Hang 'Em High (1968) Movie Script

I'm gonna have to carry ya?

Come on.

Oh, boy.

All right. Drop your

gun belt, mister.

What's this all about?

The captain said to

drop the gun belt.

Now.

They're wearing the Johanson

brand, all right, Captain Wilson.

Whose else would they be?

Where'd you get those

cattle, mister?

Just where that brand says.

Got them from Johanson?

That's right.

And you've got a bill

of sale to prove it?

Hold it.

That's right.

I thought maybe you'd like

to look at the bill of sale.

We'll look at it.

You say you got

this from Johanson?

Yeah.

Mr Maddow.

Mr Maddow, is that

Johanson's mark?

Johanson didn't have

to make his mark.

He could write as good as you can.

Hang him.

Damn it.

Look, I'm an ex-lawman.

You can check with the sheriff,

Dave Ramsay of Saint Louis.

Get Johanson. Let him

tell me face to face.

For God's sake, check it out.

Are we gonna hang him

or beat him to death?

Enough.

Put him on his horse.

Wait a minute, the saddle.

You've no claim to that, Reno.

We got back Johanson's

cattle, Captain,

and we got the man that took them.

Now, I like to see justice done,

but I'm taking the saddle.

Anybody want to argue?

If he's a rustler, he ain't

got nothing I'd want.

Well, he's got

something that I want.

I want his wallet. I want

it, and I'm gonna take it.

Excepting if he's a rustler,

how come he didn't make a run

for it when he had a chance?

Wait a minute, Loomis.

Now, tell me.

You bought some

cattle from Johanson.

You saw the bill of sale.

With the mark where Johanson was

supposed to write his name.

Yeah.

What did Johanson look like?

He's about 30.

Dark hair, dark eyes, heavy-set.

Pockmarked face, regular features.

You have an eye for

detail, haven't you?

I told you, I was a

lawman. That was my job.

Heavy-set,

pockmarked,

about 30.

Liar.

Johanson was 60.

Well, maybe it was his foreman,

or something, I don't know.

But we can go back there and find

out. It's only a day's ride.

We could check it out.

Mr Maddow.

Tell him.

I just came from the

Johanson place.

His herd was gone.

I found Johanson and his wife on

the kitchen floor, gunned down.

Dead.

No.

Hang him. You're

making a mistake. No.

No.

Some people calls this hell, but

you're still in

Oklahoma territory.

Save your breath.

I don't know who hung you or why,

but if you're innocent, the

judge will set you free.

And if you ain't,

they'll have to take the

trouble of hanging you again.

So come on, get on your feet.

Water your mules and fill up a

bucket of water for the men.

Marshal Dave Bliss. I hear

you got a prisoner for me.

That's right, Marshal.

Feed and grain

store right across the street.

Here's the key.

You'll be needing it.

Marshal.

Watch out for him.

He's plumb loco.

Oh, God. Oh, God.

Oh, my God.

Oh, God.

You've come to kill The Prophet.

Take it easy, will ya?

Oh, God. You've come

to kill The Prophet.

Can you walk?

They're against me.

They spy on me. Oh, God.

They're scared of

the wrath of God.

Get on your feet.

- No.

- Come on.

Even the prison wagon's

better than this.

You've come to kill The Prophet.

- Hold it.

- Oh, no.

Oh, God. Oh, God.

You've come to kill The Prophet.

Damn you, hold it.

- Stop or I'll kill ya.

- Oh, God.

Well, what are you waiting

for, Marshal? Shoot him.

Kill him. What's wrong, Marshal?

Scared of cheating

a hanging judge?

Kill him.

Kill him. Kill him.

We'll look out for ya, Marshal.

We'll tell him you done your

best to bring him in alive.

Kill him, Marshal.

- Kill him, Marshal.

- Yeah, kill him.

- Kill him.

- Come on, kill him.

Hold it, damn you.

Kill him, Marshal.

It's too damn crowded

in here anyway.

- Kill him, kill him.

- Kill him, Marshal.

God.

You chained him. Now you bury him.

That ain't gonna make

the judge happy.

What was I supposed to

do, let him escape?

I ain't saying you was wrong.

I'm just saying it ain't

gonna make the judge happy.

Now that you've said it,

Williams, move them out.

Girls. Girls. The tumbleweed

wagon's here. Come on.

Save us the live ones, Marshal?

Marshal, you're not

gonna hang them all.

Here she is. Here comes

that tumbleweed waggon.

And you'll send the

drapery material over?

As soon as it comes in.

And I'll be needing more perfume.

A dozen bottles?

The cheapest, as long

as it smells good.

It's not for my girls. It's for

the Saturday night cowhands.

They come off the range

smelling like...

Here come the tumbleweed waggon.

Hey, isn't that Billy the Kid?

Take a closer look. Maybe

you'll find your old man.

Hold it.

We're going outside of town, do

some target practise on them.

- All right, move them out.

- Giddap.

Come on.

You eats twice a day, 8:00 in the

morning 4:00 in the afternoon.

Unless you makes trouble and

get yourself short-changed,

you get an hour a day

recreation in the prison yard.

Better find yourself a spot.

Expecting another waggon

in this afternoon.

You'll get used to the smell.

If you don't, they got

a sure cure for it.

They hang ya.

Sounds like Schmidt's fixing to

have a little party this morning.

A party?

A hanging party.

Them's 200-pound

sacks he's dropping.

Gotta make sure

them ropes hold up.

Always uses top-grade

hemp, Schmidt does.

Oils it so it slides real good,

snaps your neck like

a dried-out twig.

Fine artist at his

trade, our Mr Schmidt.

That bastard.

No.

What kind of justice hangs a man

before he's heard

about his appeal?

No.

Come in.

Leave him. Without shackles.

Yes, sir.

All right, guard.

Your story checks out,

Cooper. You're free to go.

$11?

And 40 cents. That's all McCleod

had on him when we picked him up.

McCleod?

McCleod was running from the law,

holed up at Johanson's place,

killed that old man and his wife,

and then you blundered in.

A stranger looking

to buy some cattle,

so McCleod sold you a few head.

He must've got a pretty

good laugh out of that.

You wanna see what he looks like?

Come on. Now, come on.

McCleod took the money

he swindled from you

and came into town,

looking for a good time.

The row, that's

where we found him.

May God have mercy on his soul.

You're free to go, Cooper.

With my $11.40?

And the satisfaction

of seeing the man

that got you into this mess hung.

What about the nine

just men who hung me?

Just give their description to

one of the deputies downstairs.

They'll try to pick them up.

Well, that's not good enough.

Cooper, you take the law into

your own hands, and I promise you

you'll swing from one of

those ropes out there.

I know a little bit about

the law, Your Honour.

That's right.

You do.

Sit down, Cooper.

Please.

You were a lawman in Saint Louis,

a damn good one.

I can use a good man, Cooper.

Pay, 250 a month.

That's 230 more than

you'd make as a cowhand,

232 more than as an

army sergeant. Here.

That hanging rope didn't kill

ya. Maybe my coffee will.

How much did you

make in Saint Louis?

It's 200 more than I

made in Saint Louis.

250, plus expenses.

I warn you, the pay is a

little slow in coming.

There. $200.

Plus 50 President Harrison owes

you. You'll get it when I get it.

Seems like you're a man

trying to give away money

and don't have too many takers.

You sound like a man

who is protesting

the pay is too high. Don't.

You sign on, you'll

earn every cent of it.

There you are.

The Oklahoma and Indian Territory,

year of our Lord, 1889.

Nineteen marshals. I was

authorised 60 when I came here.

Told the president even

that was not half enough.

Nineteen marshals and one court to

cover near 70, 000 square miles.

A happy hunting ground

filled with bushwhackers,

horse thieves, whiskey peddlers,

counterfeiters, hide peelers,

marauders that'll kill

you for a hatband.

Now that's why there's a

badge in my desk, Cooper,

itching to sit on somebody's

chest and no takers.

Your marshals do cover

a lot of territory.

You'll ride circuit over an area

half again the size

of Rhode Island,

if and when it's Marshal Cooper.

Pick up the badge, Mr Cooper.

Pick up the badge, or leave

justice to me and my men.

Those nine men,

if you find them, they're to

be brought before me alive.

That old horse should

hold you for a spell.

All right.

Good luck, Marshal.

Thank you.

You're Cooper?

Judge sent a wire you was coming.

Wasn't there nobody outside?

There's two men with shotguns.

I haven't had me a night's sleep

since we picked up the Swede.

How many men did you

bring with you?

Can you have him ready

to go in a half hour?

Just the two of you?

Yeah.

The hotel here in town,

does it serve a good steak?

I better have something

to eat before we leave.

If you're crazy enough to try

to take the Swede in alone,

you got a right to try

it on a full stomach.

You're under arrest, Reno.

You talking to me, Marshal?

Your name's Reno, isn't it?

Look, Marshal, I don't

know what kind of town

you're running here...

This isn't my town.

Well, I wouldn't know.

See, I just rode in.

Now, I'm gonna wash down

some trail dust, and...

All right, Marshal,

what do you say I done?

You don't remember me, do ya?

No.

When you hang a man, you

better look at him.

Don't go for that gun,

Reno. I need you alive.

- Do you know him?

- No.

Anybody here know him?

Goes by the name of Reno.

Come up here and

take a look at him.

He must've just rode in.

That's what he said.

How much to bury him?

- Elwood?

- Well, I...

$15 ought to do a

fair job, Marshal.

All right. There's $7 there,

and I'll give you $8 more.

And mark it down there.

Don't anybody leave.

I want everybody to write down in

this book exactly what they saw.

I didn't see nothing, Marshal.

Fine, then you say

that in writing.

Nobody's gonna fault ya, Marshal.

You gave him every chance.

Then say it in writing.

Marshal, I can't write.

Well, the sheriff

here will write it

down, then you can

put your mark on it.

Sheriff, there's a

saddle out there

belongs to me. I'll

be taking that.

If any of his friends

or relatives show up

and want his horse or his

belongings, you let me know.

You can wire me in Fort Grant.

You gonna pick up the Swede now?

No, no. I'm gonna

have that steak now.

Marshal.

The Swede. That's the one the

Marshal just brought in.

Swede.

What was that all about?

That's Judge Fenton's orders.

Nobody comes in or out

that lady don't look at.

Marshal. Judge wants

to see you right away.

Thank you.

Good work, Cooper. See?

The good Lord takes care

of those that do his work.

He just waltzed in here

and gave himself up.

I never wanted to

hang you, mister.

I asked them to give you a chance.

Maybe you remember that.

I remember that.

I was here in Fort Grant

looking to pick up a grubstake

when I heard a marshal with a

hanging scar had killed Reno.

I knew then we... We'd

hung an innocent man.

So I turned myself in.

The others? He gave

me their names.

I've already made out the

warrants for their arrest.

- Where?

- Red Creek.

Good. I'll be on my way.

All right, Cooper,

you do it your way.

You round them up and

bring them back.

I don't know why you

had to kill Reno.

It's in my report. I

wanted him alive.

I needed these names.

You got your names.

Mister, you make sure the rest of

those men get back here alive.

Jenkins? Sit down, please.

You're under arrest. Move.

I have seven warrants here.

Matt Stone, M. Loomis,

Maddow, Charlie

Blackfoot, Captain...

Captain Wilson? Say, what

the hell is this all about?

A lynching.

Now, I understand

four of these men

I'm after are out at the Big W.

Maddow and Miller

I'm not sure about.

Maddow, he owns a

spread around here.

Miller, he...

Miller's a drifter.

Look, Marshal, these

men you're looking

for, they're all leading citizens.

They're friends of mine.

Well, these friends

of yours are wanted

for conspiracy to commit murder.

Now, if you'll put this

man in jail, Sheriff,

you and I can ride

out to the Big W.

Sheriff. Sheriff Calhoun.

Sheriff.

Rustlers. They took our herd.

They killed my pa and

Danny. Killed both of them.

I rode in and found them there.

Pa and Danny, bushwhacked.

And the herd gone.

I won't be much good to

you from here on out.

My back is giving me trouble.

You're in good

hands, however. This

man here is a federal marshal.

Don't give me that bad-back

stuff. You got your job.

I've got mine out at the Big W.

His father and his brother's been

murdered. You a

lawman or ain't ya?

No more than five,

six hours ahead now.

Now they must slow down.

Yeah, well, we won't.

- On your feet. Get up.

- Get up. Get up.

Cattle won't live another

day without water.

Mick. Willie. Head them home.

Rafe, go with them.

You've got one minute to pray.

There'll be no hanging here.

These men killed my

father and brother.

They're gonna get

what's coming to them.

They'll get what the law

says is coming to them.

If you can't stomach hanging,

why don't you ride out?

We'll do what needs doing here.

I'll say it one more time.

There's gonna be no hanging.

We're not turning three

murderers loose.

That's right. You're turning

them over to me, the law.

I'll make sure they

get to Fort Grant.

Fort Grant's better than

three days' ride from here.

You'll never make

it alone, Marshal.

I didn't plan on making it alone.

Now, you men got a $10

posse fee coming,

and I can't guarantee the

government's gonna pay any more,

but every man who sticks with

me will get an extra 10,

if I have to pay for it myself.

I'll take my 10 now.

I've got your name.

They'll send it to you.

We'll put in for the money

ourselves, Marshal.

Yeah.

The men these rustlers killed,

they were my friends.

These three, they are for hanging.

Leave us, Marshal.

For just 10 minutes.

Five minutes.

On your feet.

Thank you, Marshal.

I just want you to

know, Marshal, we

had nothing to do

with the killing.

Shut up. We rustled

the herd all right,

we did that, but me and Ben...

Didn't I tell you to

shut your mouth, boy?

My brother's telling

the truth, Marshal.

He done it.

All right, Marshal, all right.

All right, saddle up those

horses, and nothing foolish.

You're very kind, Marshal.

Would you be my friend, too?

Forget about it.

Say, I...

I seen you when you drug

that old Stone into jail.

I thought that was

really something.

I just about died

right then and there.

I picked up my two friends here

and rustled this fat herd,

and we headed lickety-split

for south of the border.

You know something,

Mr Deputy Marshal?

You know, when I woke up and seen

that gun pointing

right at my mouth

and you standing at

the other end of it,

I said to myself,

"Miller, you move

one inch and you're a dead man."

"This man's about to

blow your head off."

I mean, what them

boys said was right.

We're guilty as hell.

You know, when we

get to Fort Grant,

all they're gonna do is hang us.

I tell you what.

Why don't you be real smart

and use your head, you know?

And let us go.

Just let us go.

We outnumber you three to one. You

can tell them that we jumped ya.

And the boys and I,

you know, we ain't

gonna be around to

call you a liar.

Get aboard, Miller.

I can't get aboard, because

my hands are tied.

You're gonna have to help me.

I said, get aboard.

You ain't never gonna get me

alive to Fort Grant, boy.

Then I'll get you there dead, boy.

Get down. The horses need rest.

Start walking.

Get aboard, Miller.

Kill me.

Please. Please. I didn't set

out to touch her. I was drunk.

Full of rot gut whiskey. I

didn't know what I was doing.

Please, my family. Take him away.

What? No. Please.

My family. I didn't

know what I was doing.

Please.

Samuel Dodd.

Charge, whiskey peddling.

Here, Your Honour.

Marshal Cooper's coming down the

street with three prisoners.

00 tomorrow morning.

All rise until His Honour

has left the courtroom.

Sheriff in Red Creek

wired you were

bringing three killers in alone.

That was over two days ago. I

nearly gave you up for dead.

You're a damn fool, Cooper.

A bloody damn fool, and

the best there is.

You hear that? Wake up, you

godforsaken people, you.

The best there is, this man

here that works for ya.

What's going on? Your

government, our country,

the best country there is because

of men like Marshal Jed Cooper.

I'm proud of you, boy.

They're gonna hear

about this, not just

in the territories,

but in Washington.

Across the length and

breadth of this nation,

they're gonna know

that name, Jed Cooper.

Well, what you do got

to say about that, boy?

Yahoo.

Anything else I could

do for you, Marshal?

Good Lord. You bring back half of

these, you'll have a wagonload.

Well, you know me, Judge.

I like a lot of company.

How long you figure it'll take?

Six, seven weeks,

give or take a month.

Come in.

Well, well, well.

- Morning.

The prodigal returneth from

a fate worse than death.

Was that your idea?

You fell right in my arms, boy,

and it's just the row happened

to be the closest haven,

and since you didn't appear to

need a doctor's services...

Well, I'll be on my way.

- See ya, Jed.

- All right, Hayes.

Aside from the girl who

served me breakfast,

I didn't see anybody

else that I remembered.

Do I owe them a bill, or...

Of course. Just put it

on your expense account.

Under what?

You're gonna make me one hell of a

lawman, Jed. One hell of a lawman.

Judge, about those three

that I brought in...

All taken care of.

I don't think they

spent as pleasant an

evening as you did.

No, but, I wanted to

talk to you about

the two boys, Ben and Billy-Joe.

Later, later, later. Write

it down when you got time.

I just wanted to say, as

long as I'm here, that

only Miller is to be

charged with murder.

See, if it wasn't for those two

boys, I might not have made it.

Miller tried to kill me.

If one or both of them had pitched

in and given him a hand...

They pitch in to help

you subdue Miller?

Well, no, but...

All right. Write

it in your report.

Hey, Marshal.

If you catch a whiskey peddler,

let him go and bring the

whiskey back this time.

Hey, Ace. Mind if I call

on that senorita of yours?

I hear they got some

wicked women in Los Gatos.

Catch us a few.

So long, Ace. Good hunting.

Bliss is dead.

Bliss? What happened?

He went to pick up

one of the Walker

boys out of the Elmwood jail.

The Walker clan, all seven

of them, were waiting.

They shot him down, right there,

in the middle of the main street.

Not a soul in Elmwood

lifted a hand to help him.

Yeah, I owed my life to Bliss.

He was a man with a

backbone, a lawman.

It won't be easy

to fill his shoes.

No, it won't.

Well, I'd better get

on back to Red Creek.

Red Creek?

Yeah, when the local sheriff wired

you, I don't suppose he told you

that I arrested one of the

men who tried to lynch me.

I was going after the rest of

them when this business came up.

The man you arrested?

Name's Stone. He's in

the Red Creek jail.

Good. That ought to hold him

till you're finished here.

- Finished here?

- Testifying.

Testifying? When?

Boy, I got a backlog of cases

built up from here to Sunday.

Well, I happen to have a prisoner

over there in that cardboard jail,

and the sheriff who's

guarding him got a bad back,

and if I don't get

back over there...

You'll get back, Cooper.

You'll get back when I tell

you you're free to go.

Cooper.

You can be the best

I've ever had, the

best there is, if

you remember this.

You work for the government.

You work for justice.

Come in.

- Rachel?

- Excuse me, Judge.

I heard there were

three new prisoners.

Yes.

Marshal, why don't you take Miss

Warren down to the cell block?

Two of them are just boys.

Old enough to rustle cattle.

You want them to hang?

I just want them to get a fair

trial. Who do you want to hang?

We all have our ghosts, Marshal.

You hunt your way,

I hunt mine.

All right, you claim you

didn't pull the trigger.

Let's forget about the killings.

Rustling is a hanging

offence, and they

are all guilty, all three of them.

No matter whose idea it

was, they're all guilty.

- That's the law.

- Object.

Sustained.

You, sir.

You will elicit facts

from the witness.

I will tell the jury

what's the law.

Yes, sir.

No further questions, Your Honour.

The jury will disregard all of the

prosecution's remarks

concerning the law.

All right, son.

You may step down now.

Call your next witness.

Marshal Jedediah Cooper.

Do you solemnly swear to tell the

truth, the whole truth

and nothing but,

- So help you God?

- I do.

Marshal, at the time

of their apprehension,

did any of these three

defendants deny their guilt?

Well, no, but on the

trail back here...

Marshal, we're not interested

in the trip back to Fort Grant.

It was a heroic journey.

The whole court, the whole

territory, is grateful.

Your Honour, I think something

that happened on the trail

back here has a

bearing on the case.

Something happen that

leads you to believe

that one or all three of these

defendants are innocent?

Well, of murder, yes. You see,

both Ben and Billy-Joe told me...

Marshal, this court is not

concerned with hearsay evidence.

This court requires facts.

The defendants, all

three, are charged

with murder and rustling. Facts,

the only matter that

concerns this court.

I thought this court was

concerned with justice.

Justice is my province,

Marshal. Mine, and mine alone.

Now, you'll confine

yourself to giving

direct answers to direct questions

or find yourself in

contempt of court. Proceed.

One of those boys is 18,

the other's only 16.

That'll cost you $10.

Neither one of them's

been in trouble...

$20.

With the law. If it

wasn't for them...

$30. One more word, you'll

spend 30 days in the hole.

Do you have any further

questions for this witness?

No more questions, Your Honour.

Then you may step down, Marshal.

Yeah?

Sheriff Ray Calhoun, Red Creek.

I recognise you.

I wanna congratulate

you on the job

you did bringing

in those rustlers.

You mean, you rode

all the way over

here from Red Creek,

bad back and all,

just to tell me that?

No.

Stone's dead.

What happened, Calhoun?

It didn't make no sense, him

sitting in that cell going crazy

in a town without no blacksmith.

He promised that if I'd

turn him loose every day

for a couple of hours

to work at his trade

that he'd come back to

his cell each night.

And he did, came back

every night but one.

I rode out to his home,

a home where I had many a

dinner, the home of a friend.

I had to bring him back and put

him in his cell at gunpoint.

He made a break for it.

I tried to shoot low, but

I'm not very good at that.

I heard you paid 800 to the skunk

who murdered the Johansons

and sold you their herd.

That's right.

How much did you get back

when they were caught?

$11.40.

There's 800 in this

envelope. It's yours.

Or you can keep the 100 head.

Prime, every one of them.

I don't have much use

for cattle these days.

Here's 10.

- Keep it.

- Hold it.

Here's $11.40

for the aggravation

they caused me.

Now, you take that bad back of

yours right over to Red Creek

and tell your friends

we're even, money-wise.

So,

it's no deal.

He figures you still owe

him for a lynching.

And I told you, you never

should've offered him the money.

All right.

Now that makes three

mistakes we made:

The money,

we hung an innocent man,

and we didn't finish the job.

We can't undo the first two,

but we can still finish the job.

I didn't hear that,

Captain Wilson.

I didn't hear none of it.

I'm riding back to Red Creek.

Are you coming with me?

Charlie. You've been with

me better than five years.

Good years, Captain.

Maybe if it was my land I

was fighting to hold...

No, Captain. If that

marshal wants Charlie

Blackfoot, he's gonna

have to find him.

Sorry, Captain Wilson.

Maddow, you're damn near my age.

You wouldn't last six

months in that jail.

I don't intend to try to.

I can still ride pretty good.

You can shoot even better.

I'm sorry, Captain.

Maddow, he'll come after you.

He'll keep coming. You'll

be nothing but an animal,

an animal running scared.

Sorry, Captain.

How about you two? You sure?

Tommy?

It was wrong to hang that man.

We all know it now.

I was hoping we could

square it with him.

My wife, she was kinda

hoping it, too.

Loomis?

I'm 37, 38. I don't

rightly know for sure.

I started drifting

when I was just a kid.

These last few years

working for you,

it's the first home I ever knew.

I've saved a few dollars,

thinking of finding

myself a woman,

staking out a few acres of

my own, when this come up.

You mean, when I brought it up.

You didn't force me to

ride with you, Captain.

I thought we was doing

the right thing. We was.

Hanging the wrong man

don't change that.

Five years, even 10,

you two can survive it and still

come out to live

some kind of life.

What kind, Captain?

I been a free man. It's the

only kind of life I know.

My wife Thelma, she's

a young woman.

She wants kids and a family.

Even if I asked her

to wait for me,

even if she said she would,

I couldn't be sure.

Let's ride, gentlemen.

Hey, mister, where's the hotel?

Down the street. But keep

going, it's full up.

The whole town's full

up with this hanging.

I hear they got tents set

up out in the boondocks.

Well, thank you kindly. Giddap.

- Who is it?

- Open up.

I just came here, Your

Honour, to tell you

about the biggest

thing that happened

in this territory,

bigger than statehood.

People showing up by the waggon

full, men, women and children,

all just to see

your lousy hanging.

That's enough, Cooper.

To see your circus,

a six-man hanging.

I said, that's enough.

You stink of whiskey,

son. Just go back

to your room. Lie

down. Sleep it off.

You're lynching those boys. Why?

- Why?

- Yeah.

Because of you, Cooper.

Because of that beautiful, that

magnificent journey you took

to bring three killers to justice.

Because if the law

didn't hang them, the

next posse that

goes out would say,

"Hang them, and hang them high.

There's no justice in Fort Grant."

And if there's no justice

in Fort Grant, Cooper,

there'll be no statehood

for this territory.

Well, I don't care

how you slice it.

Whether it's nine men out on

a plain with a dirty rope

or a judge with his robes on

in front of the American flag,

those boys are gonna be just as

dead as if they'd been lynched.

That's right, Cooper,

just as dead.

But they won't have been lynched.

They will have been judged.

And if you can't see

the difference, you

better take off that

star, and right now.

Not just yet, Your Honour.

Yes, we'll gather at the river.

The beautiful, the

beautiful river.

Gather with the

saints at the river.

That flows by the throne of God.

Shall we gather at the river.

Where bright...

Get your cold beer here.

Sarsaparilla for all the kiddies.

Pretzels. Liquorice sticks.

Get your cold beer. Cold beer.

Rachel, last chance,

drapes can wait.

Sure you won't change your mind?

Sophie, I told you before. There's

only one hanging

I'm interested in.

Soon our pilgrimage will cease.

Soon our happy hearts will quiver.

With the melody of peace.

- Dad, please.

- No. I said no.

At the river.

The beautiful, the

beautiful river.

Gather with the

saints at the river.

That flows by the throne of God.

Cold beer. Sarsaparilla

for all the kiddies.

Hey. Hey. Pretzels.

Liquorice sticks.

Get your cold beer.

Get your cold beer

here. Sarsaparilla

for all the kiddies.

Pretzels, liquorice

sticks. Get your

cold beer. Cold beer. Right here.

Cold beer. Right here.

Sarsaparilla for the kiddies.

Cold beer. Here's your change.

Here's your change. Cold beer.

Here's 5, here's 10. Cold beer.

Sarsaparilla for the kiddies.

Liquorice sticks. Cold beer.

Sarsaparilla for all the kiddies.

There you are, young thing.

Hey, what are you doing?

Can't you please see me tomorrow?

I don't want to miss the hanging.

"And the Lord said,

'Acknowledge thy sins unto me,

"'confess thy iniquities and

transgressions unto the Lord,

"'and he will forgive

thee thy sins. "'

Now, Preacher? Patience, patience.

"Blessed is the man

that walketh not

in the counsel of the ungodly,"

"nor standeth in the

way of sinners,"

"nor sitteth in the

seat of the scornful."

"But his delight is in

the law of the Lord,"

"and in his law doth he

meditate day and night."

"And he shall be like a tree

planted by the rivers of water"

"that bringeth forth his

fruit in his season."

"His leaf shall not wither,"

"and whatever he doeth

shall prosper."

Amen.

We will now sing Rock of Ages.

Get your cold beer and

your sarsaparilla

for all the kids, right here.

Rock of ages.

Cleft for me.

Let me hide myself in thee.

Let the water and the blood.

From thy wounded.

Side which flowed.

Be of sin the double cure.

Save from wrath and make me pure.

While I draw this fleeting breath.

When mine eyes shall

close in death.

When I rise to worlds unknown.

And behold thee on thy throne.

Rock of ages.

Cleft for me.

Let me hide myself in thee.

Do you have last requests?

I'd sure like me a

chaw of tobacco.

What's the matter, hangman?

You afraid I'll choke

and cheat you out of

your hanging fee?

Put it in my pocket.

Now, Preacher?

You may say your piece now, Duffy.

You are now looking

for the last time

at the mortal body of

Francis Elroy Duffy,

born to John and Edna Duffy...

Do you have last requests?

Good, God-fearing folk,

who raised me up to

be a good man...

- Ben?

- A good Christian...

Bye, Ben. Bye.

A good husband to my beloved wife,

a good father to my children,

whom I leave behind,

hoping that they and

all you will learn...

Do you have last requests?

This here lesson which

I leave you with.

When you take the devil into

your mouths, you are doomed.

For he is lying there in wait for

you inside that bottle of whiskey,

waiting for you to take

him into your mouth...

Do you have last requests?

Waiting to get down

into your guts...

Tell him to shut up and

let's get it over with.

Where he can do his devil's work.

Liquor is the most foul, evil

thing in this here world.

It destroyed good men like myself.

It'll destroy you, too.

Do you have last requests?

And beer is not much better.

- It's slower and cheaper.

- No.

So take these words of advice.

And remember, you heard

them from a poor sinner

got no more cause to lie,

because he's going

to meet his Maker.

And now he's ready.

Well, that's all I've got to say.

Will you all bow your heads

in one final prayer?

May God have mercy

on their poor souls,

as he has upon all the

faithful departed.

Amen.

- Amen.

Dear God.

All right, all right, I'm coming.

Judge Fenton.

I come to praise Sophie,

not to close her down.

I thought maybe you came to...

Now, Sophie. Now, now, now.

Well, now at least I know what

it takes to get you in here.

How is he this morning?

I've never seen a man who

has more right to be dead.

I gotta see him right now,

Sophie. Can't wait any longer.

Check with Rachel.

She's still in charge.

She stayed all night?

You heard, Doc. If Rachel

hadn't stopped the bleeding...

As it was, somebody

had to stay with him.

A couple of my girls volunteered.

Rachel wouldn't have it.

Same room. Honeymoon suite,

at the head of the stairs.

Thanks, Sophie.

Good morning, Judge.

Good morning, dear.

- Anything I can do for you?

- No, no. No, no. Thank you, dear.

It's all right, Judge. I'm

just about finishing up.

I heard about what you

did, Rachel. I'm grateful.

Why don't you sit down?

Can I get you something?

No, no, thank you.

I shouldn't have done this.

I may never get up again.

Who did it, Jed?

Much as you want them, Jed, I

want them more. I need them.

It's bad enough when a deputy gets

bushwhacked on some lonely trail,

but here, in Fort

Grant, broad daylight?

We can't let them

get away with that.

Now, who did it?

I'll go after them myself.

For the love of God, son.

God's got nothing to do with it.

I'll take care of them.

Want me to take over?

No.

Thank you.

You could use a

good night's sleep.

All right, honey, but one of these

days he's gonna get better,

and you're gonna have

a man on your hands.

You're perspiring.

Don't drink your milk so fast.

You look tired. Are you all right?

You know you're a nag?

A very pretty one, but a nag.

What was that for?

Just thanks.

You're welcome.

I'll get some salt for the eggs.

Forget the salt.

Please.

Please don't.

Yeah, well, I guess...

I guess my life isn't

worth two kisses?

Please.

I'm sorry.

What's the matter?

I was married, back in Denver.

His name was Paul.

He was a doctor and

a very fine man.

He used to say this was his place,

this was where

doctors were needed.

One night, after we'd camped,

we sat around the fire, talking,

husband and wife talk

about how many children

we were going to have,

and what a wonderful life we

were going to have together.

And then they came.

Two men on horseback.

Just some food.

Just to share our food,

that's all they wanted.

And one of them

put his hand on me.

And there was a shot.

And Paul was dead.

And they just left him there lying

beside me on the ground, dead.

And they took me.

And took me. And took me.

The tumbleweed waggon?

The jail? You're

looking for those men?

And what happens

when you find them?

Or if you don't find them?

Ever?

We'd better hurry.

It's gonna storm.

Miss Rachel, where do you

want to put these blankets?

What is it, Marvin?

Where do you want these blankets?

Just put them in the

back some place.

Yes, ma'am.

Hi, Marshal.

You asked me once whether I

could ever stop looking.

I think now I can.

Can you?

Well, Rachel, there's

a difference.

You see, I'm not... I'm

not looking for ghosts.

The end of my trail's

in Red Creek.

Maybe not.

What then?

I don't know.

Think we got him?

I don't know.

The dog or the shot, either one.

Why ain't that dog yapping?

If that marshal was alive that dog

would be yapping, wouldn't he?

I told you I didn't know.

But I aim to find out.

No. Let him come to us.

No, Captain. I've waited

on him long enough.

Why don't he move?

Tommy.

Drop it.

Dead. Captain Wilson, Tommy,

Loomis, all of them, dead.

All except Maddow,

Blackfoot, and you, Jenkins.

Count me dead, too.

I just want to say that I

don't hold you to blame,

for what that's worth.

It's worth something.

So that's how it is?

That Rachel lit a fire in you

with that rich body of hers.

You lit a fire in each other.

Now you're going to get married

and raise cattle and kids.

Devil take the rest of the world.

Maybe.

You used the law and a badge to

heal that scar on your neck.

Well, how many men are you going

to have to hang to heal your scar?

Go to hell, Cooper.

I've already been there, Judge,

in your waggon and in that

hole you call a jail.

And old man Jenkins

is gonna die there.

- Is he sick?

- He's dying.

I'll get a doctor

down there for him.

Let him go.

So he can go on and look for

another innocent man to lynch?

He's an old man.

Well.

And that was an old rope he

helped put around your neck,

but it came damn near to

killing you, didn't it?

What's the matter

with you, Cooper?

You got Jenkins on

your conscience?

Think I judged him too harshly,

used him like a piece of

kindling for my fire of justice?

Well, maybe that's inevitable when

there's only one man, one court

with the power of final justice

over a territory five times

the size of most states.

Mistakes? I've made them,

Cooper, don't you doubt it.

Don't you doubt either

there are times

sitting up there in

that judgement seat

I've wished, I have prayed

that there was someone standing

between me and God almighty,

someone with the power to say,

"You're wrong, Fenton. You

made a mistake in law."

"This man here deserves

another trial,"

"this man here a reprieve,

and this man is innocent."

But until this territory

becomes a state,

with a governor and a

state court of appeals,

I'm the law here, all the law.

And if you don't

like that, you can

cuss me till hell freezes over.

Or you can join me, Cooper.

Even fight me.

Help me turn this godforsaken

territory into a state

where no one man calls

himself the law.

I want that old man pardoned.

You pick up your badge.

Tonight. Right now.

You take this down.

Give it to one of the

guards down there.

If there are any questions,

you tell them to see me.

There'll be no questions.

Cooper?

Charlie Blackfoot was seen

in the town of Ridgeway.

I got two unfilled warrants here.

Blackfoot and Maddow. The

law still wants them.

Hang 'Em High (1968) - full transcript