Kid Colt - Hero of the West #2
The Gunfighter and the Girl!
Along the foothills of the Mogollon Range, Kid Colt runs into a racing gunslinger and gets him to stop. Before a heated fight can started, Kid Colt talks the young man down and convinces him to camp with him for the night. He learns that the young man, named Dick Darnell is heading up into the Mogollon Range -- outlaw country -- in order to try and join up with the Wild Bunch. Darnell explains that he was once part of the Chessnell outfit and fell in love with Chessnell's daughter Louise. However his attention to Louise led to neglect of his work and he was fired. As he packed up to leave he asked Louise to marry him, but she refused to marry an unemployed cowboy. In order to prove himself to her and provide money he then decided to join the Wild Bunch, ignoring Louise's protests and rode off.
After hearing his story, Kid Colt agrees to ride along with Darnell and find the Wild Bunch and join them together. However, Darnell is unaware that Kid Colt is really tagging along to teach the young man the errors of his ways. The following day the pair come across the Wild Bunch, and their offer to join the outlaws interested their leader Moseby, who is impressed by Kid Colt's status as an outlaw. When one of the Wild Bunch pulls a gun on Kid Colt, Colt is a faster draw and easily shoots down the outlaw, securing their place in the gang. Kid Colt later tells Darnell that he is now living by the way of the gun and that it is kill or be killed. When the gang hunkers down to plan their next caper, Moseby tells them that they are going to attack the Chessnell ranch, and Moseby expresses and interest in having his way with Louise. When Darnell attempts to protest, Kid Colt pulls him aside and quiets him, reminding him that this is the way of the outlaw, to live like a wolf. When Darnell questions Kid Colt's motivations, having heard that he was a decent cowpoke, Kid Colt scoffs at this notion and tells him to man up and get ready.
That night the Wild Bunch raids Chessnell ranch and easily subdue the ranch house. When Moseby tries to make a pass at Lousie, Darnell speaks out. Taking this as a cue, Kid Colt shoots out the lantern and he, Darnell and Louise make a run for the bunk house but are separated. As Mr. Chessnell wanders around in the dark, Moseby gets the drop on him and shoves him out into the open where a prowling Darnell accidentally shoots him dead. Dick is grazed with a bullet, when suddenly the law arrives and the Wild Bunch flee the scene. When they find Mr. Chessnell's dead body, Louise accuses Dick of shooting her father because he has become a cold blooded killer and will not listen to Dick's pleas that it was all an accident.
Kid Colt meanwhile realizes that if he does not catch Moseby, Dick will hang for the Chessnell's death. Colt races off on his horse Steel and catches up with the Wild Bunch. He guns down some of their members and kills Moseby himself, but is forced to flee from the gunfire. He returns to town where ranch hands are about to hang Dick for his alleged murder. Kid Colt arrives in time to shoot the noose and he tells them that Dick had shot and killed Moseby and that the Wild Bunch stole away with the body so that Dick would be blamed for Chessnell's murder. Kid Colt then takes the blame for killing Chessnell and flees the scene under a hail of bullets, but not before taking a few hits.
In the aftermath of the fiasco, Dick has learned his lesson about outlaws and he and Louise are soon married. Meanwhile, Kid Colt and his horse Steel have fled to a nearby cave where he begins his long recovery from the wounds that he sustained while fleeing the scene.
Recurring Characters
Kid Colt
Steel
Cards or Guns -- Draw, Kid Colt, or Die!
Telepatchie Penitentiary: After 10 long years behind bars, Clyde Jennison is released from prison. As he leaves, the warden tells Clyde to live a productive life. Clyde agrees, however he is secretly plotting revenge against the man he blames for landing him in prison in the first place and takes a train to Whitneyville.
Meanwhile, in Whitneyville County, Kid Colt has been recovering at the home of his friend Frank Jennison and his nephew Stan. Kid Colt rides off and in the outskirts of the Country he decides to take a rest at the local saloon. There he bumps into Clyde Jennison and after a brief moment of tension the two agree to go into the saloon and have a drink together. There Jennison tells Kid Colt his story: He is the brother of Frank Jennison (Although Kid Colt does not know this as Clyde has not told him his name). Ten years ago Clyde and Frank were playing cards when they heard Stan's cries. Outside they caught the local drunk Quinn Crawford kicking the boys dog. Clyde attacked Crawford, clubbing him over the head with the butt of his gun but sustaining a bullet wound to the shoulder himself during the melee. As he rested and recovered from his injuries, Clyde woke up one morning to find the sheriff standing over his bed, and is arrested for the murder of Quinn Crawford. During the court trail, Frank could not claim that his brother was in the house the whole time, leading Clyde to believe that Frank killed Crawford and pinned the murder on him. All attempts Frank made to see Clyde in prison were rejected.
Finishing his tale, Clyde tells Kid Colt that he intends on killing his brother in revenge for framing him for murder. When the saloon owner tries to tell Clyde where Frank lives, Kid Colt tries to silence him, but Clyde quickly draws his gun and forces the information out of them and leaves to finish the job he came to do. Kid Colt races after Clyde and shoots him, knocking him out. He then brings Clyde to Frank's ranch and learns that they are brothers. When Clyde comes around he pulls one of Kid Colt's guns and tries to shoot, but the Kid knocks the gun out of his hand.
Forcing the two men to talk things out, Clyde learns from Frank what happened that night ten years ago: While Clyde was recovering, Frank noticed that young Stan and his fathers gun were missing from the house. He followed the boys trail to Quinn Crawford's house. There he spied into the window and saw the young boy had his fathers gun drawn on Crawford. When Crawford back handed the boy, Stan went reeling into a wall and the gun went off, killing Crawford. In a panic to get Stan to safety, he left Cylde's gun behind. Not wanting the boy to be punished for an accidental killing, Frank tries to cover for him by telling Clyde, but Clyde having been already arrested did not want to listen.
Having the truth out, Clyde is delighted when Stan comes home and sees how well he had been raised. Cylde gives up his desire for revenge, now believing his ten years in prison was more than worth it to have his boy grow up proper. The Jennison's then thank Kid Colt for his help and he once more rides off into the sunset.
Recurring Characters
Kid Colt
Steel
Burning Bullets Blast a Border Town!
Two-Gun Kid has set up camp outside El Toro, near the Mexican border when he suddenly hears gun shots. Mounting his horse Cyclone, the Kid rushes off to see what the trouble is. He finds a Mexican man who has been gunned down and comes to his aid, but finds him dead. Suddenly locals arrive on the scene and accuse the Two-Gun Kid of shooting the man dead. One of the men with the sheriff is Mr. Welles the local banker who fingers Two-Gun as the shooter and tries to convince the mob that they should lynch him right there as a lesson to other outlaws in the area.
Two-Gun pleads his innocence but they go unheard, but before they can hang the gunfighter a Mexican man rides into the area and tells the sheriff that Two-Gun Kid is not the person who shot his friend dead. The Mexican explains that the shooter was a white man dressed in Mexican clothing. Mr. Welles apologizes for the mistaken identity, but it does not sit well with Two-Gun who decides to go into town and investigate things further. The Kid gets a room at the Rojo Casa and once in his room someone tires to shoot him from the window. Two-Gun dodges the shots and chases after his would-be killer but shoots him dead before he can get any info out of him.
Some of the Mexican workers come to the scene and identify the man as an outlaw who is part of a group that has been robbing the bank where all the Mexican's keep their money, coincidentally enough the very bank owned by Mr. Welles. Mr. Welles appears and promises the Mexican workers that he will protect their investments and that a shipment of gold is coming in from Mojave City by train. The Kid decides to keep an eye on the gold shipment, but as he goes to the nearby stable to collect Cyclone, he is knocked out from behind. When Two-Gun revives he finds himself tied up in a room lit by a candle. Using the candle to burn through the ropes, he picks up a pipe and sneaks into the next room where he overhears Welles and the outlaws plotting to rob the gold shipment and money from the bank and fade out of town.
Poking the pipe into Well's back (convincing the crooked banker that Two-Gun has a pistol) he quickly grabs Well's gun and out shoots the outlaws who surrender. When they are turned over to the sheriff, the Mexicans thank Two-Gun, who tells them that they should run the bank themselves so that their money will be safe before riding off once more into the wild range, a song on his lips.
Recurring Characters
Kid Colt
Steel
