Contraband Liquor

Originally Aired: February 7, 1938The Lone Ranger #785, "Contraband Liquor," begins with a murder that threatens to expose a dangerous smuggling operation along the border. Steve Brady, a Border Patrol agent investigating illegal liquor trafficking, confronts cafe owner Flint Berkman at gunpoint, preparing to bring him in for questioning about contraband alcohol being sold in his establishment. Before Berkman can reveal anything about the smuggling ring, a mysterious shooter kills him with a perfect shot from outside. As Sheriff Perkins organizes a posse to hunt for the killer, suspicion quickly falls on a wandering drifter named Cactus Pete Hawkins, who is found in possession of a gun with the wrong initials and clothes that don't fit him.Pete's story about being forced to switch clothing and weapons with a stranger at gunpoint seems too convenient, and his knowledge of Berkman makes him the perfect suspect. As the townspeople demand justice and lynch mob sentiment grows, the real conspiracy begins to reveal itself. Sheriff Perkins meets secretly with Steve Brady in the shadows, and it becomes clear that Brady has betrayed the Border Patrol and is working with the smugglers to frame an innocent man.