Yankee Fakir

Soon after peddlers Mergatroid Barthlomew "Yankee" Davis and Professor Newton arrive in the Arizona border town of Mystic, they rent a room with Mary Mason and her family. Mary's father works for the border patrol, and one day, he spies two men smuggling goods across the border, one of whom he recognizes as Mystic's saloon owner, Duke. Aware that Mason has been inquiring about him, Duke informs his mysterious boss about the patrolman's investigation. The boss instructs Duke to bring Mason to the saloon office that night, and, without telling Mary or his young son Tommy where he is going, Mason leaves home after dinner. As Mason is walking down the street, Tommy notices an iridescent glow emanating from the man accompanying Mason, whose face he cannot make out. At the saloon office, Duke's boss offers Mason a bribe, and when Mason responds by trying to arrest him, he strikes the patrolman with a chair, killing him. Later, the sheriff reports to Mary that Mason was found dead, an apparent victim of an alcohol-induced fall. Mary, however, refuses to believe that her teetotaling father died drunk, and Yankee, who has grown fond of Mary, pledges to help her prove otherwise. Tommy, unaware that the iridescent glow he saw was made by a watch that Yankee had sold to Duke, is unable to identify the man who was with his father. Consequently, Yankee begins questioning people around town, and his determined probing angers Mary. She and Yankee argue, after which Yankee and the professor are arrested for selling liquor without a license, as the sheriff has discovered gin in the professor's cure-all tonic. Although the peddlers protest that the gin was added by someone else, the sheriff jails them. Still upset with Yankee, Mary at first refuses to visit him, but finally gives in and delivers a letter to him. The letter is from Shaggy Hartley, an old prospector to whom Yankee had earlier loaned some money. Shaggy informs Yankee that he is repaying the loan, as he has recently discovered some gold. The letter gives Yankee an idea about how to get himself out of jail, and he sends Mary to see Shaggy. The grateful Shaggy is happy to participate in Yankee's scheme, for which he is to pose as Yankee's eccentric, multi-millionaire uncle, Colonel Throckmorton J. Davis. As soon as the nicely dressed, big-tipping Shaggy arrives in Mystic, the townspeople compete for his attention. Particularly anxious to have Shaggy remain in Mystic is banker H. W. Randall, who uses his influence to have Yankee and the professor released from jail. When Shaggy attends a barn dance the next night, Randall encourages him to build a refinery in Mystic. Following Yankee's plan, Shaggy is non-committal with Randall, then declares that he cannot move to Mystic until he has proven that the town is worthy of him. To that end, Shaggy announces that he is holding a contest, the winner of which will receive $50,000 for either demonstrating that he is "the worst character in Mystic," or exposing the worst character. After Shaggy and Yankee are forced to listen to days of petty gossip and feeble confessions, Charlie, Duke's smuggling partner, sneaks into the contest office and is about to expose Duke when he sees the smuggler looking at him through the window. Charlie flees and later is shot to death. Just before the contest's evening deadline, Duke's boss accuses him of embezzling $15,000 in saloon funds and demands that he pay up. Duke hands over his cash as well as his watch, then declares that he is going to restore his fortunes the "easy way." Moments later, amid a crowd of people waiting to hear the contest results, Duke is shot. As Randall joins the crowd, Tommy notices that the banker's wrist is glowing and alerts Yankee. When Randall admits to Yankee that Duke gave the watch to him, Yankee accuses the banker of killing both Mason and Duke. Randall finally confesses to the crimes and, after his arrest, Yankee announces that Tommy has won the contest. Later, Tommy hawks elixir with the professor, having been awarded half of Yankee's business in lieu of the $50,000. Shaggy then reveals he has married the town widow, and Yankee and Mary look forward to a happy future together.