Adventure Comics#60(1941)

At the hideout of gangster Ratty Malone, he and two gang members are reading an article about the Minute Men of America, and they decide to confront them. Some time later, a young boy steals a fruit from a shop, and is stopped by Puggsy, one of the gang members. Puggsy offers him a job, and orders him to bring other boys to Boyle's Warehouse in twenty minutes. Puggsy instructs the assembled young boys to cause all the trouble they can, framing the Minute Men for it, while he and his gang would protect them. So for a while, the boys cause destruction, throwing rocks, knocking stuff over, and so forth. In response to this, the real Minute Men seek out a policeman named Jimmy, who claims that too many complaints have been filed against the boys. Suddenly the Hourman arrives and attempts to clear the boys' names. Jimmy insists that the Hourman would be arrested if the chief saw him there. Shortly after, Hourman addresses the Minute Men and pointed out that somebody was trying to frame them, and that they had to find out who was behind it. Before long, Jimmy has a meeting with the Police Commissioner, Hourman shows up there also, still trying to explain the Minute Mens' case. The commissioner orders his men to arrest the vigilante. Hourman just jumps out the window, survives the fall, and gets away. Some of the real Minute Men spot the impersonators nearby, and call in Hourman. When confronted, the impersonators squeal on Ratty Malone. Puggsy is observing all this, and he phones Ratty to clue him in. Hourman soon invades the gang's hideout, only to get knocked unconscious with a pool ball to the head, and tied up, and left unwatched, long enough to work out an escape. Calling the Minute Men into action, Hourman rushes out and finda the criminals loading cargo onto a boat. He attacks again, defeating them, and hanging Malone from a hook. When the police arrive, Hourman lowers Malone into their grasp. After the adult gang is taken into custody, the Minute Men offer to make their impersonators real Minute Men, to which they and the Hourman both approve. The commissioner thanks Hourman for what he had done and asked who he really was, but the vigilante quickly storms off.