Ringo Kid #14
Ringo Kid
The Ringo Kid spots two bushwackers who are attempting to shoot at the local marshal who is bringing out his prisoner, a man named Lance from his jailhouse. The Kid is faster at the draw and his superior shooting skills allows him to shoot the guns out of the assassins hands, but they managed to flee the scene before they can be rounded up. The Marshall tells the Kid that they were likely trying to stop him from bringing his prisoner to face his execution in Wichita. However the prisoner tells the Kid that he preferred death by the hands of the shooters than to swing from a rope. When the Kid asks to assist the Marshall he refuses, telling the Kid that he can handle it. After they are gone however, the Kid can't shake the feeling of a strange kinsmanship with the prisoner and decides to follow after them anyway.
He catches up to them as they are being attacked by a gang of gunslingers. The Ringo Kid helps drive them away but the Marshall is wounded in the gun fight. Unable to bring the prisoner in himself, the Marshall deputizes the Ringo Kid and asks him to take the prisoner the rest of the way, warning him that he is a killer. Along the way, the Ringo Kid learns that his prisoner was part of the King gang who was arrested due to murder, telling the Kid that he was turned in by Jake King himself. Lance explains that after he joined up with King's gang, he learned that King had killed his brother. When he confronted Jake about it, King had framed him for a murder, and is now probably gunning for him now thinking that he has evidence that he can turn against Jake King and his gang.
Soon they are attacked by the King gang again, and with the odds against them, the Kid unlocks Lance's hand cuffs and gives him guns to help fight off the shooters. the eventually manage to drive them off, and when Lance insists on being cuffed up again the Kid refuses to do so having earned his trust and also so they are ready for any other ambushes. When they arrive in town, the Kid is forced to put the handcuffs back on and he leaves Lance to wait outside while he goes to get the US Marshal in charge in Wichita. Seeing Lance alone, Jake King and his men try one last attempt to kill him, but the Ringo Kid and the Marshall spring out of the office with guns blazing and easily incapacitate the entire gang. With Jake King and his men arrested, King confesses to framing Lance who is then set free.
Recurring Characters
Ringo Kid
Arab
Duel at Dawn!
The Ringo Kid is riding along a mountain pass when he comes across a man hanging on for dear life on the remains of a collapsed rope bridge. With the help of his horse Arab, the Ringo Kid swings down and pulls the man to safety. The old man thanks the Kid for his help and introduces himself as Matt Carmody, the circuit judge for the district. He goes on to tell the Kid that he has had a string of bad luck ever since he left the town of Elkhorn, leaving the two to come to the conclusion that someone might be trying to eliminate Carmody. The Kid goes to examine the remains of the bridge and finds proof of this when he deduces that the ropes of the bridge were cut with a knife. Carmody tells the Kid that he was heading to the town of Gunsling to judge over a trial, but is unsure what it is about. The Ringo Kid decides to help Carmody make it there alive and find out who is trying to stop him from making it. He soon starts a fire and sends a smoke signal calling his Comanche friend Dull Knife for assistance.
The following morning, the Ringo Kid rides into Gunsling and meets with the sheriff to see who Carmody is to judge over. He learns that they have the outlaw Snake Radcliff in their custody for murder and robbery and was brought to Gunsling under heavy guard from Ute City. The Kid deduces that Snake's gang is likely trying to prevent a trail from happening in an effort to break their leader free. The Ringo Kid then decides to sneak Carmody into town in disguise and tells the sheriff to double the guard on Smake Radcliff. At that very moment in a casino town not far away, the rest of Snake's gang decide to give up on eliminating Carmody and decide to break out their boss that night.
That evening, the Ringo Kid, Carmody and Dull Knife come into town disguised as drunks coming into town to cause trouble and are "arrested" by the sheriff and his men. With the ruse having worked, the Ringo Kid then has Radcliff removed from his cell and takes his place. Sure enough later that evening when Snake's gang comes to break their leader out they are surprised to find the Ringo Kid and a posse waiting to capture them.
Recurring Characters
Ringo Kid
Dull Knife
Arab
Calico Pony!
The Ringo Kid is in a saloon refilling his canteen when a young boy rushes in asking for help. The Kid tries to calm the boy, when suddenly a man comes bursting in and demands that the boy give up his Calico pony. The Kid gets in between the boy, and uses his fighting and gun skills to send the man packing.
The boy's name is Billy and he learns that the man who was after him was his uncle and legal guardian who wants his prized Calico pony to sell, but the boy refuses to give it up because he loves the horse and hid it away from his uncle. The Ringo Kid unfortunately has to tell the boy that his Uncle Matt, as his legal guardian, has the right over Billy's possessions. But the Kid doesn't think the situation is set in stone, and sends Billy to collect his pony and wait for him at the home of Tom and Sally Radcliff, a local couple without children of their own who have taken a liking to Billy.
The Kid meets with the Radcliffs, and learns that Matt Cabal came to care for Billy after his parents died. Sally tells the Kid that Billy's mother Kitty's maiden named was Cabal, but she never mentioned anything about having a brother before he death. The Kid then pays a visit to the town clerk's office and learns that while Matt Cabal claimed the land he never provided proof of identity that verified that he was Kitty Jay's brother. Learning that Matt claimed to have come from Pecos, the Kid suddenly remembers where he recognized him before and that "Matt Cabal" was actually Jake Sutton, the leader of an outlaw gang from Pecos who managed to escape when the rest of his crew were captured. As the Kid leaves the office he runs into Tom Radcliff who tells him that Billy's pony arrived but Billy wasn't with it and they can't find him anywhere.
The Ringo Kid arrives at the Jay ranch where he overhears Jake Sutton and some remnants of his gang plotting to sell the ranch to fund the revival of their criminal operations. The Kid bursts in just as they are about to kill Billy, catching them by surprise and using his guns to disarm them. When Sutton and his minions are turned over to the law, Tom and Sally Radcliff agree to adopt Billy as their own.
Recurring Characters
Ringo Kid
Arab
Freeze or Fight!
Arriving in the town of Bowstring, the Ringo Kid finds the sheriff and his posse waiting for him. The sheriff tells the Kid that the only way he will allow him into town, with his reputation, is if the Kid agrees to turn over his guns. With no choice, the Ringo Kid agrees and turns over his guns. He is spotted by two men named Lobo and Zack who decide to get a reputation for themselves even though the Ringo Kid does not have any guns on him.
Lobo confronts the Kid, accusing him of cheated him out of a Faro game in Sarango. The Kid refutes this and Lobo tries to push the issue to a duel, offering the Ringo Kid a pair of guns so they can shoot it out. The Kid continues to refuse to play ball so Zack steps in and also accuses the Ringo Kid of cheating on this card game, pretending to be a witness. Getting fed up with the false accusation, the Ringo Kid trounces the two men with his bare hands and continues on his way. Undaunted, Lobo and Zack go to the sheriff's office where they spot the Kid's guns hanging from a peg within reach of the window.
As the Ringo Kid settles into a hotel room for the night, Lobo and Zack steal the guns and then set fire to the Bowstring Bank, leaving Ringo's guns there to frame him for the crime. When the sheriff finds the guns at the scene of the crime he and his men pay a visit to Ringo in his hotel room. When Ringo points out that it would not make sense for him to steal his guns, leave them at the scene of the crime and then return to his hotel room, he convinces the sheriff to give him a chance to clear his name. Later that night, the Kid is loading up his horse with large bags and is spotted by Lobo and Zack who are surprised that he hasn't been arrested and decide to find out why. When they ask, the Kid tells them that he "robbed" the bank, thankful for the fools who blew it up, giving him cover to escape with thousands of dollars.
Suddenly, Lobo and Zack draw their guns, explaining that they were the ones who blew the bank and try to rob the Kid of his money. However the Kid quickly swings the sacks at them, bowling the two outlaws over and disrupting them enough to allow the sheriff and his men to swoop in and arrest them.
Recurring Characters
Ringo Kid
Arab
