Overland Mail Robbery

The Hartley--Goodrich stage line suffers a double blow when its founders, Frank Hartley and Marcus Goodrich, are killed during robbery attempts. Goodrich's daughter Judith and the company foreman, Gabby Hayes, are determined to keep the business going, despite debt caused by the string of attacks. Unknown to the townspeople, the ringleader of the robbers is storekeeper Mrs. Patterson and her sons, gunman David and banker John. David and his henchman Slade have been robbing the stagecoaches to drive the line out of business and allow Mrs. Patterson to buy it. The line's drivers threaten to quit if they are not paid their back wages, but Judith assures them that Hartley's sons, Texas Ranger Jim and Tom, who is running the family business in Boston, will soon arrive to help. Shortly after Jim's arrival, however, Slade gets him alone one night and tricks him into dropping his guns, and David shoots him in the back. As Jim lays dying, he asks Gabby to send his badge to the Rangers. Later, Mrs. Patterson sends the men to attack Tom as he comes to town and steal the money he is bringing. Tom faints at the sight of the driver being shot, but David, Slade and their cohort are chased off by a stranger. The man, Wild Bill Elliott, helps Tom, who is embarrassed by his fear, then tells Tom that he knew Jim, but does not reveal that he also is a Texas Ranger. Tom wishes to return East, but Bill persuades him to go to town, where Bill will pose as Tom until everything is sorted out. Tom agrees to the plan and allows Bill to introduce him to Gabby and Judith, whom he has not seen since childhood, as Tim Jordan. Slade, who works for the unwitting Judith as a driver, tries to rally the other drivers into quitting, but after besting Slade in a fistfight, Bill convinces the men to wait while they rebuild the business. Time passes as Bill and Gabby teach Tom western ways. Then one night, Slade and David attempt to ambush Bill. The attackers are repulsed, but David realizes that Bill is not the same man who fainted during the earlier robbery. Determined to learn the truth, Mrs. Patterson sends for her beautiful, scheming niece Lola, who tricks Tom into admitting his identity by claiming that she has legal papers for him. Meanwhile, Bill receives a $30,000 payroll shipment and locks it in the office safe. Lola persuades Tom to put her purse in the safe, but inside her purse are explosives. John then captures Tom and holds him hostage while Bill and one of the men, Hank, guard the safe. Lola's bomb explodes, knocking Bill unconscious. David then kills Hank with Bill's gun and steals the money. The sheriff tries to arrest Bill, but when Gabby finds Bill's Ranger badge hidden underneath his saddle, he helps Bill escape. Believing that she has been betrayed, Judith agrees to sell the line to Mrs. Patterson, who then orders her sons to beat Tom to make him sign the papers as well. After Bill and Gabby force Lola to tell them the truth about the Patterson family, however, they arrive at the gang's hideout in time to rescue Tom. During the ensuing shootout, Tom proves that he is over his fear of guns by shooting after the fleeing John. John falls from a cliff to his death, after which the rest of the gang, including Mrs. Patterson, are apprehended. Later, Bill and Gabby watch as Tom and Judith prepare to leave for their honeymoon, then laugh as Judith's kiss causes Tom to faint.