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The Loner Season 1 Episodes
Season 1 Episode Guide
26 Episodes 1965 - 1966
Episode 1
An Echo of Bugles
Sat, Sep 18, 196530 mins
William Colton rides into a town one month after Appomatox. Inside, there is a young man, not much more than a boy, who is talking really tough. An old man fresh out of a prison camp is there as well. The old man, Ab Nichols, fought for the Confederacy, and is offended when the young drunk, Jody Merriman, desecrates the Confederate flag. That's when Colton gets involved. As he fights for this man's honor, he remembers back to the last day of the Civil War and another young man he came face-to-face with.
Episode 2
The Vespers
Sat, Sep 25, 196530 mins
Colton rides into a town where a man he met during the Civil War is now a minister. Reverend Booker was a Confederate captain who once saved Colton's life, carrying him to safety while they fought at Shiloh. The Reverend is married, and his wife is expecting a child within the next couple of weeks. His life seems perfect. But there is a reason Colton rode in to find him. A gunfighter is looking for the Reverend so he can avenge him for a lawful killing the Reverend committed two years before. The reverend refuses to use a gun to protect himself, and this time he's decided not to run, much to his wife's alarm.
Episode 3
The Lonely Calico Queen
Sat, Oct 2, 196530 mins
Colton finds a letter on a dead man that leads him to search for a girl named Angela Wheeler.
Episode 4
The Kingdom of McComb
Sat, Oct 9, 196530 mins
One day William Colton rode into a town where a young Quaker boy was being led into the saloon. It seems he had set one of McComb's barns on fire. Some time earlier, the Townsend's had found some virgin soil outside of town and offered to pay McComb for it. McComb refused, and the Quakers settled the land and began homesteading. McComb demanded they get off their land. He had threatened all sorts of things against them if they didn't. This particular day, he made his threats again. Townsend Sr. went to Colton's hotel room and asked him to kill McComb for them since it was against their religion to perform the act of violence themselves; but they soon came back to their senses. Townsend decided it would be best to leave.
Episode 5
One of the Wounded
Sat, Oct 16, 196530 mins
Colton rides onto a farm one day looking for work. The farm belongs to Colonel and Mrs. John Phelps. The woman is bitter. It seems she is confused about a causality of war, and she shows Colton the object of her confusion - her husband. The Colonel was returned to her after the war in a dazed state. All he could do was sit in a chair. He stared. She had to do everything for him. She didn't understand where his wound was or why he wasn't getting any better. Seeing the Colonel made up Colton's mind. He had a job to do there, and he would stay and do it. Then one day in town, Charlie Gibbons started talking dirty about Colton and Mrs. Phelps. Colton punched Gibbons, and Doc assured him that Gibbons would come after him.
Episode 6
The Flight of the Arctic Tern
Sat, Oct 23, 196530 mins
While traveling to the Arctic Tern Ranch to attend a childhood friend's wedding, William Colton rescues what he believes to be a woman on a runaway horse. The fact was that Terna didn't need rescuing at all. Then when he meets his friend, Rob, he realizes it was his fiancée he was rescuing. He soon finds out that Terna is one spit fire woman, and Rob wasn't the first man she had set her eyes upon marrying. She seems to enjoy throwing herself at men, and Rob seems to try and drink his problems away.
Episode 7
Widow on the Evening Stage
Sat, Oct 30, 196530 mins
A renegade Apachie war party attacked a wagon train and killed all twenty members. One of the members was a man named Joe Sullivan. He was moving West to meet up with his parents, and his wife and daughter were coming on the stage. The parents were sad to hear of their son's murder. Harry asked Colton to go with him to meet the stage and tell the widow. But a surprise was waiting for them there. It turns out that Joe Sullivan had married an Indian, and Harry wanted nothing to do with him. He spat out that Joe was dead, and ordered her to leave at once. Colton put Sue up in his hotel room until he could send her away the following day. But something else happened that evening. An Apache Indian boy was captured. The men planned to torture him before killing him. Colton decided that he had to try and get Sue out of there, because she could be next. But was it already too late?
Episode 8
The House Rules at Mrs. Wayne's
Sat, Nov 6, 196530 mins
Colton goes to visit an old friend from West Point, but discovers that Abner Wayne had died, leaving his wife and a son behind. The boy immediately takes to him, excited that Colton was in the war and went to West Point with his father. Colton learns that Mrs. Wayne has gone against guns and the war, and strictly prohibits him to talk about these things to her young son. Colton agrees to respect her wishes, but believes it's a mistake. Then when he goes into town, he runs into the hot-shot rancher who killed Abner out of lust for wife. Trouble is brewing, especially when Gibson learns Colton is now staying at the Wayne house as her guest.
Episode 9
The Sheriff of Fetterman's Crossing
Sat, Nov 13, 196530 mins
Colton becomes a deputy to a bungling sheriff.
Episode 10
The Homecoming of Lemuel Stove
Sat, Nov 20, 196530 mins
While traveling, William Colton meets an ex-Union soldier who fought in the war for three years. Before that, he had been a slave. His father had traveled out west to find a better life for them and Lamuel Stove was joining him. But when they arrived in the town, Lamuel made a horrifying discovery: his father had been lynched the night before. Lamuel was filled with grief and mourned deeply for his father. He was told that about ten men came to his father's house, dragged him to town, abused him, then lynched him. They planned on leaving his body hanging in the tree until the following day. Lamuel, filled with grief, now had to decide what he would do about it.
Episode 11
Westward the Shoemaker
Sat, Nov 27, 196530 mins
William Colton stops to rest at a water hole twelve miles from Fort Kearney, Nebraska Territory. to take a rest. He meets a foreign man who had immigrated to the United States from Latvia just a year before. This man's name is Hyman Rabinovitch, a shoemaker. After Colton gives him a ride into town, Hyman tells him that he's looking to buy a shop. He had a ring from his great-great grandfather. In New York, a man said, "Go West." Then he bought Hyman's ring for $400.00. Colton is happy for him. It looks like Hyman has found a home. Before Colton leaves him, Hyman declares, "You know something? I LOVE America!" But soon he learns about another side of America. A tin horn poker player is in town. His name is Charlie Parker and he informs Hyman that the shoemaker's shop would cost him $800. It's a trick, of course, and Hyman falls for it. He puts all his life's savings in the pot.
Episode 12
The Oath
Sat, Dec 4, 196530 mins
William Colton rides into an inn one dark, rainy night. As soon as he goes inside, he realizes something is wrong. Maria announces that she and her father no longer run the place, the man behind him does. But Billy Ford doesn't run the inn for long. He collapses with a terrible pain in his side. Colton thinks his illness is serious, and when he finds out a doctor is upstairs he goes to speak to the doctor. The doctor turns out to be a bitter surgeon who lost his hand when his horse spooked, causing a wagon accident and his hand to be severed by the wheel of a train. Colton delivers a fiery speech and begs the doctor to come look, though the doctor had already given his diagnosis: Appendicitis. Then Colton comes up with an idea: He'll do the surgery if the doctor will tell him what to do. Did he pull it off?
Episode 13
Hunt the Man Down
Sat, Dec 11, 196530 mins
Colton was camping outside a railroad town one day. That morning, a strange man showed up in his town and held a gun on him. He disappeared just as quietly as he had appeared. Later, Colton met up with a sheriff's posse who said they were looking for a man named Siedry. When Colton announced he was on his way to town to look for work, the sheriff told him he had a job: $5 a day to look for Siedry. Colton made it clear that he didn't ride on a posse where men planned on killing the wanted man. The sheriff said he wanted the man brought in alive, but Colton wondered if that's what Shaftoe wanted. That evening, he began to understand that Shaftoe may indeed have reasons to kill his childhood friend.
Episode 14
Escort for a Dead Man
Sat, Dec 18, 196530 mins
After receiving a desperate letter for help from a man who called himself W. Hardy, William Colton rides into a town that is practically abandoned. The only men he saw were three men who looked to be wanting to kill any outsiders who came in. The only woman was a hotel clerk who assured him they had plenty of empty rooms. Soon, Colton learned that the man who wrote the letter was one of his old privates named Andrew Drake. Drake had been a coward and placed some of his articles on a dead man. Colton believed the dead man to be Drake. Drake explained that he was ready to turn himself in at Saint Thomas, where his father, a Sergeant, was now stationed. But it seems three men were after him, and getting him out of town would be difficult.
Episode 15
The Ordeal of Bud Windom
Sat, Dec 25, 196530 mins
While transporting a wanted man to Twin Rivers, a young man holds William Colton up. It turns out the young man is the wanted man's son. Colton is transporting Barney Windom back to be tried for murder, and his son, Bud, swears he is innocent. Colton takes the gun away from Bud, and Bud insists that he is going with Colton and his father to Twin Rivers. After arriving, Colton offers to feed Bud and put him up in a hotel, but Bud refuses. He doesn't want any favors with the "blood money." He then causes trouble, all the time believing his father is innocent of any wrong-doing.
Episode 16
To the West of Eden
Sat, Jan 1, 196630 mins
William Colton was on his way to deliver a couple mares to market when a woman approached him. She told him she needed to get to Saint's Landing. To get there, Colton had to go across the desert for two days. He didn't want to take her because it would be too dangerous, but she insisted, begged, and pleaded. He finally gave in, and discovered that she was also taking something else with her - a small elm tree. While traveling across the desert, the two came upon two men who were obviously interested in his two mares. They kindly offered to take the horses to market for Colton and bring him back the money. Colton told them no thanks, and they rode away. But Colton had a suspicion he hadn't seen the last of them.
Episode 17
Mantrap
Sat, Jan 8, 196630 mins
A wounded Colton finds a safe harbor with a lonely prairie woman while on the lam from an outlaw gang determined to kill him for witnessing their stagecoach robbery and murder.
Episode 18
A Little Stroll to the End of the Line
Sat, Jan 15, 196630 mins
William Colton is deputized as a United States Federal Marshal after they receive a letter from Preacher Whatley for protection. A man by the name of Matthew Reynolds had just been released from prison, and the Reverend is afraid he is on his way to kill him. But after talking to the Reverend in person, Colton learns the real reason for the letter: Reverend Whatley wants to hire him to kill Reynolds, and he's willing to pay a thousand dollars for the job. Of course Colton turns down the generous offer so the Reverend orders one of his men to do the job. Colton sets out to do his sworn duty to protect any and all who need protection, and he learns the truth about Reynolds.
Episode 19
The Trial in Paradise
Sat, Jan 22, 196630 mins
William Colton traveled to the abandoned town of Paradise after a bartender told him a man with a missing leg and two friends were on their way to kill Major Dichter. He ordered an attack on April 6, 1862 that killed or injured over 100 men. These three men believe he knew the attack was impossible, and were furthermore upset that he received medals and pensions because of it. They planned to hang him. Colton protested, stating they should hold a trial for this man. They agreed to let Colton be the defense.
Episode 20
A Question of Guilt
Sat, Jan 29, 196630 mins
While sleeping in his camp one night, Colton woke up to hear a man calling him "Pete." Colton called out, asking who he was. The man shot at him, and Colton had no choice but to shoot back. Unfortunately, Colton killed the soldier. He took the soldier's body into the town where the 23rd U.S. Calvary was temporarily posted. Major Crane began hinting at accusations. Colton promised the Major he would get to the bottom of things, and he refused to give up even after the town kicked him out. What secrets would he discover?
Episode 21
The Mourners for Johnny Sharp: Part I
Sat, Feb 5, 196630 mins
In an abandoned salt mine, Colton engages a dying young guitar-playing gunfighter in a final conversation while lurking outside a ruthless crook plots to get his hands on the dying man's loot.
Episode 22
The Mourners for Johnny Sharp: Part II
Sat, Feb 12, 196630 mins
Colton follows instructions left by the late Johnny Sharp to have the four people closest to the deceased gunman meet at the undertaker's parlor.
Episode 23
Incident in the Middle of Nowhere
Sat, Feb 19, 196630 mins
Colton is shot and left for dead in a stagecoach robbery, then finds a little girl riding his horse.
Episode 24
Pick Me Another Time to Die
Sat, Feb 26, 196630 mins
While camping outside a town one evening, Sheriff Walter Cantrell ordered Colton to get on his horse and ride out. Afterwards, the Sheriff went to arrest Rule Vernon, but was shot and killed. Colton, after being found over the body, was arrested for murder and jailed by the new "sheriff," Chris Meegan. Chris questioned him on who he saw riding away from the Vernon farm, but he declared he would tell what he knew at the trial. Chris Meegan proceeded to do everything he could to keep that from happening.
Episode 25
The Burden of the Badge
Sat, Mar 5, 196630 mins
A band of reformed outlaws enlist Colton to help them fight a cattle baron.
Episode 26
To Hang a Dead Man
Sat, Mar 12, 196630 mins
Colton helps a sheriff hunt down the bandits who burned a town down.