Ghost Town Riders (1938)

The second of three Universal versions of this plot following 1932's "The Fourth Horseman" with Tom Mix and followed by 1950's "Gold Strike", a musical-short version with Tex Williams. Majestic Pictures "borrowed" the story for 1933's "Trouble Busters" with Jack Hoxie, and Colony Pictures did the same for 1939's "Death Rides the Range" with Ken Maynard. This time out, Bob Martin and his pal, Tom "Cherokee" Walton, moving across the back country with a herd of horses find an abandoned mail stage and the bullet-ridden bodies of the guards. Continuing into the deserted mining town of Stillwell, Bob finds the place occupied by Gomer and his henchmen, Tex, Slim, Fred, Bill and Jose. The remaining resident, Judge Stillwell, is apparently a lunatic who shuffles around town talking to citizens that aren't there and about events and celebrations in a town that has none. Gomer had his henchmen rob the stage to steal a tax notice intended for Easterner Molly Taylor, the legal owner of the town. Gomer intends to buy the town at a tax foreclosure, and then start a fake gold boom. Judge Stillwell's lunacy act is to prevent Gomer from discovering that an actual gold mine lies beneath the town. Bob's suspicions are aroused when Gomer's men stampede his herd he has resting in the town corral to get him out of town. Then Molly Taylor arrives claiming to own the town despite Gomer's boast to Bob that he is the owner. Bob discovers the stolen mail pouch, Judge Stillwell reveals that he is really sane and that there is a gold mine under the town, and Bob decides to thwart Gomer's conspiracy. Evading Gomer's men, Bob races off to pay the taxes for Molly. Returning with the receipt, he finds Gomer and his men barricaded in possession of the town and determined to shoot things out.