear the rest of it, Idaho. Dad, just a minute, Bobby, just a minute. Hank, what makes the man you're looking for so all fired important? Who is he? Where's he coming from? Virginia City. Well, does that make him important? No, but Jay Stewart Hamilton does. I've heard of him. I reckon you have, Bobby. Hamilton's one of the biggest men in these parts. Isn't he the man who's back in the new railroad? Yep. Most every night while I'm working in the cafe, I hear someone talking about Mr. Hamilton. And, Hank, I understand Hamilton's sending a million dollars worth of jewels to St. Joe's. Where'd you hear that? A sexual life, Hank. Don't jump a man's head. Where'd you hear about the jewels? In the cafe. It's general talk that Mr. Hamilton aims to sell his wife's jewels so he can raise the cash to finish that railroad that he's interested in. Oh, God. I hope that'll be kept secret. Not much secret about it. Everyone's wondering where he'll sell a million dollars worth of jewels. It ain't that much, but it's a lot of jewelry. Hank, you'll have to sell them in an eastern city, won't you? Yep. And Virginia City's west of here. That means you'll have to send them through this town. Surely will. That's just why I'm so fired-worried. Well, wouldn't be no chance for cooks to steal them between Virginia City and here. No. But after they leave here, they'll have to be taken across the badlands no matter where they're going. That's going to be downright risky. Don't I know it? No. Go now, we set the message you would get here. He's bringing the jewels? No. I don't know, I'll tell you something. Yeah? The jewels have been hidden in my store for the last week. You're saying such a lie. I've been waiting word as to what I should do with them. Why don't Hamilton let you know? Well, he's got to find out where to send them. Where he can sell them. He's waiting here from several agents in St. John Omaha and other places. As soon as he hears, he'll send a messenger to me. And I sure wish he'd come. I don't know. You were telling me how the Lone Ranger saved your life when you were up against a gang of outlaws. Yes. They were shooting at you from all directions when you heard hoofbeats coming fast. Yeah. You looked up and saw a big white horse charging down the hill. There he is. Here comes the messenger. You see that stranger on the white horse? Oh, yeah. Oh, he's a dead horse, looks like... Oh, rider isn't mad. Yes, he couldn't be the Lone Ranger. Oh, oh, oh. Yeah, stranger, you looking for me? I don't know whether I'm looking for you or not. You don't know? I'll shake your leg if you don't know who does. I'm looking for Hank Webster. That's me, that's me. Can't you see the sign there on my store? Hey, Mr. Whatcher, what's your horse's name? Horse's name? I call him Chief. Why? I'd call him Silver if I owned him. You wouldn't? Like the Lone Ranger. You know the Lone Ranger? Nope, I wish I did. Idaho knows him. Don't shy to him. Well, that is... Idaho don't know him any more than I do. But get to business. You got something for me? Yeah, we'll go inside the store. Yep. I'd like a witness to sign the receipt. Would you step inside to Idaho? Sure thing. Hurry back, I won't finish your story. All right, Bobby. I came from Mr. Hamilton in Virginia City. I guess you've been expecting me. I sure have. And I'm glad you got here. Are you going to take the jewel? Careful. That's all right. I can trust Idaho with my life. I hope so. To answer your question, no. Huh? The man who's going to take them will be here today or tomorrow. Does he know whether to go? That's contained in this letter. He'll be riding a white horse. Yeah. And he'll be wearing a mask. A mask? Yeah. He'll identify himself by showing you a silver bullet. Great day. You seem to know who I mean. The Lone Ranger? Yeah. He's the one man who could be trusted on a mission like this. You'll see that those jewels get across the bad land safely. Just give him this letter. It has all the information he'll need as to where they're going. Meanwhile, Bobby was wide eyed as he left the porch and stood beside the messenger's white horse. To the boy who resembled the horse of the Lone Ranger. Daddy, I won't hurt you. I just want to scratch your neck. I'd sure call you silver if you were my horse. Silver, old boy. Stand still, silver. I'll put the reins over your head where they belong. There. I can get to that saddle. Steady silver. I owe silver. Don't fall. We shall run away. Come back here. We got to get after him. Hey, don't get hushy. I'll get him. I'll help you shit. Let me borrow a horse. Bobby made a brave effort to stay in the saddle. The stirrups were out of reach, but he clung to the white mane of the runaway horse for several minutes. Then his fingers became numb. His frenzied grip on the horse's mane relaxed. He was pitched off to fall in a dense thicket at the bottom of an arroyo that paralleled the trail. He lay there motionless, while the messenger's horse continued along the route toward Virginia City. When Bobby regained consciousness, he heard men's voices at the top of the arroyo. The boy couldn't see the speakers, and he was too weak to leave the place where he lay. I'm going to carry him, or what direction he'll be heading, or when he'll go. I know how to find the answer to both questions. Hal, I got my information from a gent who works for Hamilton in Virginia City. You see, Hamilton has put all the instructions in a letter to the postmaster broken bull. All we've got to do is get that letter. How can we get it? Steal it from the post office. Listen, Slick. An old dilute named Webster runs the post office in connection with his store. Should be hard to find the letter? Only thing is, we've got to act fast before the jewels leave broken bull. Or when Webster learns that the letter is gone, he'll tell Hamilton it was stolen, the plans will be changed. Oh, no, I got it all worked out. That letter will likely be locked in Webster's safe. Now, you wait around until the store is closed, then get inside and bust open the safe. You're good at that. I can crack most any safe it's made. Bust the safe and take whatever cash there is in it as well as the letter. Then make a copy of the letter. When we know how the jewels are being sent across the bad lands, it'll be easy to get them. All right. I copy the letter after taking it and the cash from the safe. Then what? And take the letter and the cash to the living quarters behind the store. A man named Idaho sleeps in the small bedroom. Tuck the cash and the letter under Idaho's mattress. And join me at the cafe. You'll be waiting? Yeah. Idaho works there. We start a fight and Idaho gets killed accidentally. Oh, wait a minute. I don't like mixing murder into this. It'll be called an accident. We'll see to that. What then? Webster finds his money in the letter gone. Later he finds that same beneath Idaho's mattress and thinks the old man stole it. Now I savvy your scheme, Baxter. Idaho being dead, he can't deny stealing the letter and the cash. Of course he can't. And Webster, figuring Idaho is the only one who saw the instructions for sending the Hamilton jewels, won't have any reason to change the plan. Baxter, I have to hand it to you. You sure worked it out good. You might have known I had a good scheme on a send for you. Yeah, but I didn't think it would be this good. Now you go over to the post office, wait around till the store is closed, then get started on your part of the job. All right, Baxter. I'm all my way. I'll meet you later in the cafe. Get it. Get it. Come on. The boy lying at the bottom of the arroyo tried to move out of the brushwood. He had heard every word of the conspirators. He sobbed in pain and anger. Gotta get away from here. The weekend days Bobby tried to stand. He clutched the bushes for support. As he gained his feet, fierce pain shot from his ankle. It was more than he could endure. Unconscious for the second time, the brave lad slumped to the ground. It was sunset when Bobby again opened his eyes. He found himself in a woodland camp near a small stream. Before he could speak, he heard the low voice of a man who sat beside him, a masked man. Take it easy. You've had a bad fall. Who are you? Come over here, Tato. He's awake. You're mad. How...how I feel? Tato bandaged your head. He didn't get a bad bump. That hurt, huh? I thought it was my ankle. Your ankle's badly sprained. You'll be all right in two or three days. Where am I? We found you near the trail. Were you thrown from your horse? Yeah. Where am I now? Oh, a few hundred yards from where you fell. We needed water, so we brought you here. Well, now I remember. You two weren't talking. Oh, so you heard us. Well, you thought you were unconscious. You bet I heard you. Hold on, hold on. I know all about your play. Oh, no, no. You locked it up yet. You can't keep me here. Steady, son. Steady. Now, you see, you're not strong enough to get up. Oh, you... Tell me, tell me. Why did you call us murderers? I heard you're planning to kill my friend, Rob Grandpa. Oh, who is your grandpa? I won't kill you. What's your name? I won't kill you, thing. I'll get away with it somehow. Now, listen to me. Why should I? Because you've made a mistake. I know what I heard. You couldn't possibly have heard anything to make you think we're murderers. One of you's called Slick and the other Baxter. We met on the trail from Virginia City. Did those men sound like us? I don't remember. Now, please, please tell us who you are. It's important. I'm unconscious, Dan. Toto, you heard what he said. Men called Slick and Baxter planning murder. We must win the lads' confidence and learn who he is before it's too late. The Captain falls on the first act of our Lone Ranger adventure. Before the next exciting scenes, please permit us to pause for just a few moments. Now, to continue. After the messenger's white horse had been found riderless, there had been a long and prudeless search for Bobby. At sunset, the messenger rode back toward Virginia City. Hank and Idaho returned to town. Idaho went to the house and waited, while Hank asked the sheriff to send men in search of the missing boy. The old storekeeper was exhausted when he joined Idaho at the store. Any word, Idaho? No. What's the sheriff saying, Hank? Well, he'll put two of his best men on the tracks of that horse. Did you tell him we'd already followed the tracks? Yeah. But he said Bobby had to leave the saddle somewhere. It's just a case of finding the where and following the tracks. Well, Idaho, you may as well go. There's nothing you can do here. But I hate to leave you here alone. I don't mind being alone. You've got your job. Yes, I reckon so. Toto went to town for a doctor, but found there was none available. He returned as darkness gathered over the Lone Ranger's camp. The masked man had given first aid and Bobby lay in a coma. From time to time, his lips moved. His voice was barely audible. Help. The Lone Ranger leaned close, trying to catch a word that would tell something about the boy's identity. Can you hear me? Maybe we take a boy to town. Maybe someone know him. No, Toto, he's too ill to be moved. Wait, wait, he's trying to speak. Silver. Silver? Ranger, where's the Lone Ranger? Hey, what's Bobby? Oh, yeah, no. Can you hear me, son? Bobby said no more. He lay motionless and silent. The minutes dragged heavily while the masked man and Toto watched the lads pale face in the flickering light of a small well-concealed fire. Presently, the boy's eyelids moved. Toto, I think he's regaining consciousness. All right. It looked that way. We've only learned something about him. Got to help. Help. You have help. We're here to help you. Can you understand what I'm saying? You. What are you? Now, listen to me before you try to speak. You were talking about a horse named Silver. Silver. We're not outlaws, lad. We're going to help you fight the outlaws. My horse is named Silver. Silver. The Lone Ranger. He's getting stronger, Toto. Let me prove I'm telling the truth. The horse named Silver. He's waiting. Now tell me, who are you? My name is Bob. Bob Webster. Bob Webster? Your grandfather's Hank Webster? Yes. They're going to rob him. Bobby, you overheard men talking. Remember? Yes. I remember. I must know everything those men said. Hank Webster had been pacing the floor impatiently while he waited in the slender hope that one of the sheriff's men would bring word of his grandson. Presently, he heard a horse stop in the rear of his home. Why are they stopping in the back? He waited, listening, then started toward the rear. I'm curious. He opened the door to Idaho's room, then fell back in surprise. Where he went to? Where? Bobby sent me. Bobby? Where is he? What's happened to him? Tell me. What do you know about the boy? He's going to be all right. He's in my camp. He's had a bad fall. There was a slight concussion, and I thought it was better to keep him in camp until morning. Where's your camp? Why couldn't we find traction? Daddy Webster, look at this. Money? I mean this. A letter? Where did you get that money? The letter's more important than the money. It's from Hamilton. Here, see for yourself. Where did you get that? It was beneath the pillow on Idaho's bed. No, no, I don't believe that. Not Idaho. Give me that letter. Now, wait. That letter was in my shape. Do you know a man named Baxter? No, I've never heard of him. Or anyone who's called Slick? No, no. I want to know about him. They're the ones who stole this letter. They put it under Idaho's pillow, so he'd get the blame. Now, where is Idaho? Oh, she's here. How do I know you're telling the truth? How do I know you're not the one who busted the shape? The letter tells you about the man who will carry the jewels from here. Yeah, but... He's to identify himself with a silver bullet. Yes. Here's the bullet. Huh? Great chichili. You mean to say... Now, tell me where Idaho went. Is he out looking for the boy? Oh, no. He's going to work as usual. He went to the cafe. That's where Slick and Baxter plan to kill him. Kill Idaho? Find the sheriff or deputy or anyone with authority and come to the cafe at once. I'll go ahead and hope I'm not too late. Oh, but wait. That letter... I'll take the letter with me. Baxter and the man called Slick to just outside the cafe. They glanced through the doors long enough to locate old Idaho near the rear of the large room. He was waiting on a table. You see him, Slick? Yeah. I'll go in and start talking to him, Slick. We've been over the scheme before. We'll go over it again so you don't make any mistake. I'll go in and start talking to him. You come along and bump into me. Sammy? Yeah. Then you get sore about it. Right. We start an argument that leads to drawing our guns. I know. When men in the cafe see gunplay start, they'll duck for cover. There'll be plenty of confusion during which some bullets will fly wild. One will hit Idaho. You'll see to that. Yeah. All right, let's get it over with. Go in and start talking to Idaho. Howdy. Oh, uh... Good evening, Mr. Got a vacant table at this side of the place? Well, now I can maybe give you one in a few minutes. The chance over y'all is almost through. Well, I guess I can... Wait! Hey, where are you going? I want a table. You needn't try to bump me out of the place to get it. Who says I bumped you? I do. No, I can't. Please, yes. Wait a minute. Who you calling a liar? You! My son, you said that right to my face. A man don't live who can call me a liar and get away with it. You take that back. You're spoiling for a fight. You'll come to the right side. Please, please, yes. There's no need to fight. This here's a peaceful place. You shut up. I'm not spoiling for a fight, Mr. But I won't take being called that by you. You take back what you said. Get your hand off your gun. Take it back or... Get that draw and I'll slap leather. That's a dare. Then take it. Idaho, come here. Who's that? I'll take your dare. Slick's gun came out and the bullet hit the big lamp near the ceiling. There was a bedlam of confusion as men scrambled over chairs and tables to find safety from gunplay. The lone ranger couldn't use his gun because old Idaho was in the line of fire. Acting with lightning speed, he dashed forward, dived over a table and grabbed the old man's legs. Idaho went down fast and the bullet split the air right where his head had been. Let go of me. Let me up here. Get him. Let's go to it. Baxter fired at the two men on the floor. The bullet tugged the masked man's shirt. The lone ranger rolled to the side as he brought up a gun. Two shots from their marks. One struck Baxter's gun. The other broke Slick's wrist. The masked man leaped to his feet with guns drawn. If there's any more gunplay, I'll be the one who makes it. My arm... My arm is smashed. You Idaho, get up. All the rest of you stand where you are. What's the idea of starting this ruckus? Idaho, what happened anyhow? Gosh, Wash, I... I don't really know. These two started jarring each other and left it gunplay. Then this masked man came in like a tornado and knocked me down. My arm... Is your name Baxter? No. Then they called you Slick. You must be Baxter. Yeah, what up? Idaho, Idaho, are you all right? Hank, things happened here. He's the sheriff and the deputy. I found him just starting out on another search for Bobby. Hank told me about you, mister. That saves explanation of my mask. I told the sheriff I've been robbed. Here are your men, Sheriff. Slick and Baxter. What's that? You rob Webster's safe. That's not true. You can't prove that. Where'd you get that idea? An important letter and a sum of money we're stolen from Webster. Isn't that right, Webster? Well, you can't say we did it. What's your proof? We may find the proof in your pocket. What makes you think so? Stand still. I'll see for myself. Sheriff, this is a downright insulting way to treat strangers in town? Here. What's this? Some kind of message, isn't it? Better look at it, Hank. Hey, there's a copy of the message to me. That's what it is. Here's the original, Sheriff. You might compare the two and keep the information confidential. Yeah. Oh, you Stephen Paul catch. You can't deny opening my safe. How else could you get that information? I... How about you, Baxter? Did you go with Slick to rob the safe? No, of course not. I was right here in the cafe at the time. At what time? Why, well... How do you know what time the robbery took place? You were in on it and that bruised us. It was your idea, Baxter. It was all your idea. You're in as deep as I am. Shut up, Bill. I won't take the rap alone. You got me into this, too. I have enough to lock you both up. That will do for a start, Sheriff. When you check your hand-bells, you may find these too worn for some other hold-ups in the badlands. Come on, you crooks. Get going. All right. Probably I never seen the light of it. That mass man snapped them two shots from the door of the cafe, and both of them went straight to the mark. Golly, that was your fine shoe. The one that I... It sure was. Are Slick and Baxter in jail now? Yeah. We took them there last night before the mass man brought us to where you were sleeping. Then we brought you home. Well, you feeling all right, buddy? I'm all right now, Grandpa. Well, I'll sit here in the porch with you for a minute. I sure feel relieved that the Hamilton Jews are off my mind. Off your mind? How's that, Hank? They've been hit under the floor for the past week. Well... That's why I've been so worried. I wish fit to be tired waiting for word as to how I was to send them east from here. And now you've sent them? Yep. According to the instructions he came yesterday, the letter said I was to turn them over to the masked man who showed me a silver bullet. He's the one that saved my life. The same? You want to found me? That's right, Bobby. By now, he's halfway across the Badlands, and I reckon Hamilton can just relax and feel sure he'll get his cash to finish the railroad. Hank, who intonation is that mask man? Well, you should know, Idaho. You've been bragging to Bobby how he saved your life so many times. Huh? He's the Lone Ranger. This is a feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated, created by George W. Trendle, produced by Trendle Campbell Enterprises, and directed by Charles D. Livingston. Tonight's drama was written by Fran Stryker. The part of the Lone Ranger is played by Brace Beemer.