Kidnapped Boy

Originally Aired: May 6, 1938The Lone Ranger #823, "Kidnapped Boy," opens with Black Jack Martin and his gang of outlaws desperately needing money after being driven from their last hideout. Martin hatches a scheme to kidnap seven-year-old Billy Garrett, son of wealthy rancher Steve Garrett, and hold him for ransom. When Sheriff Wilson warns Steve about Black Jack's presence in the area and advises him to watch his son closely, the rancher dismisses the threat, confident that his twenty skilled ranch hands can protect him. However, young Billy has a mind of his own and keeps wandering off despite his father's warnings.The kidnapping unfolds quickly when Billy disobeys orders to stay on the porch. After Tonto, the Lone Ranger's faithful companion, brings the wandering boy back from a store once, Billy slips away again. This time a stranger lures him with candy and disappears with the child out the back door. Steve and Sheriff Wilson discover Billy's cap on the ground along with a ransom note demanding ten thousand dollars. With the outlaws holding all the cards and threatening the boy's life, the situation becomes desperate.