Black Rider #25
Gun Duel in Sonora
Riding along the Mexican border, the Black Rider spots a man being chased by a gang of border jumping Mexican bandits and comes to his aid, gunning down all the attackers. He learns that the man is named Judd Torrance and that the gold stake he found just outside of Senora, Mexico had been taken over by a band of outlaws led by Bandar Topez who calls himself El Tiger. The Black Rider wishes him luck in finding another stake, but Torrence is not convinces. Seeing that the man is troubled, the Black Rider follows after him.
Torrence goes to the local Wells Fargo branch and wearing a bandanna over his face attempts to rob it. However, before he can make his bad decision the Black Rider comes in and convinces the owner that they were only making a bet to see how the Wells Fargo workers would react to a fake robbery and pulls Judd away. He learns that Judd is desperate for money as his son is very ill and that his stolen gold stake was his last hope of getting the money needed for the boy's medical attention. The Black Rider offers him the services of a doctor who will see the boy free of charge and sends Torrence on his way. The Black Rider then changes into his alter ego, Dr. Matthew Masters and pays a house call to the Torrence ranch and determines that the boy is suffering from Anemia and a Bronchial condition and recommends that the family move him to a drier climate on top of medicine. However when Torrence tells Masters that he cannot afford it after losing his gold stake, Matthew assures him that the Black Rider will see that he gets his gold stake back from El Tigre.
Parting company with the Torrance family, Matthew changes into the Black Rider and races across the border into Mexico and arrives in the town of Sonora. There he finds that the people there are under the oppressive rule of El Tigre and his gang. The Black Rider then fights his way into El Tigre's massive villa and guns the rogue leader down. The people of Sonora thank the Black Rider from liberating them from the outlaw's tyranny. After some celebrations the Black Rider returns to Texas where he returns the stolen gold to Judd Torrence so he can give his son the medical attention he needs.
Recurring Characters
Black Rider
Satan
A River of Death!
Shark Adams and his gang watch a stagecoach pass by and noting that it has no passengers and that it is riding light convinces them that it must be carrying something valuable, so they attack it. They kill the coach shotgun rider and wound the driver and search the coach. The only thing they find is a box filled with cans of a powerful poison that is being shipped to Leadville for Dr. Matthew Masters. While his minions dismiss the poison as worthless to them, Adams comes up with a way they can use it to make money.
The coach is sent on its way and when it arrives in Leadville the locals realize that it has been attacked. They question the wounded driver who tells them about Shark Adams' attack. Learning that his supply of poison was stolen, Matthew Masters is horrified at the possible implications. He treats the wounded driver and learns where he was ambushed. Taking full responsibility for Adams having possession of the poison -- powerful enough to wipe out an entire town with merely an ounce -- Matthew Masters resolves to recover the stolen material by himself.
Changing into the Black Rider, Masters rides out to where the attack happened and follows the back trail. There he finds some of Adams gang camped out and slays them, but only succeeds in recovering a single can of poison. The Black Rider returns to Leadville and checks with the sheriff to learn if there were any new comers in town and learns some "rough" looking characters had recently arrived and have been asking about his alter-ego. The Black Rider changes back into Dr. Masters and returns to his practice to find Shark Adams and his gang waiting for him. Adams reveals that he has tested the poison and threatens to use it against the town unless Masters pays him 10 thousand dollars to get the poison back.
Masters agrees and they arrange a drop off spot for the money the next day. However it is not Matthew Masters who goes to deliver the money, but the Black Rider. However, Adams reveals that he has no intention of returning the poison and decides he is going to dump it into the river that provides Leadville with it's water anyway. The Black Rider quickly draws and guns down Adam's men. The two fight it out near the edge of a cliff. The Rider manages to wrest the poison from Shark's hands and then sends him falling to his death in the river below.
Recurring Characters
Black Rider
Satan
Arrowhead
Arrowhead secretly watches as a white man named Toss rides into his people's land to look, unaware that the man has a vision to reap a hefty profit from the land. Arrowhead rides off and soon encounters members of his people's tribe whom he was friends with before he was exiled. He is shocked to find them all drunk and loaded with guns, learning that they obtained both from white traders. When Arrowhead chastises them for their dealings they decide to attack the renegade, forcing Arrowhead to flee. As he does so he is spotted by some white men who also try to apprehend him but he manages to get away. Doubling back he finds that his friends were slaughtered by the white men who hunted him. Spotting smoke in the distance, Arrowhead goes off to investigate that and finds a cabin on fire. Noticing that the hoof prints of the attacker's horses were wearing horse shoes, Arrowhead quickly realizes that someone is trying to frame his people for the attack.
Suddenly, the men he encountered before catch up to him and manage to rope up Arrowhead and take him prisoner. Arrowhead tries to struggle free but the men train their guns on him forcing him to surrender. Arrowhead is taken to the town jail where he is to be executed for the crimes he has been framed for. However, not long after he is locked up, Arrowhead is visited by Toss who sends the sheriff off for a drink so they can talk alone. Toss makes Arrowhead an offer: He will free the Pawnee warrior as long as he promises to inflame his people to attack white settlers in the area and promises to provide them with all the guns and whiskey they need to do so. Toss explains that he intends to frighten ranchers into selling their lands to him cheaply so he can build a ranching empire. Arrowhead refuses to do this, and as Toss is close to the bars the Pawnee warrior grabs him and forces Toss to let him free.
Arrowhead then ties Toss up and brings him outside. He ties a rope from Toss to his horse Eagle intending to rouse the local and force Toss to make a confession. However, before he can, Eagle suddenly bolts dragging Toss behind him. When Arrowhead finally catches up with Eagle in the desert he finds Toss dead and realizes that his horse meted out justice on Toss instead.
Recurring Characters
Arrowhead
Eagle
Renegade Raid!
The Black Rider rides into the town of Mule Mesa on the trail of Bull and Booth Bragg and their gang. He tracks them down to the local saloon where a gun fight erupts. The Black Rider guns down both Booth and Bull, ending the fight. He tells the remaining outlaws to get out of the area if they want to live and they leave with the bodies of their leaders to bury on Boot Hill. However, as they are preparing to bury their leaders, they are shocked to find that Bull is still alive and he orders them to get him a doctor.
Ironically enough they go to Leadville and kidnap Dr. Matthew Masters, unaware that is is really the Black Rider and take him to their cabin hideout. Although at odds about saving Bull's life, Masters decides to stick with his Hippocratic oath to heal and saves Bull's life. After the operation Bull's gang lets Masters go, who worries about what danger he has unleashed upon the innocent. The next day the sheriff of Leadville visits Masters and tells him that Bull Brag and his gang just broke into San Juan penitentiary and freed his incarcerated gang members and is planning to rob the bank in Los Pintos. Masters slips away and changes into the Black Rider and goes to Bragg's cabin but finds that they have already left.
Riding into Los Pintos he is too late to stop the attack but goes to the bank where the robbery is still in progress. There the Black Rider finishes the job he started in Mule Mess and guns down Bull and his entire gang. With the gang dead, the Black Rider is thanked by the people for saving their town.
Recurring Characters
Black Rider
Satan
