Marshal of Reno

In 1895, the citizens of Blue Springs are competing with their neighbors in Rockland for the honor of having their town named county seat. An outbreak of lawlessness has hurt Blue Springs's reputation, however, and when the stagecoach carrying Judge Holmes is attacked and the judge is wounded, things look bleak for the townsfolk. Sheriff Walker organizes a posse to find the two bandits, who also stole the coach's money bags. In order to escape, the bandits, meanwhile, swap their distinctive horses with those of two unsuspecting young men from the East. Leading citizen Red Ryder, his Indian ward Little Beaver, and their friend Gabby find the criminals and retrieve the loot, but not before the posse has caught the two Easterners. Kellogg, a member of the posse, is the henchman of the secret leader of the bandits' gang, John Palmer, a newspaper publisher who hopes to make a fortune by promoting the interests of Rockland. In order to prevent the two Easterners, Danny Boyd and Lee Holden, from identifying the bandits, Kellogg tricks Lee into trying to escape, then shoots him. The posse is about to lynch Danny when Red arrives and proves his innocence. Danny vows revenge for Lee's death, and despite Red's attempts to placate him, Danny captures three members of the posse that evening and threatens to kill them if they do not reveal who murdered Lee. Red stops Danny and urges him to make a fresh start in Rockland, where Palmer offers him a job. Judge Holmes, who is convalescing at the ranch owned by Red's aunt, The Duchess, believes Red's assertion that he will bring law and order to Blue Springs, and so, in order to stir up more trouble, Palmer orders his men to kill the posse members one by one. When posse member Brown is killed, Red trails the shooter to the Rockland saloon, which is run by Faro Carson, Palmer's right-hand man. Carson does not recognize Red, who has been away for a long time, and when Red claims to be an outlaw named Reno, Carson offers him a job. Red thus infiltrates the gang, and he, Carson and henchman Adams begin a crime spree. Red warns the intended victims in advance, but the townspeople believe that they have been shot, and the "killings" are blamed on Danny. Palmer is about to publish an article naming Danny as the murderer when Gabby confides that he has "inside information" to prove Danny's innocence. Palmer prints the story anyway, and an infuriated Danny, who has been working at a nearby ranch, confronts him. That same day, Palmer meets Red in the saloon, and the unsuspecting Red tells Palmer about his undercover investigation. Fearing that Carson will kill Danny, whom he is now holding captive, Red asks Palmer to alert Sheriff Walker. Palmer instead warns Carson that Red is the former marshal of Reno, and then tells Walker that Danny is gunning for him. Meanwhile, Red tells Danny to find Walker, who will protect him, then frees him. The gang captures Red and Gabby, but Little Beaver helps them escape, and they ride to Blue Springs. Danny has already reached the town and is bewildered when the sheriff arrests him. As Danny is trying to explain, Carson and his men enter the sheriff's office and steal forty thousand dollars, which The Duchess had left for safekeeping. Danny chases Adams as he is trying to escape with the loot, but Palmer convinces the gathering crowd that Danny is the perpetrator, and a posse pursues him. Red then joins the posse, which has trapped Danny on a rocky hillside, but Danny refuses to believe Red's assurances that no one will hurt him. Although Palmer orders Kellogg to kill Danny before he and Red can deduce the truth, Danny is only wounded in the shoulder, and Red, Gabby and Little Beaver are able to round up the gang. Later, Palmer and his men are convicted of their crimes and Blue Springs is made the county seat.