Originally Aired: December 21, 1938
The Lone Ranger #921, "Homestead Swindle," Dan and Bess Griffin arrive at their newly purchased section of land in Mason County, expecting the fertile farmland described in promotional materials, only to discover miles of sand, rocks, and a tumbledown shack. Having spent their entire life savings on this worthless desert, Dan realizes he's been swindled by smooth-talking land promoter Paul Ludwig of Brunswick. The couple encounters Tonto, who soon informs the Lone Ranger that the Griffins aren't Ludwig's only victims - Luke Bagley and the Finch family have also been cheated. The masked rider explains that Mason County was once fertile, watered by the Carlos River, and those old accounts still appear in reference books. Ludwig cleverly uses these outdated descriptions to sell land he acquired for nearly nothing, while staying just inside the law by never making direct claims himself.
The Lone Ranger devises a plan, and he and Tonto ride for Ludwig's Brunswick office, four days away. Meanwhile, victim Luke Bagley confronts Ludwig about the worthless land, while the swindler sits smugly behind his desk flanked by two rough-looking associates, Joe and Curly.