Kid Colt Outlaw #5
The Sign of the Scarecrow!
The Scarecrow has been forcing local cattle owners to sell him their beef cheap. When he confronts Herb Latimer demanding he sell his cows at $2 a head, Latimer refuses and is gunned down. As the locals gather to bring Herb to the undertaker, Ernie Cantrel admonishes them for not acting, but none seem to want to get involved. Ernie then rides off to tell Latimer's sister Betty what happened to her brother. Meanwhile, the Scarecrow and his men us TNT to block off a river that flows water to the local ranches as another pressure tactic to get them to sell their cattle to him for low prices. As Ernie informs Betty of the bad news, the explosives go off, cutting off water to the area. Considering this the last straw, Ernie rides back into town and gathers the locals to discuss dealing with the Scarecrow. The meeting is soon interrupted when some of the Scarecrow's men barge in to warn them against going up against their boss.
By this time, Kid Colt has ridden into town and observing the conflict through the window, comes in and aids the townsfolk. Kid Colt proves to be a faster drawn than the Scarecrow's men and sends them packing. When Kid Colt agrees to join their resistance it gives the locals the confidence to assist Ernie in his plan. They ride out to the dam created by the Scarecrow and his men and find it heavily guarded and are forced to turn back.
Formulating a plan, Kid Colt orders Ernie to gather as many men and guns as possible and keep the Scarecrow's men in deadlock until he returns. He then rides out to Betty's farm and convinces her to sell her cattle to the Scarecrow, as they will be properly fed and watered while being taken to Storyville to be sold. Kid Colt then rides out to the Scarecrow's dug out with a white flag and makes the deal. The next morning when he returns to Betty's farmhouse, he is confronted by Ernie and his men who believe that Kid Colt is trying to double cross them and send him packing under a hale of bullets. However, Kid Colt continues his plan: With the Scarecrow and most of his men busy shipping Betty's cattle to Storyville, Kid Colt rides out to the Scarecrow's barn and lights it on fire.
The smoke attracts the rest of the gang, who abandon their post to go and try to put the fire out, making them easy pickings for Ernie and his posse who then destroy the dam. Realizing that Kid Colt had not betrayed them, Ernie, Betty and a small posse ride out to Storyville. There they confront the Scarecrow just as he finished selling Betty's cattle. Kid Colt reveals that Scarecrow's purchase of her cattle was illegal since Betty is only 17. When the Scarecrow refuses to turn over the money, Kid Colt snatches it out of his hands and guns the outlaw and his men down with the help of Ernie and his posse. When the sheriff arrives to investigate the shooting, Kid Colt flees leaving Ernie and Betty to explain what happened.
Recurring Characters
Kid Colt
Steel
Blaze Calls a Bluff!
Blaze Carson is watching over a poker game at the saloon during a rainy night and takes not how banker Morton is having a string of bad luck and is losing big time. Suddenly, there is an explosion at the bank which sends Carson and Morton to investigate. Searching the wreckage of the bank, Blaze determines that all the money and Morton's books have been stolen.
The sheriff tries to track down the criminals responsible however the rain has washed away their back trail making it impossible for him to track them down. Finding the whole theft of the ledger suspicious, Blaze pays a visit to Bob Ross, the teller at the bank. Blaze asks Bob to turn over a ledger that resembles the one that was stolen from the bank. After observing Morton leave the ruins of the bank and go to the saloon, Carson follows after him after dirtying the ledger he got from Bob.
Entering the back door, he confronts Morton and the gamblers, catching them with the bags of stolen money. Blaze accuses Morton of orchestrating the robbery in order to pay his gambling debts. Morton denies this until Blaze produces the muddy ledger. Morton calls his bluff and orders his men to kill Blaze, but the sheriff is a faster draw and kills them all and captures Morton.
Recurring Characters
Blaze Carson
His Greatest Gamble!
Kid Colt is riding in the desert when he comes across a tenderfoot out in the heat just about ready to be buzzard meat. Giving the man some water and riding him back to Wolf Pass, Kid Colt learns that the man is named Jon Cannon who arrived in town the day before and was tricked into gambling and was cleaned out by Hawk Rowan, a local gambler, and made broke. After being bilked of all his money, Cannon had accused Rowan of being a cheat and was thrown out of town. Kid Colt decides to help Cannon prove his claims and shut down Hawk's operation.
In order to get into some of the card games, Kid Colt suddenly jumps a man playing poker and takes his money and shoots anyone who opposes him until they stand down and let him gamble. Hawk Roan notices Kid Colt's shooting prowess and orders his men to stand down, hoping to swindle the outlaw of his money.
Kid Colt then uses fear and intimidation to pressure the card dealer and roulette wheel operators into allowing him to win. When some of Hawk's men try to bushwack him, Kid Colt shoots them dead and continues playing.
Tired of losing to Kid Colt, Rowan gathers his men to bushwack him, but some of the legitimate gamblers get wind of this and tip the Kid off. They all work together to gun down Rowan and his men when they start firing. In the aftermath, Kid Colt turns the money over to the local priest and asks him to convert the saloon into a church. As Kid Colt leaves town, the sheriff tries to apprehend him but is stopped by the locals.
Recurring Characters
Kid Colt
Steel
