The Apache Kid

In Rock Creek, Oklahoma, Joe Walker and Nick Barter argue about Walker's scheme to trick settlers into building the main road into Oregon in exchange for a phony land promise. The plan will provide Walker with free labor and eventual ownership of the road, which will control all the traffic through the territory. Barter has rounded up the latest victims, Walker's nephew, Pete Dawson, and his fellow farmers, and now makes Walker promise that he will not be cheated out of his fair share of the earnings. Meanwhile, at the campsite of the Rock Creek territory, Pete and his friends, Converse, Harry Castleman and Judge Taylor, discuss whether Walker, who has asked them to come, can be trusted. Pete then is talking to his sweetheart, the judge's daughter Barbara, when Barter's men suddenly steal the settlers' horses and set fire to their supply wagon. Trapped with no supplies to begin their settlement, the farmers turn to Walker for help, and he slyly convinces them to work on his road for a few weeks to make enough money to buy new supplies. On the job, however, Walker's foreman overworks Pete and the settlers, and after Pete beats up the foreman, Walker allows his nephew to take control of the project. On payday, Walter lies to the settlers that the payroll has been stolen. He gives them tokens, which soon are revealed to be worth only one-quarter of their face value. When Pete meets with Walker to complain, his uncle shoots Barter and blames Pete. Pete escapes and takes on the identity of The Apache Kid, a thief who steals the payroll before Walker's men can and has the money delivered to the sheriff, who then pays the settlers. Over the next few weeks, Pete, as The Kid, enjoys increasing success, and Walker has the sheriff deputize his men so he can catch The Kid. Finally, Pete meets his match when he robs the U.S. Commissioner's stage and the commissioner fights back. Just as Pete tells the commissioner about Walker's treachery and removes his disguise, Walker's men hold up the stage, allowing Pete to prove his case by revealing the deputy badge on one of the dead attackers. While they hurry to the sheriff, a recovered Barter sneaks into Walker's office in town, kills him and steals his money. He then convinces Walker's men to ambush the sheriff's office for the rest of the cash, but when they surround the building, Pete grabs the payroll and climbs onto the roof. Barter and his men chase Pete, who holds them off bravely until the sheriff, commissioner and all of the settlers catch up. Together they defeat Barter's men, and when Barter sneaks up behind Pete, Pete's loyal dog Duke prevents Barter from killing him. Days later, on the way to Pete and Barbara's wedding, the commissioner awards Pete and the judge control of the main road.