 A fiery horse with a speed of light, a clot of dust, and a hearty hyo silver, the Lone Ranger. With his faithful Indian companion, Toto, 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 on a small cemetery. The intermittent lightning revealed a boy of 18 who stood beside a new grave. He wasn't aware of a tall masked man who walked through the darkness from his snow white stallion which had been left a short distance away. Bob Willis thought he was alone until in a lull of the storm he heard a voice. Do you mind if I too pay my respects? What? Sorry if I startled you. Who are you? The next flash of lightning you'll see that I wear a mask. It's to conceal my identity. You knew my dad? Jim Willis was a good friend of mine so he was your dad, huh? Yes but he didn't have any masked outlaws for friends. I'm not an outlaw. Your name must be Bob. I've heard of you. Everybody's heard of me and most of it's a pack of lies. You hear that? Misty it's all lies. Did you say these things I heard about you were lies? Yes. Dad didn't go broke on my account. Do you hear that? Who says he did? Everybody. I was here this afternoon. I came for the burial. Mom wouldn't listen to me. Neither would my sister. They've both been told so many lies that neither of them want me around. Your mother and sister didn't want you around at the burial? What's the difference? My worry not yours. I'll find some way to prove the truth. I don't know how I'll do it but I'll find a way. Bob, your father was a friend of mine. I'm greatly indebted to him. How would I help you? Help me? If you've heard about me you've heard nothing that's any good. Your father told me some time ago about a little difficulty you had. You're away from home at the time. That part was true. I got into a jail over in Las Vegas. I wrote to dad. He sent me $500. That's every sin I ever got from him. That was about two years ago. Have you been home since? No. I just came back when I heard that he died. I thought Helen, that's my sister and mom would be... well, I sort of thought they'd be glad to see me but instead they turned on me. Helen looked as if she hated me. I'll never forget what she said. Tell me. Now, what's the use? Please, Bob. Well, she said that she and mom didn't want to see me. She said I was rotten all the way through that I'd broken mom's heart. You've not only broken mother's heart but you're responsible for the death of father. You killed him with worry. You spent every dollar you'd saved to buy your way out of the scrap you've been in. Thanks to you, the ranch is gone and all are saved. But Helen, that's not true. Outside of that $500 he sent me two years ago. I haven't taken a sin from day. Oh, lie. I'm telling the truth. I'd rather not hear anymore. The kindest thing you can do for mother is to go away and stay away. Go back where you came from. Neither of us want to have anything more to do with you. As far as we're concerned, you're dead. There's no use trying to talk to her. Go to mom, either. That was before the ceremony. I just went away and waited till the night to come back here to Fosgrave. It is true, Bob, that your father lost his ranch. Your mother and Helen had moved into town. They're living at the Clayton Cottage. Clayton? You mean Jeb Clayton? Yes. He has quite a bit of property. Oh, he and your sister plan to get married. You mean to tell me Helen's going to marry that scheming polecat? Yeah. Oh, she can't. Oh? He's no good. He got rich by sharp-swinging methods, doing people out of their property. Your mother and your sister are living in his cottage by choice. They could have stayed on the ranch if they cared to. They thought there would be more work than they could handle. How could they stay on the ranch if they had lost the ranch? Jeb Clayton is a new owner. You mean to say he's the one that got Dad's ranch? Yes, Bob. What? They're good for nothing. That settles it. He took Dad's ranch. Now I figure to take Helen. Well, he won't do it. I won't let him do it. I'll kill him. Hold on, Bob. You're not going to kill anyone. Oh, yes, I am. If you do, you'll hang. Do you think that will help matters any? I don't care what happens to me. I don't count. You do count, Bob. You count a lot. You think it's easy for your mother to live the rest of her life feeling that her own son is no good? That's what she thinks now. You said the stories about you were lies. They are. And you've got to prove that. And you can't prove it by killing Jeb Clayton. Maybe you've got a better plan. I may have. But what is it? I have no suggestions at the present, but I may have some after I've had a chance to look around. I want to do some investigating, Bob. I want to get some facts. That's where you can help me. How? Come with me. We'll go to my camp in a small cave where we can be dry and warm. Toddler will have some good food for you. We'll eat and talk. See you here, missy. Why are you so eager to help me? For two reasons, Bob. The first place, as I told you, I'm indebted to your father. In the second place, because of this mask, I too have been misjudged. During the next few days, Toddler spent a great deal of time in the community, learning what he could about Jeb Clayton, and listening to the stories that were circulated about young Bob Willis. There was no one with a good word for Bob. Toddler reported that to the lone ranger and Bob, who had remained in camp with a mask man. In the meantime, Bob's mother and his sister Helen made the best of their new life in a small white cottage owned by Jeb Clayton. Is Jeb coming to call again this evening, Helen? I suppose so. You don't seem very pleased about it. I'll be glad to see him, of course. He's a fine man, Helen, a successful man. Yes, I suppose so. Sakes alive. That must be Jeb Clayton now. You sit still, Helen. I'll let him in. Good evening, Mrs. Willis. Jeb Clayton do come in. My sakes shall look mighty fine. A brand-new hat. A hat I shipped all the way from Chicago. It's pretty spanking, huh? It cost me over $100. My sakes alive. $100 for a hat. Yeah. The best is none too good, I'll always say. Hi there, Helen. How's my girl? Good evening, Mr. Clayton. You got a present for you. Here's a piece of yard goods. Right fancy stuff I picked up at the general store. My isn't it beautiful? Yeah. I figured Helen could sew herself a new dress. This stuff comes high, but, well, when old Jeb Clayton is buying something, the best is none too good. That's what I'll always say. Won't you sit down? Yeah, thanks. I sort of intended to. You know, Helen, being as we're engaged, I figured we'd ought to hold the wedding as soon as possible. Don't you think so, Mrs. Willis? Of course it's up to Helen. But I thought we were going to be married in the fall. That's a long time to wait. I figured maybe we'd get married in a couple of weeks. The sooner it's over and done, we're the sooner we'll be settled down to keeping house. Well, it doesn't matter. I've got a mighty fine place out in the ranch. My house is twice the size of the one you pie had. Plenty of room there to spread a loop. Yes, sir. I don't suppose you and Helen would care to live on the ranch. My husband lost. I'll rent that place out to someone. We'll all live at my place. You too, Mrs. Willis. I figure you'll be part of the family. Now, how's about arranging for the wedding in about two weeks? If you wish it. Fine. I'll arrange things with a parson. I'd better be getting along. Got a lot of things that need attention. Oh, must you go so soon. Yep. Got some paperwork to do. Never put off till tomorrow what can be done tonight, I'll always say. Good night, Mr. Clayton. Now, Helen, to get the overcall on me, Mr. Clayton, I'm just plain jabbed to you. You'll remember that. Very well. Well, I'll shove on. Good night, all. Good night. Helen. Yes, Mother? Look at me. Yes? Now, tell me the truth. The truth, Helen. Are you marrying Jeb Clayton because you want to or? Oh, what, Mother? Or because you think you must to give me a home. Of course I want to marry Mr. Clayton. Whatever made you think I didn't? I didn't call your father, Mr. Willis, when we were caught in Helen. I called him Jim. Helen, if you have any doubts, break this engagement. Why, I'd rather go homeless the rest of my life than see you unhappy a single day. You'll not go homeless, Mother. I'll marry Jeb Clayton. Wearing his new hat at a rakish angle, Jeb Clayton swaggered along the boardwalk, headed for the cafe and a visit with the boys before returning to his ranch. But to reach the silver dollar, he had to pass the bank. He didn't pass. He stopped abruptly. Oh, there's a light in there behind the drone shade. Maybe if I hunch down, I can see it under the shade. For a moment, Jeb could only stare. He saw a lighted candle on a high bookkeeper's desk. He saw a number of ledgers opened, being read by a tall man whose face was covered by a mask. He tried the door and found it unlocked. At the sound of the door opening, the masked man turned quickly. Jeb's gun was in his hands. Stick him up, you. Stick him up. I've got you covered. Make a move and I'll fire. Here's the move. I got him. I'll hand you out. After disarming Jeb with a well-placed bullet, the lone ranger pushed him aside, rushed through the door, and rounded the building to where silver had been left at ground hitch. Well, I'm shocked. Robert Steed, Jeb, please. Help me, someone. What's the matter, Jeb? It's a masked man. He was robbing the bank. The problem was caught him, but he outshot me. Look at my arm. He winged me. I'm shocked. Get a doctor. Do something. Now, hold on, Jeb. Take it easy. Give us the true facts. Oh, you're not hurt, Jeb. Well, it just brushed your knuckles. You heard the shooting down at the cafe. What's going on here? What's going on in my bank? Here comes the banker. You see what's been stolen while I round up a posse to get after the thief. Sheriff, what's happened here? Looks like your bank's been robbed. But don't you worry. Jeb Clayton saw the thief, and we'll have him in Irons by daybreak. 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. All to continue our story. A crowd had gathered at the bank, and the sheriff enlisted men to form a posse to go in search of the masked man who had been discovered by Jeb Clayton. Meanwhile, the banker investigated and came out with an unexpected report. As far as I can see, not a thing has been stolen. You mean to say that masked man didn't take any money? Oh, most of the money was in the safe, which was untouched. There was some cash in the drawer, and it's still there. All of it. Nothing's been disturbed except our account books. Your account books? Yes, Sheriff. They were taken from the cabinet, and they're still on my desk. You can see for yourself. Well, doggone. Now, why in our nation would anyone want to look into those account books? That beats me. You capture that masked man, and you'll probably learn the answer. Well, capture him, all right. There's plenty of moonlight to show his trail. Come on, boys. Let's get going. All right, steady there. Get up there. Bob Willis and Tuttle heard the thunder of approaching hoof beats. They rushed to the mouth of the cave where they were camped and saw the moonlit figure of the lone ranger riding at top speed. Great day. What's all the excitement? Are you being chased? Easy, big fella. Yes, I couldn't take time to hide my tracks. Tuttle, I've got to be in the clear here. Put on this hat. Me? Where are you at? What's the idea? There's an extra mask in my saddlebag, Tuttle. Put that on, and pull off your buckskin jacket and put on my extra shirt. I was in the bank gathering some information. Jeb Clayton saw me there. He raised an alarm. Jeb Clayton again. Now, listen to me, Tuttle. Huh? The posse will follow the trail to this cave and see you wearing the white hat and mask. Let them arrest you. Let them put you into jail. Say nothing. But, Scout, not look like Silver. That's all right, Tuttle. Silver wasn't seen. Me shabby. I still think you should let me gun, Jeb Clayton. That's not going to be necessary, Bob. The bank records told me what I wanted to know. What's that? I can't go into that now. I've got to start on a long, hard ride. When I return, I expect to clear your name and put Jeb Clayton where he belongs. Do you look all right now? Yes, Tuttle, you'll do. Bob, you've got to get away from here. Where are you going? South. Well, let me go with you. Your job is in town. What can I do there? Stay out of sight and don't make any move against Jeb Clayton. Steady, Silver easy. Are you starting out right now? Yes. We've got to get away from here before the posse comes. Easy, big fella. Muntally. Bob Willis left the camp soon after the Lone Ranger rode away. And half an hour later, the sheriff's posse came thundering along the trail that was clearly defined in the moonlight. Well, there he is. That's the critter we want. Get him up, mister. You'll not shoot. We won't shoot if you surrender without a fight. Just like Jeb Clayton described it. It's all in wearing a mask and white hair. The lawmen were surprised when they learned that an Indian was behind the mask. To the many questions, Tonto turned a deaf ear. He maintained his stoic silence when he was taken to town and lodged in jail. Meanwhile, the Lone Ranger rode alone. Muntally. He traveled night and day with a minimum of rest and his gallant horse responded gravely to the great demands on his endurance. In town, plans for Jeb Clayton's marriage to Helen Willis proceeded with lots of flurry and fanfare. Helen aided in the wedding plans, but her manner was detached. Tonto, meanwhile, sat in jail, steadfast in his refusal to give any information. Bob Willis remained out of sight until the day of the wedding. The cottage where Helen and her mother had been living was crowded with townspeople. Clayton, his wounded hand completely healed, played the part of a genial host as the hour for the ceremony drew near. Everyone was in a game mood, except the bride-to-be. Hey there, Helen. It's time for the wedding. Everybody's waiting. Come on into the living room. And a lot of boys just came in from my ranch. Some of the fellas you haven't met. You too, Ma. Hope you don't mind me calling you Ma. Of course not, Jeb. Here, Helen. Grab hold of Ma. Hey there, boys. Here's the blushing bride. Didn't I tell you she was downright handsome? Pretty as a girl in the whole territory. But the best is none too good for old Jeb Clayton. Now is the time. What are you doing here, Bob? I thought I'd better be on hand. What's the matter? Why are you all looking at me? You're not wanted here. Get out. Jeb, that's no way to talk to a man who's wearing a pair of six guns. Especially when I'm the only one in the room who's armed. Any man that'll wear six guns or one... You shut up. Helen, tell him to clear out. He's not welcome in my house. Please, Jeb. Get out, Willis. I'm not going to let you in. I'm not going to let you in. Get out, Willis. Get out before I throw you out. That's big talk, Clayton. Don't try to back it up. I'm here to stop this witch. Bob, Bob, please go away. Sorry, Mom, but my mind is made up. Throw him out, boy. Please! Don't let anybody make a move. I'm holding my right hand gun on Jeb Clayton. The left is ready to cover anybody who moves in my direction. How long do you think you can stand there holding guns on all of us? Two or three hours. My friend doesn't show up by that time I leave. But even so, there'll be no wedding. Cause if I leave, I'm taking Jeb Clayton with me. The room was crowded and every man was tense. Bob couldn't watch all parts of the room at once. And he didn't notice one of Jeb Clayton's ranch hands. A huge hulk of a man called Moose moved silently from one corner and tiptoed until he could grab the misjudged boy from behind. I got him. Let go! Good work, Moose. Hang on to him. I'll grab his gun. I've got him. Now we'll give this young troublemaker something to remember us by. Hang on to him, Moose. And I'll part his hair with a barrel of one of these guns. Oh, no, Jeb Clayton. Now show him. Hold it, Clayton. Miss, man, where did he come from? Who are you? Oh, thank goodness you're here. I seem to have arrived just in time, my Bob. You, Moose, stand back. Let Bob will us go. Clayton, you drop those guns. Who are you, anyway? I'm the man you saw in the bank. Yes, you identified an Indian named Taddo as a man who creased your hand by a bullet, but you were wrong. That's a confession. You're under arrest. Take it easy, Sheriff. You'll have a prison in a few minutes, but it will be the real crook. Did you find what you went looking for? Yes, I did, Bob. All of you will listen to me for just a few minutes. I'll tell you a story of a misjudged man. See, I knew Bob's father. A couple of years ago, he told me Bob had gotten into a fight with a gambler in Las Vegas. The crooked gambler whose name was Drexel. He knew all about that. There was some shooting and Drexel was hurt. As a result, he lost his hand, so he could no longer deal courage crookedly. That's old news. Not everyone has heard about it, Clayton. Jim Willis told me that Drexel died as a result of the injury, but poisoning, I believe. And so he did. Yeah, Drexel died all right now. Jim Willis told me he was going to do all he could to protect his son, even though he didn't know where to find him. I wrote and asked him for $500. He sent it to me. I gave it to Drexel, and after that... After that, Bob, you disappeared. No one knew where you were. Your father asked me to help you if I could find you. I told him he was making a mistake in trying to cover up a killing. I told him if I ever found you, I'd turn you over to the law so you could square yourself. The law will take him right now. There's a murder charge against you, Bob Willis. Sure, if you're jumping the gun again. Wait until I've finished. All right, go ahead. During these past two years, Jim Willis made repeated withdrawals from his account at the bank. Those are a matter of record. I saw them in the bank ledger the other night. He drew out all his money, then he sold his property. And any of you guess where that money went? What about you, banker? I, uh, well, I could venture a guess, but it wasn't up to me to say anything without proof. We've wasted enough time. Sheriff, take these two into custody. You'd like to call an end to this, wouldn't you, Clayton? You know what I'm going to say. You know that every time Jim Willis drew money from his account, a similar amount was deposited by you to your account. Willis was paying that money to you. You were blackmailing him. You are probably the one who started the story that Willis was sending all of his money to various places to get Bob out of trouble. The truth is, Bob Willis made just one mistake. He got into a card game in Las Vegas. It led to a fight, and he shot first. He made amends for that mistake. He gave Ace Drexel $500 to buy a small ranch. Drexel died because of that shooting. Bob Willis is guilty of murder. Can you prove that? You're doggone right, I can prove it. Now, I'll admit Jim Willis paid me money to keep what I knew secret. You brought that out in the open. So, Bob's murder can come out in the open at the same time. What's your proof of murder? Half of David's. Sworn to by Moose and Blink and Jake. Do other men in my ranch or with Drexel when he died? Drexel died on your ranch? Yes, he did, and he was buried there. Showed the grave in the half of David's to Jim Willis, and I can show the same to Sheriff Taggart. I can show you something more convincing than that. I can show you Ace Drexel alive and well. Let's just meet you blackmailing full cash. Father, father, we were wrong about Bob. Drexel, tell the sheriff what you told me. Bob Willis shot me in a fight. He was sorry for it afterward. He got me $500 in cash so as I could give up gambling and buy a ranch and settle down. Jeb Clayton, there, he owed me money. So I came up from Las Vegas to collect. I told him why I wanted the cash, to buy some stock for the ranch. He paid what he owed, then he gave me an extra thousand dollars if I'd agreed to settle across the border in Mexico. That was so he could fix up the story about you dying at his place. He didn't want anyone to see you in the States. That does it. Jeb Clayton. Nobody's going to take me. He grabbed it down. Here you go. I'll get you for this. God shoot him. That's twice in the same hand, Clayton. By this time, you should know better than to pull a gun on me. My hand is broken. It's more than a scratch this time, Clayton. Now come on. You're going from here to jail. I'll put you in and let that Indian title out at the same time. Oh, it does seem good to be back on the ranch. You'll stay with us now, won't you, Bob? Helen, I'm going to do my level best to take Dad's place. Is it true that we'll get back all the money par-paid over to Jeb Clayton? We'll get it back, Mom. Clayton's going to do his best to square things as much as possible before he comes to trial. And I think I might have married that schemer. Oh, Bob, you're going to do your job, aren't you? I'm going to do my job. I'm going to do my job. I'm going to do my job. I'm going to do my job. I'm going to do my job. I'm going to do my job. Bob, we've been so mistaken about so many things. Son, there's just one thing I don't understand. What's that, Mom? How did that masked man know about Drexel? No, he was alive. He met him in Mexico, and he remembered that Pa thought Drexel was dead. So he came up here to investigate. We met beside Pa's grave. Side Pa's grave? Yeah. That's where I first came face to face with The Lone Ranger. This is a feature of The Lone Ranger, Incorporated. Created and produced by George W. Trendle and directed by Charles D. Livingston. Tonight's story was written by Fran Stryker. The part of The Lone Ranger is played by Brace Beamer.