Written by JOHN McGREEVEY Directed by JOHN ENGLISH Guest Cast MICHAEL EVANS as Edmond Tolliver MELODIE JOHNSON as Eve TIGER JOE MARSH as Hercules JAY DELLA as Tope MIKE WAGNER as Soames BILL QUINN as Warburton HARRY HARVEY, SR. as Strother MELVILLE RUICK as Prentiss

The four Rangers are assigned to track down some elusive bank robbers who have hit three towns.  When Erik checks the security of the bank in Panacea, the banker assures him they don't need Rangers to make their bank safe.  However, a check of the vault shows the robbers have entered through the ceiling and made off with the vault's contents.  Erik becomes suspicious of a circus which is touring the area and joins it as a magician, romancing the comely female tiger tamer as part of his cover.

The Beauteous Eve

The Beauteous Tiger

Eve finds Erik in her bed.

Erik spars with the devious Eve

Tolliver, the owner of the circus, has been using his balloon and the talents of his circus performers to rob banks.  He cases the banks by posing in disguise as a wealthy depositor, who must assure himself that his large sum of cash (the proceeds of the previous robberies) will be safe.  He is suspicious of Erik, but believes they would be better off to have him where they can watch him.  Chad, Joe and Reese inspect the site of the fifth robbery, the Bank of Euphoria.  Joe finds what look like moccasin tracks below the hole in the roof through which the robbers entered.  When they find out a circus was in town, they decide to check it out.

Tolliver & Eve

Tolliver in disguise

Reese, Chad & Joe at the crime scene

Chad meets the beauteous Eve

When Chad, Joe and Reese find Erik in Eve's wagon, they drag him off on the pretense he's under suspicion as the bank robber.  He advises them that the owner of the circus is pulling off the robberies by taking the circus in the direction the wind blows in order to use his balloon to take the money away.  He gives Chad a map showing wind direction.  While Reese and Joe search the rest of the wagons, Chad assigns himself to do a thorough job of searching Eve's wagon.  Eve decides their best bet is to wrap Chad around her little finger, an easy task.  She steals the map, which causes her cohort to change his intended target.

Chad working out the plot

Joe reaching his own conclusions

Eve working on Chad

Chad working on Eve

While Joe and Reese guard the bank in Fan Tan, the Euchre bank is robbed.  While Erik is camped out waiting for the balloon to land, his bedroll is shot up in an attempt on his life.  Believing Erik has been killed, Eve has second thoughts about their misdeeds.  Tolliver decides to take one last bank, the one in Dry Creek.

Reese & Joe guarding the bank

Erik & Chad figuring the next bank

Tolliver urging one last holdup

The banker opens the vault at gunpoint while the circus strongman separates the bars on the window so the acrobats can hand in suitcases for the loot.  However, Erik is waiting in the  vault, gun drawn.  Joe is waiting outside to throw a knife in the back of the man at the window with the gun.  During the gunplay that ensues, Eve comes to Erik's rescue.

Opening the vault

at gunpoint

Suprise!

A bad guy at the window just before he gets Joe's knife in his back

Joe takes the remaining robbers to jail.   Chad and Reese wait at the spot where Erik told them the balloon would come down.  The only thing that comes down is a note wrapped around a rock from Erik telling them to head back to Laredo where he will join them eventually.  And love from Eve.  Once again, Erik has bested Chad in their competition for the fairer sex and ended the episode in the arms of a villainess..

Eve changes sides

Message for  Chad

Chad gets the message. He's lost the girl to Erik

A happy ending for Erik

NiteOwl Review:  A silly episode, but the use of a first season writer and producer made the tone slightly less silly than many of the other second season episodes.  This would appeal to Robert Wolder fans as he bests Chad with the lady and has the most screen time.  We liked seeing cocky Chad lose out to Erik.  Chad's occasional overestimation of his ability to charm all women was one of his more endearing attributes.  And seeing his bubble burst was always fun.