 The fiery horse with the speed of light, the cloud of dust, and a hearty high old silver, the Lone Ranger. The history of the western United States is also the history of transportation. First prairie schooners blaze the trail into the new territory. Then came the pony express and the stagecoach lines. Finally the railroad made its appearance, but in the more remote sections of the country the stagecoach still survived. The armed guards who rode with the drivers fought it out without laws time and time again. Holdups were a regular occurrence until the cry of high old silver was heard throughout the west. The masked rider of the planes started his great fight for law and order. A fight which only ended when crime was completely stamped out on the frontier. 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. As our story opens a stagecoach is standing motionless on the trail between Ogden and Hampton Mills. While two men, both masked, hold level guns upon the driver, guard and passenger. All right, mister, step outside here. You blasted Cook past Mr. Ames. You let him eat. Shut up, driver, if you're savvy what's good for you. Mr. Ames, if that's your handle, get out of that coach. You're that cook that has been holding up the stage. Right quick at figuring things out, ain't you? Search him while I keep an eye on these other armed raiders. This is an outrage. Ah, South Law's got her in the living, don't we? I'll keep your hands raised, but I see what you got in your pocket. You can't do that, mister. Ah, nothing there. Unbutton that vest you wear and let's see what's making that bulge in your shirt pocket. No, it's nothing. Come on. When I report this to the sheriff. We'll be a long ways from here. I thought so. I'll take that wallet. That's cattle money. We ain't got nothing against spending cattle money. It's as good as any other, I reckon. Feels right hefty. You must have sold considerable cows. Anything else on them? No. Then turn around, mister, and climb back him. He's six guns staring me in the face. I just want the fellow holding him down. Which shows right good sense. How long are you crooks going to keep us here? We're laden off this trip already. You can get rolling right now. We'll even give you a start. Get up there! Get up there! There comes the stage. He's late again. Hi there, sleepy. How's the trail? Any news from Hampstead Mill? Where in places are you? Where's Ed Cardigan? Something a matter, Mr. Ames? You're going to have to make a report. Yes, a second. I hope you ain't blaming me, Mr. Ames. Oh, I guess it wasn't your fault, perhaps. Here's Mr. Fergus. One side, fellas. Let me through. What's the trouble here? Most of your stage was held up again, and I was robbed of more than a thousand dollars cattle money. Sleepy, how'd this happen? Just the same as the other time, Mr. Fergus. We never got no warning at all. One minute there was nobody near, and then the next it was riding alongside with us covered. Honest, Mr. Fergus. That's so, Grant. If they were to blame, I'd be the first to say so. But the way them crooks work is to keep under cover till the stage is by, then ride up from behind. You'd have to have eyes in the back of your head to know which way they was coming from next. Well, I reckon you know how sorry I am about this, Mr. Ames. But I don't know what I can do. Oh, it ain't your business to catch them crooks, Grant. It's the sheriff. Well, that'll catch them one of these days. Sleepy. Why in blazes did this have to happen just when I had good news for you? Good news for me, Mr. Fergus? I told the company with business getting better all the time. They said to choose who I wanted. And you was going to be him. Oh, golly. But now I ain't. These hold-ups ain't done your record any good. But, Mr. Fergus, I can grant you know as well as I do, Sleepy ain't been at fault. Mr. Fergus, if anybody's to blame, it's me, not Sleepy. I'm the garden. It's my business to stop hold-ups. But Sleepy's the driver. Everybody knows the driver ain't supposed to put up a fight. Well, job is still yours, Sleepy. That's when the company objects. Gosh, Mr. Fergus. Sheriff's coming now. Mr. Ames, tough luck. Sheriff, why don't you do something to catch them hold-up men? That's what I'm going to do. Yeah, you're sure taking your time about it. Yeah, well, right now I got a good notion who they are. You have, Sheriff? You taught Jennings and McLoomis. Then arrest them, why don't you? That's easy said. It's one thing to make an arrest, but getting a conviction is a horse of a different color. Mr. Ames, will you testify in court you could identify them fellows as the ones that took your case? Well, wearing them mask and all that. Did you say it was them? Not to swear at her. Me neither. You see? Sheriff, if they can't be identified, there's another way to get a conviction. Yeah, what's that, Grant? Find them with some of the things that stole on them. You make it sound like there's nothing to it, but searching them. Then how about the second time the stage was robbed? I picked up Mac and you tore not a quarter of a mile from where it happened. And there wasn't a thing on them, not even the mask for you. I dropped this over while sleep is making out his report. You drive the stage around back, Pat. Sure, Mr. Bergus. Come on, men. One moment, Mr. Ames. You're speaking to me, stranger? Yes. Go ahead, fellas. I'll be right with you. What's your business? Them fellas was waiting for me. I heard you telling about the holdup. Sheriff said he suspected two men by the name of Utah Jennings and Mac Loomis. You know them, fellas, stranger? I've heard their names, that's all. They ain't the kind of fellas you can describe easy. They're just middling height and middling complexed and middling everything. So if it was them that held us up with masks on, you couldn't tell them from anybody else. I see. Just where did the robbery take place? Well, I'd say we must have been about a mile the other side of the Red River Bridge. Would have taken the stage about an hour to reach town from there. That must mean the robbery happened just a little over an hour ago. That's the time I'd put an end to it. Thanks. The Sheriff will be told at once. The stranger who had question aims walked slowly to the edge of town and hurried toward a grove of trees where a great white horse was standing. The lone ranger quickly removing the disguise from his face, mounted silver, and rode to meet his faithful Indian friend, Tonto. Who's over? Oh boy. Oh, you do not wear disguise. I took it off and put on my mask coming from town. Tonto, you remember those men we saw riding away from the stage trail? They may have been the outlaws. We came here to find. The stage was held up just before we saw them. We must have missed the hold up by just a few minutes. Oh, that bad. I got a description of the two men, the Sheriff suspects. It wasn't very good, but such as it was, it seemed to fit the men we saw. Tonto, do you think you could follow their trail? They stopped anywhere on the way. These are the men I think they are. They were picked up once before by the Sheriff right after a robbery. The Sheriff found nothing on them. The Sheriff picked up the right men. That means they hid their loot as soon as possible after the hold up. They did the same thing this time. I want to know if not they've either got the money in their camp or they're not the men we're looking for. Let's go, Tonto. Get him up, Tonto. That's their camp below us there. Not it. There's nothing to conceal, that tracks. Look, not a lot of wood make a fire that gives off so much smoke. When the smoke is again, anybody could find his camp. We find out. Yes, I've got to learn the truth about this. The only way to do that is follow through on every clue we get. Come, Tonto. Get him up, Tonto. Get up there. Then we'll see him. That way, Tonto. Move, Tonto. Move, Tonto. Take your hand from that gun. Hold up. It isn't a hold up. But if you draw, I'll blast that gun from your hand. Then it'll take it easy, Mac. Mac Lewis? Sure, I am. I ain't got a reason to hide my name. My face either. Like you have, stranger. And you're Utah Jennings. Uh-huh, and what other? I ain't got a reason to believe you held up the Ogden stage today and sold a thousand dollars from a rancher, huh? You what? Well, I'll be. You draw. These fellas think we're crooks. We'll soon know whether you are on us. I get it. You heard there was a hold up and come here to steal a cash from us. Figuring we was the ones done the robin'. Well, stranger, that's the time you got fooled. Yes. We ain't outlaws. We ain't got enough cash on us to be worth stealing, and we don't know where there's any to be had. Then you shouldn't object to being searched. Go ahead. We ain't stopping you. Search them, Tonto. Now keep them covered in cases of trick. You're just waiting your time. But suit yourself, Jen. Suit yourself. If you find nothing on them, Tonto, look through the saddlebags. Search everywhere around the camp. Don't do that. It's all right, Redskin. I mean Utah keeps open house here. If the money's around, Tonto will find it. And if it isn't, then we've made a mistake and we'll be willing to admit it. But the search failed to reveal the money, and throughout the following week, no further clues were found by the masked man. In the meantime, Sleepy Hogan, the stage driver, had entered upon his duties in the office, where we see him now. It is evening in Grand Fergus, the local manager of the stage line, and Pat Gallagher the guard are also present when. Pat, how's Charlie Barton making out a stage driver? He's doing fine, Mr. Fergus. Pat, that's something I'm blame glad to hear. When I was driving stage didn't seem like such hard work, but after growing wages for just shining the seat of my pants in this year's office, I wouldn't go back to the other for nothing. I never thought you had a lazy streak in, you sleepy. How do you figure I got my nickname? Say, this is the trip the bank at Hampton descended cash for the payroll down construction camp, isn't it? Uh-huh. And Pat, you and Charlie better be blaming sure you get that cash back here safe. Ain't the sheriff giving us no protection? Well, his plan is to follow after the stage with his deputies. Well, that ought to be protection enough. What I'm afraid of is that he'll get there too late to catch him hiding the cash. That's the whole blame thing. Find out how them crooks get rid of what they steal so fast and there won't be no more holders. But like the sheriff says, that's something easier said than done. Say, what's keeping Charlie? If the stage is to leave on time, you better be getting along. I'll take a look out the window. He's likely to be coming down the road now. Ain't like Charlie to be late. Here comes his missus. Ain't Charlie along? I don't see nothing of him. The way Grace is hustling along, I'm wondering if maybe something ain't wrong. Maybe he's took sick. That's her. Come in. Mr. Berger. Say, Mrs. Barton, where's Charlie? He even took away. Took away? What do you mean? Kidnap. Two men got him. He was just eating his supper when they called him to the door. And then they pulled guns on him and took him away. Mr. Berger, you gotta do something. You gotta get him back. Who was it done at? He was mad. Just like the stage robbers. Might have been the same one. But why in thunder would they want Charlie? You will get him back, won't you, Mrs. Berger? Promise you'll find him. I'll do the best I can, Mrs. Barton. But this is work for the sheriff. Sleepy, this means you've got to drive the stage. Me? Oh, now, listen. You better. There ain't nobody else can, and that stage you've got to leave on time. But, Mr. Berger, I ain't a stage driver no more. You wouldn't like to tell you, or you won't be nothing around here no more. Oh. Dog gone if you ain't lazy. Now, get off of them shiny pants and get out of the house. And hurry. Well, this one last time. Come on, ma'am. Don't you worry about your husband now. We'll tell Ed about this, and he'll have his deputies out after them masked fellows in no time at all. The curtain falls on the first act of our thrilling Lone Ranger drama. Before the next exciting scenes, please permit us to pause for just a few moments. Now to continue our story. When the Lone Ranger heard that Charlie, the lead stage driver, had been kidnapped, he raced to the small, well-hidden camp near Ogden where Tonto was waiting for him. Oh, Silver. Oh, boy. What do you find out? Tonto, I've learned just exactly how blind I've been. What do you mean? Call your horse. Yes, Scout. We were right when we suspected Mack and Utah. Huh? In the evening, they gave themselves away. What? What them do? I'll tell you where to ride, Tonto. But now we're heading for Hampton Mills. Come on. Get him on, Scout. Throughout the night, the masked man and Tonto rode toward Hampton Mills. They arrived shortly after daybreak and taking cover in a grove of trees wedded for Lloyd Evans, the owner of the town's small, private bank. He should be long soon, Tonto. Hmm. Who? Who that fellow ride that way? If that's Evans, he'll see me stops in front of the bank. Him stop? When it looks as though he's taking keys from his pocket. He says that must be him. He's unlocking the door. Now to stay here and warm me if anyone comes along. Huh? I want to talk to Evans alone if possible. It doesn't take me long. Me? Wait. The front door. This mask is seen. I have to take that chance. Here we are. Evans! What's there? I've got to talk to you. I'm not an outlaw. Then what? I happen to know you're sending a payroll to Ogden by stage today. Then you're one of the say-droppers. If I were, would I let you know I was aware of the shipments? You come to steal it now, but you won't get it. The safe is locked and I'm not opening it for you or any other crew. Keep the safe locked, but listen to me. Evans, you've lost money before to the men who were holding up the stage. Twice. You want that money back? Of course I do. You won't get it back until the men who have stolen it are caught. Are you willing to help catch them? What do you mean? I mean just this. I have a way to trap them. But I've got to have your help. Oh, so that's it. Yes. You are one of those cooks. You probably got kicked out of the gang and now you want to get even. It doesn't matter what you believe. All that matters is whether or not you will help. Go on. Talk, stranger. Now that I've finally managed to convince him. That he would. Now you'll have to act fast. The stage will be in town in two hours. You'll stay here only long enough to change horses, pick up passengers and freight, then start back to Ogden again. It's not, not take me long. Evans will be expecting you. After you've seen him, meet me just outside of town. I'll be waiting in that old Arroyo to the left of the trail. Huh? Don't go. Don't go now. And hurry. Get him up, Scout. Don't go, fella. I've got an idea too. Of course you're going to have the surprise of their lives. Steady boy. Steady boy. Steady boy. Steady boy. Steady boy. And you and I will be there when it happens. Come on, Silver. Hold them horses steady till me and Mr. Evans can lift up this box. Stand still. You're blasted into a kind of critters. All right, Mr. Evans. Let's throw this cash up there. Grab hold. Up with it. Gosh, it's heavy. Give us a hand to steady it, Pat. Yeah. No, man. I reckon I'm getting older something. But that shore was a shore. You going right to Ogden? Just as soon as we see if we've got any passengers. Hand me them reins, Pat. Hand me Doggong. Glad when I'm back working in the office again. Have a good trip, boys. And steer clear of outlaws. We'll do that same. We hope. Get along with ya. Get along. Get along with ya. There's a stage for Mackie. You can see it's just above him trees. I wonder where the shears and his deptes are and close enough to do any harm. And that's all we need to know. Better get your mask on you, sir. Uh-huh. There. Mack, that's the beauty of being sort of plain looking. We're in mass and the kind of clothes that have the cow folks in a country where we ain't no easier to pick up from a couple hundred other fellas and a couple of blades of buffalo grass would be from a million of the same. Yeah. Here she is. I'll give a chance to draw up the sight of Spurs. Get up. Get up there. Come on, boys. Get them horses. And now you're gone and empty. Throw off them horses to get thrilled above the earth. Hold that. Hold that. What are your stumps after? I reckon you don't have to be told. Better watch and see if the passengers don't try anything. I'll handle them. All righty, man. Just quiet down. Wherever you want to go, bring that cash box down here in Pronto. Now, share us close by. That's just why I ain't pulling with you. Get moving. Come on, Pat. Let them take the cash. The sheriff will get it back. And then with it. Now, start. There now. Thanks for the help, fellas. The scene is how you're so willing. You can just carry the box back there and set it in the road. All right. This ain't something you cooks are going to be able to hide. So easy. Suppose you let us worry about that. Get going. Doesn't just look like the cash and anything worth it taken? Look, they don't look like they got the price of a square meal between the lottoms. Then maybe we ought to lend them some cash. Not by a play inside. Let them work for the cash. They was redo. Well, that's far enough, you fellas. Come back here now and head for town. When you fellas are sitting behind bars, I'll be standing outside laughing at you. Come on, Pat. Gosh, why am I sure I'd rather hate to tell Mr. Furgus about this? On your way. Get up. Get up. Come on, you critters. Get up. You think the sheriff yet, Utah? No, but he'll be along soon. The cash hit all right. Steady there. You better, kid. Throw away your mask and come on. There she goes. Mine along with it. Well, let's see if anybody proved we was wearing them. Yeah. Hey, there's the sheriff. Well, we ain't going to run from him. No reason why we should. Hold on there. You fellas stay right where you are. What's alien, you sheriff? You look sort of red in the face. Utah, maybe yet too much for dinner ain't digested yet. That's enough of that. This is the time we caught you skunks right in the act. Huh? What's he talking about, Mac? Search me. You robbed the stage. We heard the shots and we even seen the stage just as it was pulling away. Now, what do you got to say to that? Me? I'd say that being the case here. If you want to be looking for the crooks, I'd done it. Ah, fellas, look around for the cash they stole. It's got to be around here somewhere. Oh, mighty fine weather we're having, ain't it, sheriff? Now, Mac, you know it ain't been fine weather. Why do you keep saying it is? If you two pole cats don't quit your smart alec talk, I'll cheat at you. Evidence or no evidence? Sheriff, maybe those two fellas are the ones you're looking for. Ah, what fellas? Coming down the road there. Why, thunder? One of them was masked. Don't try nothing, stranger. You need an engine. Get your hands in the air. Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no. Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no. Oh, please tell us, Sheriff. Make the ones take all of these masks. Maybe their partners, the Mac and you talk. Sheriff, are you arresting these men for holding up the stage? All right, have you done it? I asked you a question. Did you fellas find the cash? Oh, yes. No, but here's the masks they say we wore them. Stranger, who are you? Who I am doesn't matter. The town owner and I were the outlaws, it stands to reason we wouldn't deliberately ride into your posse. Ah, I suppose. And I still want to know if you're arresting these men or not. Blast it how in blazes cannot without no evidence. I'm gone, Roco. I'd have bet my bottom dollar that this time we're had to scum. Then, Sheriff, arrest them anyhow. But I, Sheriff, can't do that. You've got to have proof, again. And arrest them, Sheriff, and I'll get you all the proof you need. Taking the Sheriff aside, the masked man explained his purpose. The Sheriff consented to make the arrest. But instead of jailing Utah and Mack, he took them to the office of the stage line, where, in company with Grant Ferguson, he kept watch over them. Blast it, Sheriff, you can't do this to us. Take these handcuffs off and let us go. You can't jail us without no proof. That's just why he ain't been jailed. I aim to handle things all right and proper. If I got to have evidence to jail you, well, then I'll keep you fellas here instead. That ain't no argument. It'll do till I get a better one. And close that back door. Close in here. Sheriff, did you figure the masked convoy was telling the truth? I know he was. I just never had the sense to see it till he pointed it out. What you fellas talking about? I don't get excited. You'll find out all in good time. This ain't legal, really. That's it, Grant. Sure not. Hey, what's the matter? What's happening? Just don't try to break away and you two know. Over next this table for the coaches, Sheriff. That proves the masked convoy was right. Snake, there's many of them. Get them away. Help. Get them away. We'll get picture death. Pick them up and put them back in the box. He gets snakes. Don't touch them. There's poison. Get them away. Oh, there's one by my leg. Hey, help us. Well, there's a side one to sleepy. They've had their fangs taken away. You couldn't get poisoned if you was bit by all of them at once. But what do you- Pat, you and sleepy are going to jail. Wait. Look. You convicted yourselves. Look here, Sheriff. In the back of the stagecoach, they had a place built there large enough to conceal the cash box. And everything else they stole. The passengers didn't tell you that. It was a clever scheme, Pat. Your friends, Mac and Utah, held up the stage. But the evidence was never found with them because the evidence was always right here in this compartment. But today, I got witnesses can swear we just put the cash box out in the road. And why is the cash box here? What probably happened was while the passengers thought you were putting the box in the road, you were really putting it in this hiding place. But we didn't know- You gave your scheme away when Utah and Mac kidnapped the new stage driver. You wanted the gold you knew was going to be shipped today. But I told Mr. Fergus I didn't want to drive- You did that simply to disarm suspicion. I learned that Charlie was kidnapped. I knew that had to be the answer. It was the only possible answer that explained why your partners were always in the clear. And you knew there was only one chance in a thousand that the law would be close enough to actually see them hold up the stage. So the mass crawler went to the banker and had him fix up this cash box. They put lead in it to make it way heavy. Then they put in snakes. And that saved us a trouble to keep and watch on you and come back with what was stole. With the snakes in that box all we had to do was sit back and wait for you to yell. Last that mass crawler the sheriff from Hampton Mills Way is bringing down the real box of cash himself. And while I was holding them partners of yours inside the engine back trailed and found where Charlie was hid. He's at home right now. This was the last time we figured on stealing anything. And then we had to be caught. And the best part of the whole thing is that the only thing you stole was snakes. No, Silver Owl. Come on Silver Owl fellow. It's a venture on the trail ahead. The story you have just heard is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated.