Philip Ketchum

Linus Coleman is camped in the Black Mountains, panning for gold. When two strangers turn up on his patch and threaten him, demanding his haul at gunpoint, he shoots them down in self-defence. With his dying breath, one of the men tells Linus that Sam Holloway is out to get him. Travelling to Indian Falls to notify the sheriff, Coleman discovers that Holloway's malignity has spread further: he has purchased Coleman's father's ranch in suspicious circumstances, and seems to be aiming to take over the whole town... But Coleman has no way of proving his suspicions. All he can do is watch and wait, hoping for a slip-up - until the day comes when his gun can become judge and executioner, barking out verdicts against Holloway and his crew.