Black Rider #14
The Horror Castle
In a western valley, the army of Marquis de Lassus attacks a railroad crew working on a new rail line in the area. Seeing the approaching army, the rail workers put up a white flag of peace in order to discuss what the commotion is all about. The Marquis and his general Fouchet meet with the rail-men and and learn what they are doing. The Marquis is furious as they are trespassing on land he claimed to have purchased 10 years prior while the Marquis was living in exile in Portugal. Unable to believe that the Marquis purchased what is believed to be public land, the men at the railroad question his claims and are gunned down. Seeing their co-workers killed, the other rail workers raise arms and counter attack the Marqui's army. Outnumbered and outgunned the Marquis men lose the battle until Fouchet manages to convince the Marquis that a strategic retreat is necessary and that they can return with cannons and foot soldiers later.
As they are fleeing the battle the Black Rider happens to be passing by. Going to the railroad workers he learns of what happened and that they had captured a prisoner. The prisoner explains that the Marques came to the United states after being exiles to Portugal from France during the revolution. He brought with him his family, his ancestral castle, his troops and his servants and settled into the area. With a legal challenge potentially stalling the railroad for months as the case went through the courts, the Black Rider suggests that he go and talk to the Marquis and try to convince him to allow the railroad to be built through his land. The Black Rider goes along with the prisoner despite the better judgement of the men working on the rail road. When they arrive on the outskirts of the Marquis estate, they are confronted by armed guards, but the Black Rider out shoots them and they are allowed to pass. Getting an audience inside the castle, the Black Rider learns from the captain of the guard that the Marquis is insane. He also learns that his son is sick and as his wife has failed to cure the boy, he beats her.
The Black Rider visits with the Marque's son and wife and determines that the boy needs immediate surgery in order to live. He swears the Marques wife to keep his secret identity in exchange for helping the boy and then goes to speak to the Marquis. The Black Rider fights his way down to the dungeon, where he stops the Marquis from torturing and killing one of his people and demands to know why he has stopped the railroad from being built. He explains that he was exiled during the revolution and came to America to continue his aristocratic lifestyle, buying land in the United States so that he it can endure. The Black Rider tells him that he cannot continue to live by the old ways and stop forward progress and that people in America live in freedom, not under the oppression of a king. When the Marques refuses to stand down, the Black Rider locks the would-be dictator in his own dungeon.
With the mad Marques out of the way, the Black Rider returns his attentions to the sick boy and changes into his alter-ego Doctor Matthew Masters. While Masters performs the needed surgery on the boy, the Marques and his men escape the dungeon through a secret passageway. When they enter into the main hall of the castle the Marquis overhears his captain of the guard preparing to stage a mutiny and kills him. The Marques orders his men to attack and goes after the Black Rider, who just then finished the needed surgery and changed back into his costumed identity. When the Marquis finds that his men have turned against him, the man ruler runs into a secret room and sets off explosives he had planted in his castle. Everyone evacuates and the Marques dies as his castle is ripped apart by a massive explosion. Weeks later the Black Rider sees off the Marques widow and healed son as they leave on the newly built rail line to live a life of freedom in America.
Recurring Characters
Black Rider
Satan
The Tree Pirate Strikes!
In the village of the Pukavi tribe the tranquility is ended when a sudden landslide causes trees to fall upon the village, crushing their homes and killing many of the braves. An hour later in the nearby frontier town of Pukavi Center the Black Rider and the locals witness as some of the braves ride into town seeking medical attention for their wounded. The Black Rider rides off to investigate, wondering how a landslide could have happened when the trees and mountains in the region are solid. Along the way he sees a wagon pulling newly cut lumber being pulled by an outlaw named Elkins. The Black Rider questions the man on what he is doing out of jail, the man tells the hero that he must be confusing him with his "twin brother". When the Black Rider asks if they have a license to cut the lumber, they tell him to check up with Rolf Helker in town.
The Black Rider then rides off and changes into his alter ego of Doc Matthew Masters and goes to the Pukavi village and treats the wounded Natives. Along the way he has noticed that many of the trees in the area have been cut. When helping the Natives he learns that it is Helker's men who have been cutting the trees, destabilizing the soil and causing the slides. Masters find this incredible to hear as Helker has no right to cut timber on Pukavi land. One of the braves tells Masters that their chief had made a deal with Helker, their chief also happens to be missing. Masters offers to go look for their chief, telling them that a white man would have a better chance dealing with his own kind to get to the bottom of things.
Leaving the camp, Masters changes into the Black Rider again and follows the chief's back trail where he is bushwhacked by outlaws. However, the Black Rider manages to win out the gunfight and decides its time to pay a visit to Helker. Storming onto Helker's property. The Black Rider is convinced that Helker is lying about getting the logging rights and demands to be taken to the chief. Helker tips off his men by kicking over a dinner gong along the way. when they get to the cabin, the Black Rider finds the chief and his braves murdered and is knocked out by some of Helker's men. Helker and his men then take the Black Rider up into the mountain and tie him to a tree that will fall down a cliff once chopped. Before they can finish the job, Satan comes to his masters rescue and is soon followed by the Pukavi people who attack when the Black Rider informs them that their leader was murdered. Helker and his men try to make a get away, but ironically enough they are caught in a land slide. The Black Rider tries to save them, but it is too later and Helker and his men are buried alive. In the aftermath of the battle, the Puvaki people thank the Black Rider for his help.
Recurring Characters
Black Rider
Satan
Close Shave!
The Great Forbish is an actor who uses his ability to make disguises to run a sideline as an outlaw. He disguises himself as a local named Luke Anson in order to kill and steal some gold prospectors and steal $15,000 in gold dust. Later in the town of Yellow Bluff, frontier doctor Matthew Masters is assisting a horse breeder with the delivery of a new foal when the news of "Luke Anson's" robbery reaches town. Some locals quickly finds that the real Luke Anson and takes him into custody despite his claims of innocence. When they are about to string him up, Masters slips away to change into the Black Rider and stops the lynching, telling the locals that Anson deserves the right to a fair trial.
As Anson explains that he was sleeping all afternoon, Forbish and his men return to town. Forbish dismisses his minions uneasiness about the Black Rider getting involved, as he is plotting his next heist: Robbing a gold shipment by posing as Wiclif who works at the gold shipment company. In order to get the time of the next gold shipment, Forbish pays a visit to Wiclif and creates a distraction while his "enemies" try to "assassinate" him, in reality Forbish's men shooting to get Wiclif to duck down from his desk. While Wiclif is saving himself, Forbish gets a look at his paperwork and learns that the gold shipment is coming on the 11:30 train.
Meanwhile, the Black Rider is meeting with the local Sheriff and the owner of the inn who confirms Anson's claims. The Black Rider asks if there is anyone in town who might resemble Luke Anson. The sheriff has no clue and is stumped. Later at the local saloon, the Black Rider is in audience as Forbish shows off his many impersonations of famous people: General Grant, Napoleon, Shakespeare. This makes the Black Rider suspicious of Forbish and after the show, the hero tries to meet the master of disguise who brushes him off. Forbish then disguises himself as Wiclif and robs the train. When the real Wiclif is arrested, the Black Rider notices Forbish watching from a distance. Realizing Forbish was posing as Wiclif, the Black Rider attacks Forbish and pulls off his wig, revealing the actor is really bald and thus was able to imitate Wiclif. The Black Rider then turns Forbish over to the authorities and clears Wiclif's name.
Recurring Characters
Black Rider
Satan
The Metal Menace!
Two very ill Native Americans ride into the town of Hot Strike, Nevada seeking a doctor. Going to the Nugget Inn the two men are quickly examined by travelling doctor Matthew Masters who cannot understand how the men got such serious burns. The one surviving Native tells them that their chief has them digging in a mine of a nearby mountain that legends say to be cursed and that many of his fellow braves have fallen sick and died from working in the mine. When Masters asks the sheriff to do something, he tells him that the local tribe is governed by a government agent and that any issues should be taken up with him.
Masters is determined to get to the bottom of things and so he has the dead bodies shipped off to his colleague Dr. Bruno Tarescu in Salt Lake City, Utah to perform an autopsy on the bodies. When Masters rides up to the tribe's village the next morning he is turned away by a group of gunmen. Masters slips back and changes into the Black Rider. The Black Rider attacks the gunmen and learn that the agent for the Natives has died. He forces the men to take him back to the Native camp where he learns that the chief, Tall Toad, is working at the mine. Riding to the mine, the Black Rider meets with Tall Toad, unaware he is in league with a man named Al Hitkos in working on the mine. Tall Toad explains that they found silver in the mine that stands to make his tribe rich. When the Black Rider questions the death of his people, and that they have been shooting Natives who refuse to work in the mine, Tall Toad explains that they are acceptable losses for their wealth.
The Black Rider balks at the explanations and Hitkos' knock him out and tie him up in the mine and leaves him to die. Black rider is freed by Laiwa the local medicine man who sneaked into the mine to free the hero and explains that some strange metal they found in the mine is the reason their people are getting sick. Exiting the mine, the Black Rider is met by Dr. Tarescu who tells him that the men died of some previously undiscovered metal poisoning. Seeing the mine as a menace, the Black Rider then liberates the slaves and forces Tall Toad and his confederates into the mine, blowing the tunnel and trapping them in. The men the succumb to the same illness and die instantly. The Black Rider leaves, hoping someday science might explain what they had discovered. Years later, scientist would discover the material and call it Uranium.
Recurring Characters
Black Rider
Satan
