Rider from Tucson

In the dusty stretches of the Old West, Dave Saunders and his quick-witted partner Chito Rafferty roll into town to visit their friend Tug Bailey, a man whose gold claim promises a bright future but also draws danger. Tug is about to marry the steady, hopeful Jane Whipple, and the trio’s calm plans threaten to unravel as the looming threat of claim jumpers shadows their happiness. Tug’s patience wears thin because his life feels at risk, and the weight of that danger colors everything around him.

Behind the shadows stand Gypsy Avery and her husband John Avery, who want Tug’s gold for themselves. Gypsy engineers a kidnapping, hiring Bob Rankin to snatch Jane as her stagecoach enters town, insisting the act is merely a joke and Jane is one of Gypsy’s new showgirls. But Rankin soon learns the capture is real leverage, and he demands half the claim or he will deal with Tug directly, setting off a chain of risky moves that draw Dave and Chito into a dangerous rescue mission.

When Tug learns Jane has been kidnapped, Dave and Chito persuade him to let them pursue Jane rather than surrender his claim. The two friends track down Jane and smash the kidnapper’s hideout after a tense skirmish, rescuing her and bringing her to safety at Mrs. O’Reilly’s boarding house, where the kindly Mrs. O’Reilly offers shelter. Jane, though she senses Tug’s reluctance to marry, does not yet know all the reasons behind it, and the mystery of Tug’s hesitation threads through the coming confrontation.

Rankin returns to Tug’s ranch offering a grim bargain: he’ll split the claim if Jane is freed and returned. Just then, Gypsy arrives and violence erupts as she kills Rankin and knocks Tug unconscious, dragging him away. One of the henchmen, Henchman Jackson, is left to dispose of Rankin’s body, but Dave and Chito spot Jackson riding off and give chase. They can’t catch him, and they return to Tug’s place to discover Rankin’s body already discovered by the sheriff.

The Sheriff and his deputies move quickly, arresting Dave and Chito for Rankin’s murder, but the pair manages to overpower their guards on the ride to jail and makes a dramatic escape. In town, they uncover that Jackson possesses information that points to one of the Averys as Rankin’s killer, and a visit to the boarding house confirms Jackson’s confession; Mrs. O’Reilly identifies Jackson, sealing the trail of the crime.

Jane, now faced with the truth behind Tug’s reluctance to marry, is told that a miner named Hardrock Jones holds the key to Tug’s hidden mine. Tug agrees to show Gypsy the mine only if Jane is released, and Dave and Chito accompany Hardrock as he guides them to the location. Near the mine, Tug balks at going all the way unless Jane is freed, prompting a tense showdown that erupts into a gunfight.

Chito and Hardrock ride away, while Gypsy and her crew believe the danger has passed. Yet Dave remains undeterred and mounts a bold, decisive strike by leaping onto John Avery in a dramatic ambush. The sheriff and his posse arrive to finish the job, subduing the Avery gang once and for all. With the threats quashed, Tug and Jane marry, and at the wedding reception, [Dave Saunders] and [Chito Rafferty] quietly wish the newlyweds luck before riding off into the horizon, their partnership intact and the promise of a peaceful life ahead.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 11:28