Black Rider #24 (1954)

When a gang of outlaws manage to rob the Leadville bank, Sheriff Kirby refuses to lift a finger to do anything. This earns the ire of the townspeople who call him a coward and begin throwing rocks at him. One rock strikes the sheriff in the head knocking him out. Dr. Matthew Masters gets in the middle of things and calls off the angry people before taking the sheriff to his practice to treat his head injury. As Masters treats the wounded sheriff one of the gang members bursts in demanding to know if Kirby will pull through. When Matthew convinces him that the injury is only minor the masked man flees the scene. When the sheriff wakes up, the doctor demands answers but Kirby won't talk, telling him that he can't as the situation involves his son before blacking out again. Realizing that there is a connection, Masters slips away to change into the Black Rider. He then goes to the local newspaper office where he gets the publisher to print a front page story that claims that the sheriff will tell all and that he will use his authority to bring them to justice. Word gets to Caitlin and his gang who decide to silence the sheriff. One of their number is the sheriff's son who tries to convince them to leave the sheriff alone. Caitlin has other ideas and knocks the boy out and the gang heads off to Leadville to silence the sheriff. When the boy recovers he rushes after them in the hopes of saving his father and crosses paths with the Black Rider who ropes the boy up. The Kirby boy explains that he joined up with the gang out of rebellion against his father but realizes the mistake he has made. The Black Rider then agrees to let the boy join him in defending his father. Rushing back into town, the Black Rider and the Kirby boy fight back to back gunning down Caitlin and his minions until they are all dead. In the aftermath of the battle, the Kirby's are reunited, and the boy promises to go straight from then on.