 Indian companion tunnel the daring and resourceful mass writer 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 hoof beats of the great horse silver the moon ranger rides again the guns of the cactus city business district smiley Phillips a reporter for the Daily Star turned into the door bearing a sign which read cash is called attorney at law the fixed smile which had given the newspaper man his name widened as hold a small dollar face man waved him into a chair beside the rule top desk smiling I was about to send for you I suppose you want a story kept out of the paper I have some surprising news for you of course I shouldn't tell it to do so makes me guilty of a breach of professional ethics you've been guilty of a lot of things you weren't disbarred from the practice of law in the east for nothing and you weren't fired from a New York paper for nothing except blackmail we've been over that before now spill your secret last night I drew a will for your boss Colonel Mitchell he has no relatives so where will his property go to you me oh cash this is great the star alone is worth a lot of money but wait Colonel has to live for another 20 or 30 years in spite of the fact he was shot through the chest during the Civil War hasn't it occurred to you that his life could be shortened yes but as his heir I'd be suspected of murdering him chef Hubbard would jail me quicker than you could say any as corpus smiley I've done a lot of thinking about that will it presents opportunities for both of us how do you figure out my safe is filled with blackmailing material nearly every rich rancher and mining man around here has a skeleton in this closet the cattle kings got their starters rustlers the mine operators were claim jumpers and some were killers this is still white once the daily star is yours we can use it to blackmail them out of hundreds of thousands of dollars we couldn't get away with that or anything else as long as newt Hubbard is sure I thought of a steam that will eliminate him and Colonel Mitchell at the same time by working things right we can put the sheriff in a position where he'll have to shoot some weeks later the lone ranger and taught who were camped in the mountains a day's ride from Cactus City looking up from a copy of the daily star which taught oh had obtained at a nearby stage station the masked man remarked hello our old friend Sheriff Hubbard is in trouble oh what happened there's newspapers viciously attacking him yet of their Colonel Mitchell accuses him of being cowardly incompetent and crooked oh and it's a wrong that's taken my life on that personal journalism in the West has reached a point where even the best men are slanted the minister good government all right let's break camp and where we go to Cactus City we help Sheriff Hubbard welts perhaps we can help you again as the long-range you're on top of prepared for the trip smiling Philip squeezed into Sheriff Hubbard's office my share the lawman greeted him affably happy smiley take your weight off your feet oh thanks sir you know I can't understand why you will already poor for the star to come into your office yuck smiley I'm an understanding sword I don't blame you for what Colonel Mitchell writes about me I know your job is just getting news about shootings in search I hate to tell you this today's paper the Colonel will have an editorial claiming that you stuffed the ballot boxes in order to get elected who went for name calling Sheriff has to expect abuse I don't say the weather Colonel is black guarding me well just between us I wouldn't stand for the kind of slander the colonels printing about you I'd shoot him on sight so what every other man in the territory may be sure but I don't break any laws and spread what he says I do my dirties to enforce him you must be thick skinned Sheriff smiley was in conference with Colonel Mitchell an ex army officer of reckless courage but poor judgment who had put aside the sword for the pen yet not however discarded his six shooter it was a cap and ball colt a dragoon model of 1861 and it lay on his desk with an easy reach as he asked smiley did you see that power through nowhere is a sheriff's band I just came from him Colonel course you realize that I have to keep on friendly terms with them in order to get more evidence of his unfitness for office yes you've convinced me of that remains for me to convince the public the lily livered scoundrel must be driven out of cacti city he feels same way about you I gathered him he claimed that you've been sneaking down alleys to avoid meeting what no man can speak like a million live I'll publicly challenge him to a duel in tomorrow's paper I shall print a statement saying that 12 noon that day need stay following I propose to walk down the middle of mainstream in the hope of meeting and shooting that while Colonel Mitchell raked the English language for the high-flung freezes popular in that day smiley hurried the caches hold small bursting in upon his fellow plotter he exclaimed it worked out just as you play I told you it would the colonel is going to force the sheriff's hand by challenging him to a duel on Main Street excellent will the colonel be armed with his cap and ball revolvers I anticipated naturally have a look here that gun is reliable and accurate I've seen him use it to shoot the flame from a candle at 50 feet you know there's a good chance that he'll kill the sheriff instead of getting killed I thought of that I want you to spike his gun spike it so he doesn't carry it in the whole soon so you ought to be able to get hold of it before he leaves the star office I can do that then what drive cactus spines into the six nipples on which the percussion caps fit that will keep the caps from touching off the powder charges in the cylinder chambers and make him a perfect setup for the sheriff cash you think of everything indeed I do smiley right now I'm thinking of a way to keep you from double-crossing me way I wouldn't do that I don't trust you you smile too much on the following morning the star carried the colonel's challenge under a banner headline sheriff Hubbard and his chief deputy Bill Lyons brought it together at the jail the deputy was saying sir if you have to meet him or quit your job well meet the killer I won't try to do I have a rishney it's like for a few minutes of being new when the lone ranger and ruffle rode up to the crest of a high hill overlooking cacti city there they drew rain unaware the colonel Mitchell's editorial attacks on the sheriff and reached a climax that's what he's done play the geese down on the town top of pointed place look plenty quiet yes too quiet there isn't a man on the sidewalks or a horse at the Hitcher acts you must have a me see people but them all look out of doors windows round corners of buildings they seem to be expecting trouble and what we do I want to keep my presence a secret at least until I've talked to the sheriff so we'll go on to the edge of town I'll wait there while you find out what's going on at that moment colonel Mitchell entered his office and found smiley waiting beside the editorial desk picking up his gun he looked at the shiny new priming caps the smiling reporters expression did not change as he asked colonel are you sure your guns in order yes it couldn't be otherwise just before I went to the cafe I oiled it recharged it and put on new priming caps well it's almost 12 give me your hand I have a secret no I won't tell it now but if it should happen that I don't return I want you to remain true to the tradition of fearless journalism be a scourge of evil doors goodbye goodbye Colonel believe me my heart and soul are in your gun today and six cactus me the sheriff had stationed himself in the center of the street a block away he stood with his legs wide apart his hands hanging loosely at his sides his one gun was holstered seeing the colonel emerge from the star building he called to his chief deputy who had posted himself on the walk nearby it's my job right but don't give more than an even break from places of safety hundreds of towns people watched with bated breaths the deathly silence was broken only by the sound of the colonel's footsteps he advanced on the sheriff with a measured tread of a soldier holding himself proudly erect his gun hung barrel down from his right hand as the distance between the two men shrank to 20 faces the colonel paused and called your under arrest disturbing the peace you can't hide behind your bad you cream and reprobate as the colonel continued his faithful March the sheriff slipped his gun from its holster but did not raise it again the challenger stopped as he spoke the colonel aimed and triggered his long barreled army calls the hammer fell only the percussion cap exploded the colonel's face was read with fury as he growls don't try that again now give me your gun now I'm sorry colonel you had two chances you're not badly hurt but the sheriff kept the crowd back Doc Harlow knelt beside the fallen man taking off his tall hat he uncoiled the stethoscope which he always carried in it after applying the instrument to the colonel's breast for a short time he pronounced this man is dead with doctor can't be I aimed at the current soldier you made a mistake he's alive well if he's alive so is Julius Caesar there's some of you fellas put him on a shutter and carry him to my office I don't take the colonel's gun I want yours too chef Megan what for I'm the corner remember all right being cornered my legal right and duty to hold you for the inquest the curtain 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 witness the death of Colonel Mitchell and the rest of the sheriff we joined the lone ranger and told what has happened meanwhile the ever-smiling reporter had gone to Cashhold's law office to discuss the next steps in their plot he was saying the corner as the colonel's gun even if he finds it was like the sheriff will get the blame I agree and I'll let's get that will prove it no you don't want to draw public attention to yourself yet I've got to keep the paper going the most capable man on the staff you'll be expected to do that pending administration of the estate then I'll take charge and get out of special edition by the way smarty you're in a position now where you need a gun handy you know I've always thought it's smarter to pack a grin than a gun it's more disarming you can't work a black male scheme in the West without more protection than that I always keep a forty five on my desk here's a forty one caliber double barrel danger pistol that you can carry in your pocket at all times I'm making you a present of it thanks first gun I've ever had be careful it's loaded never look down the barrel of a gun you may shoot yourself aren't you afraid I'll use it on you you said you didn't trust me I still don't but I advise you not to try any gunplay I'm a man who knows how to protect himself that night the sheriff and his chief deputy in whose custody he had been placed at the table in the jail office the coroner had just arrived as he took off his tall half and mocked his poor and he said if I thought I could clear you at the inquest tomorrow and now I don't know I found that your bullet only hit the colonel's shoulder so they wouldn't blaze this kill me an old civil war wound that weakened his heart well that makes me feel some better don't help you in any other way people are saying you took advantage of a civil war hero who had only a bow and cap guns they call it murder I say look there mask man and a little off your gut bill they're friends of mine I'm sure glad to see you on tattoo I never needed you more but it don't look like there's a thing you can do for me others saw the shooting he says you let Carl Mitchell slap his gun at you before you fired I did but I couldn't take another chance on his gun not fine hey Rick and he had some old priming isn't like an ex-officer to put old caps on the gun he expected to use in a duel oh where's the gun right here on the table we're holding it for the inquest may I see it go ahead this gun's an excellent condition the copper caps are as bright as they had just came out of a box what are you what are you doing cutting the cylinder and taking off the caps every nipple has been plugged apparently with cactus spine hey no wonder it wouldn't shoot sure of both you and the curl have been victims of a cunning clock somebody wanted him killed and arranged it so that you had to do the shooting the mask man is right but it won't help your case chef in fact it'll make it worse if I'm at the inquest jury see that done they'll figure you manage somehow despite it says the colonel have any enemies they knew about I didn't even hate him who stands to gain by death nobody he didn't have any years we'll step into the back room keep them locked up or I'll use my paper to run you out of town your paper did you say yes I said it you might as well know now is later that the colonel will be all his property I don't believe it Adam say once that he figured to me very danger old soldier home well that was before I went to work for where is that when you're talking about cash hold has it in his law office by that chapter the property for it for you the argument continues the whole range your touch tunnels are when the two men silently through a door to an alley where they had left their horses and I heard the masked man said talk won't solve the sheriff's problem he can't work on it the corner isn't a real almond we'll have to act and what we do that report I had a chance to spike the gun the world gave him a reason to do it we're going after the will maybe that get us in plenty trouble you take that chance for the sheriff's sake you know where lawyer hold his office tunnel a few minutes later the greedy little lawyer was roused from a dream of power and plunder by a knock on his door expecting a visit from smiley he unlocked and opened it when he backed over to his desk with a gas mask not you and then you were trying to kill me and I know who hired you I feel hate for it I fix it so he will they won't harm you all we want you to do is show us Colonel Mitchell's well of course you want the will for that double cross what double cross as he spoke the lawyer slid one of his hands into the litter of papers on his desk then it's made up with a gun that had lain concealed master shower down on the struggling men hold we're shrinking hold the way came here we would have been satisfied with learning who witnessed that well but you're fair being murdered by an accomplice to expose you as being a crook yourself are you and smiley Phillips behind the gun plot that costs the current life I'm through talking out of those yells and that shot must have been heard left to work fast searching for the key to his safe whole town will be here after you are close in a minute yes I'm gonna give safe unlock as the low ranger searched the strongbox a citizen who had heard the shot and peered through a window spread words through the town that a hold up was in progress in cash holes office armed men began to gather outside hearing the hubbub the mask man abandoned his examination of the lawyer's files and got to his feet hello we're trapped in a sound memory but seniors have been newly witnessed and motorized actually bequeased a property to show a lot of stuff which could be used for blackmail and that's not how far sir Sheriff's paper hold tried to swallow the car to into this mess by trying to help me now we're all shut down most confessions you have a right to know what's a channel into a field with a sheriff but tell him I told him point he spiked to be afraid of swally he thought tonight the smiley had hired not to know your hands lead to block his escape one of the mask man's hands dropped to a gunbush the reporter world just as the lone ranger's gun cleared leather the twin barrels of smiley's pistol were within inches of the mask man's heart when the hammer fell a body hit the floor but it was not the lone ranger who fell smiley was on the floor feebly repeating dude surely that I hear the barrel that just fell on the floor they're both plugged with oversize bullets wonder the gun blew apart oh listen to what smiley's saying another body for the inquest thought that pool kid will have to be carried to the gallows in a chair he's from yellow but he knew all the gun tricks why do you suppose he gave smiley a plug gone he probably expected the reporters to turn the gun on him sooner or later the inquest won't be anything but a formality right ma'am I owe you another big debt now I wish there was something I could do to repeat there is sure just keep on being the kind of lawman who is making the worst of other places which is a man they asked that same question once in another lawman he told me like I'm telling you he is the lord used by Trandall Campbell enterprises directed by Charles D. Livingston and edited by Fran Stryker