Lum Sells All of his Possessions

Originally Aired: September 19, 1935

In Lum & Abner #199, "Lum Sells All of his Possessions," panic grips Pine Ridge when Lum mysteriously vanishes after being released from jail on a $5,000 bond. Having been arrested by federal authorities for violating the Blue Sky Law by selling fraudulent stock in the Great Western Sterling Silver Company, Lum now faces serious criminal charges. When Abner searches everywhere for his partner and discovers Lum's house empty, his livestock gone, and most tellingly, his prized steeple clock missing, the worst seems confirmed. The bondsmen, including Abner and the cantankerous Grandpappy Spears, fear they'll be stuck paying the entire bond if Lum has indeed jumped bail.

While Dick Huddleston tries to defend Lum's character, insisting he would never abandon his friends, the evidence mounts against him. The townsfolk grow increasingly bitter, with many stockholders blaming Lum for their losses, despite the fact that he was merely working for Squire Skimp and genuinely believed in the investment. As Cedric Weehunt arrives at the store mysteriously offering to sell a milk cow and claiming to be in the cattle business, the question remains whether Lum has truly fled or if something else is afoot.