Masked. So they finally decided to send a professional killer after me, huh . The friendly west. Well, what are you waiting for, lets get it over with. Go ahead and shoot. I have no intention of shooting. What . Whats your name, young fellow . Jim sage. A moment ago, you were ready to believe i was a professional killer. Id like to know why. Mister, i dont know what your game is, and i dont much care. All i want is to be left alone. Theres no reason why you should be interested in me. Maybe. You see, ive always been interested in order and justice in the west. Justice . ive almost forgotten there was such a word. Why do you say that . Because its been a long time since ive seen it practiced, at least in this part of the country. Look out there, mister. Thats my piece of property. I settled here six months ago. It looks like good land. Good . Its better than that. Its black as night under the plow, new and fresh. But the cattlemen say its reserved for grazing. They say they dont want any farmers here. So thats it. Thats it. Even the acting sheriff in painted post advised me to leave. Well, im not leaving. And if i have to kill to protect my rights, then ill kill. I got some fence posts to put up. Ill thank you to get off my property. Alright, jim. Tonto, his gun. Him plenty bitter young man, kemosabe. If hes telling the truth, he has reason to be bitter. I hate to see this misunderstanding between cattlemen and the farmers. There should be room enough in the west for both. Well, this bad place for man like Reno Lawrence to come. You think cattlemen send for him . I hope not, tonto. And yet painted post is the only town within miles, and lawrences tracks have been heading this way for hours. Youd better ride into town and see what you can learn. Im not known there and my mask would cause too many questions. Ill be camped in the woods north of here. Ah, me meet you there. Meanwhile in painted post, in the area was entering the office of acting sheriff, charlie park. Park, when are you going to start exerting a little authority around here . Now, listen clyde. You listen. Ive just been over to see ray kelly at the lazy m ranch. He tells me jim sage has begun using barbed wire around his place. Do you realize what that stuff does to a horse or cow running into it . Its sages land. I cant stop him from fencing it. When the last sheriff died, you were appointed to protect the rights of the people, and your people happen to be the cattleman. There must be some legal way of getting sage out of here. If hes allowed to stay, more homesteaders will come flocking in, and that will be the end of the open range. Well, ill study the situation some more. Study the situation . Yeah. Well, youd better study mighty hard, mister, between now and next months election. Because if sage isnt gone by then, i can promise you there wont be a man in this town who will give you his vote. Think it over. Good morning, mr. Norton. What did laughing boy have on his mind . Same thing hes had on his mind for the last six months jim sage. The ranchers arent kidding anymore. Either sage goes or i go. Then what happens to your big plans then . Catastrophe. Whats the matter with you, tarbuck . You got me into this job. It wasnt hard. Nobody else wanted it. You seemed to think it was important enough. It is. You control the law, charlie, and you control the land. With you as sheriff and me as deputy, we can bleed this territory dry, so long as nobody finds out about our past activities. Cant you get it through your head that we wont be controlling anything around here if i lose that election next month . Who said youd lose . Norton. Charlie. What would you think if told you i had the answer to the whole sage problem sitting in the hotel across the street . What are you talking about . Come on. I want you to meet somebody. Now, look. And one thing when we get there, keep your mouth shut. Dont object to anything i say, you understand . But. You understand, charlie . Sure. Yeah . Tarbuck. Whos this . A friend of mine. Mmhmm. Since when you do associate with the sheriff . Since ive been a sheriffs deputy. Reno, lawrence, charlie parks. Reno lawrence . Yes, sir, charlie. I guess i know reno better than any man alive. We used to ride in the same gang together. Then i left texas, and reno headed off on his own. Everybody else in the gang is dead alright, cut it, tarbuck. I didnt come this far to talk. I, uh, understand you have a job for me. The same old reno. Alright, its a fellow i want out of the way, a man named jim sage. You know, funny thing. I must be getting deaf, i, uh, didnt hear you say anything about money. Five hundred now, five hundred when sage is dead. Alright, where do i find him . Heres a map. Sages place is a mile or so out of town. Its nearly noon now, he breaks off for dinner at twelve. Afterwards, he generally lies down for awhile. Come back here for the other five hundred when youre through. I will, tarbuck. I will. Have you lost your mind . If sage is found dead, the ranchers around here are bound to be honest enough to ask for an investigation, and then what . Charlie, ive just arranged for a murder, but im quite sure it wont be sages. What . You and i my friend are about to take a little trip. A shortcut to the farm. Well be there when reno rides up, and well gun him down on sages property. Look, maybe youve got your reasons for wanting lawrence shot, but. I have, charlie. You see, hes the last one alive that knows i ever operated in texas. But what about sage . If he isnt run out before the election, look, Everybody Knows that jim sage has been real wild with a gun lately, right . Right, but. Well, what do you suppose the ranchers will do when you and i report to them that sage has finally killed a man . Theyll lynch him. The problem will be out of our hands. Yeah. The sheriff. Hmm . Oh, what do you want, injun. There he goes. Well, injun . Oh, me sorry. Me make mistake. Huh . Forget about him. Lets get out to the sage place. Morning because my back hurt so bad. The sleep number bed conforms to you. I wake up in the morning with no back pain. I can adjust it if i need to. If my backs a little more sore. And by the time i get up in the morning, i feel great if you have back pain, toss and turn at night or wake up tired with no energy, the sleep number bed could be your solution. The sleep number beds secret is its air chambers which provide ideal support and put you in control of the firmness. And the bed is perfect for couples because each side adjusts independently to their unique sleep number. 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Call right now and youll also receive a 50 savings card just for inquiring about the sleep number bed. Ask about our riskfree 30night inhome trial. Call now for your free information kit and a free 50 savings card. Call now kemosabe, me learn about something plenty strange in town. What do you mean strange . Me see Reno Lawrence, but me think him friends with deputy and sheriff. What . Deputy look familiar. You remember outlaw in texas many years, him named joe tarbuck. The cattle thief . Yes, i remember him very well. Him talk to sheriff. Me hear him say them go to sage place. Wed better get out there at once. Come on, tonto. Looking for somebody, mister . Alright, charlie, get down there. Ill go down to town and spread the word that sage has killed a man. Take it easy, mister. Youll be alright. Get your hands up, sage. Well, you have been mighty quick with a gun lately, havent you . I didnt shoot him. What kind of a frame is this . Frame . We asked you to clear out, sage. We were real polite about it. Why you . Drop your gun, mister. Now you get em up, park. Keep him covered, jim. Him hurt bad, kemosabe . Hes still breathing. It looks like a rifle wound. Jim, do you own a rifle . I never had one in my life. Do you know who shot you . Ive got an idea. Park, tarbuck. Hes out of his head. He didnt see. Didnt see what, park . It sounded like the shot came from those rocks, mister. Tarbuck may have decided to go into town. Even if he didnt, there will be fresh tracks to guide you. Try to stop him. Me do that, kemosabe. Park, take his shoulders, and do it gently. Well take him inside. Get his hat. Yeah. Norton. Mr. Norton. Yeah, tarbuck, what is it . The sheriff and me, we were riding past the sage place when we heard a shot. When we got there, we found out sage had killed a man. Some stranger. Killed a man . Are you sure . The sheriffs out there now, mr. Kelly, holding him. Hes already confessed. Well, the dirty, lowdown pole cat. Well, its our own fault for letting the nesters settle here in the first place. I say, lets teach him a lesson. Lets string him up to one of his own trees. Now, wait a minute, ray . Hey, whos side are you on . The nesters . Hey, larry, go with him. Bring your rope. You come with me. Casey, you ride out and tell the other ranchers whats going on. You listen. Beat it, injun. Kemosabe, tarbuck say sage guilty of murder. Lynch mob come here. A lynch mob . Im sure those men are essentially honest . When they hear the truth. The truth . And who will they believe . A homesteader . A man wearing a mask . I think theyll believe Marshall John lawton. Lawton . The marshall up in rockville . Ah. Tonto, id like you to see that Marshall Lawton gets this as soon as possible. What you do, kemosabe . Ill stay here with jim. Mister, i dont get this. If they find you here, theyre going to string you up too. Why are you sticking your neck out for me . You dont owe me anything. Ive told you once before, jim. I was interested in justice. I meant it. But. We havent got a chance. Maybe not. But lawrence is still alive. Hell be able to testify that you didnt shoot him. Thats right. Kill him. Get that indian. The indians dead. Whats going on here . Well, sage and some friend of his have got the sheriff inside. Well, what are we waiting for . Lets that answer your question . You men out there. Listen to reason. Jim sage has committed no crime. What about murder . Or dont you consider that a crime . The man sage was supposed to have murdered was shot with a rifle. Sage doesnt own a rifle. Further more, the man is still alive. Now throw down your guns. Well let you talk to him. Hell tell you sage is innocent. Well, what do you think . Maybe we should. Are you plumb loco . Thats the oldest trick in the business. All youll get to examine is a bullet in your own stomach. Well, whats your answer. This, mister. We cant keep this up much longer, mister. What happened to that friend of yours . I dont know. Just one more bullet, mister. How about you . Just one, jim. The suns going down soon. Rockville isnt that far, and your friend isnt coming back. Well make one last attempt to get them to listen to lawrence. I wouldnt bother if i were you. Well . Hes dead. Well, that does it. That was our last chance. Theyll probably try to rush the house soon. Yeah. Mister, no matter what happens, i want you to know im mighty proud to have known you. Same goes for me, jim. Kind of quiet in there, isnt it . You think theyre finally out of ammunition . Yeah. Lets take em. Get away from that door. Hold it. Its Marshall Lawton. Tonto. Me sorry, kemosabe. Have hard time finding marshall. I got your note, mister. And i also brought the handbills you wanted. Look, marshall, theres been a murder here. Thats right. Now suppose you let the marshall identify the dead man for you. Marshall, hes inside. Yup, thats Reno Lawrence. Who is Reno Lawrence . Hired killer thats been wanted by the authorities for a long time. Whoever shot him is in line for quite a reward. You mean, even if sage killed him, he was within his rights . Thats exactly what i mean. And we might have lynched him. Youre the law. Why didnt you investigate a little more carefully. Why didnt you bring sage in, instead of getting us riled up about him . Youre through here, tarbuck. And the same goes for you, park. Now, wait a minute. So were through. Marshall, how much does that reward come to . One thousand dollars. Alright, make it payable to joe tarbuck. Because i killed lawrence. What . Not so fast, tarbuck. I was in on this thing. Marshall, i think you brought a few handbills with you. Thats right, mister. Mr. Norton, take a look at these. Joe tarbuck, wanted in texas for cattle rustling. And heres another one on park. Cattle thieves. The worst kind of crook. So thats we had for lawmen. Well, mister, thanks to you and tonto, i doubt if theyll ever be a lynch mob form again in painted post. There wont if i have anything to do with it, marshall. Sage, i know, i know its small comfort, but i want to apologize on behalf of all of the cattlemen. We tried to convict an innocent man on hearsay. Theres no justice in that. I guess i made a few mistakes myself as well, mr. Norton. But i think ive learned a few things about cooperation. Its a mighty important word. Well, i dont suppose the ranchers could stop migration to the west, even if they really wanted to. Thats right, mr. Norton. Everyones entitled to his own way of life. Confirm the right of man to own property and to do with it as he chooses, and youll give your children a real heritage. Well, its time for tonto and me to be on our way. Good luck in the election for sheriff next month. I know youll choose a good man this time. Adios. Adios. Adios. Theres the man id like to see as sheriff. You know, i fought side by side with him and i dont even know his name. Dont you, jim . You should. Hes the lone ranger. Heigho, silver away the roy rogers show starring Roy Rogers King of the cowboys, trigger his golden palomino and Dale Evans Queen of the west with pat brady, his comical sidekick and roys wonder dog, bullet say that looks like dan bartons wife, roy. Yeah there must be something wrong the way shes riding. Whats the matter ruby . Dan go kill monte, you stop him, hurry. You mean your husband killed monty elkheart . Not yet, but theyve been fighting bad blood. I go to dunlap, they not help, you go, hurry. Well which way were they headed . Dan follow monty, Red Rock Canyon. Pat, borrow rubys horse, Red Rock Canyon is one place nelliebelle cant go. Stay with her dale. Right. Come on bullet. Hey dan barton . Down pat, hes ought to use that rifle. Do you want . We want to talk to you. Keep an eye on him pat. Hes got a bad temper, he may be drunk. Roy, lets get out of here. Who ever done that could pick us off like flies on a wall. We cant leave barton here wounded. You watch the ridge. Whos that, the old man of the mountains . It certainly wasnt monty elkheart. Lets take a look. What are we going to do with barton . Well send the sheriff back after him. Up there is where we saw the old man. Hey, look eight milimeter. This could be from a mouser rifle. Yeah and whoever fired from up here was a good shot. They tell me monty elkheart can hit a flying quail at fifty yards. Roy, this aint none of our business. Now lets go get the sheriff and let him tend to it. You cant trail anybody over these rocks anyway. Maybe bullet can. Lets get the horses and see where he leads us. Come on boy. Roy, im telling you. You keep asking for trouble and were sure gonna get it. See who that is loraine. Oh yes, wont you come in . Thanks. Who is it loraine . Im roy rogers from the double r bar ranch, were sort of neighbors. Well who is it . Who is it . Mr. Rogers, father, coming to call. Well bring him in, bring him in. Im loraine dunlap. You musnt mind my father he isnt well. Is there something wrong . Yes. A neighbor of yours, dan barton was ambushed and killed. Oh no mrs. Barton was here wanting help. But oh the poor thing. I guess we better tell him. I heard ya. Who did it . Father dont get excited now. Barton, was on monty elkhearts trail when he was shot. Theyve been fuding for years. Thats good, thats good isnt it. We come out here for peace and quiet and. Some crazy indian killer goes on the war path. Oh father well all be killed in our beds, thats what will happen. Father stop it there is nothing to worry about. Nothing do you hear . Thats right. This was a private fude between monty and barton, it doesnt include anyone else. Of course, of course, i didnt mean to let go that way. Sit down wont you . Thank you. Hes recovering from a physical and nervous breakdown. Casued by over work. We came out here so we could recooperate. I guess i shouldnt have troubled you with this, but incidentally have you seen anything of a little old man with a beard . Why a man like that came by last night and asked for a handout. He slept in the bunk house and i fed him again this morning before he left. His name was fowler. Yes, herman hank fowler, hes an old prospector, sort of peculiar in his ways. I backed tracked him here. You folks live here alone . Well, we have a handy man about the place, the names kimberly. Hes been with me for years. Hes outside some place. Then dont worry. Youll be alright. I see you have protection. Thats a beauty a mouser hasnt even been fired yet. You know how to use it dont ya . I think so. Well i hadnt been able to get outside to do any hunting yet. You just be careful who you open the door to. Oh i will and i hope youll come back soon. Thanks, nice to have met you mr. Dunlap. Yeah thanks. Got me buffaloed. She pulled me off buttermilk to keep me from following monty. Are you sure it was monty elkheart . Positive. Then you better go tell the sheriff what happened. Okay but what are you gonna do . Pat and i are going out to see ruby. Maybe she can explain why she acted that way. , roy rogers come. Me hide in back. Hi ruby. Ruby not talk. Bullet come away from there. Look out ruby move that claber faced forked tongue tyraid. Ruby, what was monty doing here . I find him here. He no let me go. When dale was bringing you home, why did you stop her from going after him . I hear shots. I think maybe monty kill dan. But monty say he not do it. If he didnt do it how did he know about it . Maybe monty tell truth, he not have rifle when we see him. He could have, he hides a lot of things in these hills. Yeah thats an old trick of his, monty has all kinds of hiding places. Ruby you dont seem to take the death of your husband very hard. No. You better wait here till the sheriff comes, hell probably want