Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:28 — 13.5MB)
The Lone Ranger rides again!
A man awaits his lonely fate at the gallows. He is taking the blame for a murder that he didn’t commit. He says his tear filled goodbyes to his young bride. The hanging has been court ordered to take place at sunrise, but with the overcast weather, how will the sheriff know exactly when to spring the trap door on the gallows? Using the almanac, and a pocket watch the minutes count down.
The narator goes into voice over and flashback mode to relive the events that brought this occasion to be. Johnny is a cowhand, and when uncle Charlie, his wife’s uncle, is stabbed to death, Johnny is being blamed. His cuff link was found at the scene. What? Did cowboys wear cuff links? Must have been a dude ranch.
As Johnny rides away, he comes across the camp of a masked man with his indian companion, and a teenage boy. Johnny tells the trio all about his flight from the posse. Though the Lone Ranger promises to help Johnny, he hands him over to the posse, then rides away. As the clock ticks by in the jail cell Johnny regrets his decision to trust the promise of the masked man.
Johnny relives the moments in the previous week in the courtroom. His entire case hinges on the cuff link that places him at the murder scene. During the week, Johnny gets a small amount of assurance as Dan Reed visits him. What good is promises when you’re standing on the gallows as the clock keeps ticking? As an aside, the story cuts to how Dan and Tonto trailed some of the other suspects and gathered evidence for the innocent man.
As the clock ticks down to the last minute, Dan rides up in a rush with a letter for the sheriff. What’s in the letter? How will it prove guilt or innocense? The sheriff is smart enough to understand the clue. When Johnny is set free, he tells his bride all about what the clue means.
