Wild Western #14 — Nick Peron

Aug 13

Aug 13 Wild Western #14

The Day Black Rider Died!

Several years ago, the Krug family settled into Blackton County. They were: Papa Krug, an old drunk; Blanche the daughter who dreamed of living in high society; and three brothers Vic, Don and Dick who were card dealing, foul mouthed drunks. Their father had married to a rich woman and after she dropped dead, they squandered her fortune. After the Krug boys got in trouble back east they were forced to flee west where they ran out of money and lived in their decapitated home. With no money and a lack of desire to get an honest living leaves the Krug family wondering what to do next, they then side with an outlaw named Markley and his posse. Salvation comes when a stage coach pulls in and the riders ask if they can stay the night to ride out a storm that has come through the area. The Krug family decides to take them in for the night, and when they notice that a number of crates the Krug boys decide to rob the stage coach riders and murder the passengers to keep it quiet. Although Blanche protests the idea, the Krug brothers decide to use their ill gotten fortune to repair their home and turn it into an inn to lure more victims to rob. Their cheap prices attract a large number of visitors, all of which never leave the property alive.

Several weeks later, the Black Rider is visiting Fort Langley and meets with the captain. The captain is worried that his father has not arrived in the scheduled stage coach and tells the masked hero about the stages that have gone missing in the past few weeks. The Black Rider decides to investigate where these coaches have been disappearing to and promises the captain he will do whatever he can to try and find his father. The Black Rider follows the back trail and the first. This eventually leads them to the Krug Inn, the last place where all the coaches were seen. One of the Krug brothers tells the Black Rider that the coaches all left. However, as the Black Rider leaves the Inn he finds that there are outlaws working the horses on the ranch and finds it suspicious. He doubles back and decides to get a room for the night. Blanche is instantly smitten by the Black Rider and warns him that it is dangerous to stay and tells him that he may be murdered. The Krug brothers silence her and tell the Black Rider that he has nothing to worry about. The hero begins searching around the property and is confronted by one of the Krug brothers and Markley who deny any wrong doing. The Black Rider notices loose dirt on the property, but his questions about it are dismissed.

That night while dinner is being served, the outlaws try to poison the Black Rider's meal, but he sees through this by feeding his meal to the dog, killing it. The Rider then pretends that it was an accident and pretends to retire for the night. The hero sneaks out and changes into his alter ego of Matthew Masters and gets another room for the night. Masters then slips out of his room and then slips into the room he got as the Black Rider. He then waits for someone to try and kill him. He is not disappointed when a man comes through a hidden trap door in the floor. The Black Rider fights off the man, but he dies when he falls on his own knife. Deciding that there is a way to catch the Krug family and their outlaw friends, the Black Rider wraps up the killer in a sack and changes back into Doc Masters. When the Krug family comes to investigate the noise, they find Masters and "ease" his mind and send him back to his room.

Masters changes back into the Black Rider and goes out into the yard just as Blanche Krug catches her brothers burying the "Black Rider" and accuses them of being murderers. The real Black Rider appears and guns down the remaining Krug members. The Black Rider then calls the authorities who recover the bodies of all the Krug victims.

Recurring Characters

Black Rider
Satan

Rustler's Revenge!

Caught in a storm, Red Hawkins seeks refuge at a nearby log cabin. The owner of the cabin is inviting enough until Red gets inside and is held at gun point. The cabin owner accuses Red of being a rustler who killed the man he came to relieve and stole the cattle on the land, he then informs Red that he will hold him until the foreman returns. Red convinces the man to prepare him food and while he is distracted Red puts a pepper shaker up in his glove.

When the foreman arrives with his men, he agrees that Red is likely the man who stole the cattle and orders his men to string him up in the nearest tree. Red acts, tossing pepper in the men's eyes and breaks free. The ranch foreman leaves his men while he tells his boss what happens. As it turns out, the foreman and his men were the real thieves and they are about to kill the man placed to guard the ranch when Red returns and saves his life. Red and the man then locate the stolen cattle and gun down the real rustler, returning the stolen property to the ranch owner.

Recurring Characters

Red Hawkins
Lightning

Mission of Murder!

The Prairie Kid is on the trail of outlaw Snake Benson, following him into the border town of Tortilla. Knowing the Kid is on his trail, Benson ducks into a restaurant he overhears a local monk inform the owner that he is leaving and that his replacement is due at the chapel later that day. Benson then rides out of town and catches up with the coach carrying the monk and kills him and takes his place.

Benson hides out at a church, he still arouses the attention of the Prairie Kid who begins following the monk around and eventually exposes him as Snake Benson. The Kid corners Benson and knocks him out and turns him over to the authorities. The sheriff asks how the Kid figured it out, the cowboy tells him that he noticed that the "padre" walked in his sandals like a man more accustomed to clomping around in cowboy boots.