
Original Air Date: January 08, 1951Host: Andrew RhynesShow: The Lone RangerPhone: (707) 98 OTRDW (6-8739) Stars:• Brace Beemer (Lone Ranger)• John Todd (Tonto) Writer:• Fran Striker Producer:• George W. Trendle Music:• Ben Bonnell Exit music from: Roun...
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Andrew Rines
Welcome to the Old Time Radio Westerns. I'm your host Andrew Rines and I'm excited to bring you another episode absolutely free. This is one of over 80 episodes released monthly for your enjoyment. Now let's get into this episode.
The Lone Ranger
A fiery horse with a speed of light, a cloud of dust and a hearty high. O Silver the Lone Ranger.
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The Lone Ranger
With his faithful Indian companion Tato, the daring and resourceful masked rider of the Plains led the fight for law and order in the early Western United States. Nowhere in the pages of history can one find a greater champion of justice. Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear. From out of the past come the thundering hoofbeats of the great horse Silver. The Lone Ranger rides again.
Tonto
Come on, Silver. Let's go, big fellow.
Billy B. Hung
Silver.
Indeed Advertiser
Away.
The Lone Ranger
It was always noisy in the carpenter's shop at the territorial prison. Hammering on nails already driven and making their saws squeal. The men in convict stripes escaped the wrath of the watchful guards by appearing to be hard at work. But there was another purpose behind the deliberate racket they raised. The sounds of their tools drowned their voices as they carried on forbidden conversations, speaking through lips which did not move. In one corner of the shop, Billy B. Hung, a train robber under a life sentence, wielded a hammer on a rough box which had been ordered for a dead inmate. Standing beside him, two prisoners known as Big Nose and Horse Face fitted a lid on the sinister box. Billy Behong was asking Horse Face, who's.
Horse Face
Gonna wear this wooden overcoat?
Big Nose
Old Jake Perry.
Horse Face
Whereabouts he being shipped?
Big Nose
Odok City, I hear.
Horse Face
Hodak City. It's where all three of us got caught by the Lone Ranger and his consigned friends, Ma Hank and Uncle Homer Potts.
Big Nose
Yeah, I haven't forgotten him. In fact, I heard something about Ma Hank when we had childish school.
Horse Face
Yeah, you did. What was it?
Big Nose
Sorry, Sam, the trustee runs a prison. Morgan passed me the word that Old Jake's body's been sent to her. Landed on Signal Hill. Seems that he liked that place.
Horse Face
Yeah, I know Signal Hill. I can't figure out the tie up between her and Paris.
Big Nose
She always thought he was innocent. So Old Jake told me once. He said she was the only one who stuck up for him during his trial.
Horse Face
I'd like to drive this keg of nails into that she Hippopotamus, the little monkey she married. As for the Lone Ranger, I'd gladly be hung if I could put him in a box like this one.
Big Nose
The only way you'll ever get out of this place is in a rough box.
Horse Face
In a rough box. Yeah. I wonder fell. I got an idea how I can beat this. You hammered harder. And listen to this.
Big Nose
All right.
The Lone Ranger
A few minutes later, a guard approached the three convicts swinging a club and kicking into piles of shavings. Halting at a discreet distance, he eyed them suspiciously.
Tonto
Are you fellas coming?
Horse Face
We finished the box. You want us to carry it over to the morgue?
Tonto
Maybe. I want to know first why your ornery varmints are asking for extra work right at quitting time.
Horse Face
Old Jake was a friend of us. We want to do something for him.
Tonto
Oh well, there's a rush order on that box as he's to be carted off to a train this evening. So deliver it to Sorry Sam. By the time you get the lid nailed on, the shop will be closed.
Big Nose
What do we do with our tools?
Tonto
Report to the yard captain and give them to him. Be back in the cell block before the next.
Horse Face
Right. Grab hold of the box, fellas.
The Lone Ranger
Sorry Sam was alone in the prison dead house when Billy Behong, Horse Face and Big Nose entered with their burden and placed it on the floor. Billy Behong immediately stepped behind the sad faced trustee who was lamenting.
Big Nose
Gentlemen, our days are few and filled with sorrows. I'm sorry.
Horse Face
You're not as sorry as you'll be if you don't follow my orders. You know what I'm holding against your back? It's a chisel. I sneaked out of the shop and it's got a mighty sharp edge. You feel it?
Big Nose
Don't. Please don't.
Horse Face
I want old Jake's civilian suit. You always dress dead prisoners in such clothes before they're buried? I know it's here. I get it.
Big Nose
You'd rob the dead. Oh, the pity.
Horse Face
I was the clothes fella.
Big Nose
I'm sorry. There they are in that bundle.
The Lone Ranger
A few minutes later Billy bi hung was dressed in a suit which fitted him fairly. Stepping into the rough box, he pointed the chisel at Sorry Sam.
Horse Face
You keep your trap shut. Big Nose and Horse Face will take care of you if you don't.
Big Nose
But if you take old Jake's place, what'll I do with him?
Horse Face
Hi Adam. You're a trustee. You don't have to be in your cell at lockup time like the other prisoners. Tonight you can bury the body in a drain that's being laid across a prison yard.
Big Nose
Ah, the trouble is ever heaped upon my head.
Horse Face
Watch that broken hearted poor cat boys.
Big Nose
Real cd. Don't blab. What are you gonna do for water and food?
Horse Face
I'll do without for a few hours.
Big Nose
You may smother Billy.
Horse Face
Not in a two bit box like this. It's full of cracks and knotholes. When I want out, I'll use a chisel. Hard. Now I'll lie down.
Big Nose
You ready first to put on the lid?
Horse Face
Yeah, I'm all set. Now hurry it up.
Big Nose
You bet. All right.
Horse Face
Nail it on.
Big Nose
You bet.
Tonto
Billy.
Big Nose
What a sluggin's. A lone ranger for me. Yeah, me too.
Horse Face
I'LL settle a store for all of.
The Lone Ranger
As soon as Billy Behung had been nailed into the box, horse face and big nose forced the frightened trustee to attach Jake Perry's death certificate to it and help move it to the prison gate on a push cart. There, the guards passed it out to an express wagon without examining anything except the certificate and shipping address. A few hours later, the box was in an express car bound for Modoc City. Two Wells Fargo agents stood near it. One was saying, steve.
Big Nose
Twas from this side of the car that noise came. I heard it, Irish. Sounded like nails being pulled. Be like the car is coming apart. His dad says to be carrying a.
Billy B. Hung
Box the likes of that.
Tonto
You're superstitious. I'm more worried about the strong box.
Big Nose
Than that rough box.
Tonto
It's filled with currency.
Big Nose
Tis safe now with that bold robber, Billy B. Hung, locked up in prison.
The Lone Ranger
We're coming to the junction.
Billy B. Hung
This is where I leave Yari, so I'll slide the door open.
Big Nose
I wish you were staying. This queer feeling I have about the box.
Horse Face
You Irishman.
The Lone Ranger
Well, I'm jumping out.
Billy B. Hung
See you on the next run.
The Lone Ranger
A train was soon underway. Again Irish busied himself with bills of lading. But from time to time he cast wary glances at the forbidding box. Suddenly he froze. A paper fluttered from his nerveless hands as he shrieked, sir, preserve me.
Big Nose
The lid is lifting. The cart is coming out.
The Lone Ranger
As the horrified agent stood rooted in his tracks, Billy Behung sprang out like a jack in a box and snatched a sawed off shotgun from a rack beside the door. Whirling, he covered Irish, don't shoot me.
Horse Face
I don't intend. A shot might be heard, but not this.
The Lone Ranger
Billy Behung's gun barrel had connected with the express agent with a force which the escaped convict had intended to be fatal. The outlaw looked at his victim, then at the rough box, an evil smile twisting his lips.
Horse Face
Now it's your turn to go inside.
The Lone Ranger
Heaving the limp body into the box, Billy Behung replaced the lid, picked up one of several railroad tools which were within reach, and began to re nail it. On the following day, the Lone Ranger sat at a campfire a few a few miles from Modoc City. He held a newspaper which Toto had brought back from town a short time before. Looking up from the first page, he.
Tonto
Said, tato, this paper carries stories about two strange disappearances. Billy B. Hung had vanished from prison and an express agent vanished from a train on which a Wells Fargo safe was mysteriously looted.
Big Nose
What fellows at prison think happened to Billy Bi Hung.
Tonto
It was last seen when he and two other convicts carried a rough box into the prison morgue. Billy B. Hung's companions and a trustee who worked in the morgue are being questioned. The warden has promised to get to the bottom of the mystery if Billy.
Big Nose
Be hung loose again. Maybe him try to kill Ma Hank.
Tonto
Uncle Homer, that's a possibility. Did you see Ma Hank when you were in town today? Uh huh.
Big Nose
Me see her her get fixed. A very old feller named Jake Perry who die in prison body come on train this morning.
Tonto
That was the train from which the express agent disappeared that may have carried Billy B. Hung to freedom in Jake Perry's rough box. Been done before that.
Big Nose
Plenty strange.
Tonto
Here, Silver. Here, scout. Where we go? Kimasabi to Modoc City. Steady, Silver. Easy feller. Our friends may be in danger even now. Mont.
Big Nose
They must come.
The Lone Ranger
That afternoon, Ma Hank and Uncle Homer met in the kitchen of her hotel, the Henry House. The 275 pound landlady frowned down on the pint sized but peppery lawyer who had abandoned a New York office to become her second husband and a two gun westerner.
Ma Hank
Homer, take those guns off Prado.
Billy B. Hung
Why?
Ma Hank
Tisn't fitting to go to a burial wearing shootin irons.
Billy B. Hung
My dear, I feel most unmanly without em. I'm a personage of some important in the world of gunfighters and must keep up appearances. Did I not lay low the notorious Billy be hung?
Ma Hank
Well, you winged the varmint with a lucky shot. Now you quit spieling your eastern lingo and shed those smoke wagons.
Big Nose
You savvy?
Billy B. Hung
Yes, yes, I savvy. But don't get rampy now. Here, I'll hang my gun belts on this chair while we plant your old friend Jake.
Ma Hank
Well, come on now. Where'd you leave the buckboard after you picked up the rough box at out.
Billy B. Hung
Here in the alley, I hitched up the teams again. Bury me not on the lone prairie.
Ma Hank
Homer, you can't sing any better than you can shoot.
Billy B. Hung
What?
Ma Hank
Anyhow, old Jake wrote me that he didn't want any singing or preaching at his burial. Poor fella. I do hope he'll like it up on Signal Hill. There wasn't much good in him, but there wasn't much bad either.
Billy B. Hung
Ma Hank, you sure get stuck with him. Darndest things. First it was an iron deer, then me, and now a dead convict. Well, there he is.
Ma Hank
I heard a couple of fellers to dig a hole on the hill they're waiting for. So climb up on the seat.
Billy B. Hung
Right?
Tonto
Yep.
Billy B. Hung
I'm up now. I'll take the lines.
Ma Hank
You just hold those critters steady.
Horse Face
Here I come.
Ma Hank
Oh. Oh, my sakes. No buckboard ever bucks after I get on it.
Billy B. Hung
Somebody's riding up the alley.
Ma Hank
Say it's Tarno again, and this time the Lone Ranger's with him.
Tonto
Wait, folks. We're waiting.
Billy B. Hung
Mister.
Ma Hank
Why are you pointing your guns at that rough box?
Tonto
Billy B. Hung may be in it.
Big Nose
In there?
Ma Hank
That box was shipped to me. It has old Jake Perry's death certificate tacked to it.
Tonto
Have you looked inside it?
Ma Hank
No. Why in the world would the warden send Billy B. Hung to me, of all people? I didn't know the polecat was dead.
Tonto
I doubt that he is. I think he used this box as a means of escape.
Billy B. Hung
Ma, the masked man may be right. I saw in the paper that the vomit had disappeared after he and some other convicts took a rough box to the prison dead house.
Tonto
It's the one kind of box that probably would be passed out of prison without an inspection.
Ma Hank
Then let's take a look.
Tonto
Tato, we're getting into the buckboard. Bring your hatchet. Use the blade to pry open the lid when I cover you.
Big Nose
Me do it, Tato.
Billy B. Hung
Oh, if I just had my guns now.
Big Nose
This lid been lifted before it come off. Pretty easy.
Tonto
Stay back. Bo Hank There.
Big Nose
He got lid loose. Now he lift it.
Billy B. Hung
Who in blazes is that fella?
Big Nose
Him not Billy be hung.
Ma Hank
Why, he's not old Jake either. Is he dead?
Tonto
No, but he's had several severe blows on the head. He may remain unconscious for hours.
Ma Hank
We might have buried the poor fella. Who do you reckon he is?
Tonto
There's a Wells Fargo badge on his coat which identifies him. He's a missing express agent.
The Lone Ranger
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.
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Ma Hank
Sam.
The Lone Ranger
Now to continue. After the injured express agent had been removed to a hotel room and placed under a doctor's care, the Lone Ranger and Toto again met Ma Hank and Uncle Homer in the alley. Mahank was saying that Wells Fargo man.
Ma Hank
Is being hunted as a thief right now. How in tarnation did he get nailed up in that box?
Tonto
There's only one possible explanation. After Billy B. Hung substituted himself for old Jake's body and was shipped out on the express car, he let himself out. Then he attacked the agent, robbed the express company safe and made another substitution of bodies. No doubt believing that the expressman was dead.
Billy B. Hung
The infernal scoundrel.
Tonto
I believe that it's his plan to hunt and waylay us. Where did you intend to bury the dead convict?
Ma Hank
On Signal Hill. That's where old Jake wanted to be put. So I aimed to let him have his last wish.
Tonto
It's more than likely that he spoke of that wish to other convicts before he died.
Billy B. Hung
Maybe Billy be hung's out on Signal Hill waiting for us.
Tonto
Where's our friend Marshal Jim Fraser?
Billy B. Hung
He and a Wells Fargo special agent named Rain are leading a posse along the railroad track betwixt here and the junction. Marshall Jim has a warrant for the expressman we found.
Tonto
I see.
Big Nose
If outlaw hide on Hill, it'd be plenty hard to catch him. Hillside's covered with brush. Him see us, we not see him.
Tonto
That's true, but there's a chance we may trick him into showing himself.
Big Nose
And what we do.
Tonto
Listen, this is my plan.
The Lone Ranger
As the Lone Ranger outlined his scheme, Marshal Jim, Special Agent Rain and a half dozen possemen rode up to a ranch house where Billy Behung had stopped that morning. Oh, well, as they halted, the rancher opened a door and stepped outside with a greeting.
Big Nose
Howdy, Marshal Jim.
Tonto
Hi.
Big Nose
Howdy, man. What's the trouble? We're looking for a fella named Irish McCune.
Tonto
His tracks led here from the railroad.
The Lone Ranger
Line where he jumped from a train.
Tonto
After robbing the Wells Fargo strongbox. Now, where is he?
The Lone Ranger
Speak up.
Big Nose
I don't know Irish McCoon. I don't know you. And what's more, I don't like your way of talking, Rain. You'd better let me do the talking. I know western.
Tonto
Yes, and I know crooks. I knew McCune was a thief the first time I saw him.
Big Nose
All right, Rain. Now let's find out what this rancher knows. Marshall fellow did Walk in here this morning. He had his face covered with bandages. Told a story about his horse breaking a leg and throwing him. He carried a green grip sack.
Tonto
Then that was McHugh.
Big Nose
Where'd he go? After I fed him and let him have a horse, he rode off toward Modoc City. Come on, boys. Come on, Rain. Let's look for the hoop prints of that borrowed horse.
The Lone Ranger
Several hours later, the buckboard bearing the rough box rolled toward the top of Signal Hill. Ma Hank and Uncle Homer were on the seat, which tilted upward so high on his side that his boots didn't reach the footboard. Ma looked back at the box as the little man cracked a whip and urged the horses on.
Tonto
Get along there.
Ma Hank
I wonder the box hasn't jolted off.
Billy B. Hung
Have you seen any sign of Billy Be hung?
Ma Hank
No, none at all.
Billy B. Hung
I feel like a clay pipe in a shooting gallery. Where's Tonto?
Ma Hank
Oh, he slipped off into the brush when we started uphill. I don't reckon he's very far away now.
Billy B. Hung
I wish I had my guns.
Ma Hank
We're coming to the top. They're the gravediggers.
Billy B. Hung
We'll be lucky if they don't plant us.
Nicole Byer
Howdy, Mo Hank.
Billy B. Hung
Howdy, Homer. Nice day to be alive, isn't it?
Ma Hank
It sure is. But I don't know whether I'll live. Let's get down. Homer.
Billy B. Hung
Get down there.
Ma Hank
Oh, here he come.
Horse Face
All right, get your hands up.
Billy B. Hung
Look, feller, with the bandage face.
Big Nose
You.
Ma Hank
You're Billy Behind.
Horse Face
I'll be hung if I'm not. How deep is that hole, Grave Digger?
Billy B. Hung
Why, why, just a regular six feet.
Horse Face
That isn't deep enough to hold off for you. Any express agent in that box? All right, get in there and throw out more dirt. You savvy?
Billy B. Hung
Yes. Yes, I'll do it.
The Lone Ranger
Meanwhile, Marshall Jim, Special Agent Rain and the puppet Possumen had halted their horses at the foot of the hill. The marshal was saying, rain, the trail.
Big Nose
We followed from the ranch leads up to this hill.
Tonto
I don't have to be a Westerner to see that.
Big Nose
You take one man and follow the tracks. The rest of us will scatter out and ride up the hill from other side.
Tonto
Sammy, I understand. Come on, Joe.
Big Nose
Come on, boys.
Horse Face
All right, you've dug deep enough, fellas. Now here's where the fun begins.
The Lone Ranger
As the outlaw spoke, the lid of the rough box behind him lifted and the Lone Ranger emerged with one gun drawn. Noiselessly, the masked man stepped from the box to the sand and eased the lid back into place. The outlaw was saying, I'll Plug you first, Homer Potts.
Horse Face
You and your old woman helped the masked man put me in a poking if I just had him. Here I am.
Tonto
Here. Drop that gun. You drop that gun.
Big Nose
All right.
Horse Face
There it goes. Where did you come from?
Tonto
Out of that box. Your trick works two ways. Who's coming?
Billy B. Hung
The express company detective and the Possuman. They're pointing their six shooters at your back.
Tonto
All right, drop those guns, masked man. I'm special agent range.
Billy B. Hung
You keep out of this, fella.
Tonto
Let me explain. No. Do as I say or I'll shoot you. Very well. All right, get his guns, Joe.
Big Nose
Right.
Tonto
I'll take care of the other fellow. McCune, you're under arrest. McCune? That's what I said. He's the express car agent who looted a company strongbox last night. He's not an express agent. He's. He's no one else, Nathan.
Horse Face
I'm not mister. Tis a mistake you're making by arresting me. The masked man helped the express car and took me prisoner.
Tonto
So that's what happened. How did he get aboard the express car?
Horse Face
Sure, and he hopped in at Junction just after me partner Steve got out.
Tonto
Well, that's just what I thought. Why did you stop at a ranch house and get a horse on the pretext that your own horse had broken a leg and thrown you?
Horse Face
Twas the tune of that desperado. He made me tell that story waiting outside. He was ready to pistol whip me again if I didn't. You can see what he'd done to me, Face.
Tonto
He planned to make it appear that you were guilty.
Horse Face
That he did. And he brought me here and met his gang. Tis a dead man I'd be if you hadn't come to me rescue. Make him give you the loot.
Tonto
Whose body is in that box, Mr. Rain? There's nothing in that box. Your express agent was in it. But he's now in the hotel in Modoc City recovering from wounds he received at the hands of Billy B. Hung. And there before you is Billy B. Hung. You expect me to believe that? It's the truth. Billy B. Hung escaped from prison in that box. After it was on board the express car, he let himself out, beat the agent, robbed the safe and jumped off. Now he's here. Maybe he is. Maybe you're Billy B. Hung. Why don't you take the bandages from that man's face? I want to see your face first. All right, grab him, Joe.
The Lone Ranger
Hold on to him.
Tonto
Now pull that mask off.
Ma Hank
Oh, no, you don't.
The Lone Ranger
You take that as Ma Hank's mighty blow stretched the private detective unconscious on the sand. Billy B. Hung took advantage of the confusion and scooped up his fallen gun. Uncle Homer was yelling, watch out. Billy B.
Billy B. Hung
Hung has his gun Again.
The Lone Ranger
The Possuman who had grabbed the Lone Ranger disregarded the warning. But the masked man, seeing death in the outlaw's blazing eyes and leveled gun, jerked backward. Just before he fired, a bullet fanned the Lone Ranger's temple. Again, the escaped convict triggered his gun. The Possuman jerked and collapsed at the masked man's feet with a groan. As the Lone Ranger jumped clear of the fallen man's body and Billy Behung brought his gun to bear for the third time, Uncle Homer snatched up one of the gravedigger spades. He swung it with a howl of fury.
Billy B. Hung
Take this, you owl hoot.
The Lone Ranger
The speed missed the owl hoot's head but struck his shoulder, paralyzing his arm and causing him to drop his gun. Billy Behung took to his heels as the Lone Ranger rushed him.
Tonto
I'll take care of you. You haven't got me yet.
The Lone Ranger
Seeing that, Ma Hank and Uncle Homer blocked his way to the horse, which he had left in the brush far down the hillside, Billy Behung made for the buckboard.
Billy B. Hung
He's headed for the wagon.
Ma Hank
I'll get some guns.
Tonto
Come down from that wheel.
Horse Face
Let go of me.
The Lone Ranger
The outlaw had one hand on the buckboard seat and one foot on a wheel hub when the Lone Ranger grabbed him. Kicking backward with his free foot, he sank a boot heel into the masked man's midriff. No.
Tonto
I have him now.
The Lone Ranger
Dragging Billy Be hung down from the side of the spring wagon, the masked man whirled him around.
Tonto
All right, you asked for this. Now take it. All right, take it and take it again. Again.
Horse Face
Come on, Donna.
Tonto
I've had enough, Ma Hank. I mean my guns.
Ma Hank
I've got yours in the private detectives, too. Maybe I should have plugged that bone cat.
Tonto
No, it's. It's better this way. How are Rain and the wounded possum?
Ma Hank
Oh, I only knocked out that Rain varmint. He should be coming to.
Billy B. Hung
The other fella's just nicked in the shoulder.
Ma Hank
Here comes the marshal, and there are some fellows with him.
Tonto
One is Totto bringing Silver and another horse. Hello, Marshal. Jim.
Big Nose
Howdy, mister. I see you've captured Irish McHugh. What else happened here?
Tonto
There's been a good deal of misunderstanding all the way around. Rain thought I was an outlaw.
Big Nose
That overbearing varmint Wood, is he dead?
Tonto
No, Marshal, that Amic.
Billy B. Hung
What are you calling my wife?
Tonto
That lady knocked me out. I want her arrested.
Big Nose
I have more important things to do. Donna found the borrowed horse in the carpet bag with the Wells Fargo money in it. So Now I'll take McCune to jail. Here comes my jailer.
Tonto
He's riding hard.
Big Nose
What's up, Jeff? Billy, the Honda's loose again. What?
Tonto
Ho, ho, ho there.
Big Nose
The warden of the territorial prison sent us a wire saying that some of the convicts there had confessed to nailing the varmint in a rough box that was being shipped to Ma Hank. So I hightailed it out after I found out that she had the box and intended to bury it here.
Ma Hank
You're a mite late, Jeff. The masked man is holding Billy Behung prisoner right now.
Tonto
But I thought. Oh, take the bandages from the prisoner's face.
Big Nose
Let me do it. Stand still, feller. Me not use the knife on you. Only cut rags from face. You see face now. Thunderation. It is Billy Behung.
Tonto
That's what I tried to tell Mr. Raine. Mask man. I'm sorry. Spare yourself the apology, Mr. Raine. 1 4th of the stolen money will go to you and your Indian friend. That's the share the company always awards for the recovery of loot. Turn it over to Ma Hank. It'll be useful to her and her charitable works.
Big Nose
Rain, handcuff Billy Behung and tie his legs, then load him into Ma Hank's buckboard. We'll have to keep him in irons and watch him day and night until the prison guards come after him.
Tonto
Yes, you're right, Marshal. He's the trickiest and most dangerous criminal in the West. This makes the fourth time that he's escaped from custody.
Horse Face
There may be a fifth time. If there is, I'll see you again, masked man. You can't always win.
Tonto
No, but you'll always lose. Sometime you'll meet the fate. Your name suggests a polecat.
Ma Hank
Sure deserves to be hung.
Tonto
All right, come on, Tahlo. Easy, people. Adios, friend. Marshall, you suppose my company could hire that mask man?
Big Nose
Get that idea out of your head. Nobody hires the Lone Ranger.
Ma Hank
Sam.
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Ma Hank
It's.
The Lone Ranger
This is a feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated, created by George W. Trendle, produced by Trendle Campbell Enterprises, directed by Charles D. Livingston and edited by Fran Stryker. The part of the Lone Ranger is played by Brace Beamer.
Andrew Rines
This has been a presentation of otrwesterns.com and we hope you enjoyed. Please take some time to like and rate this episode within your favorite podcast application. Follow us on Facebook by going to otrwesterns.com Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel by going to otrwesterns.Com YouTube become one of our ranch hands and unlock some exclusive content. We want to thank the following ranch hand Steve who joined us recently. You too can join by going to otrwesterns.com donate send us an email podcasttrwesterns.com and you can call and leave us a voicemail 707-986-8739 this episode is copyright under the Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Copyright. For more information go to otrwesterns.com copyright have a great day and thanks for listening.
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Episode: Billy-Be-Hung Returns | The Lone Ranger (01-08-51)
Host: Andrew Rhynes
Release Date: May 16, 2025
In this episode of the Old Time Radio Westerns podcast, host Andrew Rhynes presents a digitally restored version of The Lone Ranger episode titled "Billy-Be-Hung Returns." This classic Western drama transports listeners to the untamed frontier, where themes of justice, loyalty, and cunning unfold through the legendary characters of the Lone Ranger and his steadfast companion, Tonto.
The episode opens with the iconic introduction of the Lone Ranger and his faithful horse, Silver. [02:11] The Lone Ranger's mission to uphold law and order in the early Western United States is established, setting the tone for the ensuing drama.
In the heart of the territorial prison's carpenter shop, convicts Billy B. Hung, Big Nose, and Horse Face are seen conspiring. [04:51] They fabricate a grim plot to escape custody by manipulating the system. Billy B. Hung, a notorious train robber, plans to disguise himself using the body of another inmate, Old Jake Perry.
Billy B. Hung pressures the trustee, Sorry Sam, into aiding his scheme. [08:42] With threats and the promise of a chisel as leverage, he coerces the trustee to prepare a suitable civilian suit for his disguise. The convicts meticulously nail Old Jake's corpse into a rough box, intending to transport it out of the prison. [09:05] Their plan appears foolproof as the box, stamped with Old Jake's death certificate, is dispatched to Modoc City.
However, Billy B. Hung's plan begins to unravel aboard the express car. [11:00] As the train nears Junction, the box lid malfunctions, allowing Billy to seize a sawed-off shotgun and fatally shoot the express agent, Rain. [12:06] Demonstrating his ruthless nature, Billy seizes control of the situation, forcing Horse Face and Big Nose to hide Rain's body and continue the deceit.
Back at his campfire, the Lone Ranger and Tonto analyze the mysterious disappearance of Billy B. Hung and the express agent. [12:45] They deduce that Billy used Old Jake's body as a cover to facilitate his escape and subsequent robbery. The involvement of Ma Hank and Uncle Homer Potts adds layers of intrigue, hinting at their possible complicity or victimization in Billy's schemes.
Ma Hank hosts a tense interaction with Billy B. Hung at her hotel, the Henry House. [13:59] Their conversation reveals Billy's desperation to maintain his outlaw image while grappling with the consequences of his actions. The sudden arrival of the Lone Ranger and Tonto shifts the balance, leading to a dramatic uncovering of Billy's true identity.
A fierce confrontation ensues as Billy attempts another escape. [24:25] Using the rough box as a smokescreen, he transforms into the Lone Ranger, turning the tables on his pursuers. The ensuing gunfight showcases the cunning and bravery of the Lone Ranger and Tonto as they navigate the chaotic standoff, ultimately leading to Billy B. Hung's capture.
With Billy B. Hung apprehended, the episode concludes with his arrest and the restoration of peace in Modoc City. [30:07] The Lone Ranger and Tonto emerge victorious, reaffirming their roles as protectors of justice in the Wild West.
Horse Face: "I'd like to drive this keg of nails into that she Hippopotamus, the little monkey she married. As for the Lone Ranger, I'd gladly be hung if I could put him in a box like this one." ([07:05])
The Lone Ranger: "Billy B. Hung may be in it." ([10:12])
Tonto: "Billy B. Hung escaped from prison in that box. After it was on board the express car, he let himself out, beat the agent, robbed the safe and jumped off. Now he's here." ([20:33])
Tonto: "I tried to tell Mr. Rain. Mask man. I'm sorry. Spare yourself the apology, Mr. Rain. 1 4th of the stolen money will go to you and your Indian friend." ([29:51])
"Billy-Be-Hung Returns" delves into themes of deception, loyalty, and the relentless pursuit of justice. The intricate plot highlights the lengths to which outlaws will go to secure their freedom and fortunes, juxtaposed against the unwavering determination of heroes like the Lone Ranger and Tonto. The episode underscores the importance of integrity and courage in the face of adversity, embodying the quintessential spirit of Western folklore.
This episode of the Old Time Radio Westerns podcast masterfully revitalizes a classic Lone Ranger adventure through meticulous digital restoration. The enhanced audio quality brings to life the rich soundscapes and dynamic performances of the legendary radio actors, offering both nostalgic charm and fresh clarity. Listeners are invited to immerse themselves in this timeless tale of the Wild West, where good triumphs over evil through bravery and ingenuity.
“Step into the past with the Old Time Radio Westerns Podcast, where we proudly present digitally restored classic Western radio dramas…” – Andrew Rhynes