Santa Fe (1951) - full transcript

With malice toward none
and charity for all.

This the great man said
at Gettysburg.

Yet after four long years of strife and
battle between the North and South...

...the malice still remained...

...and charity
was a forgotten word.

Peace came...

...but the soldier returned
to a ravaged land...

...to homes
which had been destroyed...

...to children who no longer
recognized their fathers...

...to families
who were now strangers.

Still others found less...



...not even the welcoming hand
nor the friendly smile.

Only the dull apathy of despair...

...a torn and bleeding nation...

...at the lowest ebb in its history.

With the restlessness born of war,
men of both the blue and the gray...

...sought distant ground
in which to plant their roots.

But not all could forget...

...and in many of them,
the flame of hatred still burned.

Didn't know the war got
this far north in Missouri.

Didn't get far enough north
to suit me.

Maybe we should've stayed
back in Virginia.

Poor land up here.
Folks are even poorer.

How can they be poor?
They won, didn't they?

Don't start that again, Clint.



Better water the horses
and wet our own throats.

Plumb frightened her.

I guess the gents up here
don't bow to ladies.

Something long and cool that bites.

Sweet cider is his limit.

All we got's whiskey.

Well, give me whiskey.

About time you all realized
I'm not a kid any longer.

Hey, you, with the striped pants.

You're a Johnny Reb, ain't you?

You mean, are we from the South?
What about it?

Be careful how you talk, Reb.

Army for army, we beat you good,
and man for man, we can lick you now.

Well, now, mister...!

No need to get steamed up, friend.
The war's over, so let's forget it.

We're looking for some land where we
can settle down to work again in peace.

Maybe we ain't so sure.

What's your name?
Where you come from?

We're the Canfields.

We owned the biggest plantation
in Virginny.

It doesn't matter what we owned.
We haven't got it now.

- How much?
- I don't take counterfeit money.

Counterfeit?
You haven't even looked at it.

I said, it's counterfeit.
Now, get out of here, all of you!

Look here...

No trouble, Clint. Let's move.

I ain't never seen a Reb yet
that would walk when he could crawl.

Yeah, that's what they do.

Every one I ever seen crawled.

Dirty drunken Yanks.
None of you can call yourself a man.

All right, come on.

Come on, let's get out of here.

Here's four more.

Since the beginning of time,
man's growth in civilization...

Since the beginning of time,
man's growth in civilization...

...has been in the story
of transportation.

Our beginning is in
the few meager miles of track...

...over which you've ridden out here
to Wakarusa Grove from Topeka.

But the rails will not stop.

They'll go on to reach the old pueblo
of Santa Fe, New Mexico...

...then onward westward to California
to touch the waters of the blue Pacific...

...to meet the ships
bearing treasures from the Orient.

What's he been drinking?

When I find out, I'll send you a case.
Maybe it'll broaden your own vision.

It will not be easy...

...but nothing but a railroad
will make this new empire...

...a part of an expanding America.

I know that among you workmen
who will build the Santa Fe...

...there are many who come
from both the North and the South...

...and I ask all you now to put aside
your differences for all time...

...in the interest of a good
and common cause.

And to this end, that you join with me
in repeating the oath of allegiance...

...from President Johnson's
Amnesty Proclamation.

I'm sure Colonel Holliday
doesn't need the ladies.

Why don't you take them down
and get dinner prepared.

Hold up your right hand.

I do solemnly swear
in the presence of almighty God...

...that I will faithfully support,
protect and defend...

...the Constitution
of the United States...

...and the union of states
thereunder...

...and that I will in like manner
abide by and faithfully support...

...all laws and proclamations
made during the Rebellion.

Hey, what's wrong with you?

We're wanted men.
This is our chance for a new life.

Say, aren't you Britt Canfield?

You've mixed me up
with somebody else.

I'd know you anywhere, Canfield.

The name's Remley. John Remley.

That's right, mister.
I'm a friend of his.

But I'm positive.

I know him too.
You've made a mistake.

You rode with White's Raiders.

I was a major in the Federals
under Gen. Sheridan.

Last time I saw you was when you
hit our lines at Parsons Creek.

Of course, I guess all you saw of us
that afternoon was our heels.

You've got a pretty good memory.

We were in luck.
We had the element of surprise, major.

Not major anymore,
just plain Dave Baxter.

Now, why all this Remley business?

A man who rode
with Confederate guerrillas...

...might have trouble
making friends here.

- That's gone. Let's forget it.
- I'd like to.

Well, I'd better report.

I'm certain I could find a good job
for a man like you, captain.

- You're the boss?
- I am here at end of track.

I'm building this line
for Colonel Holliday.

See me at the engineering car
first thing in the morning.

How about it? Do we stick together?

With a lot of Yankees?

Clint, you've gotta stop fighting a war
that doesn't exist.

You've got to forget it.

Forget it?
You think they've forgotten?

I'll always remember what the Yanks
did to the South, to us.

- I know, I know.
- And for that, I'll hate them all my life.

Clint's right.

Clint, Tom, you too, Terry,
you've gotta get this in your minds:

We fought for something
we believed in and lost.

Now we've got to mend our fences.

Hate won't help us any.

Neither will what you're doing.

I'm always interested in men
who think for themselves.

And there are easier ways...

...to make money off of
a Yankee railroad than by laying track.

I'm not cut out for this type of work.

I ought to be an engineer.

Takes this to handle an engine.

Your head just matches
what you're handling.

Gotta have your wits with you
every minute.

Make one little mistake,
and you just lose everything.

Look at all these gadgets.

Takes brains to know
what each one of them's for...

...when to push and when to pull.

You ought to be thankful you're
working with a man like me, Dan.

See what I mean?

Get into it, there,
you sorghum lappers.

Come on, there.

Yeah! Come on,
you sorghum lappers.

Come on!

We'll be waiting for you.

Sure wish we were there now.

- The pay train.
- Keep on working, you fools.

I was looking for Thompson,
the paymaster.

I've been expecting you.

- I'm the paymaster now.
- You?

Didn't Dave tell you?
I'm Judith Chandler.

Glad to know you.

Here's a list of men we've hired,
along with those who are sick...

...those who have deductions coming,
and so forth.

Thank you.

Is something wrong?

No. In the South...

...we don't usually see a woman
doing a man's work.

We women of the North
are a little different.

So are the men.

My husband. Dave tells me
he knew you through the war.

You were in Major Baxter's regiment.
You must have known Tony.

No, ma'am. You see, I...
I wasn't exactly with Major Baxter.

Our uniforms were
of a different color.

Canfield.

- Now I remember.
- I don't understand.

Tony was killed in the war,
Captain Canfield...

...at Parsons Creek,
in the charge that you led.

I'm sorry. Deeply sorry.

Sorry? Tony and Dave
were very good friends.

They dreamed of the railroad
along with Colonel Holliday.

Tony was to have been
Dave's assistant.

They planned together
to cross the prairies...

...mountains, build bridges.

Bridges that Tony will never cross.

Mrs. Chandler, the war's over.

It doesn't do any of us any good
to personalize it.

I'm sure you feel if it weren't for me,
your husband would be here now, but...

He would be, wouldn't he?

I'm sorry you feel that way.

Now, here's what we're up against.

Along this 300-mile strip
is a 2-million-acre land grant...

...that's coming to
the Santa Fe Railroad...

...if we reach
the Kansas-Colorado border...

...by next March 1st.

We must have that land grant
to finance the road...

...and unless we reach the state line
in time, the Santa Fe's dead.

Then, Dave, we'll just have to
get there in time.

All the men are paid
and accounted for.

- Sorry there's no money left.
- We certainly could use it.

By the way, Judith, I've just promoted
Britt here to be my assistant.

Assistant?

Congratulations, Mr. Canfield.

Thank you.

I'll let the men know what's ahead.

What's the matter?
Don't you approve of my choice?

Of course. Only now he's doing the job
that Tony would have done.

Judith, somebody has to take
Tony's place with the railroad.

Somebody has to take Tony's place
with you. And that's where I come in.

Not yet, Dave. We'll have to wait.

- Why?
- I just feel that way.

When a woman feels that way,
there's no point in arguing with her.

Just don't make the waiting too long.

- What's up?
- Nothing new.

Whenever that pay train rolls in,
'tis booze they smell.

- Well, it's 20 miles to a town.
- And so it is.

But some smart operators have
set up a saloon and gambling camp...

...about a mile back there
in the woods.

They've been following along
behind us for two or three weeks.

Tomorrow, what with all the headaches,
we'll not get 200 yards of track done.

Swede, I thought I told you to throw
that fellow off of railroad property.

Hey, you, come here.

By golly, I did throw him off once.

He's the dirty dog that's been
passing word on to the crews...

...telling them how to get
to that gambling camp.

Oh, he has, has he?

There's a good time waiting
for all you men just a mile away.

Go up till you see a red rock.
Follow your no...

Get away from this camp,
and keep away.

Britt! Britt!

- Trouble!
- What?

Indians.

Anybody know
what he's talking about?

I do. Says he wants to talk to you.

Well, ask him
what he's got on his mind.

He says the iron horse spits fire
and frightens his people.

Ask him if he's afraid.

He says, Of course not.

He's the greatest chief that is.
He's afraid of nothing.

If that's true, he can prove it
to us and his tribe...

...by driving the iron horse.

You've put him on the spot.
He won't dare lose face.

They're holding you hostage till
the chief gets back safe to his people.

Me?

He's good.

This engine don't run,
except on the tracks.

Stop this thing.

How do you say stop in Indian?

Try!

You were all right, chief.

Maybe someday
we'll name a train after you.

Well?

He's telling them that the Indian pony's
much better than the iron horse.

The iron horse
has to stay on one trail...

...and the Indian pony will
take them hunting anywhere.

He's gonna let the railroad alone.

Well, let's get back to work.
We can't make state line standing here.

- Dan.
- Yeah, yeah.

Ask him where he got
those bells on the tomahawk.

He said they was given to him
by a saloonkeeper.

Same fella that
gave him the whiskey.

Told him the iron rails
and singing wires was bad medicine.

I wonder who'd want to feed
these Indians lies about the railroad.

Yeah.

I wonder too.

Yes, sir.

Gambling hall and a saloon
right in their own wagons...

...following behind us
every time we move.

Half the crew are here.

There won't be a paycheck left.

They sure aren't helping
the Santa Fe any with this setup.

How about it? I feel lucky.

Like to buck the tiger?

Gamble? Not me.

Don't know the first thing
about gambling.

Thanks, Britt.
Where'd you find them?

You guess.

My brothers,
feeding liquor to the Indians.

When we split up, I didn't think
it'd be this far apart.

- What makes you think we had...?
- You're quite a man now, aren't you?

Big saloonkeeper and gambler,
just like your brothers.

In that letter you sent me, you said you
came out to get in on the land boom.

This is surer profit. Quicker.

For you, maybe,
but not for the Santa Fe.

We've got to reach Colorado
by March 1st to get a land grant...

...or there won't be any railroad.

And we're not going to be delayed
just so an outfit can sell more liquor.

I'm through trying to run your lives...

...so stay away from the Santa Fe
unless you want to work on it.

Tell that to your boss.

Why not tell me yourself, Canfield.

The name is Sanders. Cole Sanders.

Yes, I... I've already met
your chief salesman.

- Got a thing to settle with him.
- Crake.

Canfield, you're in
the railroad business...

...and we're in
the entertainment field.

Now, if you want to come in
and buy a drink...

...or gamble a dollar or two,
you're welcome.

But don't try telling me
how to operate.

I'm telling you to keep away
from the Santa Fe.

- If you're looking for trouble...
- That's exactly what I'm looking for.

Where are you going?

This is a private fight.

What's that?

Oh, probably one of them
drunks celebrating.

There she is, me boys.

- Good work, Moose.
- The state line.

- We made it!
- With less than 48 hours to spare too.

Now I know why railroaders
turn gray young.

And the land grant is ours.

No more financial worries,
for a while.

All right, boys.
A week's holiday for everyone.

The train leaves for Topeka
in the morning.

Thanks, sir!

Thank you.

What's this?

Thought you said
you never gambled.

Oh, these? Oh, I just carry them
around to tell my fortune with.

Oh, you should know something
about card games, Dan.

How would you like to have me
teach you how to play poker?

Oh, would you, Luke?

Don't think it'd be fun for you.

Forget it.
You're my friend, aren't you?

I'm glad.

My daddy told me you never
play cards with strangers.

How many?

I'll take four.

Mind if I cut them?

I'll play these.

Well, Mr. Plummer,
how much do you wager?

- I'll check.
- I'll bet all I got.

I think I'll raise.

Next time I play poker with you,
you're gonna have gloves on.

Luke! Dan!

Come on, fellas. We got bad news.

What's the matter,
the whiskey all gone?

No, worse than that.
We gotta go to work.

A fella came in camp and said
we ain't reached the state line.

You're crazy.
The state line's out here.

That ain't what he said.
And he's a government surveyor.

Come on. Get out of here.

That's right, Britt.
We're short of track by four miles.

When I rode in tonight...

...I found your company surveyor
had made a mistake.

It's four miles to Colorado.

Our surveyor staked that line
days ago. Where is he?

Oh, he's in his tent now, passed out.

He was up in that saloon camp
for a week, drinking.

Pretty smart, aren't they?

They knew once we crossed
that state line, we'd get our land grant.

Then they'd have no place to set up
business except on railroad property.

Get the men out.
We've got work to do.

Come on. Get your clothes on.

Get moving. We've got work to do.

Get moving.

Come on, you spalpeens.
There's work to be done.

Men, we need four miles of track.

Four miles by tomorrow night.

So 'tis four miles of rails
he needs, is it?

We haven't even one.

That's right, Britt. Nor ties either.

Dave, does that
land-grant agreement...

...say anything about our road
being continuous track?

No, only that we run our line
into Colorado...

...by nightfall tomorrow.

Then we've got track, back there,
track which we've laid.

Tear it up, rails and ties.
Four miles of it. Move it up.

You graders, get busy.

Rest of you men, get on those flats.
Make it fast.

Come on. Get moving, you spalpeen.

Come on, you, get moving.

Britt's a man who thinks on his feet.
That's what I like.

You know, I think he'll do it.

You've changed toward Canfield.
You've stopped resenting him.

I never did resent him as a person.
Only what he stood for.

Glad to hear you say that, Judith.
Britt's a fine man.

I've got the fullest faith
and confidence in him.

I think of him more as a friend
than a fellow worker. He's got...

What am I doing?
I'm patting another man on the back...

...when I should be telling you
what a remarkably clever fellow I am.

You men, would you like to know
what we've been doing?

The toughest job we've ever done
on this line.

But we got it done without you.

Yes, we've done it without you!

Now, get out of here!

What are you doing?

Get out of here!

And me with aces full!

What did you want, tricking the road
into stopping short of the state line?

- What are you talking about?
- Getting our surveyor drunk.

You almost finished the Santa Fe.
Without that grant, you would've.

We didn't know about the surveyor.

- We wouldn't do that, honest.
- That's the truth.

What is this? I thought we had
talked this over once before.

I thought I'd convinced you
once before.

I still say let me run my affairs.

With my help.

- Ready?
- Now.

To commemorate
this special event...

...we now dedicate the new western
headquarters of the Santa Fe.

And so it is with extreme pride...

...that the Atchison, Topeka
& Santa Fe Railroad...

...announces the opening today...

...of regular, daily passenger
and freight service...

...between Atchison, Kansas
and your fair city.

Think of it, ladies and gentlemen.

Over 360 miles in 19 hours.

That's an average
of almost 20 miles per hour.

What is the fare, mister?

The fare?
Twenty dollars and 10 cents.

That's cheaper than walking
in those boots.

To the west, our road
runs another 300 miles.

But to your city, the railroad
has brought growth, prosperity...

...and a closeness
to the outside world...

...that otherwise would not
have been possible.

It'll do the same for other frontier
communities all over the continent.

Now, folks...

...inside you'll find all the beer
and sandwiches you can handle.

And it's all on the Santa Fe.

- Howdy, Britt.
- How are you, Johnson?

It's all right. She knows
all about the Canfields.

This is Ella Sue. My wife.

Your wife? When did this happen?

We've only been married
three months.

That's right.

Welcome to the family, Ella Sue.

- I'd say he's made a fine choice.
- Thank you.

- Hi, Britt.
- Well, it's been a long time, stranger.

What are you all doing
in Dodge City?

Not what you think.

We're partners in a little ranch
a mile out on the north road.

Shipping and buying
buffalo hides and bones.

- Big business.
- What happened to Sanders?

I don't know. We split up.

Well, I'm glad to see
you wild galoots...

...finally got some sense
and settled down.

We're only in this till we make
enough money to go back to Virginia.

We'll all go back. You with us.

No, I like what I'm doing. I'm staying.

That is, as long as they'll keep me.

- Oh, Judith.
- You sneaked out on me, Britt.

Mrs. Chandler, this is Ella Sue...
Mrs. Johnson.

Mr. Johnson, Mr. Clay
and Mr. Moore.

How do you do?

Why don't you come out
and join the celebration.

We're gonna have a dance
on the new station platform.

Well, sorry, ma'am,
but we've got livestock to tend to.

Oh, I am sorry.

Maybe you could come out
and visit us.

You too, Mrs. Chandler.
Later or tomorrow.

Not this trip. Leaving for end of track
first thing in the morning.

If we don't get a pay car out there,
our crews will lay down on the job.

Hope you do well
with those buffalo hides.

See you next time I'm in Dodge City.

- Old friends?
- Not particularly.

I thought they might be.
They sound Southern.

I must've had a loose coupling
to gamble even my job away to you.

No, it's just fate.
All in the cards, Luke.

Say, what'd you do
before you was a fireman?

- Used to work for a doctor.
- A doctor?

Well, he sold medicine.

Dr. Dopley's Indian Remedy.

What'd you do,
mix up the medicine?

No, mix up the customers.

A cardsharp from a medicine show.

I should've known it.

We've stopped for water.

- How about a little walk?
- I'd love it.

Holdup!

- Holdup!
- The payroll.

Hold where you are.

Keep on your feet.

In there.

Who's the engineer?

- He is.
- Oh, no, him. Him's the engineer.

- He is.
- Him.

Shut up. Now, make up your minds.

- Didn't hear you knock.
- Because I didn't.

How long you been eating
with a gun on the table?

Sit down and eat.

Didn't expect to see you so soon.

Didn't you?

You boys had to do some hard
riding to beat that train back.

We haven't been anyplace.

Quit stalling.

You, Sanders, all of you...

...were in on that train holdup today.

- What holdup?
- Talk, Clint.

Don't start anything, Britt.

Maybe you know, Ella Sue.
Maybe you can tell me.

My worthy brothers.

Outlaws. Men with guns. Killers.

We didn't kill anybody.

One of the trainmen was shot dead.
What do you call that?

A Canfield didn't shoot him.

What difference does it make?
You were in on it.

Where's Tom?

In there. The bedroom.

He's been shot.

Hello, Tom.

You're kind of off the track,
aren't you, coming out here?

- How do you feel?
- I'll be good as ever in a day or two.

You bet.

My mistake was...

Well, we were wrong
to do it, Britt. Crazy.

Canfields are all crazy.

You too, taking the chance
on coming out here.

Don't talk. I'll get a doctor.

What for? To ask questions?
I tell you, I'm all right.

Whether you like it or not,
I'm getting a doctor.

We...

We're still brothers, aren't we, Britt?

Sure. Always will be.

Good old Britt.

Always around when you need him.

Britt, someone's coming.

Some men.

I'll be right back.

Stay with him.

Put away your gun.

Clear the table.

Come in.

Well...

- Evening, marshal.
- Evening.

What are you doing here?
What can we do for you?

Just checking up on a train robbery,
if you don't mind.

Canfield was just telling us about it.

Come in, sit down.

- Britt, you know Bat Masterson.
- Yeah.

Only law for 40 miles
around Dodge City.

Yeah, Canfield and I have met.
I see you know these folks.

Johnson's an old friend of mine
from back home.

When I'm in town,
I usually try to drop in on him.

Take a look.

Well, what about it?

I ain't sure, but I think so.
It's hard for me to tell.

You said you could recognize him.

Yeah, but I gotta be sure.

Terry! Terry!

That's her. That's the girl, all right.

I knew I'd know her
if I saw her again.

And that's the fella
I always seen her with.

I'm sure now.

You're pretty young, son, to be riding
with outlaws and holding up trains.

I couldn't hold up a train, sir.

I haven't been away in two days.
They'll tell you.

He's lying. I saw his face when his
mask fell. He's one of them outlaws.

He's not. He's been here all the time.

That's right, marshal. I was with him.

Looks like you've made
a mistake, Masterson.

Mistake? Maybe. But that's something
that'll come out in the hearing.

You're under arrest, son.

No! No!

Britt... Britt, you can't help.

Tom's dead.

You look at me like I was
the reason he was killed.

I'll let you answer that
in your own mind.

The farther you get from the South...

...the shorter your memory becomes.

Because our father
had been in Congress...

...had come back to Virginia
when the war started...

...because he still owned
a plantation...

...they said that
according to the terms...

...written in Johnson's
Amnesty Proclamation...

...he wasn't entitled to a pardon
like everyone else.

Well, that was a lie.

You, Father and all of us knew it.

They said... They said he hadn't
taken an oath of allegiance.

They said it was too late.

They used their crooked Yankee laws
for their own gain...

...to sell everything
the Canfields had.

You saw what it did to Father.

His heart couldn't stand that.

You stood there along with all of us.

Watched him die.

There wasn't anything
you could do about it.

Nothing any of us could do.

They killed him.

If what they did was no crime...

...then what we did today
was no crime either.

Maybe you can forget all that,
but I can't.

Mrs. Chandler. Mrs. Chandler.

What is it, Henry?

Another one of those coded messages
from the Denver Rio Grande Railroad.

Caught it going through.
Just deciphered it.

Looks important.

It'll go a lot easier with you,
Johnson, if you speak up.

Now, who rode with you
on that train robbery?

Nobody. I wasn't even there.

But we've got positive identification.

Britt, I have to see you.

Yeah, all right.

You know Dave's gone to Kansas City
to try to get the Wells, Fargo contract...

...which we need so badly,
and now this happened.

This wire was just sent from
the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad...

...ordering materials for them to start
building in Raton Pass right away.

But they've been building
through Royal Gorge.

Maybe they think they
can get both routes...

...block us this side of the mountains.
You've got to beat them to Raton, Britt.

We've lost the gorge.
The court ruled against us.

But if you should begin
grading first...

...Raton Pass will be ours
by prior construction.

Johnson, considering all the facts...

...as far as I'm concerned,
you're as guilty as sin.

Britt, a railroad must keep growing,
or it dies.

And if it dies, all life along
its right of ways dies too.

Our loyalty belongs
to the thousands of people...

...who've put their trust in men
like you and Baxter.

Nothing must stop this railroad
from going forward.

It's bigger than
any one person, Britt.

Even a brother.

Moose.

I've got a big job for you. Round up the
best gunmen and go to Royal Gorge.

Crack shots shouldn't be
hard to find here.

- What?
- We'll pay them enough.

Make up a special train.
I want you there by dawn.

Hold the Rio Grande people there.

I got eyes, and I never forget a face.

Oh, marshal, just a minute.

Rusty, you and the boys
did some celebrating...

...the night before the holdup and...

Well, with the new depot
opening and all...

...guess we took aboard a few.

From that headache you were carrying
around, I'd say it was a full shipment.

Now, a thing like that
could affect your eyesight.

There's nothing wrong
with my eyesight, then or now.

Rusty, see that man
standing back there?

- What about him?
- Take a good look at him.

- Now look this way. Describe him.
- What?

What does he look like?
What's he wearing?

Well, he's... He's got a hat on.

A kind of a brown one.

And a coat. A black one.

Very good.

Now, what about his eyes,
his mustache?

- His eyes are...
- No, no.

I don't remember.

But his mustache
is kind of pointed.

Look again, Rusty.

His hat is gray.
His coat isn't black, it's brown.

And he must've had a quick shave,
because I don't see any mustache.

I saw some specs advertised
in the last copy of Harper's Weekly.

I'll order you a pair.

Still stick with your witness, marshal?
And this time he's sober.

Come here, you.

Well, Johnson, I guess we can't
make it stick this time.

Even the railroad's on your side.

All right, you can go.

Very clever, Britt. And I'm glad.

Southern loyalty, I suppose.

Don't be forgetting,
nobody's to be hurt.

Mr. Harned! Mr. Harned!

The Atchison, Topeka
& Santa Fe Railroad...

...is going through Royal Gorge!

So be pulling your crews
out of there.

The Santa Fe.

If it's a showdown you want,
this is the right place for it.

Just like I told you. He'll fight it out
here if it takes all summer.

Keep them hopping, boys.

This won't get you anywhere!

I saw you pepper that hat.
That's fancy shooting.

- We've had practice.
- You boys are fine.

I was thinking you were
against the Santa Fe.

You're wrong.

Well, now, don't be letting
those Rio Grandes get bored.

They're not even
going to let us sleep.

I've arranged for horses
along the way.

How much more will she take?

As much as that lazy fireman
can give her.

Too bad I can't highball you
clean to Raton.

Sure hope you get there in time.

I will, if Moose can hold
those Rio Grande builders...

...at Royal Gorge long enough.

- Tie down the safety valve.
- I already did.

What's going on here?

Santa Fe gunmen are trying
to drive us out of the gorge.

But that's impossible.

The federal court issued an injunction
ordering the Santa Fe...

- ...to give the gorge to the Rio Grande.
- What?

The office rushed me out
with this copy.

Those men must know that.

- I get it.
- Get what?

It was a trick to hold me here,
to keep us away from Raton Pass.

The Santa Fe couldn't be there yet.
You could still beat them.

Joe. Joe. Round up
those graders again. Quick.

We're going on to Raton.

- Where's Mr. Wootton?
- There on the end. Fiddler.

- Hold your horse. What you doing?
- Business. Important.

Ain't nothing as important as Uncle
Dick winning that fiddling contest.

I got $ 18 bet on him.

Eighteen dollars. And we've got
700 miles of railroad on him.

How long does this last?

Till two of them fiddlers wear out.

- Why, it might take all night.
- Sure.

Keep it up, Pete, you old buzzard.

Oh, so you're from the Santa Fe.

Well, I got two brothers
working on the Santa Fe.

And when they're out of jobs,
I gotta feed them.

- Then let me through.
- No, you don't, mister.

Not till the fiddling's over.

You're all right, Uncle Dick.

Mr. Wootton. Hey, Mr. Wootton.

My name's Canfield.
I'm from the Santa Fe Railroad.

Canfield? Santa Fe?
What do you...? What do you want?

A railroad starts through here tonight,
ours or Rio Grande.

Ours by prior construction...

...if we can make a deal now
to buy your toll road.

Yep, I've been running this toll road
for many years now.

Hacked the whole 27 miles out
with my own hands.

The Santa Fe will do right by you.
Give you $50,000.

Fifty thousand?
What do you think I am?

You...? You want more?

Do you know where I got the money
to build this road with?

Back in '52,
I drove a herd of sheep...

...8900 of them, up to California...

...and sold them out
to the starving miners.

All the way from Taos
to Sacramento in 107 days.

Got back in 38 days
with a sack full of gold.

And a big sack. Yes, sir.

Now you'll get another sack.

Oh, I guess my riding days are over.

But I'd like to finish it out in style.

Just give me a free pass to ride
on them there steam cars.

It's a bargain, Uncle Dick.
It's a bargain.

And the $50,000.

All right. Men, $ 10 to everyone
who can handle a spade tonight.

- Ten dollars?
- Yeah.

- Count me in.
- Me too.

I'll grab an Irish banjo
and pick up a 10 myself.

Come on!

Uncle Dick, from the start
of this roadbed...

...we head straight for Raton Mountain,
where we'll tunnel through.

Raise the gate.

All right, men, get busy.

Come on. Some on this side.

Is this as fast as this thing will go?

Yep. Them horses
don't run by steam.

Old Dick Wootton's toll house
is close by now.

There they are, digging up the road.

- Let's get them and run them off.
- Shut up. Stay where you are.

Keep back. Until I tell you.

Smart trick.

To outwit the Rio Grande.

I have more men here than you have.
We could drive you off this mountain.

Go ahead and try it.

No. I don't want any bloodshed.

Neither do you.

We're both railroad builders.

It only matters to us,
not the people out there...

...whose railroad they use
as long as they have one.

That's the important thing.

So since you got here first,
let it be the Santa Fe.

Good luck.

Sure, you did a fine job, me boys.

But don't be strolling away too far.

The train for Dodge City will be
leaving in a few minutes.

When do we get our pay?

Don't you be worrying about that.
You'll get it.

- Yeah, you'll get it.
- Yeah, I hope we do.

Clint, there's Britt.

But if it weren't for him, I...

I know, I know, Terry,
but don't say anything.

You know how embarrassed
he gets when you thank him.

- Hi, Britt.
- What are you two doing out here?

- Were you at Royal Gorge?
- Sure.

When we heard you needed some
extra hands back in Dodge, we joined.

Why don't you sign up
for a steady job with us.

No, no. We'll be going back.

Fighting is one thing...

...but working regular hours is
something I wasn't cut out for.

This way, I'm my own boss
and not some Yankee.

And I thought you were
getting over that.

Hello, Britt.

Your chest must be puffed out
a foot after what you've done.

Naturally I feel good...

...but you made the winning
of Raton possible.

- I?
- By letting me go.

You know about us Canfields,
don't you?

Yes.

Will you believe me if I tell you
it was in self-defense?

Hotheaded southerners
and drunken northerners?

And we couldn't have proved
it wasn't murder?

Can you believe that?

I must have already, don't you think?

Yes, you... You must have, Judith.

But I'm glad you told me yourself.

For me, I'm getting sick of
this no-pay-on-payday business.

I've been out of money
for two weeks.

The road always comes through,
sooner or later.

Well, they can't pay
if they haven't got it.

They got it.

Santa Fe wouldn't be
the first railroad to go busted.

I read in the paper
about one of them eastern roads.

Yeah, there are rusty rails
and rotting ties...

...all over the United States
to prove that.

It's none of my business...

...but if I had pay coming,
I'd ask them about it.

I'd find out just when that pay train
was going to get here.

Fella's right.

Let's go find out about it right now.

All right, let's go. Come on.

What's the guy's name?

- Oh, Mr. Baxter!
- Hey, Mr. Baxter!

- What's the matter?
- We want our money.

- Yeah, how about our money.
- It'll be here before long.

Promises won't buy anything.
What we want is the cash.

- That's right.
- That's right.

Has Dave Baxter ever lied to you?

He says you'll get your money soon.
I say so too.

And I ought to know,
because I'm the one who'll pay you.

That still don't tell us
when the money's coming.

- Yeah. Where is the money?
- When's it coming?

I'll tell you when the money's
gonna get here, if it'll satisfy you.

There's a pay shipment leaving
Dodge City at midnight tonight.

It'll be here in the morning.

That's different.
That's all we're asking.

See how easy it is to find out
what you wanna know?

Board! All aboard for Dodge City!

Get this over to the telegraph office
right away.

Dave.

I wonder, Dave, was it wise
telling those men...

...when the pay train
was leaving Dodge?

- What do you mean?
- Suppose there's another holdup?

We'd lose the New Mexico extension.
The Wells, Fargo contract too.

- I hope there is a holdup.
- What?

There'll be no money aboard,
only 20 of Bat Masterson's deputies.

I just sent him a wire.

- A trap?
- Yes, a trap.

And if my way of thinking is correct,
it'll work.

You hope someone who heard you
out there will take the bait?

Very possible.

Catching these men makes a great
deal of difference, doesn't it?

The difference between
success and failure.

If we want the Wells, Fargo contract,
we've got to get rid of these outlaws.

He's made a fool of me,
and you helped him do it.

- Dave, you can't believe that.
- What else can I believe?

- Britt's done nothing wrong.
- They're brothers.

They've been in trouble before.
They killed a man.

Maybe they had to.
Maybe it was the soldier's fault.

They're southerners.
I know what hatred can do.

Some people get over it,
others don't.

You're condoning these men.

I was as revengeful against the South
because of what they took from me...

...as they must be against the North
because of what we took from them.

You've got a short memory.

Now you're talking the same kind
of hatred I had to fight.

It wasn't a hard fight with him
to help you, was it? A murderer.

I tell you the man
who was killed was drunk.

They had to shoot him
in self-defense.

- How do you know?
- Because Britt told me.

It's gone that far
between you, has it?

You're in love with him, aren't you?
Aren't you?

That's all the answer I need.

Twelve hours a day ain't enough
for a man to work.

Just a little run
down the line, he says.

Doggone if we ain't halfway
to Dodge City.

Well, just keep on going,
because that's where we're headed.

- What?
- You heard me.

Come in.

Well. You kind of like
surprise visits, don't you?

This will be the last one.

- Who else is here?
- No one.

So you came out to Colorado
to help the Santa Fe.

Finding out about a payroll
leaving tonight...

...was just an accident, I suppose.

Listen, Britt...

...we got a chance to square accounts
with those Yankees once and for all.

- Don't try to stop us.
- You bet I won't.

Ride for that train,
and you ride to your death.

Bat Masterson's men
will be aboard waiting for you.

But there won't be any money.

I don't believe it. It's a trick.

On Baxter's part.

I might lie for my brothers,
but I never lie to them.

Then I guess we'll have to
call off the whole thing.

Canfields are finished around here.

Pack out tonight,
and I'll go with you to Virginia.

You'll go with us?

- What about your ever-loving railroad?
- That's finished too, for me.

There's someone who believes in me,
in all the Canfields...

...and we are not
going to destroy that trust.

Yeah.

Come on, let's all go back home.

Yes. Yes, we'll go.

It's what I've always wanted, Clint.

Sure. We'll go.

Then be ready to leave in an hour.

There's something in town I must do.

Well, what's so funny?
We aren't gonna get the payroll.

Aren't we?

If the money isn't on board that train,
there's only one place it can be.

In the railroad safe
at the Dodge City depot.

And with those marshals out of town,
riding that train, waiting for us...

...what could be nicer?

- But, Clint, we promised.
- I know.

Isn't it a lucky thing I was listening?

So Mr. Britt Canfield is your brother.

Wouldn't the railroad
like to know that.

Come on, before Crake
and the boys get tired waiting.

Will you see that this gets
to Dave Baxter in La Junta?

Wells, Fargo!

There's more than a payroll here.
There's a couple of hundred thousand.

Come on.

Outlaws robbed the depot safe
and shot a couple of guards.

Ella Sue, where are they?

I don't know.

You know they robbed the depot.

- Yes.
- Then you know where to find them.

- No.
- They've got to be brought in.

People were killed tonight.

I can't find Terry and Clint,
that'll mean more killing.

Innocent men. Doesn't that
mean anything to you?

Yes. Yes, it does.

They ridden to the way station
at Lyles Crossing.

They're going to stop
the westbound and escape.

Sanders planned it.

I was supposed to meet them there...

...go with them.

But it would always be
running away...

...somebody after you
all your life, hiding, afraid.

Anything's better than that.

I'd rather see Terry in prison.

Clint did this to us. I hate him.

No, Ella Sue. Don't hate Clint.

I'm the one to blame. I'm the oldest.

They always did what I said.

I should have
kept the family together.

Britt.

Save Terry for me, if you can.

I thought I'd find you here.
Where's the rest of your gang?

I realize all the Santa Fe meant to you
was a chance to get some fast money.

Take it easy, Baxter.
Where are your brothers?

- I can't tell you that.
- We'll catch them.

- Meanwhile, you're under arrest.
- You're making a mistake.

Britt had nothing to do with it.

He came to find them,
to make them give themselves up.

Is that true? Then you won't mind
telling us where they are.

You ever had
any brothers, Masterson?

- You leave me no choice.
- They're at Lyles Crossing.

- Ella Sue.
- If you hurry, you can get there.

I love Terry,
and I don't wanna love a killer.

Let's move.
Carter, stay here with Canfield.

- I've got to go with you.
- So you can tell them we're coming?

- Keep him here.
- I'm trying to save your lives.

- And theirs?
- If I can. They'll shoot it out.

- That's the way we'd like it.
- And you'll win, but you won't all win.

I wanna stop them
as much as you do.

If I can make them give up
without a fight, I will.

Swear him in as a deputy, Bat.

Captain Canfield's a good man
in a fight. I ought to know.

We're cattlemen, mister.
Want tickets for Fort Lyon.

How many traveling?

- Six.
- Seven.

There's a young woman
supposed to meet us.

I ain't seen nothing all day,
except you men...

...and what trains go whizzing by.

They don't stop unless I flag them.

How long till ours leaves?

Well, that's a touchy question.

Sometimes she's 10 minutes late,
sometimes two hours.

Last week, she was on time once.

I guess she'll be on time...

On time tonight too.

They're just telegraphing about it.

I guess I'd better tell them
that I've got passengers.

Forget about the tickets.

We'll use our passes.

Looks like they're here.

Just be ready to flag down that train,
and nothing will happen to you.

Ella Sue ought to be here by now.

I hope she don't get here.
A woman is only in the way.

I'm not going without her.

You can't rush them
without somebody getting hurt.

Yeah.

You inside there...

...come out with your hands up.
You can't get away...

- I'm going to talk to them.
- No, wait, Canfield. Don't risk it.

They're my brothers. I'll be fine.

They're desperate men
fighting for their lives.

They're still my brothers.

Clint, Terry, can you hear?

Clint, Terry, can't you hear me?

Yeah. Get away from here, Britt.
Go back.

There are too many of us.
Give up while you can.

You'll get a fair trial.

Fair trial?

If you want us, come and get us.

- Don't!
- Get away.

Could've figured you'd turn yellow
when it'd come to him.

Keep away from
that window, Sanders.

It's your own fault, Terry.
You shouldn't have done it.

Britt!

Britt!

We'll board the train on the fly.

As soon as the engine gets between us
and the marshals, make a run for it.

You're not getting on any train.

So you Canfields are all alike.

Come on.

Keep rolling.

Keep your hands off that brake.

Come down.

Stop this train.

Stop this train.

Honor your partner,
lady by your side.

Circle left for quite a while.

Circle right for half a mile.

Swing your honey
and give her a smile.

Allemande left with your left hand.

Back to the right.
To the right, left grand.

Meet your honey
and promenade home.

I wish to pay tributes to the men
who built this railroad.

Let us drink a toast
to Cyrus K. Holliday...

...and his chief construction engineer,
Mr. Dave Baxter.

Well, Colonel Holliday and I
are not the men who built the railroad.

As for myself,
I'm only one of the men.

But there is a man to whom
we owe a great deal personally.

He isn't here.

I wish he were. I'd like to thank him
and to shake his hand.

He put the welfare of this road
above all else, even above self.

Why, gentlemen, look at you.
What happened?

We've come to say goodbye,
that's what.

We're quitting as soon as we get
this kettle to headquarters.

But where can you get another job?

Oh, we got one already.

I wonder if you'd write down
a telegram for us.

It's to tell them
that we're on the way.

Certainly.

Just say, Leaving Saturday.

Who is it going to?

Oh, construction engineer on the new
railroad they're building up in Nevada.

Name's Canfield.

Britt Canfield.

Never mind the telegram, boys.
I'll deliver it myself.

Hey, where did you say
that is in Nevada?

Where is it?

What the future holds,
no man can know...

...but there'll always be
a new end of track.

Our trains will become
bigger and faster.

For as the railroads grow...

...so will America.