Western Hero #83

When Hopalong Cassidy's good friend Joe Flint is arrested for the murder and robbery of a gambler named Hub Dair, Hopalong knows something is wrong—a letter Joe had given Dair with directions to the ranch was found at the crime scene, but that's hardly proof of guilt. Determined to prove Joe innocent and catch the real killers, Hopalong sets a clever trap of his own, using himself as bait with fake money to draw out the actual murderers. As the real culprits close in, Hopalong's plan puts him in deadly danger—can he survive long enough to expose them and free his wrongly accused friend?

When the Weeper—a vicious killer awaiting execution—escapes jail with a cunning trick, Monte Hale discovers the outlaw is orchestrating a bizarre crime spree designed to make innocent people cry, all while building toward something far more sinister. Tracking the pattern of theft and heartbreak across Mesa City, Monte uncovers a blackmail scheme that reaches all the way to the army fort, where the Weeper has forced a desperate officer into an impossible choice.

A stubborn young troublemaker vows to run away from home after being scolded for getting too close to the horses—and swears he'll stay gone so long he'll return older than his guardian. This lighthearted frontier tale plays out the classic clash between youthful mischief and parental exasperation in the Old West setting of "A Long, Long Time."

When Cactus Brain presents his sweetheart Annabelle with an engagement gift, he's determined to prove his feelings are genuine—even if his budget isn't quite as luxurious as his heart desires. This frontier romance gets a humorous twist when the truth about his costly "imitation" comes to light in this one-page Western Hero tale from 1949.

When ten braves from Chief Blue Moon's tribe vanish without a trace, Tom Mix and Sheriff Mike Shaw launch a search to find them—but a scheming prospector named Bart Legree has already spirited them away to his copper mine under false pretenses. Legree convinces the captive braves that the government intends to jail all Native Americans, and promises them safety if they work his mine in exchange. Tom's investigation leads him and a railroad surveyor straight into danger when Legree manipulates the trapped braves into attacking them at night, setting off a desperate fight for survival.