Return of the Rangers

Three Texas Rangers, Tex Wyatt, Jim Steele and Panhandle Perkins, are sent undercover to the town of Custer to clear up a recent rash of cattle rustling. Rancher Anne Miller hires Jim as a ranch hand after he and Tex rescue her from pursuit by rustlers. When they return to her ranch, The Flying N, they discover that the manager of the land company founded by the Flying N's recently deceased owner, Frank Martin, is driving off a family of sharecroppers because he intends to sell the ranch. Anne, who has been running the ranch since the death of the owner, protests that the sale is against the wishes of lawyer Phillip Dobbs, who represents the estate and is soon to arrive by stagecoach. After Jim runs Martin off, Anne tells him that as the owner's personal secretary, she knows that he wanted to use the profits from his land company to run the ranch. Martin orders two cohorts to kill Dobbs before he reaches the ranch, but unknown to him, Dobbs's greedy companions, lawyer Don Bolton and Robert "Doc" Vanner, plot to take over the ranch and split the profits of the sale by having Doc impersonate Dobbs. When Tex, who witnesses the attack on the wagon, goes into a cabin where they have taken Dobbs, Bolton and Doc take him to the sheriff and, as Doc impersonates Dobbs, hand Tex over as Dobbs's murderer. Panhandle then impersonates circuit judge Dean and holds a trial in the saloon, decreeing that Tex is to be released to prove his innocence. When Martin presents Sam King to Doc as a prospective buyer for the ranch, Doc displays papers identifying him as Dobbs. After Doc refuses to write his signature as proof of his identity, Panhandle insists that they send for a photograph of Dobbs. Panhandle then assigns Tex and Jim to oust Martin from the land company and oversee it themselves. Martin, meanwhile, who once met Dobbs, tells Doc that he is selling the ranch because the land company is bankrupt, and agrees to give Doc $10,000 when the land is sold. When Jim and Tex arrive at the land office with their court order, a fight breaks out. After booting Martin from his office, the Rangers find bills of sale for cattle that are not identified by their ranch, and they deduce that Martin is involved with the cattle rustling. Martin is apprised by one of his men that Tex and Jim are Texas Rangers, and orders King and his pal, Bill Thorne, to kill them. Tex narrowly escapes an ambush by King and Thorne, and Panhandle gets nervous when he learns that the real Dean will be arriving shortly. In order to entrap Martin and his gang, Panhandle spreads the word in the saloon that a photo of Dobbs is arriving on the next stagecoach. As anticipated, Bolton, King and Thorne hold up the stagecoach, which is carrying Dean, and steal the mailbag, but find nothing. When the stagecoach arrives in Custer, Martin tells Dean that the Rangers are the bandits. However, the Rangers have captured King and Bolton and taken them back to the ranch, where they frighten Bolton into confessing that Doc is impersonating Dobbs. When Martin and the sheriff ride up with Dean, who wants to find out who has been impersonating him, Tex tells them about Bolton's confession. Martin tries to fight his way out of the situation, but loses to the Rangers, who show their government identification to Dean. The outlaws are arrested, and the Rangers return home.