The gold mine belonging to "Gun" Barlow () is worked out, and Barlow attempts to buy adjacent land, with the hopes his gold vein will continue, from town postmistress Marion Saunders () who, keeping a vow she made to her father on his death-bed, refuses. Marion also owns the local stage line, and Barlow, "Bull" Feeney () and Steve Hickman () hatch a plot to have mysterious accidents happen to the mail coach, hoping that Marion will give up and sell out. They hire two henchmen, Slim () and Shorty () , to do the dirty work and they wreck the coach by causing a huge rock-slide, and stage-driver Andy (0 is hurt and left to die. A mule skinner named Jim Bradley () comes along, picks up Andy and the mail and heads for town, where he tells Marion his name is "Skinner" and offers to run the mail while Andy is recovering.