Merrick's Outlaws

Originally Aired: February 1, 1939 The Lone Ranger #939, "Merrick's Outlaws," finds the masked rider confronting a conspiracy that threatens relations between the United States and Mexico. In a luxurious New York office, wealthy financier Merrick and his associates plot to exploit frontier territories by backing Fernando Perez, a self-styled liberator south of the border who others call an outlaw. Working through their agent Link Fisher, the eastern capitalists plan to supply Perez with money and arms in exchange for valuable land concessions and mining rights. When Link Fisher warns that the Lone Ranger suspects their scheme, Merrick dismisses the threat and travels west to meet with Perez personally. As Merrick and Fisher cross the Rio Grande toward their rendezvous with Perez in the foothills, the Lone Ranger and Tonto intercept them. Despite Merrick's protests and Fisher's threats, the masked man holds them at gunpoint and searches Merrick, discovering incriminating letters. The Lone Ranger reveals he knows their plan endangers peace between two nations and represents the kind of corruption that breeds distrust of Americans across the border.