"The Young Marauders"

(Original air date 10/06/65)
bvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbv

The Barkleys discover Audra’s beau is part of a gang of extortionists
bvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbvbv
Writer: Peter Packer

Director: Paul Wendkos

While riding out on the range, Audra spots a majestic stallion running wild. Eager to get a closer look at the magnificent animal she rides after him, unaware that a group of horse trainers are working at catching the stallion. The herd is spooked and come stampeding towards Audra. The leader of the gang outstrips the wind to get her out of the path of the trampling hooves.
The blonde is utterly grateful to her handsome saviour and obviously smitten by his good looks.
The young man, Lloyd Garner (Sean Garrison), explains to his teasing partner Turk (Buck Taylor), that his heroic gesture will grant them the reputation of good Samaritans so no one will suspect them of being the gang of extortionists threatening half the farmers in the valley.


Audra rides back to the ranch to tell her family all about her winsome prince. The word ‘stranger’ instantly prompts her brothers to grill her about the young man, which she finds irritating. Victoria requests her to invite him to dinner to have the opportunity to offer her gratitude for saving her daughter’s life. Problem is she doesn’t know his name.
Later that night Lloyd and his gang hit Harry Coleman’s (Kevin Hagen), house with a demand of $2000. Should he fail to honour that request, they will burn down his farm.
Harry goes to the Barkleys for advice. They ask him not to kowtow to those extortionists; that he needs to finally take a stand. They assure him of their willingness to help him fight those varmints.


He returns home to be confronted by Lloyd’s gang. The leader doesn’t take too kindly to Harry having sought the Barkleys’ advice. Angry, Harry pulls at the bandana covering Lloyd’s face, thus leaving him with no other alternative but to gun Coleman down.
Back at the campsite, a raging Lloyd swears vengeance on the Barkleys for goading the farmers into rebelling against them. Because of Coleman’s intransigence they are now branded murderers, which will make it tougher for them to raid the farms knowing half the valley will be hunting them down.


At Harry’s funeral, Victoria tries to reach out to his widow Margaret (Virginia Christine), but she wants nothing more to do with the family that killed her husband.
At the ranch Victoria and her sons elaborate a plan to bring the extortionists out in the open. Jarrod suggests asking of the targeted farmers to act as a decoy so that when the gang goes for the kill, they’ll nab them.


Nick goes to his neighbour Graff (James Gavin) to expose his scheme but the frightened man wants no part of it.
Jarrod and Heath get the same answer from Jamie Drumm (James Patterson).
Lloyd and his gang, including his girlfriend Francie (Julie Payne), go pick up supplies at the general store. Enters Audra who came to purchase goods to bring over to the Coleman place. She recognizes her handsome saviour who, after introducing himself, graciously offers to lend a hand with her load.


At the Colemans’, Audra gets a cold reception by the grieving widow, reminding her never to set foot on her property. Audra can’t blame her for resenting her family for it was their advice that killed her husband.


Next evening, dashing Lloyd shows up at the ranch for his dinner date with Audra’s family. While chatting with his girl he picks up on a conversation between her brothers and Jamie Drumm about their scheme to catch the extortionists.
Still dubious of the stranger, Jarrod begins assailing him with questions regarding his seemingly profitable venture and his numerous whereabouts, but Lloyd manages to answer elusively.
Later on he returns to the campsite to warn his men not to show at the Drumm place tomorrow night for the Barkleys have set up a trap. Turk proposes to hit the Barkley ranch instead given the fact that half of their men will be waiting for them at Jamie Drumm’s, thus leaving the ranch vulnerable.


The next day Lloyd shows up at the ranch with the black stallion that he offers to Audra in exchange for her agreeing to have dinner with him tomorrow night. Nick and Heath break the tender moment with more questions, which irks Audra and drives Lloyd away.


Following a walk in the moonwalk and a passionate kiss, Lloyd rides with Audra back to the ranch to witness the hands scrambling to douse a barn fire. Jarrod explains that the fire was deliberately set by the extortionists who are asking for $2000 or they will be burn down the main house.


Heath shares with Nick his suspicion that Garner may be the leader of the outfit. He finds it odds that the group hit the ranch while they were out at Jamie Drumm’s farm. Who else beside the family had knowledge of their whereabouts tonight? They let Jarrod in on the hunch.


When Lloyd drops by the ranch to pick up Audra he gets the third degree from her brothers. Nick excuses himself on a pretence to walk out of the parlour to speak with Jamie who’s been eavesdropping on the conversation behind the door. He picked up the familiar inflection in Garner’s voice but can’t be absolutely positive.


It’s enough for Nick to march back in and beat the truth out of the jackal, but Audra intervenes on Lloyd’s behalf. Nick agonizes at having to tell his sobbing sister that her beau is a cold-blooded murderer.
She rides over to Lloyd’s campsite to confront him. Despite everything he does have strong feelings for her and for that he urges her to return to the ranch, but Turk has plans to hold the pretty blonde up for ransom.


The ransom note is delivered in the hush of night. While the family calmly thinks up of a plan to get Audra back, Nick raves and rants. His idea is to go on the war path.
They decide to follow instructions. Heath drops off the money at an abandoned cabin and rides back to his brothers and the sheriff (Mort Mills) concealed behind trees. When a man picks up the saddlebag, they follow him to the campsite.


Satisfied with the money, Lloyd keeps his promise to let Audra go but Turk won’t have it. He intends to prevent her from snitching on them. Gunfire ensues, ending with Lloyd and Turk dead.
Days later Heath accompanies Audra in the field where she frees Lloyd’s gift into the wild.



Return to Episode Guide     Return to Homepage