Merwin hires Barton to fight Welsh, but when Barton arrives in town, Welsh mistakes him for the hired killer Single-Shot Smith. Figuring he can help Merwin by being part of Welsh's gang he hires on as Single-Shot. But soon the real Single-Shot appears.—Maurice VanAuken <[email protected]>

Texas rancher Newt Merwin and his daughter Ann visit a Chicago night club where Tim Barton, with his stooge assistant Paddy Callahan, performs a sharp-shooting act. Their taxicab driver tips off a crook that Merwin is carrying $20,000, but Tim shoots the gun out of the robber's hand. Merwin tells Tim that Nate Welsh and his gang have created a reign of terror among the ranchers in Hammond, Texas, and Tim takes the job to look after Merwin's interests. On the train trip west, a gunman named Single-Shot Smith escapes from a Texas Ranger. Arriving in Hammond, Tim is mistaken for Smith by Welsh, who has sent for Smith to head up his gang or gunmen, each one of whom is wanted for various crimes. Tim carries out the deception knowing he can be of more use to Merwin working against the gang from inside, but Merwin and Ann think he has betrayed them. When Smith does show up, Tim brands him an impostor, takes his gun away and shoots all the buttons off his shirt. Smith gets a job with Merwin, whose main concern is that he can not raise the money to meet a mortgage Welsh has on his ranch. Welsh forecloses on the mortgage and the ranch is put up at Auction, with Welsh intending to acquire it with a low bid. Tim shows up and also bids. With the bid up to $26,000, Welsh demands that the auctioneer make Tim either put up the money or a certified check. Tim asks Sheriff Thompson and the Ranger, whom he has been secretly working with, to gather up Welsh's men, and covers the crowd with his gun. As each of the henchmen steps up as his name is called, the amount of reward offered on them is called out and checked off by the auctioneer. The bid sum is soon raised, the Merwins get back their ranch and Tim looks forward to a happy future with Ann.—Les Adams <[email protected]>