Written by  EDWARD J. LAKSO [Teleplay]  with GEORGE BAXTER [Story]  Directed by LAWRENCE DOBKIN  Guest Cast EMILE GENEST as Andre Boucher STACY HARRIS as DuBois ROBERT BOON as Paul ROBERT PHILLIPS as Sgt. PETE DUNN as Pierre

French renegades

After Chad & Joe trick Reese into volunteering for a special assignment (which turns out to be stable duty) they take escort duty for an army payroll wagon.  A couple of diversions lure Chad & Joe and the army guard away from the wagon, which is taken by French soldiers.  The French had property and position under Maxmillian and are raising money to take over Mexico again.  Reese walks into their camp pretending to have money to invest in their venture.  However, he gets misinformation about the size of their forces.  When Chad & Joe infiltrate the camp to recover the payroll, they’re captured.  In the meantime, Reese is used as a decoy to lure the Captain and a new payroll wagon into an ambush.  The French leader then puts Reese before a firing squad as a spy.  However, in his absence, Chad & Joe have freed themselves and joined the firing squad in disguise.  The Rangers gain the upper hand, kill or capture everyone and recover the stolen payrolls.  Back in Laredo, Chad & Joe perpetrate a really mean-spirited trick on Reese.  They tell him the governor sent him a gold medal for his bravery in infiltrating the enemy camp and facing the firing squad with a smile on his face.  When Reese reports to the Captain for his medal, the Captain puts Chad & Joe on stable duty for a week as payment for their duplicity.  And for once we think they deserved it.

Chad & Joe trick Reese

Reese posing as a gunrunner

Chad & Joe captured

Reese faces the firing squad not realizing at first that Joe & Chad have infiltrated it

NiteOwl Review:  A pretty decent episode using the best Laredo formula -- Chad and Joe manipulating Reese time and again.  Not quite a top ten.