Crooked Banker And Sheriff

Originally Aired: January 19, 1938 The Lone Ranger #777, "Crooked Banker And Sheriff," the masked rider races to Wells City to rescue Steve Larson from jail before corrupt banker Ben Bush can have him hanged. Bush, the wealthiest and most feared man in the territory, controls the town with an iron fist alongside his compliant sheriff, Pete Crowley. When the Lone Ranger successfully frees Larson—the third man he has saved from Bush's clutches—the banker grows increasingly furious with Crowley's inability to stop the mysterious masked man on the white horse. Back at his camp, the Lone Ranger and Tonto reveal to the bewildered Larson that he has been framed for murder, just like the other two rescued men. The scheme becomes clear: Bush steals depositors' money from his bank, then arranges for the victims to be accused of murder and hanged before they can claim their funds. Larson had $3,000 in Bush's bank, making him a target. Though grateful to be alive, Larson worries he can never return to his wife Mary and son Jerry, now branded an escaped prisoner and outlaw.