Sheriff of Wichita

A mystery element makes this one of the best of the 38 tightly-written little "Rocky" Lane B-westerns produced by Republic Pictures between 1947 and 1953. As the title lawman, Lane pursues an ex-cavalry officer (Clayton Moore, about to become TV's "Lone Ranger") who escaped from prison to an abandoned fort. The officer, convicted of helping to steal a $25,000 payroll, is trying to prove his innocence by finding his still-missing superior from whom he has gotten a cryptic letter. Similar letters bring other survivors from the ambushed patrol to the fort, as well as an outlaw gang (led by Roy Barcroft in one of his meatiest bad-guy roles) intent on finding the missing loot for themselves. Lane must not only discover who was actually behind that long-ago robbery and what happened to the missing major and the money, but also figure out how he and the small band trapped in the fort by the outlaws can escape.

Rocky Lane plays the title role in Sheriff Of Wichita and in this film the sheriff has an assignment to get an escaped prisoner back in custody. The prisoner is Clayton Moore who was an army lieutenant accused of a payroll robbery in which the commanding officer disappeared. The assumption was that the two planned to rob the army payroll and the commanding officer doublecrossed Moore and disappeared with the loot.

Of course Lane catches up with Moore, but Moore tells an interesting tale about receiving a letter from that presumed dead officer to meet him at a deserted army fort. Several other people get those same letters and they all meet up at the fort. Among those also being Roy Barcroft, a notorious outlaw one of whose gang was on the original patrol that was robbed. He dies and Barcroft deals himself into the treasure hunt,

This was one of Allan Lane's best features for Republic. It's a western with distinct noir and mystery elements in it and highly recommended.

It has been almost five years since the outlaws have stolen the army payroll from Lt. Raymond D'Arcy. While claiming that he gave the money to Major Bishop, neither the money or Bishop have ever been found and Raymond was convicted of the theft. Now he is at the abandoned fort, an escaped convict with a letter, looking to find the truth about the robbery. Members of his old command are also there and Rocky shows up to return Raymond to prison.

Love a mystery element in a western, it's one combination that is quite enticing, and Sheriff of Wichita starring the dependable Rocky Allan Lane is one solid mystery-western with noir-like qualities and a close attention to the intrigue which unravels smoothly. Letters from a major implicated -along with Lieutenant - in an army payrolls theft draws a group to a deserted fort. Plenty of suspense and action follows.