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The Lone Ranger - "Desert Murder" (Old Time Radio, 1940) · The Lone Ranger | Old Time Radio

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: From August 7th, 1940, comes The Lone Ranger in Desert Murder,
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: episode 1176. This early broadcast carries us back to the
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: continuing adventures of the masked rider and his faithful companion, Tonto.
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: Settle in for a visit with one of radio's enduring
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: western series, and now, the original broadcast.
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: A fiery horse for the speed of light, a crowd
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: of dust, and a hearty Hi-Yo Silver, the Lone Ranger.
• 0:50
  Speaker 3: Hi-Yo Silver. THE END.
• 1:27
  Speaker 4: THE END THE END.
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: When gold was first discovered in the western United States,
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: thousands of miners and prospectors headed for the new territory.
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: Many of them became wealthy overnight. Many more never hit
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: paid earth. But the greed for gold seemed to arouse
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: the worst instincts in men. It was in the mining
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: country that the mask rider of the plains faced his
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: most difficult task in the cause of justice. Return with
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: us now to those thrilling days when the West was young.
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: From out of the past come the thundering hoofbeats of
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: the great horse Silver.
• 2:58
  Speaker 3: The Lone Ranger rides again. Hello, Silver!
• 3:02
  Speaker 5: We're heading across the desert for cactus death.
• 3:05
  Speaker 3: Hello, Silver! Hooray!
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: A copper-colored sun beat down on the Lone Ranger and
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: Tonto as they guided their horses at a slow pace
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: toward the distant town of Cactus Gap.
• 3:28
  Speaker 3: They followed no trail.
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: The country through which they passed was a rock-spruing desert
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: where cactus.
• 3:33
  Speaker 3: And sagebrush were the only vegetation.
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: But they had chosen this route because it was a
• 3:38
  Speaker 2: shortcut to their destination.
• 3:40
  Speaker 3: How far are we from that waterhole you mentioned, Tantor?
• 3:44
  Speaker 3: Get there about noon. Down, Silver. Steady, old fellow. What's
• 3:49
  Speaker 3: the matter, Silver?
• 3:50
  Speaker 6: I don't know.
• 3:50
  Speaker 3: Something's gotten into him. Steady, old boy. Nothing can harm you.
• 3:56
  Speaker 3: You're all right, old fellow. Is it a snake you see?
• 4:00
  Speaker 6: How to not see snake? Nor do I.
• 4:02
  Speaker 3: I wonder.
• 4:05
  Speaker 3: These rocks were approaching, Tantor. Silver didn't act up until
• 4:09
  Speaker 3: we got close to them.
• 4:11
  Speaker 6: Maybe that is. We'll see.
• 4:12
  Speaker 3: This way, Silver.
• 4:13
  Speaker 6: That hit all right.
• 4:16
  Speaker 3: It certainly seems to be something to do with those
• 4:18
  Speaker 3: rocks that bothers him. We're looking into this.
• 4:21
  Speaker 6: Oh, Silver. Come, Tata.
• 4:25
  Speaker 3: They look behind them. Leave the horses here. Poor country
• 4:33
  Speaker 3: for walking. This way, Kimisabe. You won't catch your moccasins
• 4:38
  Speaker 3: on those boulders. There's a clear space here. Ah, yeah.
• 4:42
  Speaker 3: What's that? It's a man. Hurry. Ah.
• 4:49
  Speaker 6: How about him?
• 4:50
  Speaker 3: Dead. Shot, Tonto.
• 4:53
  Speaker 7: Murdered.
• 4:54
  Speaker 3: Ah. Let's have a look at him. Yes, shot through
• 4:58
  Speaker 3: the back. And the way he's dressed, I'd say he
• 5:01
  Speaker 3: was a prospector.
• 5:03
  Speaker 6: That right. Bearded.
• 5:06
  Speaker 3: About 65 years old. Wouldn't that be your guest, Hunter?
• 5:09
  Speaker 6: Uh-huh. Him about that.
• 5:11
  Speaker 3: Maybe something in his pockets to identify him. No, nothing here.
• 5:18
  Speaker 3: Whoever's responsible for this probably went through them before we
• 5:21
  Speaker 3: got here.
• 5:22
  Speaker 6: Why fuller come this way?
• 5:24
  Speaker 3: It's hard to understand. He'd been prospecting in the hill.
• 5:27
  Speaker 3: The trail to Cactus Gap wouldn't have brought him here.
• 5:29
  Speaker 6: Not right.
• 5:30
  Speaker 3: Maybe someone in town will know about this. How long
• 5:34
  Speaker 3: would you say the man's been dead, Hunter?
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: Uh-huh.
• 5:36
  Speaker 6: And not dead long. Maybe half day.
• 5:40
  Speaker 3: Long enough to give the murderer a head start on us.
• 5:43
  Speaker 3: Even Silver couldn't overcome that kind of a lead.
• 5:45
  Speaker 6: Not right.
• 5:46
  Speaker 3: Pato, I'll tell you what we'll do.
• 5:48
  Speaker 6: What's that?
• 5:49
  Speaker 3: We'll build a cairn for the chap. Cover him with stones.
• 5:52
  Speaker 3: That's better than a grave in this kind of country.
• 5:54
  Speaker 4: Ah.
• 5:55
  Speaker 3: Then we'll wait a day before asking questions. He was
• 5:58
  Speaker 3: expected in town. A few hours delay wouldn't cause any alarm.
• 6:01
  Speaker 3: But a day and a half should.
• 6:03
  Speaker 6: Then what do?
• 6:04
  Speaker 3: Then we'll learn what we can without mentioning what we found.
• 6:07
  Speaker 3: The killer, no doubt, thought this fellow would be safe
• 6:10
  Speaker 3: from discovery here. We may accomplish more if we keep
• 6:13
  Speaker 3: the discovery to ourselves.
• 6:14
  Speaker 6: Ah, that's a good idea.
• 6:16
  Speaker 3: Of course, we may be able to spot the killer
• 6:18
  Speaker 3: without making a secret of this. If we can, so
• 6:20
  Speaker 3: much the better.
• 6:21
  Speaker 6: Not right.
• 6:22
  Speaker 3: Then give me a hand here, Kimisabe. We'll give this
• 6:24
  Speaker 3: poor chap as decent a burial as we can.
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: Two days later, the Lone Ranger, wearing a disguise, entered
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: Cactus Gap, hoping to find a clue to the identity
• 6:40
  Speaker 2: of a man he and Tonto had found out in
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: the desert. He drifted from one cafe to another, listened
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: casually to the gossip of the idlers, and then, acting
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: on what he'd heard, went on to the general store
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: owned by Granny Timmons. The sharp-tongued old woman was waiting
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: on table billings.
• 6:56
  Speaker 8: Now then, evil, your supplies are all packed and ready
• 7:00
  Speaker 8: for you. Let me see the color of your cash.
• 7:02
  Speaker 7: You know what I told you, Granny.
• 7:03
  Speaker 3: And don't you call me Granny.
• 7:05
  Speaker 8: I ain't your grandma, am I? It's insulting, that's what
• 7:08
  Speaker 8: it is, you stoving old repubate. You a dud and
• 7:12
  Speaker 8: old digit of 60 calling a young girl like me Granny.
• 7:16
  Speaker 8: Don't show decent respect.
• 7:18
  Speaker 7: Oh, no.
• 7:19
  Speaker 8: I said here's your supplies. Now, where's my pay form?
• 7:23
  Speaker 3: Blast it, you old harpy. If you'd let me give
• 7:25
  Speaker 3: a word in edgewise, I'd tell you.
• 7:26
  Speaker 8: Careful of them names.
• 7:27
  Speaker 7: What I call you ain't a patch of what you've
• 7:29
  Speaker 7: been calling me. Nope.
• 7:31
  Speaker 9: What I've been trying to say is that I can't
• 7:33
  Speaker 9: pay till Jake gets to town.
• 7:34
  Speaker 8: Well, he's here, ain't he?
• 7:36
  Speaker 7: No, he ain't.
• 7:37
  Speaker 8: You come in here day or four yesterday and you're
• 7:39
  Speaker 8: set to get these things together for you. You left
• 7:42
  Speaker 8: a list of what you needed and you said Jake
• 7:44
  Speaker 8: Bevins would be in the next day. Well, the next
• 7:46
  Speaker 8: day was yesterday. Where's Jake?
• 7:48
  Speaker 7: That's something I wish I knew.
• 7:50
  Speaker 3: What kind of a looking man is Jake Bevins, eh?
• 7:53
  Speaker 7: Oh, howdy, stranger. You, uh, you was asking what Jake
• 7:57
  Speaker 7: looked like?
• 7:57
  Speaker 3: Yes.
• 7:58
  Speaker 8: I can tell you what he looked like, mister. Did
• 8:01
  Speaker 8: you ever see tumbleweeds rolling across the prairie?
• 8:05
  Speaker 6: Of course.
• 8:07
  Speaker 8: Well, that was Jake. He was so much beard, it
• 8:10
  Speaker 8: looked like he'd gone to weed. Surrounded by whiskers.
• 8:14
  Speaker 3: The way he was.
• 8:16
  Speaker 8: Looking at him, you couldn't tell offhand whether he was
• 8:18
  Speaker 8: a clump of vegetation that appeared to be a man
• 8:21
  Speaker 8: or a man that appeared to be a clump of vegetation.
• 8:24
  Speaker 9: Don't pay no attention to a stranger. Jake was a
• 8:27
  Speaker 9: right fine looking man.
• 8:28
  Speaker 3: How old was he?
• 8:30
  Speaker 9: Don't recollect Jake ever knew his own self. Looked to
• 8:34
  Speaker 9: be somewhere in his 60s or... Say, you seen him?
• 8:38
  Speaker 3: I don't know. You've been expecting him, you say?
• 8:41
  Speaker 7: He promised he'd be in town before this.
• 8:43
  Speaker 8: What I can't see is if the two of you
• 8:45
  Speaker 8: was done working that claim you spoke of for the season,
• 8:48
  Speaker 8: why didn't you come into town together?
• 8:50
  Speaker 9: Because we tossed the coin and Jake lost. He took
• 8:54
  Speaker 9: our dust and headed for Sand City to have it
• 8:56
  Speaker 9: changed into cash at the bank there.
• 8:58
  Speaker 8: What you want to do that for? Dust is as
• 9:00
  Speaker 8: good as cash anyway.
• 9:02
  Speaker 9: But when you're paying cash, you know what it's costing you.
• 9:06
  Speaker 9: Pay with dust and with the slick scales some of
• 9:08
  Speaker 9: you folks in town use, you're likely to pay double.
• 9:11
  Speaker 8: By your honor, I old huck told Jimmy to stand
• 9:14
  Speaker 8: there and say I ever cheated you with my scales.
• 9:16
  Speaker 7: Now, now, ma'am. I never said no such thing.
• 9:19
  Speaker 8: You better not.
• 9:20
  Speaker 3: Sand City's on the other side of the hills. Jake
• 9:23
  Speaker 3: had gone there. He'd have had to recross the hills
• 9:25
  Speaker 3: to return here. But he'd have come by the regular trail,
• 9:28
  Speaker 3: wouldn't he?
• 9:29
  Speaker 7: Sure he would. Stranger, you ain't asking these questions for nothing.
• 9:33
  Speaker 7: What's up?
• 9:34
  Speaker 3: You sounded worried about your partner's absence. I simply wondered
• 9:38
  Speaker 3: what caused his delay.
• 9:39
  Speaker 9: Well, I ain't terrible worried yet. The day sure don't
• 9:43
  Speaker 9: make a heap of difference on a trip like that.
• 9:45
  Speaker 9: Worst thing is, I'm dead broke till he gets here.
• 9:48
  Speaker 8: And you don't touch those supplies till he gets here
• 9:50
  Speaker 8: to pay for them, neither.
• 9:51
  Speaker 3: All right, all right. Hey, what's that?
• 9:56
  Speaker 8: That's brain pool cowpoke for its day, later.
• 10:00
  Speaker 7: Who it is.
• 10:00
  Speaker 8: Out on a spree and letting off steam again, I'll bet.
• 10:03
  Speaker 3: He's coming in here. Hi, Granny! What's a good word?
• 10:08
  Speaker 3: Who's your customers? Hey, you don't need that lantern.
• 10:12
  Speaker 5: Do you?
• 10:12
  Speaker 3: Now you watch out! Yippee! How's that for shooting, Granny?
• 10:17
  Speaker 3: Ain't lost my eye yet, have I?
• 10:18
  Speaker 8: You get right out of here before you bust up, Matthew.
• 10:20
  Speaker 5: Oh, shucks now, Granny. Nothing to get mad about. I'm
• 10:23
  Speaker 5: aiming for fun. I'm willing to pay for it.
• 10:25
  Speaker 3: There. That pay for the lantern?
• 10:28
  Speaker 8: Reckon so.
• 10:29
  Speaker 3: Hey, old fella.
• 10:30
  Speaker 5: How much would you charge me to put a bullet
• 10:32
  Speaker 5: through that hat you're wearing, huh?
• 10:33
  Speaker 3: You leave me be, you local Renahan.
• 10:36
  Speaker 5: Reckon I'll shoot at it anyhow. Ain't much excitement in town.
• 10:40
  Speaker 5: I got to cook up my own. Now, just stand
• 10:42
  Speaker 5: still and you won't get hurt at all.
• 10:43
  Speaker 3: No, you don't.
• 10:44
  Speaker 7: Ow!
• 10:45
  Speaker 3: My arm. You're twisting it off. Drop that gun.
• 10:47
  Speaker 4: Ow!
• 10:48
  Speaker 3: There it is. Stand back. You won't need this gun
• 10:52
  Speaker 3: again today. Here, Mrs. Timmons. I think the gun will
• 10:56
  Speaker 3: be safer in your hands.
• 10:57
  Speaker 8: You sure handled him good, stranger. Sure, I'll keep it.
• 11:02
  Speaker 8: And the crazy fool won't get it till he sobers
• 11:04
  Speaker 8: up neither.
• 11:05
  Speaker 3: Now, look here, you can... It's for your own good.
• 11:07
  Speaker 3: A little more of that reckless shooting and you'd be
• 11:09
  Speaker 3: getting into trouble. I don't need nobody to tell me
• 11:11
  Speaker 3: what to do. That's just what you do need.
• 11:14
  Speaker 8: What have you been celebrating now?
• 11:16
  Speaker 3: Listen to this. Hear him? Cash, that's what I got.
• 11:21
  Speaker 3: Pockets full of cash. You seem to have quite a lot. Yeah,
• 11:24
  Speaker 3: this is my day to howl. The way I took.
• 11:26
  Speaker 5: Them tin horn gamblers over to the Silver Star Cafe
• 11:29
  Speaker 5: was a sight to see.
• 11:32
  Speaker 3: They were sure glad to see me clear out.
• 11:34
  Speaker 8: And I'll be the same. Now you tell me what
• 11:37
  Speaker 8: you come in here for so I can give it
• 11:38
  Speaker 8: to you and you can get out of here.
• 11:39
  Speaker 5: I didn't come in to buy nothing, Granny. Just been
• 11:42
  Speaker 5: dropping in every place, that's all. See what's going on.
• 11:45
  Speaker 8: Well, there ain't nothing to keep you in here.
• 11:48
  Speaker 3: Give me my shooting iron back, won't you?
• 11:50
  Speaker 8: Come back tomorrow and show me you're sober and you
• 11:53
  Speaker 8: can have it, but not before.
• 11:55
  Speaker 3: If you won't, you won't, I reckon. Afternoon, Granny. No
• 12:00
  Speaker 3: hard feelings, stranger.
• 12:01
  Speaker 6: That's all right.
• 12:02
  Speaker 3: Maybe I was just a.
• 12:03
  Speaker 7: Little reckless, like.
• 12:04
  Speaker 3: I'll be seeing you.
• 12:05
  Speaker 6: Yippee!
• 12:08
  Speaker 3: Get up, boy. Come on, horse. Get up there. Is
• 12:10
  Speaker 3: he always like that? Him?
• 12:13
  Speaker 8: Stranger, he's the wildest young fella ever was around these parts.
• 12:18
  Speaker 8: Always celebrating something. When he wins gambling, he celebrates. If
• 12:24
  Speaker 8: he gets a job, he celebrates. And when he gets fired,
• 12:27
  Speaker 8: he celebrates again. Only from the sound of that cash
• 12:30
  Speaker 8: he was carrying on him. Maybe this time he had
• 12:32
  Speaker 8: a little.
• 12:33
  Speaker 3: More reason for it.
• 12:34
  Speaker 7: He wanted gambling, eh?
• 12:36
  Speaker 8: What are you picking up from the floor, Abel?
• 12:38
  Speaker 7: It's a piece of paper.
• 12:41
  Speaker 9: I fell out of that young fellow's pocket when he
• 12:42
  Speaker 9: paid you that cash for your lantern. And if it's
• 12:45
  Speaker 9: what I think it is, I... Yes, sirree, that's just
• 12:48
  Speaker 9: what it is.
• 12:49
  Speaker 6: Something important?
• 12:50
  Speaker 7: A paper wrap at the bank over to Sand City.
• 12:52
  Speaker 7: He used this for wrapping up cash. Take a look
• 12:54
  Speaker 7: at it. I see.
• 12:56
  Speaker 8: A bank at Sand City? But Fritz said he got
• 12:59
  Speaker 8: that cash gambling.
• 13:00
  Speaker 7: Yeah, yeah.
• 13:01
  Speaker 9: And Sand City is where Jake was gonna swap our
• 13:04
  Speaker 9: dust for cash.
• 13:05
  Speaker 7: And Jake ain't showed up here yet.
• 13:07
  Speaker 3: What do you mean by that?
• 13:08
  Speaker 7: I ain't saying for sure. Look here. Has that young
• 13:12
  Speaker 7: fellow been out of town for a few days lately?
• 13:14
  Speaker 8: I don't just savvy, Abel.
• 13:16
  Speaker 9: What I mean is, could he have gone to Sand
• 13:18
  Speaker 9: City himself and got cash from the bank there?
• 13:20
  Speaker 8: No, I don't reckon so. Seems to me he's been
• 13:25
  Speaker 8: around town for the last month or so.
• 13:27
  Speaker 7: Just what I thought.
• 13:28
  Speaker 8: Now where are you going, you old idiot?
• 13:30
  Speaker 3: To tell this here is something that I've got on
• 13:31
  Speaker 3: my mind. I haven't looked into it.
• 13:33
  Speaker 7: If what I'm suspicioning is true... There's a certain young
• 13:37
  Speaker 7: fellow in this town that's going to have a heap
• 13:38
  Speaker 7: to explain.
• 13:45
  Speaker 2: When Abel Billings headed for the sheriff's office, the Lone
• 13:47
  Speaker 2: Ranger left town to rejoin his faithful Indian companion, Tonto,
• 13:51
  Speaker 2: who was less than an hour later when he reigned
• 13:53
  Speaker 2: up in his secret camp.
• 13:54
  Speaker 3: Oh, there's Silver. Tonto. You'll find.
• 13:59
  Speaker 2: Out.
• 14:01
  Speaker 6: Who, Connor, got killed?
• 14:03
  Speaker 3: I can't be sure, Tyler, but I think I have.
• 14:05
  Speaker 6: Who, Connor?
• 14:06
  Speaker 3: I think he's a man by the name of Jake Bevins.
• 14:08
  Speaker 3: At least he answers the description. And I know that
• 14:10
  Speaker 3: he was expected and cacked his gap no later than yesterday.
• 14:14
  Speaker 3: I learned more than that, however.
• 14:15
  Speaker 6: What's that?
• 14:16
  Speaker 3: Something interesting happened in the general store while I was there.
• 14:19
  Speaker 3: A young cowboy entered with his pockets full of cash.
• 14:23
  Speaker 3: He claimed he'd wanted gambling.
• 14:24
  Speaker 6: That how him get cash? I don't know.
• 14:27
  Speaker 3: But I do know, after he'd left the store, Jake's partner,
• 14:29
  Speaker 3: Abel Billings, picked up one of those paper wrappers banks
• 14:32
  Speaker 3: use to make up their packages of cash. Ah. The
• 14:35
  Speaker 3: wrapper had been issued by the bank at Sand City.
• 14:38
  Speaker 3: Abel said his partner had gone to Sand City to
• 14:40
  Speaker 3: exchange dust they had panned for hard cash.
• 14:43
  Speaker 6: Then killer take cash.
• 14:45
  Speaker 3: Yes. And Abel claimed the young cowboy dropped the wrapper.
• 14:48
  Speaker 4: Ah.
• 14:49
  Speaker 6: What we do?
• 14:50
  Speaker 3: I think I have a plan. I haven't got it
• 14:52
  Speaker 3: entirely worked out yet, Kimisabe. But I will by the
• 14:54
  Speaker 3: time we've returned to town.
• 14:56
  Speaker 6: Go there now?
• 14:57
  Speaker 3: Yes. You'd better get mounted. Here's the count. While we ride,
• 15:00
  Speaker 3: there are some other things I want to tell you.
• 15:02
  Speaker 2: Huh?
• 15:03
  Speaker 6: What then?
• 15:04
  Speaker 3: Steady, old fellow. Yep. Some things I notice that require
• 15:08
  Speaker 3: a great deal of explaining.
• 15:09
  Speaker 6: Uh-huh.
• 15:10
  Speaker 3: However, if our plan works, we'll learn the explanation. Ready, Tonto?
• 15:13
  Speaker 6: Me ready.
• 15:14
  Speaker 3: Then let's go. Hail Silver! Get on your toes!
• 15:17
  Speaker 4: Hail Silver!
• 15:21
  Speaker 3: The curtain falls on the first act of our Lone
• 15:23
  Speaker 3: Ranger drama. Before the next exciting scenes, please permit us
• 15:26
  Speaker 3: to pause for just a few moments.
• 15:30
  Speaker 4: Now to continue our story.
• 15:51
  Speaker 2: On returning to camp after a visit to Cactus Gap,
• 15:54
  Speaker 2: the Lone Ranger confided in Tonto. He believed he had
• 15:57
  Speaker 2: not only learned the identity of the dead man they'd discovered,
• 16:00
  Speaker 2: but that of the killer as well. As they rode
• 16:02
  Speaker 2: back to town, the Lone Ranger removed his disguise and
• 16:05
  Speaker 2: put on his mask. In the meantime, Abel had found
• 16:09
  Speaker 2: the sheriff, and the latter, at the old prospector's request,
• 16:12
  Speaker 2: had summoned Fritz Daly to the office.
• 16:15
  Speaker 3: You wanted me, Sheriff?
• 16:16
  Speaker 7: Yeah. Abel here's got something on his mind, and he
• 16:19
  Speaker 7: wanted you here before he'd say what it was.
• 16:21
  Speaker 5: Oh. Mad about me shooting inside the store when you
• 16:25
  Speaker 5: was there, is that it? Shucks, I never done no harm.
• 16:28
  Speaker 5: Leastways none that I didn't pay for.
• 16:30
  Speaker 3: That ain't it.
• 16:31
  Speaker 7: Huh?
• 16:32
  Speaker 3: Well, then what is it?
• 16:32
  Speaker 7: Sheriff, I ain't told you what this was all about yet,
• 16:35
  Speaker 7: because I wanted you to see this ordinary snake's face
• 16:37
  Speaker 7: when I told you about it.
• 16:38
  Speaker 5: Hey, now, what kind of talk is that? I never
• 16:41
  Speaker 5: even seen you before today. I never crossed your trail, any.
• 16:44
  Speaker 7: But you crossed my partner's.
• 16:45
  Speaker 3: Get to the point, Abel.
• 16:46
  Speaker 7: What's this about? I reckon you know I was here
• 16:48
  Speaker 7: waiting for Jake, don't you? I recollect telling you about it. Yeah?
• 16:51
  Speaker 9: Well, I was waiting for him because he went to
• 16:53
  Speaker 9: Sand City to get cash from the bank there. He
• 16:56
  Speaker 9: likely had about $ 2, 000 or more on him.
• 16:58
  Speaker 3: What's that got to do with me? You'll find out
• 17:00
  Speaker 3: soon enough.
• 17:02
  Speaker 7: Sheriff, watch the critter so he don't make a break
• 17:03
  Speaker 7: for it.
• 17:04
  Speaker 3: Go on.
• 17:05
  Speaker 7: Go on.
• 17:05
  Speaker 3: Get this off your chest.
• 17:07
  Speaker 7: All right then, Sheriff.
• 17:08
  Speaker 3: Take a look at this. Huh?
• 17:10
  Speaker 7: It ain't nothing but a piece of paper with a
• 17:12
  Speaker 7: bank's name on it, as far as I can see.
• 17:14
  Speaker 7: The bank in Sand City.
• 17:15
  Speaker 3: Uh-huh.
• 17:16
  Speaker 7: And this poor cat here dropped it on the floor
• 17:17
  Speaker 7: of Granny Timmons' store.
• 17:19
  Speaker 3: I picked it up myself. That's a doggone lie.
• 17:21
  Speaker 2: Ain't neither.
• 17:22
  Speaker 7: I can prove it by Granny herself. There was a
• 17:25
  Speaker 7: stranger in the store at the same time. He seen
• 17:28
  Speaker 7: me pick it up. Find him and Granny and they'll
• 17:30
  Speaker 7: tell you the same.
• 17:31
  Speaker 3: Where would I have got a paper like that? You
• 17:33
  Speaker 3: got it.
• 17:33
  Speaker 7: After you killed my partner and stole the cash he
• 17:35
  Speaker 7: was carrying.
• 17:36
  Speaker 3: Why you little... Break it up. Break it up, the
• 17:38
  Speaker 3: both of you. I'm the law here, and I'll handle this.
• 17:42
  Speaker 7: Now then, Fritz, did you or didn't you have a
• 17:44
  Speaker 7: wrapper like that on you?
• 17:45
  Speaker 3: I didn't. Well, prove you did. Shut up!
• 17:48
  Speaker 7: Now then, Abel, even if Fritz did drop it, what
• 17:51
  Speaker 7: would you say it proved? Hey, I just told you,
• 17:55
  Speaker 7: he killed Jake. That's why Jake ain't shown up yet.
• 17:58
  Speaker 7: Where's Jake's body? Ask this bullcat. You can't know it.
• 18:01
  Speaker 7: Go on, if you fellas don't smooth your hackles.
• 18:03
  Speaker 3: Down, I'll gag the both of you. Abel? Maybe there's
• 18:07
  Speaker 3: something you don't know.
• 18:08
  Speaker 7: What's that? You can't prove murder on nobody till you
• 18:11
  Speaker 7: got the body of the fellow that was killed to
• 18:12
  Speaker 7: show for it. Now, maybe you've got evidence against Fritz,
• 18:16
  Speaker 7: and maybe you haven't. But unless you show me where
• 18:18
  Speaker 7: that Jake is, there's nothing I can do about making
• 18:21
  Speaker 7: an arrest. Then go looking for him. He was coming
• 18:23
  Speaker 7: back on the trail here from the hills. Take a
• 18:26
  Speaker 7: ride out that way and you'll find him.
• 18:27
  Speaker 3: I reckon not.
• 18:28
  Speaker 7: And why not? Shocks, there's been half a dozen fellas
• 18:31
  Speaker 7: come into town the last two days of travel that trail.
• 18:33
  Speaker 3: They'd have seen Jake if he was there, wouldn't they?
• 18:36
  Speaker 3: Then he hit him. A little more of that talk
• 18:38
  Speaker 3: and I'll fix you so you won't be able to
• 18:39
  Speaker 3: open that big mouth of yours.
• 18:41
  Speaker 7: You see, Sheriff, now he's strutting at me. Can't say
• 18:43
  Speaker 7: as I'm blaming him much. You don't expect a fella
• 18:45
  Speaker 7: to be told to his face he's a killer and
• 18:47
  Speaker 7: like it, do you? Yes, but.
• 18:48
  Speaker 3: Hold on now.
• 18:49
  Speaker 5: Sheriff, you heard this fellow say I done for his partner.
• 18:52
  Speaker 5: The only proof he's got is a piece of paper
• 18:54
  Speaker 5: he claims I dropped, but didn't.
• 18:55
  Speaker 2: Well?
• 18:56
  Speaker 3: Well, what I want to know is this. Are you
• 18:58
  Speaker 3: arresting me or ain't you?
• 18:59
  Speaker 5: Because if you ain't, I ain't staying here to listen
• 19:00
  Speaker 5: to any more of this wild talk.
• 19:02
  Speaker 7: Kill him. Don't you hear how I can? Maybe I
• 19:04
  Speaker 7: can suspicion him, but like I just said.
• 19:06
  Speaker 3: That ain't enough. What the mess, man? Mister, up with
• 19:10
  Speaker 3: your hands. Don't show up with your guns. I don't
• 19:12
  Speaker 3: want to.
• 19:12
  Speaker 7: Reaping catfish, did you see that draw?
• 19:14
  Speaker 3: Pastor, chain life. You can't get away with this. I'm
• 19:16
  Speaker 3: the law here.
• 19:18
  Speaker 7: No masked fellow can just walk in my office and
• 19:20
  Speaker 7: do as he pleases.
• 19:20
  Speaker 3: I'm doing it.
• 19:21
  Speaker 8: Quiet.
• 19:21
  Speaker 3: I have news for you. About a murder.
• 19:25
  Speaker 7: A murder? Who killed? Who was killed?
• 19:26
  Speaker 3: If you listen, I'll tell you about it. We're listening.
• 19:29
  Speaker 3: Tonto and I found the body of a man who
• 19:30
  Speaker 3: had been shot through the back. Gosh. Whereabouts? I'll get
• 19:33
  Speaker 3: to that later. There's a man around 65, bearded. Looks
• 19:37
  Speaker 3: like he might have been a prospector.
• 19:38
  Speaker 7: Sheriff, that's Jake. That's my partner. I know doggone well
• 19:42
  Speaker 7: it is.
• 19:42
  Speaker 3: Sounds like it.
• 19:43
  Speaker 7: You were saying you had to find the body before
• 19:45
  Speaker 7: you could take action. All right, here's the fellow that
• 19:47
  Speaker 7: found it for you. Now let's see what you got.
• 19:50
  Speaker 3: To do. He can't do anything. Eh? Because I'm not
• 19:52
  Speaker 3: telling where the body was found.
• 19:54
  Speaker 7: Yes, but.
• 19:54
  Speaker 3: By heavens, you will, stranger, or else... As long as
• 19:56
  Speaker 3: I have the drop on you, you can't do anything.
• 19:58
  Speaker 3: Except listen. If you didn't have the... If you didn't
• 20:00
  Speaker 3: have the drop on me, I... You don't care to
• 20:02
  Speaker 3: hear more?
• 20:03
  Speaker 8: All right.
• 20:04
  Speaker 3: You hold all the aces.
• 20:06
  Speaker 7: Go ahead.
• 20:06
  Speaker 3: The killer likely believed Jake died immediately.
• 20:09
  Speaker 6: But he didn't.
• 20:10
  Speaker 3: He didn't? No.
• 20:11
  Speaker 7: What's that got to do with him?
• 20:12
  Speaker 3: At the place where I found him, he evidently had
• 20:14
  Speaker 3: made an effort to accuse his murderer before dying. What?
• 20:17
  Speaker 3: How could he do that? He took a stone and
• 20:19
  Speaker 3: scratched a message in the earth. What was that message?
• 20:22
  Speaker 3: I'm not sure I care to say. Did it name
• 20:24
  Speaker 3: the killer? That's just it. It didn't. A man who
• 20:28
  Speaker 3: was familiar with the murderer would probably recognize what the
• 20:30
  Speaker 3: message meant. I'm a stranger here. It had no meaning
• 20:33
  Speaker 3: for me. That don't make no difference. What did Jake write? No,
• 20:37
  Speaker 3: I still don't believe I'll tell you that. Sheriff, this
• 20:40
  Speaker 3: masked fellow's up to something. Up to what?
• 20:41
  Speaker 5: Don't you see it, Sheriff? He'd come here figuring if
• 20:44
  Speaker 5: he reported the murder, he wouldn't be suspicioned. All this
• 20:47
  Speaker 5: talk of a message or something that the fellow he
• 20:48
  Speaker 5: found was supposed to have read out don't mean nothing.
• 20:50
  Speaker 3: He's just making that up. What would I have to
• 20:52
  Speaker 3: gain by it? How would I know that? But you've
• 20:54
  Speaker 3: got some reason for it, I'll bet a million.
• 20:56
  Speaker 7: There ain't no reason why you can't tell where Jake
• 20:58
  Speaker 7: is anyhow.
• 20:59
  Speaker 3: I've said all I'm going to say. If I'm going
• 21:01
  Speaker 3: to be accused, the less said the better. I'm leaving, Sheriff.
• 21:04
  Speaker 3: Don't attempt to follow. Hey, hold on! Don't let him
• 21:07
  Speaker 3: get away, Sheriff. I said don't follow. Come on, Connor.
• 21:14
  Speaker 3: The Sheriff will be after us in a second. Get
• 21:16
  Speaker 3: him up, Scout. Come on, Silver. Now, where to? Don't
• 21:23
  Speaker 3: ride too fast. The Sheriff has to follow us. Because
• 21:26
  Speaker 3: now he's convinced there has been a murder. As far
• 21:29
  Speaker 3: as he knows, we're the only ones who can lead
• 21:30
  Speaker 3: him to the body. Look back. Is anything happening?
• 21:34
  Speaker 6: Him out on the street.
• 21:38
  Speaker 3: Jump up and down. He'll get a posse. It'll soon
• 21:41
  Speaker 3: be dark. We'll let them keep us in sight until then.
• 21:45
  Speaker 3: And then the sheriff is going to get a surprise.
• 21:48
  Speaker 4: How silver hallowed!
• 21:54
  Speaker 2: The sheriff had no choice but to follow the masked man.
• 21:57
  Speaker 2: A posse was quickly formed and led out to the trail.
• 22:00
  Speaker 2: All through the night, the Lone Ranger and Tonto were
• 22:02
  Speaker 2: kept in sight. When it came dark, they disappeared. The
• 22:06
  Speaker 2: sheriff did not realize they'd merely found cover in a
• 22:08
  Speaker 2: grove of trees next to the trail.
• 22:11
  Speaker 3: Here they come, Tonto.
• 22:13
  Speaker 6: In heat, big hurry.
• 22:15
  Speaker 3: You think you can make the sheriff out?
• 22:17
  Speaker 6: Him ride gray horse.
• 22:18
  Speaker 4: That's the one.
• 22:18
  Speaker 3: He'll be alongside in a moment. Already?
• 22:21
  Speaker 6: Uh-huh. You got rope.
• 22:22
  Speaker 3: Be sure you make your throw true. If we miss
• 22:25
  Speaker 3: on the first attempt, we may not have a chance
• 22:26
  Speaker 3: for another.
• 22:27
  Speaker 6: Uh-huh.
• 22:27
  Speaker 3: Make ready.
• 22:28
  Speaker 4: Keep on, fellas!
• 22:30
  Speaker 3: They must be disappearing over that ridge ahead!
• 22:33
  Speaker 4: Get up there!
• 22:34
  Speaker 7: Get up!
• 22:34
  Speaker 2: Now, Tutter.
• 22:35
  Speaker 3: Get up there! Get up! What now? Come on, Silver!
• 22:39
  Speaker 3: Get him up, Scout!
• 22:40
  Speaker 4: Help! Stop, fellas!
• 22:42
  Speaker 7: I broke! Help!
• 22:43
  Speaker 3: Help!
• 22:43
  Speaker 7: Hold it!
• 22:44
  Speaker 3: Hold it!
• 22:44
  Speaker 2: Hold it, Tutter!
• 22:45
  Speaker 6: Hold it, Tutter!
• 22:47
  Speaker 7: Get back!
• 22:48
  Speaker 3: Get back! You're riding with me, Silver. Your horse won't
• 22:51
  Speaker 3: be fast enough. Silver's carrying double. Go right into the saddle,
• 22:55
  Speaker 3: will you? Come on, Silver!
• 23:04
  Speaker 2: With the sheriff their prisoner, the Lone Ranger and Tonto
• 23:06
  Speaker 2: turned around and guided their mounts once more toward the desert,
• 23:09
  Speaker 2: where they found the body of Jake Bevins. All through
• 23:11
  Speaker 2: the night they rode, but in the morning they stopped
• 23:14
  Speaker 2: for a short rest. and the masked man explained his
• 23:16
  Speaker 2: purpose to the lawman.
• 23:18
  Speaker 3: You see, Sheriff, there was nothing else I could do.
• 23:20
  Speaker 3: I couldn't tell you where the body was because the
• 23:22
  Speaker 3: murderer was in the office at the same time. Oh,
• 23:24
  Speaker 3: that was it. Yes. That story of a message written
• 23:27
  Speaker 3: in the earth by Jake before he died wasn't true.
• 23:30
  Speaker 3: Then why in tarnation did you tell it for? To
• 23:32
  Speaker 3: give the killer a motive for riding to the scene
• 23:35
  Speaker 3: of the crime. He believes he has to go there
• 23:37
  Speaker 3: to destroy the evidence before someone else finds it.
• 23:39
  Speaker 7: Why, stranger, that's pretty slick. I wouldn't have thought of
• 23:42
  Speaker 7: a stunt like that in a million years.
• 23:44
  Speaker 3: Whoever the murderer is, we should have passed him by now.
• 23:47
  Speaker 3: I wanted to be sure to get there ahead of him.
• 23:49
  Speaker 3: But he doesn't know we came this way. When we
• 23:51
  Speaker 3: get to the place, there are plenty of rocks which
• 23:53
  Speaker 3: will hide us and the horses from his sight.
• 23:55
  Speaker 7: Doggone sorry I took after you with my posse like that.
• 23:58
  Speaker 3: I'm not. It had to be done that way. And
• 24:00
  Speaker 3: for two reasons. Maybe so, but doggone if I can
• 24:02
  Speaker 3: see him. The first was to give the killer a
• 24:04
  Speaker 3: chance to sneak away in the excitement. And the second
• 24:07
  Speaker 3: was to make him confident he'd be too busy chasing
• 24:10
  Speaker 3: me or either one of us to trail him.
• 24:12
  Speaker 7: I guess I just ain't got the brains to think
• 24:14
  Speaker 7: of them things.
• 24:15
  Speaker 3: You simply weren't acquainted with the facts. Tell him, how
• 24:18
  Speaker 3: are the horses now? They're all right.
• 24:20
  Speaker 6: Get plenty of rest.
• 24:21
  Speaker 3: Then we'll be on our way for the last lap
• 24:22
  Speaker 3: of our trip. When we get there, we're going to
• 24:25
  Speaker 3: catch a killer. Here, Silver. Get to the saddle, Sheriff.
• 24:29
  Speaker 3: You bet.
• 24:30
  Speaker 7: Stranger, it's a downright honor to be a straddle all
• 24:32
  Speaker 7: five this year.
• 24:35
  Speaker 3: Let's go. Come on, Silver.
• 24:41
  Speaker 4: Let's go.
• 24:46
  Speaker 2: The three men rode until at last they reached the
• 24:48
  Speaker 2: cairn the Lone Ranger and Tonto had built. There they
• 24:51
  Speaker 2: dismounted and concealed themselves and their horses behind the huge
• 24:54
  Speaker 2: boulders that surrounded the cairn. Hours of waiting followed. But finally,
• 24:58
  Speaker 2: the lone ranger turned to the sheriff beside him.
• 25:01
  Speaker 3: Sheriff.
• 25:02
  Speaker 6: Over there. A rider.
• 25:03
  Speaker 3: Sure enough.
• 25:04
  Speaker 6: That killer all right.
• 25:05
  Speaker 3: The sneaking varmints. Notice one thing, Sheriff. He claimed in
• 25:08
  Speaker 3: your office that he didn't know where Jake could be.
• 25:11
  Speaker 3: And yet he's riding directly for this group of stones.
• 25:13
  Speaker 3: I noticed that. He won't be able to claim later
• 25:15
  Speaker 3: that he discovered the place by accident.
• 25:17
  Speaker 7: If he tries a story like that, it'll just go
• 25:19
  Speaker 7: to worse for him. Quiet.
• 25:20
  Speaker 3: He'll be here in a moment.
• 25:21
  Speaker 7: Yeah.
• 25:22
  Speaker 3: Get up.
• 25:23
  Speaker 4: Get along with him.
• 25:24
  Speaker 3: Get up there. Get up. Whoa, whoa, whoa, there.
• 25:27
  Speaker 2: Whoa, whoa.
• 25:29
  Speaker 7: We're in the dickens.
• 25:32
  Speaker 3: I ain't even laying here.
• 25:34
  Speaker 7: This can. Somebody must have covered him up. I don't
• 25:37
  Speaker 7: see nothing in the ground either. I don't know.
• 25:40
  Speaker 3: Now. All right, you lion coyote.
• 25:42
  Speaker 7: Ice your hands.
• 25:43
  Speaker 3: Come on, Sheriff. Come out of here. Are you able
• 25:46
  Speaker 3: to kill your own partner? Kill the fellow you teamed
• 25:49
  Speaker 3: up with all these years? Why, I ought to hang
• 25:51
  Speaker 3: you on the spot.
• 25:53
  Speaker 7: And after you tried to frame Fritz for this, I
• 25:55
  Speaker 7: wish there was something worse than hanging I could give you. Sheriff,
• 25:57
  Speaker 7: I never killed Jake. I never did that.
• 25:59
  Speaker 3: I won't help you now. Unless you had, you'd never
• 26:01
  Speaker 3: have been able to ride directly here.
• 26:03
  Speaker 7: The masked man's right. And it was him that figured
• 26:05
  Speaker 7: this whole thing out. You're dirty child. All right, you
• 26:08
  Speaker 7: got me. How'd you know it was me? I never
• 26:11
  Speaker 7: left no trail.
• 26:12
  Speaker 9: Did Jake really write something before he died like you said, stranger?
• 26:16
  Speaker 6: He didn't.
• 26:17
  Speaker 7: And how did you know?
• 26:17
  Speaker 3: There were several things, Abel. But the chief one that
• 26:20
  Speaker 3: trapped you was your anxiety to trap someone else.
• 26:22
  Speaker 7: I do, Chevy.
• 26:24
  Speaker 3: You gave yourself away that day in Mrs. Timmons' store.
• 26:27
  Speaker 3: You claimed that Fritz dropped that paper from his pocket.
• 26:30
  Speaker 3: It seemed to you like too good an opportunity to
• 26:32
  Speaker 3: miss when he came in there with all that cash.
• 26:34
  Speaker 7: Yes, but I.
• 26:35
  Speaker 3: I was almost certain, however, that you would drop the paper.
• 26:38
  Speaker 3: Bless you. This is the first time I could be positive, though.
• 26:41
  Speaker 3: I couldn't be sure until we saw you riding here
• 26:43
  Speaker 3: that the killer hadn't been Fritz after all.
• 26:46
  Speaker 7: What was the other things that made you suspicion him?
• 26:48
  Speaker 3: One thing, he knew Jake was coming with cash. I
• 26:51
  Speaker 3: couldn't see how anyone else could have known it in
• 26:54
  Speaker 3: time to ride here and kill him. For another, I
• 26:57
  Speaker 3: believe Mrs. Timmons is a good judge of character. I
• 27:00
  Speaker 3: noticed that she allowed Fritz to call her Granny, but
• 27:03
  Speaker 3: she resented it when Abel did the same. That showed
• 27:06
  Speaker 3: clearly that she liked the one better than the other.
• 27:08
  Speaker 7: You can't beat Granny for sizing folks up.
• 27:11
  Speaker 3: Can you handle this man alone now, Sheriff? He'll have
• 27:13
  Speaker 3: to ride double on his horse on the way back
• 27:15
  Speaker 3: to town. Don't worry about me.
• 27:17
  Speaker 7: I've handled worse than him a hundred times over.
• 27:20
  Speaker 6: Here, Silver.
• 27:21
  Speaker 3: Here's Count. Then we'll be leaving you. Hell, get even
• 27:23
  Speaker 3: for this, mister. Shut up!
• 27:24
  Speaker 7: You ain't gonna get even with nobody. Cause you're gonna
• 27:27
  Speaker 7: stretch him.
• 27:28
  Speaker 3: Hail, Silver! Hail, Silver!
• 27:40
  Speaker 4: THE END.
• 28:08
  Speaker 3: THE END.
• 28:39
  Speaker 4: THE END The story you have just heard is a
• 29:09
  Speaker 4: copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated.
• 29:34
  Speaker 1: We've been listening to The Lone Ranger in Desert Murder.
• 29:37
  Speaker 1: Follow The Lone Ranger for more classic western.
• 29:40
  Speaker 6: Broadcasts.