od Camer \ 7* IT J .— ^ ROD CAMERON WESTERN ROD CAMERON WESTERN ROD CAMERON WESTERN ( UNO HE'S TOUR PflHTNER, BEHIND THE ^i jt4j?| K>Z Y /;->>)] \§> ^nit I\\SI 't/!W ^v\ vy m ##Ai 1 OUTLAW' ■ ^ THE BRAND FOR LIFE. 1 OKE/MfleCS POINTING 1 NAME C cameron, anp k«0' sense op .justice,.: -EARED, I I INK YOU'LL ACCEPT THE: JOtf A<5 AAINE" FORE- MAN AND WASON £ HAVE CAREY INTRODUCE -. " ■' THE MEN.' ROD CAMERON WESTERN . ROD CAMERON WESTERN ROD CAMERON WESTERN ROD CAMERON WESTERN ROD CAMERON WESTER ROD CAMERON WESTERN ROD CAMERON WESTERN ROD CAMERUN WESTER ROD CAMERON WESTERN Now You Can Get ROD CAMERON (Please printyourn WESTERN Every Other Month, By Mail imc clearly iri pencil) FAWCETT PUBLICATIONS INC. SUBSCRIPTION DEPARTMENT GREENWICH. CONN. YES. send me ROD CAMERON WESTERN every orher month. I am enclosing J in full payment. Address . City :ription Rare; tor U. S. and Posstri and Pan America (CHECK ONE) i □ 12 Issues for $1.20 □ 24 Issues for $2.25 □ 36 Issues for $3.00 y, no subMviptiwij lent lo Cans foreign countrin, add 50 eenni | CIFT SUBSCRIPTIONS FOR YOUR FRIENDS FAWCETT PUBLICATIONS INC. SUBSCRIPTION DEPARTMENT GREENWICH, CONN. City.. . □ 12iss Zone *>»»■ □ 24 issues D 36 Issues City' □ 12iss Zone State □ 24 issues □ 36 Issue* My gifr ( ard shoutd read _ for the above order*. ROD CAMERON WESTERN m it^gS SET»WALT DISNEY CHARACTER ■.•■■'i~rvirvarKi!fc right on •ii: ::.(*iwai®.^-~ ROD CAMERON WESTERN ROD CAMERON WESTERN ROD CAMERON WESTERN ROD CAMERON WESTERN ROD CAMERON WESTERN ROD CAMERON WESTERN ^PURPLE PISTO By R. R. Sytnti «EORGR HEDD did not ridt with the big posse that was searching the badlands below Arrowhead Peak for the Purple Pistol bandits. He had volunteered hii services and had been turned down cold. The. sheriff, depu- tizing and handing out atari, to all other men. young and old, able or lame, had flatly refused to pin ■ star on George Hedd'a checkered shirt. The lawman had said, "Sleepy, there's no sense in wasting a badge on you. You're too slow to catch a cold." George Hedd had a slow drawl, deliberate movements, and eyes that appeared to be only half open. It was only natural that they hung the nickname, "Sleepy," on him. Hedd took the sheriff's slur calmly and without protest. Behind those sleepy eyes was a thoughtful brain. A brain that studied and analyzed men, their ways and their worth. Sleepy had great respect for the sheriff, a wiry, vigorous, active, honest man. Sleepy instinctively knew that such a man would have little use for one who appeared to be lazy. These thoughts occupied Sleepy's mind as he rode alone along the nar- row uptrail, with sheer granite walls rising at his left and a vast open space at his right. Sleepy held the reins loosely, letting his grey stallion do the climbing and choose the foot- ing. Suddenly, the saddle seemed to drop from under Sleepy. His horse had footed a treacher- ous bed of shale, loosened by spring rains. By reflex. Sleepy kicked his feet free of the stirrups, just as man and beast were plunging off the trail into nothingness. A high-pitched whinnee — a cry of sheer terror— came from the hone as it fell, sprawling and kicking. Characteristically, Sleepy made no outcry. Even in the face of death he was not using his breath needlessly. He had been separated from the horse in the first instant of falling, He grabbed at a scrub tree, growing out of the side of the sheer cliff and clung to it with burning hands as the screaming horse fell crashing, smash- ing to the jagged rocks far below. The scrub creaked and threatened to tear asunder under Hedd's weight. The man saw what appeared to be a narrow, bushy ledge, below him and a few feet beyond him. If he could make that ledge , . . but betwean him and that possible place of safety, the cliff wall offered no foot- ing, no handhold. "If I can swing over there ... if I can land on that ledge," thought Sltepy, "It's a long shot, but my only chance." Carefully he dug hi* boots against the gran- ite wall, walking them away from the little ledge, getting ready for a pendulum swing that would bring him to safety ... or dtath. The scrub tree creaked and groaned and threatened to break loose at any time. When he had worked his body out at the farthest possible angle that the slight push of his boots against the wall would give him, he kicked free and swung. He let go the scrub and flew through the air. His body crashed ng the bushes on the ledge fell i ,-ard, ■ hole Sleepy hea the c ■ of s iff. of them profane. But he * conscious state he pretended to be. Wher slightly parted eyea became accustomed tc dim light,, he saw the men hovering over he saw the guns they held on him— pu Purpl, of the men was growling, "Drill him, I He's from that posse. He's found our hide-out. "Shut up!" responded Purple. "Walt till he cornea to. We've got to find out if any- body's with him. That will be time enough to i put a bead of lead through his heart." Hearing this, Sleepy Hedd decided not to "come to" for a long, long time. Unconscious- ness seemed to be his only life insurance at the moment. He kept his eyelids closed and listened and learned. He had literally fallen into the secret hide- out of the notorious Purple Pistol outfit (ao- called, because they used a certain dye to give their blued steel revolvers a purplish glow). Jutting rocks hid the cave mouth from the eyes of anyone on the trail alyve, and like- wise, kept secret a narrow path leading'down to the gorge. It explained how tha Purple ROD CAMERON WESTERN Pistol Bandits had been able to make periodic raids on banks, stage coachtc. mill train* and ranches without ever being caught. Sleepy listened. One of the outlaw* said. "Aw, there's nobody with him. He fell in here. Let'* plug him and shove hi* carcass into the gorge.'' "Hold your horses !" ordered the on* called Purple, the leader of the outfit. "I recognise him now. This ll the fellow called 'Sleepy.' Laiiest man on earth. The sheriff would never make him ■ deputy. Search him. See if he'i got a star- Somebody pawed around Sleepy's shirt and found no badge. A faspin came from the lips of Purnle, He i got a real good idea. This hombi deputy. Nobody will even miss hin of killing him right off, we'll keep h ■a our slavtl He'll work For us ti tired of his company — then we'll do Hedd shuddered involuntarily. A later he felt the jarring kick of a hcav and heard the. rasping words. "Get u lazy varmint. We'll give you a choice, for us or die!" Sleepy rolled to avoid any further kick* snd protended to be jui t waking up. "I'll work," h. i drawled. The t* ;ping laug; i echot id through thi cave an Purple declared. "Boys an you know. Pur- pie can lo anyihii i|. Bu t this will b e my greatest t riumph ol all. Getting work out of the taziei it man in the w ■arid." The c thera didn't joi i in his lai ighter. but they kept their grumbling low pitched. None dared cross this outlaw leader. Purple first ordered Sleepy to bring a cord of firewood up to the cave from the gorge i below. This would be a hard job and a iiumlli- ating one for, as Purple knew, and as Sleepy figured, firewood wee something they didn't need and would never use. Sleepy could *e* that no fire had ever burned in or near the cave. The outlaws would not risk a spiral of smoke giving away their hide-out. Now, it was not true that Sleepy Hedd waa a lazy man. He just hated useless work. He was akin to the invemors who have perfected time-saving and work-saving machine*. The thought of climbing and trudging up from tHt gorge with firewood that would never be burnad. angered him to lite care. His mind itt to work at once on a way to make the job •aiier. He made what wu, for him. a long epeech. "Mr. Purple, I know you've got me here juit for a plaything and when you get tired of me. you'll gun me down. Well, that's not fret- ting me too much— everybody's got to die sooner or later. But 1 sure hale to carry all that wood up here. I can make you a lift that .will bring the wood up witbout the use of manpower. And after I'm dead and gone, you can still use it. For instance, if you boys stole a safe and wanted to get it up here to your hide-out, you could just put it on the lift t" Purple wal Interested. A couple of hi* men growled. "Look out for trick*." But Purple laid, "Let'* hear about it. Sleepy." "I need a rope to demonstrate," said Sleepy. They gave him a rope. Purple assured his men it was perfectly safe, because, after all, they had their purple pistol* trained on Sleepy Hedd. Sleepy took the rope and, in his easy going manner, fastened a chunk of wood to the end of it. H* held the rope idly in hand, dangling the wood, as he talked at if giving a lecture. "You take a long rope. Run it through a pulley up here. One end down below hold* the lafoi The other end, down below, 1* it. tached to the horse. Vou whip the hone. He moves away. That brings the *afe right up here to the cave." Purple and the men were impressed. They were discussing the idea with each other as Sleepy said, "Here's how you whip the horse!" He lashed the rope around with it* heavy wood chunk and sent the outlaws sprawling, with their purple pistols clattering to the cave floor. Sleepy then gathered the gun* and held them prisoner until the potse arrived. IT WAS only a few houra later when the M sheriff was shaking Sleepy's hand and said, "George Hedd. you've rounded up the Purple Pistol Bandits! I refused to give you a badge, but you're the best deputy of all I" Hedd grinned. He had noticed that now. even the sheriff called him "George." THE END ROD CAMERON WESTERN C3«E SMALL SPREADS WERE BEING SQUFE It P OUT Bt THE B15 RANCHERS.' AUD WHEN A LONE COWHAND CURED TOSTBNB ^iiis ground against n ju/vp squeeze, he become live bait for the guhhowks who mbukep hi - - BUT ROB CUMEftOH, VALIANT D1NAMO OF THE PLAINS, THREW HIS SUNS If ROD CAMERON WESTERN ROD CAMERON WESTERN Ml.I NtEH MUCH, (LIT IT HAS PlENTT GRSZE MOBE 5TEEK5. [ MMY 15 A MIGHTY ) ^FWE 0*L, PEL J/ f SHE'S 1« BEST ) "7 WD. 1 .x^it^bKmI ' Mm txsmx v \jaf&,)i i lT 6 /W 1 5KIP IT, SHE tAVBHS, , WH ^y S in these pjwts \_MC«lll [>■» J ^^~p. \ (ze£ L& r d . flit V$' y , A SHOT.' PEL, HEBD FC AND KEEP WHOEVER'S SHOOTING AT US/ BUST WHILE 1 MAKE h"" OUTSIDE .' ROD CAMERON WESTERN ROD CAMERON WESTERN ,. WE'LL SEE ABOUT THAT.' *>, EVERVBOOf KNOWS THERE'S 1 BAP BLOOD BETWEEN VOll < ANP 0EL.' AFTER HE SWINGS 1 FOR IT, THIS RANCH AND J T.ONS TO ME /J z K&2^. mA ESM £S Wjffom ROD CAMERON WESTERN HELP 'PEL ,, has hilled ^ HE£!£*£W L SRM ME, »c EN TELL NO T0LE5.' OfS WILL BELIEVE J STRANGER IN 1 HO'S A FRIEND J OF PEL .' ^^— ^ ~^53 ip'^jf^ i ->nwJMi ROD CAMERON WFSTERN ROD CAMERON WESTERN 5COT1--.' SET- t- 5TRENGTH, Mfl.PMKfc I'M TBHING TOU OUT OF MERE TO HELP ^ jJR W\ vlS \vfc N^PH ~*jJM ROD CAMERON WESTERN |HSS ' THE FIRST OWTOaMLEj ~7^1wT if.-f^ \2* vfej.'ijffinjkl ^ ^2u T BELIEVE IN ENCOURAGE THE BOVS 10 ■■■■■■■ UP.' BUT THE LAW WILL TBHE C. "" HEROES, HEAVIES AND SAGEBRUSH M Rod Cameron (1912- ) Rod Cameron was born Rod Cox on December 7, 1912, in Calgary, Canada. After going to Holly- wood in 1939 he appeared in supporting roles in Christmas in July, NorUixoest Mounted Police, and Wake Island in addition to serving as a double for some stars. In 1943, he starred in two serials for Republic— Secret Seniice in Darkest. Africa and G-AIen vs. the Black Dragon— each being 15 epi- sodes. Universal then signed liim as their new western star, and he appeared in a number of films in 1944 and 1945 including Boss of Boom town] Trigger Trail, Riders of Santa Fe, The Old. Texas Trail, Beyond the Pecos, Renegades of the Rio Grande, and Frontier Gal. Fuzzy Knight appeared with him in most of these films. After the war Cameron appeared in westerns for Monogram, 20th Century-Fox, Allied Artists, United Artists and others. He also starred in several non-western TV series including City Detective (1953-1955), Rod Camerrm with V (Universal, 1944). State Trooper (1957-1959) and Cc for Revue Studios.