The Haunted Mine

U.S. Marshal Matterson asks fellow marshals Jack McKenzie, also known as "Nevada," and Sandy Hopkins to investigate the death of his old friend, Frank Durant, who was recently drowned in a supposedly haunted mine, located near the ghost town of Buckeye. Because everyone who has tried to work the mine has died, Frank's daughter Jenny believes that her father's death was not an accident. Along the trail to Buckeye, Nevada finds the body of Rusty Stewart, one of Steve Twining's men, and picks up a bandana full of gold nuggets and a knife from beside the corpse. Three men see him ride off and assume that he is the murderer. Their suspicions are apparently confirmed when they find the bandana and a knife on Nevada, and they take him prisoner. In town, an outlaw named Blackie reports to his boss, Twining, that he has driven off the Durant cattle, as ordered. Twining is anxious to obtain legal possession of the Durant mine, in which he has discovered a lost vein of gold and, to that end, has been working secretly to force Jenny and her mother to sell. His plan appears successful when Mrs. Durant decides to sell the mine to Twining against Jenny's wishes. When the three men, who are employed by Twining, arrive in town with Nevada, Twining quickly pulls together a jury to try him for murder. One of the jurors is Sandy, who is in town posing as the town barber. Nevada is allowed a last request, and asks for a shave. In the barber shop, Nevada tells Sandy that he believes Rusty's throat was cut by a razor, not a knife. While they discuss the case, they are observed by a mysterious figure. Sandy then reveals that there is a secret passage in the barber shop and helps Nevada escape through it. Meanwhile, summoned by her boyfriend, Dan McLeod, Jenny tries to stop her mother from selling the mine to Twining, but arrives after the deed has already been signed over. Nevada steals the deed back, but while he examines it, someone hits him over the head. The mysterious man is about to cut Nevada's throat when Sandy interrupts. Nevada then introduces himself to the Durants and returns the deed to them. Meanwhile, believing that Dan has stolen the deed, Twining's men beat him up. Sandy and Nevada interrupt the beating, and Nevada agrees to make a deal with Twining. While Nevada and Dan head for the mine, Twining and his men try to force Mrs. Durant to return the deed. Arriving at the mine, Nevada and Dan exchange shots with Blackie, but when they approach his hiding place, they see that his throat has been cut. They then explore the mine, but as soon as Nevada leaves the area for a minute, a mysterious man attacks Dan. Nevada returns and prevents the man from harming Dan, who he realizes must be the "ghost" that haunts the mine. Outside the mine, Sandy, who has driven Twining's men away from the Durant ranch, encounters the "ghost" and knocks him unconscious. Twining's men arrive, having made Jenny their prisoner. Nevada rescues her, but Twining escapes, and a shootout ensues. Meanwhile, Sandy hears the "ghost's" story and then joins the gunfight. Sandy tells Nevada that the "ghost" used to be a barber, and after his son was killed in the mine, he went crazy and killed everyone who tried to work it. Nevada tells Matterson that Twining confessed that he caused the flood in the mine shaft to hide the vein of gold and thus killed Durant. His assignment completed, Nevada leaves for a fishing trip.