Raiders of the South

In 1866, secret service agent Captain Brownell, a former Confederate agent, is assigned to impersonate a deceased Confederate officer named Johnny Langdon in order to capture Texas outlaw Belle Chambers and her gang. Belle, whose husband was killed by carpetbaggers, has been raiding freight shipments in the name of the Confederacy, and Brownell has been told that unless she is stopped, martial law will be declared in Texas. As Brownell nears Belle's ranch, he sees Belle's cohort, Shorty Kendall, being chased by some cowboys and saves him from a lynching. Introducing himself as Langdon, Brownell quickly convinces Shorty that he is a loyal Confederate and is taken to see Belle. Belle, however, is suspicious of Brownell and tests his loyalties by having gang member Jeb Warren accuse him of being a "Yankee spy." When Brownell slugs Jeb for calling him a Yankee, Belle declares him a true Confederate. Belle, who is determined to drive the carpetbaggers out of Texas, tells Brownell about her scheme to create her own state-within-the-state, using land scrip bought secretly by her cohort, lawyer Preston Durant. Brownell further proves himself to Belle and the gang when he shows them how to steal valuable freight from a heavily guarded train without risking any lives. The robbery is a success, and the men take the freight to the gang's hideout, while Brownell and Belle return to the ranch. There, Belle is questioned by Marshal Jim Farley, his deputy and Durant, who masquerades as a concerned, law-abiding citizen. After the unsuspecting deputy mentions to Durant that he saw Brownell outside secret service headquarters in Del Rio, Durant instructs Belle to send Jeb and fellow gang member Larry Mason to make inquiries about Brownell. Although Larry and Jeb later report that Brownell's story checks out, Durant is still suspicious and decides to hurt Brownell by telling Larry, who is in love with Belle's daughter Lynne, that Brownell and Lynne were together during his absence. When the already jealous Larry sees Brownell dancing with Lynne at Belle's birthday party, he becomes enraged and challenges him to a fistfight. Brownell easily beats Larry, however, and gets permission from Belle to go to Del Rio to see his parents. Unaware that Durant has ordered Jeb to follow him, Brownell reports to headquarters and learns that the Army is planning to hang Belle and her gang unless Brownell can persuade her to surrender. After Jeb returns from Del Rio with a picture of the real Johnny Langdon, Durant reveals his plan to use Brownell to take over Belle's gang. Assuring the marshal that he knows where the stolen freight is being kept, Durant orders him to form a posse. Durant then exposes Brownell to Belle, who sends the gang to apprehend Brownell at their hideout. Brownell escapes capture, and at that moment, the posse and Durant arrive at the hideout. After a brief gunfight, all of the gang except Shorty are arrested. Brownell, meanwhile, takes Belle and Lynne by surprise at the ranch and is about to convince them to turn themselves in when Shorty shows up and reveals that the gang has been arrested. Before Belle can act on the news, Jeb, who has been paid by Durant to kill Belle, fires a shot through a window and accidentally wounds Lynne. Brownell catches the fleeing Jeb and forces him to implicate Durant in the attempted murder. Later, a repentant Belle testifies at her gang's trial that she is responsible for all of their crimes. After Belle identifies Durant as her co-conspirator, Durant draws his gun and tries to escape. Brownell shoots Durant before he can mount his horse, however, and with his apprehension, law and order are restored to Texas.