Wild Western #53
Trouble in Lariat!
Looking out over a rockface, Kid Colt spots the Lobo gang riding toward the town of Lariat. He ambushes Lobo and shoots the guns out of the hands of his gang members. He tells the trio that they have no business in Lariat, a peaceful town, and tells them to turn around. However, Lobo tells the Kid that the peaceful days in Lariat that are numbered since Sheriff Rip Hazlett can’t keep it anymore. He says that they are actually going to join up with Jake Plummer, Luke Dawson and Clinch Purdom who have already gone to Lariat. Sending the outlaws on their way, Kid Colt decides to go and check out what’s going on in Lariat.
Once he reaches the town, Kid Colt discovers that the town is overrun with outlaws. He goes to the local blacksmith to find out what happened. The blacksmith tells him that the town has fallen prey to outlaws ever since Rip Hazlett turned in his sheriff’s star. He explains that when things were peaceful the locals thought they didn’t need to keep paying a sheriff since he spent his days without in the sun when his jail stood empty. That’s when two shop owners rush into the blacksmiths saying they were robbed and somebody needs to send for the marshall to restore law and order in town. Kid Colt shames them for taking the sheriff for granted.
Kid Colt decides to do something about the lawlessness and confronts a gang of thieves stealing from the general store. Realizing that they are being challenged by Kid Colt, the outlaws give back the stolen goods back and leave town but they warn Kid Colt that he’ll never make it out of town alive. The shop keeper thanks Kid Colt but knows that the outlaws will be back tomorrow. Kid Colt decides to pay a visit Rip at his home and catches him as he is loading up his belongings onto a wagon. He plans on leaving town, but the Kid convinces him that he needs to stay and restore law and order to the town. That evening both Kid Colt and Rip Hazlett show up at the saloon and warn them that warn every outlaw has until the following morning to leave before they are run out of town. The outlaws decide to defy this order and the following day Kid Colt and Rip Hazlett do a squeeze play by coming in on the outlaws from either side. There are too many crooks clustered together for them to effectively fight back and they are forced to surrender. When Kid Colt returns to Lariat the following day he discovers the town has returned to normal.
Recurring Characters
Kid Colt, Steel
Marked for Capture!
As the Ringo Kid rides into the town of Greasewood he is observed by two men who are paying close attention to him. One of them is Clem Shaddock, a bounty hunter, and the other a gun for hire. Clem tells the gunman to follow after the Ringo Kid as there is a hefty bounty on his head.[1] The following day when the Kid leaves town two men follow from behind. Meanwhile, Clem goes to the post office to where it is confirmed that there is still a bounty on Ringo Kid’s head.
By this time, the Ringo Kid has become aware of the two men following them and loses them around a corner and gets the drop on them on a mountain pass. He demands to know why they are following him. While they admit that they were hired to trail him they weren’t aware that they were following the Ringo Kid and plead for their lives. When Ringo asks who hired them, he doesn’t get a name and lets them go, but only so he can follow them back to their employer. Meanwhile, Clem Shaddock is staking out the path back into town and when he sees his two hired men high tailing it back into town he knows something went wrong. When Ringo Kid appears not far behind them, Clem uses this opportunity to lasso the Kid off his horse.
Taking the Kid prisoner, Clem then rides Ringo into Arrow county and turns him over to the marshal. Unfortunately for Clem, the marshal tells him that Ringo stood trial and was cleared on all charges a year ago.[2] When Clem mentions the poster he saw in Greasetown the marshal says that some clerks don’t keep records as well as others. After Clem leaves the marshal says that the Kid has every right to go after Shaddock but has a suggestion on how they can teach the bounty hunter a lesson.
Shaddock, fearing that the Ringo Kid will seek retribution, tries to find a place to hide but none of his former associates want anything to do with him now that the Ringo Kid is after him. Eventually, the Ringo Kid corners Shaddock in a saloon and in a panic Clem tries to shoot the hero but all of his shots miss. The Ringo Kid tells him that a coward never hits his mark and then takes him into custody because the marshal wants to see him. As it turns out, the marshal has a current warrant for Clem himself and he is going to be sent off to prison.
Recurring Characters
Ringo Kid, Steel
Continuity Notes
The Ringo Kid had a bounty on his head after rescuing his father from a lynch mob who were responsible for killing his mother and burning down his family ranch. As seen in Ringo Kid Western #1.
This is the first mention of the Ringo Kid being cleared of being an outlaw. However, the law stopped trying to arrest him and started considering him an ally around Frontier Western #3.
