Rawhide Kid #13
Condemned!
The Rawhide Kid witnesses as Buck Garrett, the ride of the Shasta stage that crashed being taken in as prisoner by Sheriff Ben Yarby. Angry at the idea that Garrett abandoned the coach before it crashed, an angry mob has gathered outside Shotgun City looking for vigilante justice, but the Rawhide Kid intervenes and holds them back long enough while the sheriff brings him in. Learning that the coach was loaded with gold, and that the bridge Thunder Gap had been washed out. With the mob surrounding the office, the Kid suggests that they sneak out through a mine shaft under the building and get Buck to safety.
Taking Buck to his home, the Rawhide Kid learns how Buck was riding the Shasta stage during a storm when suddenly something hit him and he blacked out, when he woke up he was on the ground and the stage had plunged off the cliff. Believing Garratt's story, the Rawhide Kid heads to Thunder Gap to search for clues. Scaling down the cliff, he finds the wreckage of the stagecoach and finds no bodies of the passengers or horses and also discovers that the gold that was on board is missing. Climbing back out of the gap, the Kid spots hoof prints and begins to follow them.
Meanwhile, up in a mountain hideout a gang of outlaws led by Joe Lindsay are congratulating themselves over their successful operation. The Rawhide Kid eventually arrives and takes them all down one by one and rounds them up, bringing them back to town and clearing Buck's name.
Recurring Characters
Rawhide Kid
Sheriff Ben Yarby
Apache
The Renegade Stallion!
While out riding with Randy Clayton, the Rawhide Kid spots a Pony Express stallion running wild and the two capture it. They then follow its back trail and come across Jim Kendall, the rider of the horse. He tells them that he was attacked by some men, and in order to prevent them from taking his shipment of gold, he sent his horse running. Not far away is Sloan and his gang and they prepare to attack. However their presence is sensed by Randy's horse King who suddenly rides off and attacks Sloan and his goons.
The Rawhide Kid follows and disarms the men before they can shoot the horse. Unsure why King is acting so strangely, the Rawhide Kid defends the horse but Sloan and his men vow to see that King is destroyed. Sloan is true to his claim after he files a complaint with the sheriff, but Ben Yarby is reluctant to press any complaints unless King acts up again.
That night, Sloan and his men arrive at the Rawhide Kid's ranch and set King free. Then begin committing crimes that would be pinned on King. The Rawhide Kid tries to capture King, but a freak sandstorm allows the horse to get away. With news spreading quickly, the sheriff then gathers a posse to eliminate King. With the local lawmen after King, Sloan and his men take the opportunity to rob the Express Office. However before they can escape, King appears and beat them into submission. When the Sheriff, Rawhide and Randy arrive in town, they realize why King was acting up and take Sloan and his gang into custody.
Recurring Characters
Rawhide Kid
Randy Clayton
Sheriff Ben Yarby
Apache
King
Miracle on Mesquite Flats!
The Rawhide Kid rides into Shotgun City where he spots a gunman walking into Dr. Gil Jackson's office. The Kid easily disarms the shooter. The Kid finds that Gil is cryptically light hearted about the attempted robbery, as he is flattered that the masked gunman thought he had any money and tells the Kid to set the man free. The Rawhide Kid is surprised to find that Dr. Jackson is packing up to leave town. Gil explains that he has not made any business because people insist on using old ancestral medicine instead of trusting on his medical advice. When the Kid tries to contradict this, Gil points out that while people seek him for immediate medical attention, they eventually use their "home cures" and insist that that did the trick and refuse to pay him for his services.
While the Kid tries to convince Gil to stay, suddenly a local rides up with Randy unconscious in his arms. The Rawhide Kid learns that Randy collapsed and is suffering from a fever. Gil begins to examine Randy and realizes that he has been poisoned but he will be all right but they need to learn of the source of the infection. Suddenly locals begin pouring into Dr. Jackson's office as their children have all be afflicted with the same mystery illness. The Kid learns that all of the children were at the nearby Comanche camp before they fell ill. Before a mob can form to deal with the Comanches, the Rawhide Kid tells them that cooler heads must prevail and convinces them to let him go up alone to talk to the chief of the Comanches.
The Rawhide Kid and Dr. Jackson then ride up to the Comanche camp and find that the children there have also fallen ill. Jackson discovers that the contamination has come from water and learn that the Comanches draw water from a nearby water. They go up river to see if they can find the source of what is making the water poisoned and they find the carcasses of Antelope in the stream, left there by poachers.
They go further upstream and they catch the poachers, finding that their leader is the same man who tried to rob Dr. Jackson earlier. The Kid easily rounds up the poachers and brings them to justice. With the river cleaned up, the water becomes safe again, and all those poisoned by it eventually recover. The entire incident convinces Dr. Jackson that he is needed in Shotgun City and agrees to stay.
Recurring Characters
Rawhide Kid
Randy Clayton
Apache
King
The Swamp Phantom!
The Rawhide Kid and Randy Clayton are investigating the report of the so-called "swamp phantom" who has been trying to keep people out of the swamp that has just been opened up as free land by the government when suddenly they are shot at. The pair dive for cover while the Randy lays out cover fire, the Kid goes around to try and get the drop on the shooters. By the time he works his way around he finds the shooters gone, but finds the shell casings of a '73 Winchester and hoof prints that shows the owner has a broken horseshoe.
Suspicious as to why someone would want to keep out of the swamp, the Kid and Randy pay a visit to the government surveyors office and learn that the land has no value in terms of minerals. So the Kid pays a visit to the land titles office and the clerk working there tells the Kid that they are closed and to leave. The Kid refutes this, saying the law states that the land titles office has to remain open until sundown. The clerk then allows the Kid to make a claim, and they are shocked when he asks to claim the swamp land. When one of the men says he claimed the swamp already, the Kid demands to see his papers, but they refuse to show. When they try to draw, the Kid shoots a bottle of ink causing it to splatter all over the men, and the Kid leaves telling them he will be back.
The Kid then pays a visit to the local blacksmith and finds the horse with the busted shoe currently having its shoe fixed. He learns that Cameron, the land office clerk is the owner. Back at the land office, Cameron tells his men that he is seeking to take possession of the swamp since all the local streams pass through it and he can make a fortune off the water rights. The Kid overhears this and comes bursting in shooting the guns out of their hands. and rounds up the outlaws and turn them over to Sheriff Ben Yarby.
Recurring Characters
Rawhide Kid
Randy Clayton
Sheriff Ben Yarby
Apache
King
