26 Men - The Recruit

Directed by: Russel Hayden

26 Men was a syndicated American western television series about the Arizona Rangers, an elite group commissioned in 1901 by the legislature of the Arizona Territory and limited, for financial reasons, to twenty-six active members. Russell Hayden was the producer of the series and the co-composer of the theme song. The series aired between October 15th, 1957 and June 30th, 1959, for a total of 78 episodes. "The Recruit" Season 1 Episode 1 Tristram Coffin, Kelo Henderson, Don Haggerty and William Fawcett starred in the premiere episode, entitled "The Recruit", in which Sam Miller, publisher of the Willcox Clarion in Willcox (spelled "Wilcox" in the series) in Cochise County. In the story line, Miller summons the Rangers, Fawcett and Henderson, for help. When the officers arrive, they find that Miller has been lynched and is hanging from a tree. Don Haggerty's character owns the biggest cattle ranch in the area and is the suspected ringleader of the trouble.