Best Western #58

The Million-Dollar Train Robbery

A gang of outlaws are camping out in Robbers Roost when their leader Loco returns with news: The sheriff in Mud Flats will be unable to pin the most recent bank robbery on their gang, and that their next job will be a train hold up to get 1 million dollars before they blow out of the region. When some of the men protest that the job will get them caught because of the security on the train, Loco kills Torpy, the lead protester, getting the group to side with him.

Meanwhile, in Mud Flats, the Two-Gun Kid and Rusty ride into town and are greeted by sheriff Burt Stockton, an old friend of the Kid. Stockton immediately offers Two-Gun a job on the security detail for the train. As they go to the rail office they witness Canfield, an agent of Wells Fargo, arguing with the colonel about shipping the gold out of the area and that he intends to stop it. Meeting the Colonel, Two-Gun learns that the high security is being hired on because of a recent rash of robberies and they could stand to lose a million dollars in gold if the train is robbed. Although Rusty is eager to join up as well, Two-Gun decides to hole the boy up some place safe instead.

With Rusty away safely, Two-Gun decides to kill some time in the Wild Cat Saloon where he witnesses Loco trying to pull a chorus girl off the stage. The Kid comes to her aid and easily beats Loco in a fight. Before things escalate the Burt enters the saloon and warns them to break it up. Loco, liking Two-Gun Kid's fighting style offers him a drink and lets him in on the train job. He explains that he does not trust his men and is willing to split the million dollars with the Kid if he helps out with the robbery and that some informant provided him information on what car the gold will be on, but does not reveal his sources.

However, Two-Gun does not have the chance to slip away and is forced to ride along with the gang. Loco is given a message from their informant, but cannot read it in the dark. However, the next day while Two-Gun and Loco are waiting for the train in ambush, he gets a chance to read the note and realizes who Two-Gun is. Before he can shoot the Kid, Two-Gun pulls them both onto the train and they begin fighting as the robbery goes under way. Two-Gun tries to use Loco as a hostage to get the other outlaws to stop him. But the unloyal men shoot Loco dead and continue their robbery and escape.

Calling Cyclone, Two-Gun rides to the posse that is coming after the gang and leads them back to the outlaw camp. As the posse wipes out most of the gang, one of them is about to talk about who their informant is but Burt shoots him, claiming the man was reaching for a gun. When another outlaw tries to make a run for it, Burt fails to stop him and the outlaw rides off a cliff to his death. When inspecting the stolen loot, they find that the outlaws stole the wrong containers on account of the fact that they were not literate.

Riding back into town, Two-Gun goes to pick up Rusty when suddenly Burt gets the drop on him. He reveals that he was the informant of the gang and is about to shoot Two-Gun in the back when Rusty tosses a chair at him. With the momentary distraction, Two-Gun shoots Burt dead and he and Rusty soon leave town.

Recurring Characters

• Two-Gun Kid

• Rusty Randolph

• Cyclone

Blood on the Range!

Outside of Leadville Sash Grale, a sheep herder who was forced off the land, is furious that the government is now giving it away and that it is being inhabited by nesters. He meets with outlaw Red John to organize a way to start a range war between the nesters and the local ranchers so that he can recoup the land in the bloody aftermath.

Meanwhile in town, nestors are arriving by the droves much to the anger of Grant Dumont who tries to convince the Lathrops that this is a bad decision, but he is unable to sell them on the idea. Suddenly there are gunshots and everyone witnesses a confrontation with the sheriff and Red John, who shoots the sheriff dead. When Matthew Masters tries to give the sheriff medical attention, he is knocked down by the fleeing Red John. In the aftermath, Grant points out that these men are on Sash Grale's payroll and that they must be working with the nesters and suggests that they drive them out of town. Masters disagrees with this, telling everyone that they should drive the outlaws out first and then talk to the nesters instead. However, later Grant meets with Red and convinces him to work with him to betray Sash Grale so that he can claim the entire Leadville range for himself, giving Red John and his men the right to pillage everyone but his own ranch.

Later at a meeting of the cattlemen, Grant once more tries to convince the local ranchers to go to war against the nesters. Suddenly the meeting is interrupted with the news that the Black Raider has apparently assisted Red John and his men in robbing the bank. This comes as as surprise to both Bobby Lathrop and Matthew Masters, since Masters is secretly the Black Rider. Masters decides to change into his alter ego and investigate who has been impersonating him. Riding up to the posse of cattlemen, the Black Rider tries to plead his innocence but they won't listen and he is forced to flee. Out on the range he runs into Red John and his men and sees that it is Red John who has been posing as the hero. He guns down the entire gang and as the posse arrives they see that Red John was posing as the Black Rider. Dying, John reveals that Grant Dumont was behind the plot the whole time.

With Sash Grale and his men driving sheep into the range, the Black Rider leads the posse to stop them and wipes out Sash and his men. With Sash dealt with, the posse is then met with Marie and Bobby Lathrop who inform them that Grant Dumont and his men are trying to burn the nesters out of their settlement. The Black Rider leads them in clearing out Dumont and his men, but in the bloodshed, Dumont manages to take Marie hostage. However, Bobby begins horse whipping Dumont, distracting him long enough for the Black Rider to ride in and shoot him dead. With Marie safe, the Black Rider departs with a kiss before rushing back to town to change back into Matthew Masters and give medical treatment to the posse members who were wounded in the fight.

Recurring Characters

• Black Rider

• Marie Lathrop

• Jim Lathrop

• Bobby Lathrop

• Satan

The Wicked Wedding!

Kid Colt is riding out on the range when he spots a woman who is being bushwacked and had her horse shot by the sniper. Kid Colt kills the man and the woman, Priscilla Purdy, identifies him as Sharps Danby who was driven out by Jim Torgan. Suddenly, Kid Colt is shocked when the girl pulls a gun on him and tries to steal his horse Steel. When she tries to ride away, Kid Colt whistles and his horse returns. However, Jim Torgan, an outlaw who had robbed a bank in Armadillo City, arrives and knocks out Kid Colt in order to allow Priscilla to escape on Kid Colt's horse.

When Kid Colt comes around he comes across a camp of men who are discussing how local rancher Chance Purdy has gone rustler and their plot to have him hung. Recognizing the Purdy name, Kid Colt secretly steals one of the horses and rides out to the Purdy ranch. Snooping around, he hears Priscilla beg Jim to let her see her father, but Jim refuses to let her see him until after the wedding. Figuring out that Jim is trying to force Priscilla to marry him, Kid Colt frees Chance from the barn where he is tied up. Chance explains that Jim is trying to legally take over the ranch through marriage and has turned the locals against him.

The pair crash the wedding just as the vows are being exchanged and gun down Jim Torgan and his men. With the wedding stopped, Chance turns over the lone survivor to the lynch mob to confess to the whole scheme as Kid Colt once more rides out onto the range.

Recurring Characters

• Kid Colt

• Steel