Gunning for Justice

During the Civil War, Lem Tolliver is released from a military prison, and is met by Curt Wheeler, who claims to represent a friend of Tolliver's former partner, now deceased. Wheeler takes Lem to meet his boss, Blake, who wants to know the whereabouts of half a million dollars in gold bullion, which Tolliver and his partner were trying to deliver to General Robert E. Lee, but had to bury when someone gave them away. When Tolliver tells Blake he knows nothing about the money, he is slugged but manages to take a gun from one of Blake's henchmen and escapes on horseback. Wheeler and three others chase after Tolliver, and a gunfight errupts. Cattle buyer Johnny Mack is nearby and comes to help the mortally wounded Tolliver. As he dies, Tolliver gives Johnny his watch, asks him to remove the piece of paper in the back and deliver it to "Ed" in Torrey Flats. Wheeler reports back to Blake, who instructs his men to follow Johnny and get the paper. Johnny, meanwhile, meets old friends Banty and Alibi, who are running a traveling dentist/medicine show. When Wheeler and his men try to capture Johnny, he chases after them and, by mistake, lassos a young lady rancher, Winny Stewart. While Alibi, using the name "Doc Parson," and Banty push bottles of their "cure-all" onto the citizens of Torrey Flats, Johnny is attacked in his hotel room by one of Blake's men. After a long fistfight, Johnny is slugged by Wheeler and robbed of the piece of paper. Blake discovers that the note indicates where Tolliver buried the bullion and tries to locate it using the stated longitude and latitude designations. These place the gold in the middle of the ocean, and Blake realizes that Johnny created a phony note. When the sheriff tries to run Banty and Alibi out of town, Winny offers them work on her ranch as Johnny has decided to buy some cattle. Later, the quartet is followed by Blake and his men, so Johnny ambushes them and captures them all but Blake escapes. After Johnny turns over the men to the sheriff, Winny gives him a bill of sale for the cattle he has bought. Blake calls on Johnny claiming to be Ed, but Johnny notices the initials "C.B." on Blake's hat band and throws him out. Later, when Johnny checks his bill, he discovers that Winny's real name is Edwina. Blake, who knows that "Ed" is really Edwina, Tolliver's niece, visits her and tells her that Johnny is a crook and intends to keep the bullion for himself. As Winny cannot quite believe Blake, she rides with him to the sheriff's office, where the prisoners, previously rehearsed by Blake, confirm his story. Back at her ranch, Winny and the sheriff confront Johnny, Banty and Alibi and ask to see Tolliver's paper, which Johnny has kept concealed inside a bullet. When Winny states that the message was meant for her, Johnny tries to explain his confusion, but Winny and the sheriff will not listen, and the sheriff arrests all three and takes them into town. Blake then offers to help Winny locate the gold, and while Johnny, Banty and Alibi outsmart the sheriff and escape, Blake and Winny follow the directions on the paper. After they uncover a chest full of bullion, Blake's men move in and take Winny prisoner. While they continue digging for other chests, Winny manages to escape in her buckboard, but is pursued by Blake's men. She soon encounters Johnny and his pals, who chase after Blake's men. When Wheeler tells Blake to run, Blake, who has no horse with him, shoots him. However, Johnny arrives and captures Blake. Later, Banty and Alibi move on with their medicine show and Johnny says goodbye to Winny before heading back to his ranch.