Originally Aired: March 13, 1939
The Lone Ranger #956, "Curiosity Traps The Killer," begins when two young prospectors, Jim Graves and Bob, burst excitedly into an Aurora cafe displaying what they believe is gold ore. The Lone Ranger, present in disguise, observes as a man called Lucky and his partner Hard Rock examine the specimen and dismiss it as worthless fool's gold—iron pyrites. Convinced they've been fooled, the dejected young men reveal the location where they found the ore near Turtle Creek, and Lucky helpfully steers them toward a different prospecting area. The disappointed greenhorns seem ready to give up on their find.
Outside the cafe, the disguised Lone Ranger stops Jim and Bob and performs a jackknife assay on their specimen, revealing it isn't fool's gold at all but valuable silver ore. He explains that Lucky deliberately deceived them, using a ring scratch test to identify the true value while pretending it was worthless. The masked rider realizes Lucky tricked the location out of the young men and will race to find the silver vein himself. He urges Jim and Bob to return to Turtle Creek immediately to stake their rightful claim before the dishonest Lucky can steal their discovery.