Bonanza (1959–1973): Season 12, Episode 6 - Gideon the Good - full transcript

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No use rushing.
We've got 20 more miles to go.

Hey!

Sure you don't know him?

A stranger to me.

Well, take him on
over to the funeral parlor.

Mr. Cartwright, I'd like to ask you
a few more questions.

Fine.

Sit down, Mr. Cartwright.

Well, Pike, how are you feeling?



Had any breakfast?

Pike, I'd like to talk to you
a little bit,

but I've got some business
to take care of here.

I want you to go
and do your chores,

and then come back
and see me, hmm?

Oh, and, uh,

maybe you could use
a little tobacco money.

You come back when you finish.

Now, Mr. Cartwright, you said
you were on your way to War Bonnet.

Yeah, to meet my father and brother,

to pick up some horses
and drive them back to the ranch.

This woman you saw, that description

fits about half the women
in this part of the world.

Can you pin that down a little bit?



No. That's the best I can do.

I'm sure I'd recognize her
if I saw her again.

I wonder if you'd mind
riding out there with me,

and show me
where you found that body.

- Be glad to.
- Oh, uh, one more thing.

I'm gonna have to ask you
to stay around town

till I can arrange an inquest,

maybe tomorrow,
the day after, at the latest.

Sorry to inconvenience you,
but there's no help for it.

It's no problem. I'll send a telegram
to my father in War Bonnet.

Well, I'd appreciate it.

No, sir, I'm sure
your son hasn't checked in here,

and this is the only hotel
in War Bonnet.

I knew it. Dad-burn-it, I knew it.
When he told us he'd meet us here,

I knew we wouldn't see
hide nor hair of him

till we got them horses back.

- Oh, he'll be along.
- You want to make a little bet on that?

All I'm interested in right now
is a cold drink and a hot meal.

Up the stairs, to your left, sir.

Thank you.

You know, even with Little Joe,

we're still gonna need a couple of
hands with those horses, Pa.

Well, we'll get 'em.

Well, I guess
I've seen all there is to see here.

- Hey.
- Hmm?

Take a look at this.

That pretty well narrows it down.

It's a woman, and her first
or last name starts with "L."

Where'd you find this?

Right over there, in the tall grass.

Yeah, well, it...
it might mean something.

Let's get back to town.

- Yes, Gideon, it's mine.
- I knew that.

What I don't know is what it was doing
at the scene of a murder.

Well, I'm waiting.

I tried to tell you, Gideon.

I tried, but I couldn't.

I'd give anything
if it hadn't have happened.

You mean, you were out there?

You... you killed him?

Who was he?

Harry Loomis.

But you told me he was dead.

I thought he was dead.

I knew he was. I believed that.

I'm sure you did.

As close as our marriage has been,
I'd know if you were lying.

The marriage now is bigamy.

Gideon, we didn't know.

Your husband shows up,
and now he's dead.

As soon as that comes out,
there's no way back for us.

I don't want you hurt.

That's the last thing I want.

That's not gonna help.

Come on, now, you...

you sit up here with me
and tell me all about it.

Come on.

- Oh, how are you doin'?
- Buenos dias, señor.

What a fine caballo you have.

Will you take care of him for me?

It will be an honor
and a pleasure, señor.

I have never seen
a more beautiful animal.

Yeah, well, how much
to take care of him?

For you, señor,
a dollar a day, with feed.

I'll tell you what I'll do.
I'll make it $1.25 if you do me a favor.

Certainly, señor. Anything you ask.

Put your hat back on,
stand up straight,

and wipe that silly grin
off your face.

Where can I find the telegraph office?

It's right across the street, señor.

Good enough. Thanks.

He said he'd kill me
if I didn't go with him.

He was trying to push me
into the buggy.

I saw his gun.

He would have killed me
if I hadn't have shot him.

I believe you.

No one else will.

No, I'm afraid not.

Oh, why did you go out there, Lydia?
What good did you think it would do?

I thought I could persuade him
to go away and leave us alone.

I should have known better.

You know this man Cartwright
can identify you.

What are we going to do?

I don't know.

I'll think of something.

Meanwhile, you're gonna
stay here in the house,

out of sight.

Well, all I can say is,

I think we're in a pretty fix
when you can't even hire

a couple of wranglers
in a town this size.

Well, the whole town's booming.
Nobody needs a job.

Telegram for you, Mr. Cartwright.

- Oh, thank you.
- Odds, it's Little Joe,

telling us not to wait for him.

Well... it's from Joe, all right.

"Delayed a day or two
in Black River..."

What'd I tell you?

"to testify at a coroner's inquest.

"Details when I see you.
Don't worry. No troubles you'll find."

A coroner's inquest.
Wonder what that's about.

I don't know.

- It gives me an idea, though.
- What?

We can go to Black River,
find out what this is about,

and maybe pick up some wranglers.

- Why not? Let's go.
- We'll leave in the morning.

Yes, sir.

- Mr. Cartwright.
- Hey there, Sheriff. Sit down.

- Talk to you for a minute?
- You bet.

You want some coffee,
something to eat?

- It's a good steak.
- No, no. No, thanks.

I just want to tell you
that I've identified the man you found.

- Oh, yeah?
- Put a name to him, anyway.

Harry Loomis of Denver.

I'm going to send a telegram
to the Denver police

and see what they can tell me
about him.

Anyway, I don't see any reason
for you to stay around Black River.

What about the inquest?

Well, just give me a signed statement
about what you saw and heard,

and you can be on your way.

Look, I've already sent
that telegram to my father.

I think I'll just stick around.

Can if you want.
Don't see any need of it.

Well, look, I am the only witness.

In the next day or two,
I might spot the woman

and I can identify her for you.

You might.

Suit yourself.

Aah!

I want four or five of your men
to go with Colton,

get every horse off the street
and out of the livery stable.

Take 'em out to Colton's ranch.

The rest of you go with Sam Hicks.
He'll post you all around town.

I've got a hunch this man Cartwright
is pretty handy with a gun.

I don't want anybody getting hurt,

so if anybody corners him,
you just let me know,

and I'll handle it.

Lock this stuff up.
We've got work to do.

Easy, boy.

Easy.

You boys check the corral
in the back of the hotel.

The rest of you, come with me
to the livery stable.

Señor Colton, what do I tell the men
who own these horses

- when they come for them?
- They're at my place.

Sheriff's orders.

Your place, señor,
that is a very long walk.

Yeah, and if you see that Cartwright,
you run and yell for the sheriff.

All right, come on over here.

Where'd they take the horses?

To Señor Colton's rancho, señor.

The jefe says all the horses in town
must be taken to them.

How far away is it?

Three miles, maybe four, to the south.

Why'd you come up here?

There was blood on the ladder, señor.

If you knew I was up here,
why didn't you tell them?

Señor...

Come on, put your hat back on
and answer me.

I did not want to get mixed up
in this thing, señor.

What thing? What'd the sheriff
say happened out there?

He says
when he tried to ask you questions

about the man you found,
you ran away from him.

And everybody believed him, huh?

The whole town.

What about you?

You believed him.
Why didn't you tell him I was up here?

You would hear
and you might shoot me.

Come on, you're a bad liar.

If you were afraid
I'd shoot you down there,

why'd you come up here
looking for me?

I do not like to see any man
in trouble, señor.

You saw what happened out there,
didn't you?

Señor, when my father died,

el jefe gave us food and money. He...

Answer me. You saw what happened
out on the street.

I saw it.

What are you gonna do about it?

Señor, my mother works
for el jefe and his señora,

and he gave me this job
here at the stable.

Wait, wait, you said, uh,

"el jefe and his señora."
He's married, huh?

Sí, he's married.

What's his wife look like?

She's very beautiful, señor.

- What's her name?
- Lydia.

Lydia.

Señor,

anybody in town will tell you
el jefe is a fine, honest man.

I cannot speak against him.

Oh, yeah, he's a great guy.

In Black River, señor,
the truth is what el jefe says.

And even if it wasn't, señor,

do you think the gringos
would take the word of a pelado?

No, I suppose not.

What's your name?

My name is Luís Valdez.

Luís, I can't run
and I can't hide, so...

if you want to get the sheriff,
just go on and get him.

I am sorry, señor.
If it was not for my mother...

Don't be sorry and don't apologize.

Just do what you have to do.

Check out back.

Señor, Señor Colton and
the other men searched the barn

when they came for the horses,
and the loft, too.

Al! Charlie!

The barn's already been searched.

We haven't found him yet,
so he may have slipped out of town.

I want you men to check every ranch
within walking distance.

Talk to the ranchers,
check the buildings. Go on.

I thought I told you
to stay out of sight.

You tried to kill him, didn't you?

- Just a minute, Lydia.
- Don't lie to me, Gideon.

Please, don't even try.
I heard the shot.

When I ran out, I saw Cartwright
on the ground, wounded.

He got into the alley,

and then you came after him
with your gun in your hand.

You did try to kill him, didn't you?

What happened, Gideon?

Why would you?

Well, I...

I talked to him tonight when he was
having supper in the saloon.

Tried to get him to leave town.

Told him he wouldn't be needed
for the inquest,

but he wouldn't go.

So, you decided to kill him
to protect me.

No, I didn't know
what I was gonna do then. Just...

get you out of town
till the inquest was over or something.

I don't know.

I...

When I started home tonight,
I saw him.

We were alone on the street together.

All I could think of was,

here's a stranger...

a man I don't know or care about
who could ruin our lives.

Even then,
I didn't do anything until he...

stopped and looked
in the photographer's window.

My picture.

I had forgotten it was there
till he stopped...

but he saw it

and he recognized it.

All he'd have to do
is ask anybody in town,

and they'd tell him who killed Loomis.

There he was.

It seemed so easy.

Only it wasn't,

and I'm glad.

Well, you know what'll happen now,
don't you?

Let it happen.

You know, the first thing
they'll say at court...

you didn't bother to divorce Loomis
before you married me.

- We'll tell 'em the truth.
- Ah, they won't listen.

They'll saw you met Loomis
out of town...

and shot him,

so I could call him a drifter
and put him in a box and bury him,

so all our troubles would be over.

They know us better than that.

- No, you're wrong.
- Try them.

It's too late, Lydia.

Cartwright's out there
with a bullet in him now. My bullet.

How do I explain that?

You think he'll...
he'll accept an apology?

Just get on his horse
and ride out of town

and let us alone?

You can't have him
hunted down and killed!

It's too late.

Gideon, you can't do it.

Go on home, Lydia.

And this time, stay there.

Don't you worry, honey.

I'll get us out of this somehow.

Go on. Go on.

I brought some food, señor.

Softly, señor.
There are people all around.

It could do both of us harm
if they were to hear us.

Thanks.

Good.

How come you didn't bring the sheriff?

As you said, señor,
you could have killed me.

- That was just talk.
- Sí.

But you could have
forced me to help you,

and you didn't.

You do not treat me like a pelado.

You understand why I cannot...

Señor, you cannot stay here.

Señor Colton will come very soon
and he will find you.

You must go away with me.

We will find a place for you to hide.

All right.

Hey, boy.

What are you doing there, huh?

I know you.

You're the fella
the sheriff's looking for, ain't you?

Well, ain't you?

Check the door.

Close the door!

Luís! Who is this?

Oh, your leg is very bad, señor.
You must have a doctor.

Luís, who is he?

He's the man the sheriff is looking for.

Ay dios mio!

He was hiding in the stable,
and he would have been found there.

- And you bring him here?
- There was no other place.

What is the matter with you?
To help such a man is crazy!

Mama, el jefe lied about him.

Get him out.

No, I was there. I saw him.
He shot him for no reason.

Get him out!

No! He is going to stay!

- We will see.
- Mama,

did you hear me? El jefe is lying.

Señor Bates is our friend.

Your friend, Mama, not mine.

Luís!

A friend does not refuse
to let you repay a kindness.

He did not give us food
and work and money to help us.

He gave it to buy us!

He does not want to be our friend.
He wants to be our patrón!

Do you know what can happen to you
for helping this man?

Sí, and I'm just as afraid of it
as you are.

There's one thing I am more afraid of,

and that is what will happen to me
if I do not help him!

When Papa died,
you said I had to be a man.

What kind of a man did you mean?

Now, tonight, I will get us horses,
and I will help him get away,

but now he must rest.

I must go to work.

If I do not, the Señora Bates will come
to see what is the matter.

Buenos dias, Señora.

I am sorry I am late. Perdóne.

That's all right, Maria.

Oh, I will take that, señora.

Oh!

I'm sorry, señora.

Is there anything wrong, Maria?

Oh, no. No, señora, no.

Well, Luís, what's the matter?

It's my mother, señor.
She's very, very sick,

and you must come right away.

All right, I'll get my bag,
and be right with you.

Is that Luís with Dr. Myles?

Oh, sí, señora.

They're turning east at the corner,

toward your end of town.

Maria, what is it?

What do you mean, señora?

You know perfectly well what I mean.

Something's the matter.

Something's very much the matter,
from the way you're acting.

Señora.

Do you know
what Luís is doing with Dr. Myles?

No, señora.

And you're not curious about it,
are you?

Sí, señora.

You're not telling me the truth, Maria.

Something's troubling you,
and I want to know what it is.

Oh, there. Maria, what is it?

Perhaps I can help.

Tell me.

- Tell me.
- It is Luís.

Luís? What about Luís?

- He... he...
- He what?

He brought that man to our hogar.

Man? What man?

The man
that Señor Bates is looking for.

He is hiding him there.

- Who is this?
- I am Dr. Myles.

Luís got me here
under false pretenses.

He told me his mother was ill.

I had to, amigo. Your leg is very bad.

Well, I'm only guessing, of course,

but I'd say you're Mr. Cartwright.

Yeah, that's good guessing, Doc.

- He's a friend of yours?
- Sí.

I'd be interested to know
how that came about.

First, I'd better have a look
at that leg.

I'll hold your gun, amigo.

Never mind.
It might make the doc nervous.

I found him in the livery stable.

He was trying to find his way out.

What'd he say about Cartwright?

Well, the way he was mumbling,
I couldn't make it out.

Nothing but the name.

I'll get some of this into him.

Colton, I don't need you anymore.

Uh, Sheriff, would it be all right

to bring the horses back
from the ranch now?

Yeah, go on. Bring 'em back.

Come on.

Come on, wake up.

Pike! Come on, wake up.

Whether your story's
true or not, Cartwright,

doesn't make a bit of difference.

- So Luís told me.
- Gideon's a big man.

I don't just say that
because I'm a friend of his.

I know what he's done.

Well, just what has he done?

When the Mayan petered out,
he kept this town from going to rot

the way a hundred other silver camps
in the territory have,

and one way or another,
he kept Black River alive.

In the past 15 years,
we've had enough fires, droughts,

all-around hard times
to kill a town a dozen times over,

except that Gideon
just won't let it die.

Gideon's more than
just the sheriff of Black River.

He is Black River.

Luís, for your sake,
I'm not gonna say anything about this,

but, uh, get him out of here
as fast as you can.

Maybe el jefe has let the horses
be brought back to town.

I will go and see, huh?

- You watch out for yourself.
- And you rest.

Go on, Pike.

Well, I tried to hold
Cartwright for you, Sheriff.

I could have done it, too, if he
didn't have somebody helping him.

Who?

It was that Mexican kid
that works down at the livery stable.

Luís?

Luís!

You can put the revolver away,
Mr. Cartwright.

You won't need it.

Is that what you told the fella
outside of town, Mrs. Bates?

How do you know who I am?

Why didn't you bring
your husband with you

so he could finish
what he started last night?

I don't want you killed, Mr. Cartwright,

any more
than I wanted to kill Harry Loomis.

Well, you know, for some reason,

I don't find that very reassuring,
Mrs. Bates.

Maybe that's because when
I found Loomis, he was very dead.

Because he tried to kill me.

Well, I'll try
not to make the same mistake.

Now, why'd you come here?

Mr. Cartwright,
I'll help you get out of town

if you'll go away

and forget that I'm the woman
that you saw yesterday.

And if I forget your husband
tried to kill me last night?

Yes.

And you and the sheriff
live happily ever after.

And that's after he's looked me up

and put a bullet in my head
so I don't talk.

No, Mrs. Bates. We're gonna
keep each other company,

just till I get a horse
and get out of this town.

Sit down. Come on, sit down.

I wouldn't get your hopes up either.

I'm not gonna ride very far,
just to War Bonnet.

I understand
there's a U.S. Marshal over there

who takes a very dim view
of trigger-happy lawmen.

Anybody here?

- Howdy.
- Buenos dias.

- Are you in charge here?
- Sí.

- You got room for a couple of horses?
- Sure.

Listen, I want you to give them
a good rubdown, real good now.

And don't give them
any water too soon.

Give them a quart of oats
and some good hay.

- We'll be over at the hotel.
- Sí, señor.

He doesn't deserve
to have his life ruined

because of one moment of weakness.

Believe me, Mr. Cartwright,
Gideon's a good man.

Oh, come on, Mrs. Bates.

If he was a better shot,
he'd be a murderer now.

All right, Cartwright, drop the gun.

- Gideon!
- Drop it!

How much have you told him?

Everything.

Good. It's all out in the open now.

You know what my wife did
was in self-defense.

Maybe.

That doesn't excuse the bullet
you put in my leg, though.

That was a mistake.
I'm gonna make that right.

You and I are going on down to the jail
to get this straightened out.

Go on, it's all but over now.

He's not taking me to the jail.
He can't.

He wants you out of here,
so he can kill me and you won't see it.

- No, he wouldn't.
- Go on home, Lydia.

Even if you kill me, you lose.

Luís, the stable boy,
saw you shoot me last night. He'll talk.

A pelado, a Mexican?

Who's gonna
take his word over mine?

Gideon, you can't.

If I don't shut him up, he'll ruin us.

Now, get out of here, Lydia.
I'm gonna...

The sheriff just tried to kill me.

I saw his wife on the road
the other day after she killed Loomis.

He's telling the truth.

To protect me.

This came in the mail an hour ago.

Loomis was wanted for murder,
dead or alive.

You'd better get a statement
from everybody, Sam.

Take my keys.

Take that, too.

One more minute and we go, huh?

What do you mean, "we?"

Well, your father has hired me
to drive you to War Bonnet,

and maybe even to your rancho.

A couple of my friends
are going to help drive your horses.

Hey, look, I still think it's silly.

To go to a lot of trouble for nothing.

I'm not hurt that bad.
I can ride a horse.

Your leg needs another week
of healing before you ride.

The doctor says so.

And he's the boss, Joseph.

All right.
I won't argue with you.

And have your own doctor
take a look at that leg

when you get home, just to be sure.

I will.

Thanks, Doc.

I'm sorry about what happened.

Yeah, so am I.

Take care.

All right, let's go, amigo.