Author Archive: Retro

Sinclair’s government lease is expiring; rival Ringold hires killers, leading to deadly conflict

The Everetts, two brothers and a cousin are trying to make a go of their ranch in Kansas, but Deke Turner, someone who wants to see them fail, is doing everything he can to see that happen. The younger brother’s hero is Billy the Kid, and while during an argument with someone who works for Turner, he kills him in self-defense, but Turner makes it appear that he killed an unarmed man. He is then urged by his brother to run. When he is caught and is about to be brought back to Kansas to be hanged, his brother and cousin break him out, and now pegged as outlaws, they decide to get back at Turner by robbing him.

The Hawk has broken out of prison and the Sheriff and Sorrenson have a plan to have Whitlock pose as the Hawk, infiltrate the gang, and recover the stolen bonds. All goes well until The Chief who knows the real Hawk arrives.

A lawman poses as an outlaw, steals $10,000 from a cattle thief, then promises to return the money if he can join the gang–while finding a way to expose them.

A rodeo rider agrees to help an old rancher who’s been stealing his horses and murdered his nephew, so he goes undercover to expose the gang.

In the 19th and last of the PRC “Billy the Kid” series (first six with Bob Steele and last 13 with Buster Crabbe), a feud develops between the settlers and the railroad detectives in Red Rock Valley. Clem Barstow sends for Billy the Kid and Fuzzy Jones to help. Buster suspects that Ward Tragg, chief of the railroad detectives, and Luther Sharp, land agent for the Western Railroad Company, are defrauding the settlers without the knowledge or sanction of the company. Billy and the settlers rustle off cattle, which have been illegally confiscated by Tragg and his men, in order to raise money for Barstow to bid on a ranch which Sharp is illegally auctioning off. Billy discovers that the purchase price on the deed has been altered and Barstow writes the company to send a man to investigate. When Tragg learns about this, he makes plans to kidnap the railroad official.

While oil drilling, Hoppy and California discover an underground well – a potential threat to Jebb Hardin’s monopoly on water in the region.

Tex put the Kern gang away once but they have returned with reinforcements and have take over the town of Red Rock capturing the townsmen and forcing them to work for them in the gold mines. Dave and Tex then organize the ranchers into the Territorial Rangers. After blowing up the mines to keep the gang from getting the gold, they are ready for the showdown between the two sides.

Tom Riley and sidekick Windy arrive at the Baker ranch where horses are being rustled. It appears the culprit is a wild horse, but Tom catches and rides the horse which leads to trouble with the real rustlers.