 A fiery horse with a speed of light, a cloud of dust and a hearty high old silver, the lone ranger. From the early days of the western United States, the stagecoach drivers faced many dangers from storms and landslides, hostile Indians and worst of all, the bands of outlaws that roamed the new territory. It was not until the masked rider of the plane started his great fight for law and order that travel became safe on the frontier. It was only his strength and courage, his daring and resourcefulness that made possible the winning of the west. 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. Come on Silver, we're on the trail of the sagebrush gang! Two middle-aged women were sitting on the front porch of one of the weather-beaten houses that lined the main street of Osage. You know Cassie, I'll never get over the marvel of these modern times. Well, don't tell me there's something else that's new. Well, I thought the grandest thing I ever heard of was a telegraph they got over to Appalachia. Well, my man Jim, being branch manager of the stage nine, gets to hear all the latest. Well, I suspect he does. Them stage drivers are just plum-filled of violin over with news from the east. That and the pony spread. Just so. My six, what's coming next? Wait till you hear. Oh, Maggie, don't keep me on tenterhooks. Tell me. Well, Jim had a letter by the pony rider no later than yesterday about the next shipment coming through on the stage line. It's silk. Silk? My word of honor. Oh, so long. That ain't the news, though. You could afford to buy silk. Change fur around here. Change? No. No, it isn't. It's for the gold coast. Folks out there are fairly rolling and reeking with cash. I suspect they pay as high as five, six hundred dollars for a silk dress. Just to put on airs with. I suspect so. Anyways, what do you think's special about that silk? Well, any kind of silk out this fur with something special. Oh, there's more in that. This silk can't be stole by engines or high women. Can't be stole? Hmph. These critters out here can steal anything up to and including their house and property. Well, what I mean to say is the man that sent that silk can't lose nothing. And neither can the stage line. How's that they won't? Oh, some new fangled thing that's called insurance. Cold. In what? Insurance. It keeps folks from losing money when there's something stole. I don't know much about it. Hmph. My lands. Whoever thought that, uh, oh, I hear it has come from all the ways across the ocean, from England. Some place it's known as Lloyd's. Oh, here's Jim now. Morning, Cassie. Good morning, Jim. You're looking right for it this morning. Oh, you. Jim, I was just telling Cassie about that insurance that's coming with the silk. Well, I was sure angry to get a peek at this insurance thing. What's it like? Something like a six-shooter? Well, no. What you been telling Cassie about it, Maggie? Oh, just what a no. If the silk on the stage is stole, nobody loses nothing. How does it work? Sounds most like magic to me. Just don't make sense. If something stole, I always thought somebody had to lose. I can't figure it. No other way. Thank you, women. Sakes alive. Don't go trying the savvy big business. Taint ladylike. Well, ladylike or not, I crave to see an insurance working. All this to it's this. The men that own the silk pay some cash to men that sell insurance. Cash? Money? Yeah. Then if the silk gets through safe, all well and good. The insurance people keep the cash. But if the silk gets stole, then the insurance people pay for it. Well, the owners of the silk have to pay the insurance folks. Why don't they just keep the cash to pay for the silk if it gets stole? Then if it ain't stole, they're that much in. Sakes alive. They might just well have the cash as the insurance folks. The schemes these men dream of. But listen, they don't pay as much for the insurance as the silk's worse. Then where's the insurance men getting off if they pay out more than they got coming in? Well, maybe they don't. They insure things everywhere. It's all kinds of things. And they keep on... Seems like a losing proposition to me. But dad read a Cassie... At any rate, it sounds like heat block gambling. Cassie. It's big business. That's what this. Huh. Big business. I don't say it neither, Cassie. It just ain't Sam. You women. I should know better than to try to tell... Look, there comes a stage. You better hurry over to the station. Yeah, she's right on time. Look at it bowling along. Land sex, I guess I better get over there. Come on. All right, I see it. I'm coming over. Come on, Cassie. Maybe we can see that seal. I'm sure like to see that insurance thing if they got it aboard. Cassie, I told you insurance was big business. It ain't big enough, Maggie. It's most too good to be true to bring in silk out here in the states. Just suppose we could touch it. Pull. Pull. Pull. Pull. Pull, Maggie. Pull. Pull. Pull. Pull away there, you folks. Where's Jim? I got something to tell him. Here I am. You're right on time, driver. Jim. What do you want? That load of silk we was bringing in. Where is it? It appears to me you're loaded mighty light. Where's that silk? I don't know. You don't know? What do you mean? That silk's plenty valuable property, and I won't. It's old, Jim. It takes a lot. Stove. That's what I said. We were stuck up. You mean you was robbed? You hear that, Maggie? How could the two of you be robbed? Who done it? Where did it happen? Where's that silk now? Who'd want a lot of silk anyhow? What good did around here? Come on, driver, talk fast. What are the true facts? Give me a chance to talk, will you? And make sure you tell the true facts. Let me get down from here. The guard will back up when I tell you. We stopped for a fallen tree in the roadway, and then a man steps up with a mask, a mask covering his face, and sticks us up. There was at least a dozen others with him. The sagebrush gang. They're like his nut. The rest was hit on both sides of the trail, squinting at us from over their rifles. We're no use trying to put up a fight. We didn't have a chance. Did the mask quitter look like sagebrush, Charlie? I couldn't tell what he looked like, but he spoke with an eastern style of talk. Made us throw the silk off the stage, then made us move the tree aside and go past it. Then he made us stop again and put the tree back across the trail again. There was true facts to him everywhere. They made you put the tree back, you say. Looks like he aims to stop the next stage in the same way, don't it? Looks sure. The next stage? For what? What's on that? You women will stop gabbling at me. I'll tell you. Good talk. There was so much silk to get on the first stage, coach, that it couldn't be done. So they had to hold some back to go on the next one. And that one's due to get stuck up, too. Yeah, like it's not. They're probably in the same place. In the same way. Hey, Jake. Yeah, Jim? Get for Sheriff Brandon. Get him here to get fast. And we need a posse. Tell him that. A big one, too. Well, it means sagebrush, Charlie's getting the road. Jake, never mind. Hank, you take care of the horses. I'll go see the Sheriff Mone's self. We've got to get after these highwaymen, the Ornrich Crooks. They steal just for the sake of stealing. That's what... That's the truth. What good would a lot of silk be to them? Can't sell it around here? Of course it can't. What's more, they wouldn't have no way of taking it to the coast without being seen and catched. Well, never mind standing there making guesses. Come on with me. We got to get set to ride and hunt them crooks. Come on, come on. Come on, come on. Come on, come on. Oh, my, safe and live, Cassie. Ain't it exciting? I don't see where this year insurance things worked out. The silk was stole in spite of it. Tonto, the faithful Indian companion of the Lone Ranger, was in the crowd that watched the arrival of the stagecoach. The gym started for the sheriff's office. He rode away to join the masked man in a small camp a few miles to the east. There, he reported what he had seen and heard. Tonto, let me make sure of a couple of points. There was too much silk to send on one stage, so the next stagecoach will also carry load. Is that it? Not right. The outlaws made the garden driver put the tree back on the trail, so the next stage would have to stop. Ah, not right. But they let the driver and guard live to get the town and tell about it. That white fella from town, right out. They'll be laying in wait to catch the sagebrush gang when they stop the next stage. Ah. Come on, Tonto, there's no time to lose. Here's some of it. And get my saddle cinch while I pack her things. There are plenty of puller there already. But the stage won't be held up when those fellows think it will. Not be held up there? No. There was the plan of the outlaws. They'd never have let the driver tell about it. Uh-huh. But by making everyone think that was their plan and go there, the robbers will have no trouble stopping the stage somewhere else along the trail. Steady, silver fella. Steady. Strat those things behind the saddle. Uh-huh. Tonto, fix it. They won't rob the stage between the scene of the last robbery in town, so we must get beyond the scene of the last robbery. That's right. Tonto, you said the only holed-up man that showed himself spoke like an easterner? Um, that's what drivers say. All right, Tonto. Get your saddle. Tonto, ready? Come on, then. Riding like the wind, the lone ranger had a deest. Hoping to revet a second holed-up. Right ahead is where the tree was put across the road. Tonto, see it. That's when the posse is waiting for the robbers. That's right. There they are now. Uh-huh. That posse. We don't want them to see us, Tonto. We'll cut south. This way comes down. Come on, Silver. Tonto, you said there were about a dozen men in the stagebrush gang? That's what drivers say. But only one of them spoke. That's right. And they spoke like an easterner? That's right. Some like you. Very well. Come on, Silver. Notice where those men are waiting, Tonto. You may have to ride back there with a message. What message? I'm not sure yet, Kimosami. But I have an idea that may sound this robbery. We'll see later on. Uh-huh. We find out when we find stage, huh? Yes, Tonto. Get them up, scoundrel. Jim, the sheriff, the guard and driver of the robbed stage. A dozen other men took cover near the spot where the first holdup had taken place. As they waited for the bandits to return, the afternoon slipped by, and they grew more and more impatient. I don't know what's delaying it. It ain't much past you, boys. Maybe it'll be getting sad any minute now. Yeah, and there's so many things that could slow it up. Ain't nothing to worry about. It's a few hours late. They thought we'd see some of the earlobes. That's the point. If Sage Bryce Charling, his gang, planned to stick up the next stage here, they should be getting on the job, shouldn't they? Sounds like good sense. I wonder if they could have known we come here and got scared away. Reddit, I bet that's exactly what happened. Well, in that case... What if that's the case, driver? If they found out that we was to be here, they'd have had a man in town when we left. Some man in town would have to be a member of the Sagebrush gang. Hey, there's a man riding down here. Coming fast, too. Hey, that their engine was in town. That's who he was. They've seen him there. Maybe he's one of the gang. Get your guns on him. Stand where you are. Ice your hands. Seek him up. We got you covered. Put guns down. Who are you? Speak up and speak fast. Me come tell about Outlaw. Sage, me find out plenty. What'd you learn? It's time to get robbed. Tonight, you come. Ride plenty fast. Get him up to town. Come on, fellas. Let's follow that red skid. Let's get to our horses. Get to the saddle. You heard what I said? 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. The town who led the posse away from the spot where the first stage had been held up, the Lone Ranger was waiting at the side of the trail a few miles farther to the east. Quiet, Silver. This looks like a man coming now. It's Smith, all right. Come on, boy. Rain up! Rain up! Rain up! Rain up! Rain up! Rain up! Rain up there! Don't reach for your gun. You're covered. Masked. Your name is Henry Smith, isn't it? Well, I haven't any money. Just answer my question. You're Henry Smith, the manager of the eastern office of the stagecoach line. That's true, isn't it? Yes, it's true. What do you want? Where are you heading, Mr. Smith? That's my business. Does it have anything to do with the stagecoach robbery? What do you mean? Don't you know? I don't know what you're talking about. One of your coaches was held up about five miles from here. You're sure? What was taken? You should be able to tell me what was carried. Oh, I see. The silk. You stole the silk, but now that you found out what's in the bails, you realize you can't dispose of it. I suppose you want me to buy it back. I had nothing to do with the robbery. Only outlaws wear masks. There are exceptions to that rule. If you're not an outlaw, why have you stopped me? I want you to follow me. Where? In the direction of town. The process has been formed, and they're heading this way. Then I'd advise you to make tracks. No, Mr. Smith. You and I are going to meet that posse. If you refuse... Why should I refuse? Just remember that you're still covered. Of course. Perhaps I've made a mistake about you, stranger. Perhaps you have. If you're not afraid to meet that posse, you must be on the side of the law. I am. Then I'll be glad to ride with you. Let's go. Come on, Silver. Meanwhile, the posse was following Toto in close pursuit. Maybe that engine does know something. Just keep after him or don't shoot him. I don't aim to shoot him. He's keeping a dog on past pace. That's some horse he's riding. What do you mean by seeing the stage we robbed him of? The only way to find out what he managed to keep after him. It'll soon be dark, too, Drat, at all. Ain't nothing to lose by keeping on the trail. We'll meet the stage sooner or later. If the stage is on the trail, we'll meet it. Hey, the red skin stopped. There's the stagecoach. That's the one. It's coming this way. Pull up your horses by the engine. Thank goodness the garden driver ain't been killed. If the stilk's still aboard, we'll ride alongside it till it's out in the danger zone. What do you mean by saying the stage was to be robbed tonight, engine? Find my. You find out. Well, I'll hold my hand up, stop the stage. Good idea. Hi there, boys. Have any trouble? No, there ain't no trouble. Who are you? Pete is the division boss. Howdy there. What you doing way out here? The stage ahead of you was robbed. Robbed? Say, that one had a pile of silk, another same as we got. It did, and that same silk was stole. Is that the driver and guard of it with you? Yes, sir. Ain't you had no trouble? Not a bit. There was some mighty heavy going where the roads is a might bend, but that's all. And the silk's inside the coach all safe and sound? Sure. What you worried about it for anyhow, boss? This year, silk's covered with that new thing they call insurance, ain't it? Yeah. Then the stage lining out nothing, even if the silk is stole. We get a black mark in the books every time we lose a cargo. You know that. Yeah, but that there company in England is the one to lose out when the stuff is stole. Jokes, what difference does it make to us? Anyhow, boss, the load's safe and there ain't nothing to worry about. Now, should we get on into town? Not yet. But this year, silk's got to get all the way to Frisco. Well, I'll have a look to make sure it's still there. You're the boss. Take your look and then let's get going. We have a long trip and a bit of grubble, sure look good. Well, let me see. Yeah, but it's in here all right enough. Well, of course it is. We'd know if it was. Where's that engine? Me here. Look here, you dog, on trouble-making red skin. What'd you tell us the stage was to be robbed tonight for? Hmm, me not know. What's that? He says he didn't know. He's local. He works without doing what he's talking about. You mean to say you don't know why you told us the stage was going to be robbed? Me want you to come here, find stage. For what? That's what friend tell Tonto do. His friend told him to do it. Who's your friend? You wait here. He'll come pretty soon. There's a couple of men coming down the trail from the east right now. Two men coming. Hey, Jim, what I'm just wearing a mask over at Space, you see it? Yeah, I see it all right enough. That fella tell you why Tonto bring you here. Who is he? Hey, maybe this is the robbery. Stand ready with your guns, boys. Don't take no chances. What are you all doing here? What's the meeting for? The main thing we're here for is to ask you two a few questions. Which of you is the division, boss? I'm him. Who are you? I don't need to concern you. This man with me is named Henry Smith. Who are you, Smith? I mean, what are you doing here? You should know I'm one of the owners of the line you work for. Deep in Catfish. You're the Henry Smith that's head of the Eastern office of the line. I am. I told Smith that the first stage loaded with silk had been robbed. Yeah, and so it was. And it's true? True as can be. So the load of silk was stolen, eh? Well, it was a pretty smart idea of mine to have it insured. The company will get the money back then? Of course. There's more silk on this stage, Mr. Smith. And we had a notion of the sagebrush gang and tried to steal that, too. So we come out to protect it. Yes. Yes. But who's the mask man? Get him, boys. He's the man you're looking for. Huh? That's just what I thought. Face your hands, stranger. Don't be too quick to accuse me. He's a thief. I generally must be. I got a gun on you, stranger. Don't move. I kitted him along until I got help. I had an idea that he was an outlaw. Good work, Mr. Smith. Maybe you're sagebrush Charlie, stranger. They got that mask. Do you notice that the garden driver of the stage here are among the first to hold guns on me? Never mind your talk. Take off that mask. You'll first hear what I have to say. I says for your sake... I say, listen. This man Smith thought he was being clever in not trying to pull a gun on me. He thought he was persuading me to ride to town so he could have me captured and blamed for the stage robbery. Don't waste time listening to him. Time and make him tell where the stolen silk has been hidden. If he won't tell, shoot him. That's the ticket. Speak up, mister. Where's that stolen silk? Talk fast or I'll plug you. That stage you've been driving has already been robbed. But you and the guard won't admit it. Already been robbed? What do you mean? Exactly what I said. And if you want to capture me, you'll have to catch me. Hey, there! Stop him! Shoot him! Drop him! He's got a way. Come on, boys. Hand-hit him. He's riding too fast. Who will get that horse's crap? We'll lose him in the dark. Come on, boys. Get moving. Come on, boys. Posse took after the masked rider. With the guard and driver, the second stage remained with their coach. Henry Smith also stayed behind. And Tonto, after riding a short distance with the others, doubled back to the trail. Teddy, it's Scout. It's Teddy. We go back, boy. Get him up, Scout. Posse was unable to gain on the Lone Ranger, until he had covered several miles. Then... We're gaining on him now. The horse has slowed down a little. Let's try another shot to get him. There's nobody to kill that man. I'm going to know some more about this thing. But he's not the one... Is he the man that robbed you? You're going to know. He's bigger than that, fella. All right, then. Captor, make him talk. Pull up your horse. He will fire. All right. Keep him covered. Circle him so he can't get away again. Watch him. He's full of tricks. Got away last time like nothing. Now we've got you, stranger. Just don't try nothing. That's all. I wanted you to catch me. You wanted us to get you. You mean to see... I thought it was mighty funny. That horse of yours slowed up so sudden. What's behind all this? This gym is where you'll find the evidence you'll need to learn the truth of the two-stage robberies. Two-stage robberies? There was only one robbery. There were two. Where's this proof you're talking about? Right here. Last time I was here a few hours ago, there was a fire. There were some things burning right there on the ground. You'll light another fire. You can see what I managed to rescue from the flames. It's getting terrible dark. Wait a minute here. I'll get a fire going with this brush. Hurry up with that fire. What I can see about them bundles in the ground there looks mighty familiar. There she is. Not big, but it's big enough to have a look see. Jim, let me have a look at them bundles. Go ahead. You take a look too, Guard. Guard? Looky here what that masked man's found. I'm looking, and I'll be darn going to Jim. He's here. The bales of silk that were stolen from our stage. And most all burnt up. Come on, Jim, and take a look at that cloth. Feel it. Yeah. Let me see that, Guard. Look at this. Let's be right here. Why this ain't... You're right, Jim. That isn't silk. No, the cheapest kind of cloth is in those bales. He's right. Anybody can tell that stuff ain't silk. Let me explain everything to you. The first stage was loaded in the east with bales of silk. It was inspected as it was loaded. It was insured against robbery. Yeah, I know about that. What are you getting at? Then a certain man concocted a scheme of the garden driver, the second coach. The first garden driver were told that the other bales of silk would follow the first load. We were too low, right? The first load was stolen by the same man that arranged the plot. He mounted a horse and came on ahead of the stage. Held you up, made you throw out the bales of silk. After he let us go ahead, he made us put the tree back across the road. So all the folks in town would think another robbery might take place there. He didn't want folks hunting for the robber this side of that place. Go on. After the silk was stolen, the stage line would be paid for it by the insurance company. Yeah. The man's problem then was to get the silk west, where it could be sold. That's why he said there was a second load of silk to come. Well, there was. Silk can lose what we've seen. No. It's back there in the trail right now. The silk in that stage is the silk that was stolen from the first one. The second stage didn't hold silk at all. It was filled with these bales of cheap cloth which were unloaded here and burned to make room for the silk that was in the first stage. I get it now. I get it. The money for the silk will be paid over and this schemer still had the silk to sell in the west at a big profit. That's right. Name the schemer in the east. Just name him. Henry Smith. That's what I thought. That ratted all. That's just what I thought when you started to talk. With a drive. Well, the guards didn't know about it. They didn't know about it. I saw them helping Smith bring the silk back here. I looked at the stage and used the horses to do it. That's why I knew they were involved. By Ginger Smith, a crook. But wait a minute. That story don't hold water, stranger. Why? We've seen the hold up. We're the ones who was held up. Yes. And there was at least a dozen men with rifles. How many men spoke to you? Just one. But they were... How many men did you see? I've seen at least a dozen the shrubs alongside the trail. Did you see men or did you see sticks poke through the bushes to look like rifles with hats set by them? What? Cush. No, I come to think of it. And did you check the footprints that you did? You'll find that all the prints are made by one man and Henry Smith's that man. That's easy to prove. You can see the burned remnants of all the hats and sticks he used in the ashes of the fire. And right off the bat, we started thinking it was all done with a stagebrush gang. That story rings like there's truth in it. Hey, we left that guard and the driver back on the trail. And Smith's there with them. They'll be there when you get them in. Like fun they will. They'll be gone. Follow my Indian friend and back to guard them for you. Well, I'll be roped and throwed for a doggie. See here, mister. You sure enough thought this thing through and took care of everything. You can go back down the trail and get the prisoners and the silk. I think the guard and driver will confess and throw the blame on Smith. I got the same idea. But listen here. There ain't but one man that's got the brains and forethought to do all you done. There ain't but one man alive could have cleared this all up. Is it all cleared up? Yes, sir, we. I'm satisfied. And I'm a mighty hard man to convince. And we all suspected you, stranger. That's a good one, guard. Us suspecting him. Us suspecting the Lone Ranger. Arrows! To the copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated.