Texas Masquerade

While riding the range of their Bar 20 ranch, Hopalong "Hoppy" Cassidy and his sidekicks, Jimmy Rogers and California Carlson, interrupt a stage robbery, and Hoppy shoots and apprehends the outlaw, Sam Nolan, who vows revenge. One of the passengers, Eastern attorney James Corwin, has been wounded in the raid, and when Hoppy discovers that Corwin's destination is Glenby, Texas, he sends Jimmy and California to Texas to investigate, while he escorts Nolan to jail and Corwin to the Bar 20 to recuperate. In Texas, California and Jimmy hire on as hands at Virginia Curtis' Lazy W ranch and discover that Virginia and the other ranchers are being terrorized by a gang of renegades known as the "Night Riders." Soon after, Hoppy arrives, attired as a dude and posing as Corwin, Virginia's cousin and half-owner of the Lazy W. When J. K. Trimble, the town attorney and covert leader of the renegades, approaches Hoppy about selling his share of the Lazy W, Virginia suspects that her cousin is planning to betray her. After Hoppy rejects Trimble's offer, Trimble orders his thugs to eliminate Hoppy and evict John Martindale, a rancher who owes him money. While escorting Hoppy to the Lazy W, California and Jimmy point out Satan's Garden, the alleged gathering place of the Night Riders. The next morning, Hoppy rides to Satan's Garden to investigate, and after he dismounts, his horse, startled by coyote calls simulated by the outlaws, runs away. When the renegades begin to shoot at Hoppy, he pulls out his gun and captures them. Drawn by the sound of gunshots, Virginia rides into Satan's Garden and informs Hoppy that the men he has apprehended are Jeff and Al, two of her ranch hands who have been ordered to shoot strangers on sight. Unknown to Virginia, Jeff and Al are actually in Trimble's employ. Upon returning to the ranch, Virginia quizzes Hoppy about family relations and tricks him into revealing that he is an impostor. When Hoppy hands her a note from Corwin, explaining that Hoppy is acting in his behalf, Virginia confides that she suspects that Trimble is in league with the renegades. Soon after, Sykes, one of Trimble's thugs, accompanies the deputy sheriff to Martindale's ranch to present the rancher with an eviction notice. While defending his property, Martindale struggles with Sykes, and pulls a gun and shoots him. After the deputy sheriff gallops off, Hoppy and his sidekicks, drawn by the sound of gunshots, ride to the Martindale ranch. When Martindale relates Trimble's eagerness to acquire the ranch and shows Hoppy a pool of black liquid, Hoppy realizes that Trimble wants the land for the oil lying beneath it. Meanwhile, the deputy sheriff rides into town and charges Martindale with Sykes's murder. Ace Maxson, the owner of the saloon who is secretly in league with Trimble, then incites a mob to ride to the Martindale ranch. At the ranch, Maxson places a noose around Martindale's neck, but Hoppy shoots down the rope, announces that he is Martindale's attorney and chases Maxson off the property. When Nolan, who has just escaped from jail, rides into town, Maxson hires him to replace Sykes. After recognizing Hoppy, Nolan gladly accepts the job and assembles the Riders for a raid against Hoppy at the Lazy W. That night, Hoppy sends Jimmy to meet Corwin at the junction and dispatches California to gather a posse to arrest Trimble and his men. When the Riders strike, Hoppy discovers that all the guns in the house have been emptied by Jeff and Al. After entrusting to Virginia papers deputizing him as a U.S. Marshal and the arrest warrants for Trimble and his men, Hoppy sends her to safety. When Nolan breaks down the door, Hoppy extracts a gun hidden in the desk, shoots him and holds off the others until California, Corwin and the posse ride to the rescue and disperse the gang. Hoppy pursues the renegades and corners Trimble at Satan's Garden. While running away from Hoppy, Trimble plunges into a pit of quicksand and drowns. With the outlaws apprehended, Hoppy, California and Jimmy ride back to the Bar 20, while Virginia and Corwin await the arrival of the oil engineers.