- In "Arizona's yesterday," Square Deal Sanderson finds a letter on a dead horse thief from his sister Mary Bransford, whose New Mexico ranch is being threatened by Alva Dale, who owns the nearby town. Pretending to be Mary's brother, Sanderson prevents the hanging of Barney Owen, a drifter who has helped Mary. Dale has the crooked sheriff arrest Sanderson, but he escapes with Owen's help. After three thousand of Mary's cattle and three cowboys die when Dale poisons a watering hole, Sanderson makes the banker, in league with Dale, pay $90,000. Sanderson shoots two of Dale's men in a barroom fight, but then is captured at Mary's ranch. Bound up while Dale attempts to rape Mary in an adjoining room, Sanderson inches his chair to a stove, burns his ropes, and then lassoes Dale through the transom and hangs him until he nearly dies. Owen reveals himself as Mary's brother, while Sanderson, taking Dale to Arizona on a warrant, promises to return to Mary.—AFI
- Square Deal Sanderson is a cowpuncher at the Lazy R ranch in Arizona. While searching for a man who stole a horse, he discovers the man has been shot in the back. He sees the assailant rifling through the man's pockets, when the victim revives long enough to shoot his attacker. Both men die by the time Sanderson reaches them. He finds a letter in the possession of the horse thief, written by a woman in New Mexico to her brother. The woman, Mary Bransford, has begged her brother to hurry to her aid, because a man named Alva Dale is trying to steal her ranch from her for water rights. Sanderson reads that the woman has not seen her brother since infancy. He decides to help her, and rides to the Okar Valley where Mary is battling Dale for possession of her land. Sanderson pretends he is Bill Bransford, Mary's murdered brother. He arrives in town just in time to save a drifter named Barney Owen from a lynch mob. Mary is overjoyed at seeing her supposed brother.
Dale's partner, Maison, discovers that the man they sent to kill Mary's brother has disappeared, and suspects that Sanderson is an impostor. The pair set up Sanderson. One of Dale's killers tries to shoot Sanderson, but the cowpuncher beats him to the draw and shoots the man dead. Dale learns that Sanderson is going to build a reservoir, so he sends some men to poison the water holes and kill the cattle. Sanderson, who has been imprisoned, is sprung by Owen, who pulls out the iron bars in the cell with the aid of a cable and mule team.
Dale tells Mary that Sanderson is not her brother. He attacks her, but Sanderson comes to her aid. Rather than kill Dale in front of Mary, he tells Dale the two will meet in the open soon. Sanderson confesses to Mary who he really is, but tells Mary her brother died a heroic death. The next day, Sanderson learns that three man have been killed and three thousand head of cattle poisoned by Dale. He sets out for vengeance. First, he finds Maison and forces him to pay $90,000 for the poisoned cattle. Then he gets Maison to confess his part in the crime in front of a judge. Dale sends more men to kill Sanderson, who kills them all. In a stunning development, Owen reveals that he is Mary's brother Bill. Dale manages to catch Sanderson and Mary unawares and kidnaps them.
Mary gives the $90,000 to Dale so he will spare Sanderson's life. But Dale attacks her. Sanderson, who is tied up in another room, burns the rope holding his hands by holding it over a fire. He then throws a rope over the partition catching Dale's head in the noose, then draws him up against the side of the wall. Sanderson then takes Dale prisoner. Sanderson confesses his love for Mary.
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