Lash LaRue Western #12

Lash LaRue arrives in Bighorn the day after a suspicious election, where the town is eerily quiet and the new mayor, Red Mathers, immediately imposes a harsh tax. After uncovering evidence that the election ballots were destroyed in a fiery wagon sabotage, Lash suspects foul play and sets a trap to expose the truth.

Molasses Mouth takes a strangely confident approach to the rain, insisting his prior consumption of salted mackerel will keep him dry, much to the confusion of onlookers. The story follows his slow, deliberate pace through the downpour, turning a simple weather event into a moment of absurd, self-assured humor.

In a humorous Western tale, a man named Wagon Wheels proudly boasts about catching trout while fishing, unaware he’s breaking the law during the closed season. When the Game Warden confronts him, Wagon Wheels tries to justify his actions by claiming he was only fishing for suckers, but the Warden isn’t fooled — and threatens a hefty fine.

Lash LaRue, the roving marshal, investigates a string of seemingly accidental deaths among Bedino County cattlemen, all of whom owned ranches along the Alcode River. When an old man is nearly swept to his death in a boat, Lash uncovers a hidden connection between the victims and a sinister plot orchestrated by Jeff Wesley, who is trying to seize control of the riverfront land. As tensions rise, Lash must confront the killer before more lives are lost.

In the dusty heat of the frontier, Lash LaRue arrives to guard Forge’s warehouse full of grain, unaware that the outlaw Rinty and his gang are planning to steal it. While Squinty, newly fitted with glasses, is assigned to watch over the grain, his poor eyesight becomes an unexpected advantage when he stumbles upon the thieves’ plot—just as Lash, tied up and drugged, regains consciousness. With the warehouse under siege and Rinty closing in, Squinty’s newly clear vision and quick thinking turn the tide in a tense showdown.

Rockhead Robert is tricked by a clever rascal who claims to know the mysterious "song of the old wooden chair," leading to a humorous misunderstanding. The story unfolds as a lighthearted quiz with playful riddles and jokes, featuring Rockhead Robert and a mysterious figure known only as Hyar.

Cactus Brain stumbles upon a seemingly ordinary branch, convinced it’s a secret treasure, only to get increasingly frustrated when it doesn’t meet his expectations as a walking stick. His antics take a sudden turn when he accidentally stumbles into a bank robbery, leading to a chaotic chase where he’s mistaken for a hero—much to his surprise.

Dusty finds himself unexpectedly responsible for saving his boss’s party after a hundred guests show up—far more than the ten the boss had planned for. When the food runs short, Dusty uses a series of clever (if mathematically absurd) divisions to turn the meager rations into enough hamburgers for everyone, much to the shock of those around him.

In the Redwood Hills, Marshal Lash LaRue intervenes when wagon driver Fred Benton’s team bolts and his wagon hurtles toward disaster, discovering the shaft was deliberately weakened. As Benton races to complete his annual salt haul to keep his franchise, Lash suspects sabotage—and soon uncovers a trail of clues, including a leather scraper left at a rigged bridge, hinting at a deeper motive behind the attacks.