Rawhide Kid #1
The Coming of the Rawhide Kid
Hearing gunshots, the Rawhide Kid rides his horse to a ranch where the rancher is being bushwacked by rustlers. Despite his interference the Rawhide Kid fails to prevent the owner of the ranch from being shot dead, the Kid however avenges the man's death. In the aftermath of the battle the ranchers son, Randy Clayton and his uncle Cash arrive and Randy believes that the Rawhide Kid is part of the gang that murdered his father. However before the boy can shoot the Rawhide Kid, his uncle tries to talk the boy out of it and the Rawhide Kid explains that he came to try and help Randy's father. When Randy shows no sign of budging, Rawhide whips the boys horse, throwing off the boys aim long enough for the Kid to make an escape.
After the Rawhide Kid has left, Cash attempts to convince Randy to sell him the ranch, as the boy had inherited it following his fathers death. Randy refuses to do so and Cash, revealing that he was the one who hired the men to kill Randy's father pistol whips the boy and intends to kill the lad as well so he can claim the ranch for himself. Meanwhile, the Rawhide Kid has ridden into town and learns from the sheriff about who would take ownership of the ranch after Randy's father died, and correctly deduces that Cash might be after the land.
He races back to the Clayton Ranch where he finds signs of a struggle and follows Cash's trail to a nearby cave. There the Rawhide Kid and Cash fight it out, the battle ending when Cash is impaled on a stalagmite. Freeing Randy, the boy is grateful for the rescue and as he has nothing left for him at home, asks the Rawhide Kid if he can travel with him. Rawhide accepts and takes the young Clayton boy as his sidekick.
Recurring Characters
Rawhide Kid
Randy Clayton
Apache
The Menace of White-Face
While riding across a rope bridge, Randy falls off his horse and almost goes over the edge, but the Rawhide Kid quickly rescues the boy with his lasso. Checking over Randy's horse, the Rawhide Kid notices that it has a broken leg. The Rawhide Kid then has Randy shoot the horse in order to end its suffering. Promising the boy a new horse, they ride to a nearby ranch where they hear that an outlaw named White-Face has been rustling all the horses in the area and that any lawman who has tried to stand up to him has been killed. Deciding to do something about the situation, the Rawhide Kid rides into Last Chance and signs up as sheriff with Randy as his deputy.
Not long after they have signed on as lawmen does White-Face and his gang ride into town. When the gang begins to make fun of Randy due to his young age the boy fights back only to be pistol whipped by White-Face. White-Face then gives the Rawhide Kid an ultimatum: leave town in 30 second or die. The Rawhide Kid refuses and when White-Face tires to shoot him, the hero easily shoots the guns out of White-Face's hands and blasts his gun belts causing them to fall off. Randy revives as the Rawhide Kid fights off the other outlaws and White-Face makes a break for it. Leaving Randy to deal with the gang, Rawhide rides after White-Face. White-Face leads the Rawhide Kid to the location where he has hidden all the stolen horses and his gunshots spook them into a stampede which he tries to use to escape. However this proves to be his undoing as he is knocked off his horse by the frightened stampede and is trampled to death.
An hour later, Rawhide has returned the horses and he and Randy have retired from their positions as lawmen. They buy a horse off the man who they met earlier in the day and Randy names it Smokey. Before Rawhide leaves, he gives the old man something to show to anyone who considers breaking the law in the area: White-Face's mask, the only thing that was left of him after his death.
Recurring Characters
Rawhide Kid
Randy Clayton
Apache
Smokey
The Death of Wyatt Earp
Sheriff Wyatt Earp had cleaned out the town of Abilene, however while on a two week vacation outlaw Moose Morrill and his gang sought to take it over by first eliminating him. However Moose learned about Earp's vacation and wanting to confront and kill the legendary sheriff instead began amassing a gang of lawmen to help him ambush him upon his return, even though he did not know what Earp looked like.
Among the gang was a man with a handlebar mustache, "handlebar" never used his guns against anyone innocent but proved his shooting prowess, convincing Morrill that he will use his guns when the time came. When the two weeks had passed, Morrill and his men stormed Abilene and then broke into the sheriffs office to find no trace of Earp. Suddenly, handlebar pulls his gun out and takes Morrill hostage and demands that the gang put their guns down. When they refuse one of the men shoots Moose dead, and handlebar shoots him. Having the draw on the rest of the gang handlebar pulls out a sheriff star and reveals that he is really Wyatt Earp himself.
Recurring Characters
Wyatt Earp
The Sioux Attack
The Rawhide Kid and Randy come across a man who has been killed by Sioux Native American warriors, Rawhide tells his young ward to stand back since the Sioux must have left the dead man out as a trap, and sure enough his hunch proves right when they are attacked by a band of Sioux warriors. Out numbered they flee to a nearby rope bridge. Rawhide sends Randy across first then shoots out the bridge and much to Randy's amazement is able to get his horse Apache to jump across the gorge. Their horses unable to carry out the same feat the Sioux fall back as the two heroes ride away.
They stop at the nearby Indian office to question the manager why the Sioux have suddenly started attacking settlers. The man explains that the Sioux's leader Might Bear had died his son and successor Tall Eagle suddenly disappeared. Since then the medicine man Saganak had taken over the tribe and convinced them to attack all settlers and drive them off their lands. Friends with Tall Eagle, the Rawhide Kid convinces the officer to refrain from calling in the army for at least a day in order to allow him to diffuse the problem before a blood war erupts.
That night Rawhide and Randy covertly ride into the Sioux camp where the Kid subdues a guard and steals his outfit. Quietly taking down anyone who has discovered him, he stands outside of Saganak's tent, projecting his shadow on the wall. Pretending to be the spirit of Mighty Bear, he demands that Saganak free his son. Saganak lets slip that the true leader of the tribe has been kept prisoner on Vulture Rock under the guard of some warriors. Hearing this the Rawhide Kid scrambles off to rescue his friend. Leaving his tent Saganak sees Rawhide's footprints and realizes that he was tricked and orders a war party to follow after him.
However, the Rawhide Kid gets to the top of Vulture Rock first and easily defeats the guards there. When Saganak and his war party arrive, the freed Tall Eagle orders his people to stand down and tells them to cease their hostilities. Exposing Saganak's duplicity, Tall Eagle has him executed by having him dragged to his death behind a horse. When the Rawhide Kid and Randy return to the Indian office the officer there tells them that he decided not to call the army as he figured that the Rawhide Kid would have solved the problem.
Recurring Characters
Rawhide Kid
Randy Clayton
Apache
Smokey
