Author Archive: Retro

Billy the Kid and friends avenge a murdered marshal, stopping smugglers who took over a border town

Just after the Civil War, Captain Thorn is sent west to help protect the new telegraph line that is under construction. Leeds is out to establish an independent nation in the west and tries stop its construction and also incoming wagon trains by inciting the Indians to attack both of them.

Mark Jackson has a scheme to get Adams’ land. His gang robs Adams’ fiancé of her jewels, robs Hoppy of his cattle money, and then gives that money to Adams to buy back the jewels in exchange for a deed to his land. But Lin recognizes the bills and Hoppy and his pals go after the robbers.

U.S. Marshal Dan Doran (

Lane Cartwright arrives and is immediately arrested for being the mysterious Phantom Bandit. Cleared by the Sheriff he later finds a dead man and is arrested again. This time they are sure they have the Phantom but at his hearing the real Phantom strikes and Lane heads out after him.

The setting is WWII and Hans Beckman has arrived from Germany with a mission of destroying horses before they can be sold to the government. He kidnaps and replaces his twin brother as ranch foreman, but Tom Cameron suspects something is wrong and with sidekick Fuzzy sets out to learn the truth.

Sandy Doyle, gambler and political chief of a small border town, seeks to gain control of the Bar-X Ranch, owned by Rufe Rickson, to further some undercover activities of his own. He counts on Rickson’s inability to stay away from gambling as the means to his ultimate success. Government investigator Oliver Shea and his assistant, Dan Haggerty, start a fight in Doyle’s place when they see Rickson being cheated and are invited to the Bar-X where Oliver and Helen Rickson, Rufe’s daughter, discover interest in each other and Dan finds himself pursued by Bell, the ranch cook. Sheriff Larson brings the prize money for the $5,000 race of the Rodeo Association, and that night it is stolen from her safe. The next day, Doyle says it was paid to him by Rickson for a gambling debt. Realizing that she must be free in order to prove her father’s innocence, and that now her horse, Snowy, [...]

The Hurley’s own a lumber mill and want to harvest all the timber in the valley. They kill the Forester and substitute their brother Dusty in his place. Dusty then says all the trees are infected and must be cut down. But Rex Allen is suspicious and writes to the Forestry Department.

Tolen is after the Harkins ranch where his men have found gold. After they kill Harkins, Dorothy and Dick step in and discover that the gold actually washes down from Tolen’s own ranch. When Harkins’ brother arrives to take over they test Tolen by having the brother offer to swap ranches.