Black Rider #9
Wrath of the Redskins!
The Black Rider teaches his horse Satan a new trick: A means of riding while letting the Rider grapple the horses neck in order to shoot at opponents chasing behind him. After his practice he meets with his Native American friend Running Dear who expresses his concerns of white men taking his tribes land, the Black Rider assures him that he does not want to see land taken away and hopes for peace.
Changing back to his civilian identity of Matthew Masters, the Black Rider returns to town where local Packrat Pete informs him that a local railroad politico named Mr. Cantrell has come to town to buy land from the local ranchers to put a rail line through and has been romancing Marie Lathrop. Spotting Marie with Cantrell, Masters steps in when Cantrell puts his jacket over a mud puddle for Marie to cross without dirtying her dress. Masters picks up Marie and carries her over, muddying Cantrell's jacket. Hoping that Masters will be gallant when Cantrell scolds him, Masters instead diffuses the situation instead of defending himself, earning Marie's ire once again.
Masters then pays a visit to the sheriff to discuss Cantrell, and learns of the sheriff's unease about him, as Cantrell is not willing to take no for an answer when it comes to buying the required land. This prompts the Black Rider to go rise once again to investigate Cantrell. Meanwhile, two outlaws hired by Cantrell go to a Native camp and gun them down in cold blood in order to incite a war path to drive the ranchers off their properties so that Cantrell can buy them cheaply. Running Dear is killed as well. After the slaughter, the outlaws leave and the Black Rider soon comes across the massacre. Rushing back into town to warn the sheriff, he learns that Cantrell has been putting pressure on more ranchers to sell off their land. While at that same time, the chief of the local Native tribe learns of the murder of his people and orders a war path against the people of Leadville.
The Natives attack the Lathrop ranch, pinning the entire family and the ranch hands in their home forcing them to defend it with their guns. During the attack, Bobby is hit with an arrow and requires immediate medical attention and sends one of their ranch hands into town to get help. He arrives wounded and tells the Black Rider what is happening. The hero then rides out to the Lathrop ranch fighting off the Native Americans he crosses paths with, using his new riding technique to shoot at the warriors behind him. Arriving at the Lathrop ranch, the Black Rider changes back into Matthew Masters and treats Bobby, making Marie realize that Masters has his own merits even though he is not brave like the Black Rider. After being thanked by Marie, Masters leaves and changes into the Black Rider again and rides out to the Native American camp where he talks to their chief and explains the situation.
Convincing the chief that Cantrell is responsible they both ride into Leadville to confront him. The Black Rider guns down Cantrell's hired gunmen leaving the chief to avenge Running Dear's murder by killing Cantrell with a tomahawk. Following the end of Cantrell's plot, Matthew Masters is confronted by Marie who surprises him by apologizing for how she's treated him in the past.
Recurring Characters
Black RIder
Marie Lathrop
Bobby Lathrop
Jim Lathrop
Packrat Pete
Satan
On the Trail of the Fox!
With the outlaw known as the Fox in the area, a deputy of Leadville begins putting up wanted posters around. As he puts up one sign he is confronted by the Fox, who tells the deputy to return to town and inform the sheriff that he intends to rob the Leadville Bank in a few days.
Meanwhile, Matthew Masters and Marie Lathrop are out riding together, and Marie is once more lecturing Masters on how he needs to be brave like the Black Rider when they are suddenly greeted by Packrat Pete. Packrat informs them both of the Fox's plan to rob the bank and also to tell Masters that there is a girl with a broken leg in town that needs his medical attention.
Riding into town, he finds that his patient is the beautiful Belle Raven and upon examination finds that her ankle is only lightly sprained. Marie walks in on Masters while he is treating Raven's leg and assumes that he is two timing her and storms out. Masters then goes to see the sheriff to learn what he can about he Fox's threat when suddenly one of the locals returns to town with the discovery of gold nearby. Suddenly, every able bodied man rushes out to go and find this gold, unaware that this was all a trick plotted by the Fox to make the town deserted of opposition during the bank robbery.
However, they find that the Black Rider is waiting for them and a gun fight erupts. The Black Rider guns down the Fox's gang and when the Fox attempts to flee, the Black Rider tackles his foe. Unmasking the Fox, the Black Rider is surprised to find that the Fox is not a man, but Belle Raven. In the aftermath, Matthew Masters finds that Marie is still upset about his time with Belle Raven, suggesting that if the Black Rider hadn't exposed her as the Fox, he and Raven would have been going steady.
Recurring Characters
Black RIder
Marie Lathrop
Packrat Pete
Satan
The Impossible Problem!
The people of Leadville are planning a carnival and rodeo show and during a town hall meeting Packrat Pete suggests that they get the Black Rider to put on a performance during the rodeo. After the meeting he tells the idea to Matthew Masters who thinks it is a brilliant idea. Slipping away and changing into the Black Rider, Masters rides back into town and agrees to participate in the rodeo.
Later, Packrat tells the news to Marie Lathrop who is thrilled to learn that the man she loves is performing at the rodeo. When Matthew Masters passes by, she asks him to be her date to the rodeo, hoping that having Masters witness the Black Rider in action would help teach him to be a more brave man. Masters accepts, but is puzzled on how he can be in two places at once without exposing his secret identity.
Masters attends the rodeo with Marie, and just before the Black Rider performance makes up a lame excuse about having to see a patient and rushes off to change into his alter-ego. The Black Rider then puts on his performance, showing off shooting and horse riding tricks. When his performance is over, the Black Rider quickly slips away and changes back into Matthew Masters and rejoins a less than impressed Marie Lathrop.
Recurring Characters
Black RIder
Marie Lathrop
Packrat Pete
Satan
Menace from the Sky!
Nimo battles an eagle.
Recurring Characters
Nimo
Secret of the Human Cargo!
Matthew Masters is spending his time talking to local Packrat Pete when both men witness a wagon train of Mexicans bringing in a shipment of molasses into town. Packrat notes that it is the fifth shipment that's come through in a week and begin the two begin to contemplate if the Mexicans are coming into the country legally.
This prompts Masters to ride out to the Mexican border as the Black Rider to investigate. Stopping another wagon train at the border, the Black Rider asks to see their papers and is told by one of the Mexicans that they were told they did not need papers. When the Black Rider presses the issue two American men try to force the Mexicans through. The Black Rider pulls his guns and shoots the two white men dead and orders the Mexicans to return to their side of the border, escorting them to the Rio Grande check point. There the border guard informs him that there have been increases in molasses shipments in the area.
Catching up with one of the shipments, the Black Rider stops it and searches the barrels to find that they seemingly contain nothing but molasses. Changing back into Matthew Masters, the Black Rider returns to Leadville and talks to Packrat, learning that Mexican border official Senior Morales is currently talking to the sheriff about the problem of illegal immigrants. Listening in on the conversation, Masters finds that Morales is furious that his people are leaving his country to illegally enter the United States and vows to stop the practice.
Masters decides to investigate deeper and changes back into the Black Rider and sneaks across the Mexican border. The Black Rider finds the smuggling operation and is shocked to find that the traffickers are smuggling the Mexican illegals inside the barrels of molasses which have false bottoms for the illegals to hide in. The Black Rider shoots up the operation and is surprised to find that Senior Morales -- having murdered the real border guard and taken his place -- is the mastermind behind the human trafficking operation. Before Morales can shoot the Black Rider with his shotgun, Satan kicks Morales off a cliff sending him falling to his death.
Recurring Characters
Black RIder
Packrat Pete
Satan
