Stampede

At John Milford's ranch in Salt Springs, Montana, Milford is pressured by local hotel owner Henry Brooks to repay the money Brooks loaned him. Milford is desperate to raise the money by selling his horses, but none of the expected buyers have made it to the ranch, and Ed, the sheriff, informs Milford that one of the buyers was found dead on the trail leading to the ranch. Brooks is actually an ex-convict who is being blackmailed by rancher Matt Stevens into pressuring Milford. Stevens has Milford's own men, including foreman Bill Gans, and hands Whitey, Hodge and Kyle, employed as guards to keep the buyers away. Stevens is trying to force Milford to sell the ranch and his plan appears to be working until the arrival of Larry Carson, whose brother intends to buy Milford's stock. After Larry's brother leaves for the ranch, Larry asks Brooks for directions so that he can join him. Brooks alerts Stevens that there will be another buyer on the way, and while Gans and Kyle attack and kill Larry's brother, Larry fends off Whitey and Hodge. Larry takes the wounded Whitey to jail, where Gans and Kyle accuse Milford of murdering Larry's brother. The grief-stricken Larry then rushes to the ranch. He is about to exact his revenge on Milford, when Milford's daughter Dale, whom Larry met during the gun battle on the trail, reveals how desperately they needed help from the Carsons. Even though Larry now believes Milford, he still arrests the rancher and holds him for trial. Larry now suspects that someone is using Brooks as a front and intimates to the nervous hotel owner that the law will look favorably on whomever helps crack the case. Brooks leaves Larry an anonymous note saying that Stevens and Gans plan to dynamite Milford's herd as they pass through a narrow canyon on the way to market. Larry rushes to the canyon, and although he is able to prevent the slaughter of the horses, Stevens sets off the dynamite in an attempt to kill him, even though Gans is also caught in the explosion. Larry is uninjured and takes the dying Gans to Milford's ranch, where Gans confesses that he murdered Larry's brother. Gans reveals that there is proof of Stevens' treachery in his safe, and so Larry devises a plan to obtain the papers. Realizing that if a posse rushes in, Stevens will be alerted and can destroy the papers, Larry sends Dale into Stevens' house while he lurks outside. Dale intentionally lets herself be captured by Stevens and his men and tricks Stevens into opening the safe. Larry then surprises the gang, takes possession of the papers and captures Stevens when he attempts to escape. With the gang locked up, Larry prepares to drive Milford's horses to market, and informs his soon-to-be father-in-law that the journey will also serve as his and Dale's honeymoon.