During the latter stages of the Civil War, a gang of supposed Confederates, headed by Alex Morel (Lionel Atwill), raid all gold shipments destined for Washington from Oro Grande, California. In the first chapter, “Murder By Accident”, Captain Steve Clark (Dennis Moore), is recognized as a Union Secret Service agent by Morel’s accomplice Trina Dessard (Virginia Christine), and, with his friend Idaho Jones (Joe Sawyer), is ambushed in the baggage car and sent to almost certain death when the car is un-coupled and plunges down the mountainside.