Down Laredo Way

In the late 1800s, Rex Allen and Slim Pickens, circus rodeo performers, console their eight-year-old friend Taffy Wells, who is uncomfortable with the impending marriage of her father Chip and his high-wire act partner, Valerie. Shortly before a performance, Valerie is approached by Cooper, who claims to be a marshal and accuses her of using the show as a cover to smuggle diamonds over the Mexican border. When Chip shows up, Valerie pretends that Cooper is attacking her. Although Chip is knocked out fighting Cooper, Rex comes to help and chases the escaping Cooper. Chip revives in time to catch Valerie hiding the diamonds in a pot, and she confesses that Cooper's accusations are true. Being an honest man, Chip wants to return the diamonds, but as it is time for their performance, he hides them inside Taffy's doll without telling Valerie. During the performance, Chip, weakened by emotional turmoil and the blow to his head, falls to his death from a high pole. Later, Valerie is unable to find the diamonds, but guesses correctly that Cooper was actually sent by diamond buyer "Judge" Sully, who, as a subterfuge, pretends to be a justice of the peace. After Valerie agrees to split the diamonds in exchange for his help, Sully writes a phony legal attachment to Chip's belongings and makes Taffy his ward, so that they can go through the personal effects carefully. However, before Sully comes to get her, Taffy manages to sneak away from the show with her doll, "The Duchess," and on the road, befriends Narita, a gypsy fortune-teller. When Rex and Slim come looking for Taffy, she hides in Narita's wagon, and after pickpocketing Slim's watch, Narita sends them away. Meanwhile, Valerie and Sully, with the help of Cooper and another henchman, Joe, have taken all of Chip's belongings to Sully's house and are ripping through them in search of the diamonds. After Rex and Slim show up asking for a warrant to search Narita's wagon, Valerie remembers that Taffy had a suitcase, so Sully sends Cooper and Joe with fake sheriff's badges to follow them. When Rex and Slim approach Narita's wagon, Cooper and Joe seize Taffy. A fight ensues, but Cooper arrests the men at gunpoint. After Rex, Slim and Taffy are led away, Narita discovers "The Duchess" on the ground. As the doll has been damaged in the scuffle, Narita takes it to Maria's Doll Shop in town for repair, and convinces Maria to lend her another until "The Duchess" is returned. At Sully's house, after being charged with obstructing justice and contempt of court, Rex and Slim are tied up in a woodshed. Then Sully and the others interrogate Taffy, who knows nothing about the diamonds. When Narita shows up with the new doll, Sully tears it up looking for hidden diamonds, but then Narita innocently lets slip that there is a second doll, and is forced at gunpoint to take them to Maria's to retrieve "The Duchess." By now, Rex has figured out that Sully is not a real judge and that Taffy is in danger. After using spurs to cut the ropes binding them, Rex and Slim break out of the woodshed, but find the rest of the place deserted. However, after finding a price tag on the torn-up doll, which includes the address of Maria's shop, they proceed there, hoping for a lead. Meanwhile, at the doll shop, Taffy refuses to identify "The Duchess," so the maniacal Sully holds court and sentences Taffy and Narita to death. When he threatens to shoot Narita, Taffy hands over "The Duchess." Then Rex and Slim show up and another fight ensues. While the men fight, Valerie escapes with the doll. Narita follows her, and the women fight, giving Cooper, who has followed, an opportunity to grab "The Duchess." Leaving Slim to fight Sully, Rex follows Cooper and lassoes the doll away. Seeing the women tearing at each other's hair, Rex calls out to Narita to try punching, and demonstrates by punching Cooper. However, Narita discovers that punching hurts her hand, so she knocks out Valerie with a short log. Some time later, at the circus, where Taffy is now staying with Rex and Slim, Narita shows up to report that the smugglers have been sentenced to jail.