Guns for Hire

After Jim Thornton accuses Frank Lloyd of cheating at cards, the two men confront each other outside a saloon, and Frank is shot and killed. Although cattle rancher Hank Moran insists that Jim, who has fled the scene, killed Lloyd in cold blood, the newly arrived Ken Wayne insists that the fatal shot was fired by an unseen assailant. Ignoring Ken's account of the killing, Moran and Pete, the sheriff, form a posse to hunt Jim and ride to the Thornton sheep ranch. Jim's father Matt has been waging a range war with Moran for years and, to his daughter Sue's dismay, has hired a group of gunslingers to protect his ranch from Moran's hired guns, who are led by the notorious Whisperin' Carlyle. As Moran and Pete accuse Matt of hiding Jim, Ken rides up and offers to testify on Jim's behalf at the upcoming inquest. Ken also offers his services to Matt, who agrees to hire him after one of his guns, Fatso Gans, vouches for his toughness. After Moran orders some of his men to watch the house of Polly Clark, Jim's sweetheart, he, Carlyle and Monk Weaver plot to set up and kill Ken in the town saloon before the inquest. When Ken enters the saloon, however, he immediately recognizes Carlyle as his gunslinging mentor. Despite past bonds, both men coolly accept their current adversarial positions, remembering that part of the gunfighter's code is to be loyal to the man who hires you. Determined not to be drawn into a fight, Ken deflates Monk's attempted provocations, then testifies at the inquest and clears Jim's name. Later, Sue confides to Ken that Moran is fighting her family only because he desires Polly, who has been Jim's sweetheart since childhood. Ken then admits to Sue that he is Ken Wayne "Flip" Larue, a gunfighter with a reputation to rival that of Carlyle's, and that Carlyle adopted him as a young orphan and reared him. Although Sue urges Ken to leave to avoid a showdown with Carlyle, Ken insists on completing his job and tells Sue that he now knows that the bullet that killed Lloyd was meant for Jim. Monk and another of Moran's men, meanwhile, ambush two of Matt's men, killing one and seriously wounding the other. After Ken and Jim rush the wounded man to the town doctor, they sneak over to the jailhouse and overhear Monk, Moran and the sheriff plotting to take over the entire Thornton ranch. Ken and Jim rush the jailhouse and handcuff the trio, but are themselves overwhelmed by Joe Patron, an employee of Matt's who is actually working for Moran. Soon after Ken and Jim are locked up, however, Polly sneaks in, holds the sheriff at bay with a gun and frees them. Ken and Jim then ride to the Thornton ranch, where Moran, Carlyle and Monk have kidnapped Sue and are trying to force Matt to surrender. After he and Jim storm the ranch house, Ken outdraws Monk and issues a challenge to Moran. Moran, however, insists that Carlyle take his place, and Carlyle agrees to the duel. When Carlyle sees Patron about to shoot Ken from the side, he shoots Patron instead of Ken. Moran is arrested, and after Polly and Jim are reunited, Sue insists that Carlyle and Ken do the same.