Bonanza (1959–1973): Season 2, Episode 19 - Bank Run - full transcript
Hoss and Joe "rob" a bank for altruistic reasons and are pursued not by the law but by a more serious force, Ben and Adam.
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Hmm?
Aw!
Well, well?
The claims that have
the X's on them belong
to us, Mr. Harrison.
Th-That is correct,
Mr. Harrison.
Uh, we've gotten control of all
the silver claims in the area
but this one.
What? Well, why haven't we got
that one, too?
The claim belongs
to a stubborn Irishman
by the name of Tim O'Brien.
Holmes has been unable
to get him to sell
or negotiate in any manner
whatsoever.
Won't negotiate?
Negotiation is the backbone
of our civilization.
Force him to negotiate.
I think I've got
the answer, chief.
Item number one--
Tim O'Brien has all his money
deposited in the Virginia City
branch of our bank.
And to the tune of nearly
$100,000.
Oh, the man's a fool.
Item number two--
about a month ago, he bought
$10,000 worth of machinery
from your mine equipment
company.
And we've seen to it that the
bill has not yet been paid.
Were you also farsighted enough
to require his claim as
collateral for the equipment?
That is item number three.
Close the doors of our
Virginia City branch.
Declare it insolvent.
And demand immediate payment
for the equipment.
And when O'Brien can't pay,
foreclose and take over
his claim.
Chief, we might have
just one problem.
I don't have problems,
I give them.
It's Ben Cartwright.
He's a good friend
of Tim O'Brien's,
and he might cause
a stink about this.
Let him.
It won't do any good.
Ben Cartwright will have
troubles of his own soon enough.
What do you mean, sir?
After we acquire
Tim O'Brien's claim,
can you guess what piece
of Nevada real estate
we're going after next?
Not the--the Ponderosa?
Precisely. The Ponderosa.
I want it all.
I want everything.
This is really a good-looking
briefcase you got, Pa.
Oh, it ought to be.
It's genuine kangaroo.
We got your horses
all saddled up, Pa.
Oh, thank you.
Oh, boys, now you know what
my policy is.
When Adam and I are away
on business,
I like to leave one of you two
in charge.
Yeah.
I'm leaving you in charge,
Joseph.
Huh?
Me?
That's right.
You'll be in charge
of ranch operations
and, uh, make all the decisions
just as I do.
Wait, now, you mean that I'm the
boss, I'm the head man?
That's right.
I'm giving you a blank check
as far as the Ponderosa
is concerned.
Well, you know,
I've been thinking
there's a few changes
we ought to make around here.
Changes?
Oh, well, n-not exactly changes,
sir-- improvements.
I mean, like, uh, well, cleaning
the stable and all those
fence posts above the ravine,
they need to be replaced.
They're all full of dry rot.
You know, things like that.
All right.
Oh, uh, Joseph, about
those, uh, improvements--
nothing too drastic, huh?
No, no.
No, no, sir. Nothing drastic.
Now, listen, y-you and Adam,
you go have a good time.
Stay as long as you want.
I'll take care of everything.
You sure you know
what you're doing?
Yes. I want Joseph to have
the responsibility.
He's got to learn that running
a ranch as big as the Ponderosa
isn't as easy as it seems.
Yes, but you left him
with a blank check.
When we get back, we'll probably
find the ranch has been
traded off for
a salted gold mine up in Alaska.
Now, stop worrying.
He'll be so busy cleaning
stables and repairing fences
he won't have time
for anything else.
And then after you've finished
branding the new calves,
I want you to whitewash
the smokehouse...
Whitewash the smokehouse?!
Joe, we've got hired hands
to do stuff like that.
I got other plans
for the hired hands.
Hoss, don't you remember
what it was like
when Pa left you to be boss?
Yeah.
What else you want me to do?
After you've finished
with the whitewashing,
I want you to build a new ramp
up into the stable.
- And then...
- Wait a minute, Joe.
Just one thing
I got to find out.
What do you want me to be doing
when I ain't busy?
Oh, I'll think
of something, Hoss.
What's taking you so long?
You wanna go
in town with me, you're gonna
have to knock on it.
- Town?
- Mm-hmm. Come on, hurry up.
There's another brush there.
Oh, yeah.
Hmm!
Hey.
Hmm, that's good thinking.
Hey, I'm going to go down to the
telegraph office for awhile.
What you gonna be
doing down there?
Well, there-there's a fella
advertising
he's got a prize bull for sale
in Placerville.
See? I'm going to send him
a telegram
telling him I want to buy it.
It says here he wants
$1,000 for that bull.
Yeah. Well, Pa left me a blank
check, didn't he?
Told me to make
all the decisions?
Figure buying this bull
is a decision.
Oh, hey, hi, Little Joe.
What are you doing in town?
Well, business, Frank.
You know, now that I'm running
the ranch, I've got a lot of
business to take care of.
- You're running the ranch?
- Mm-hmm, yeah.
Oh, that reminds me,
I want to send a telegram
to Placerville, California
to a Mr...
Uh, wait, wait, wait.
We haven't strung any telegraph
wires to Placerville yet.
The only way to get in touch
with anyone there
is, you know, regular mail.
Well, better
get the letter written.
- Hey, hey, hey, Little Joe.
- Yeah.
You ain't forgot how to send and
receive Morse code, have you?
Oh, no, I remember.
Of course, you know,
I gave up the idea
of being a telegrapher.
It's, uh, kind of kid stuff
compared to running
one of the biggest spreads in
Nevada, you know?
Why do you ask?
Well, nothing. I was... I was
just figuring on showing you
something I got for the, uh, the
new rig, if you'd watch the key
for a minute, but I guess you
wouldn't be much interested now.
- A new rig?
- Yeah.
Hey, you didn't get
a sulky, did you?
Better than that.
I got my pa's old buggy, see?
- What I'm doing, I'm stripping
it down, see? -Uh-huh.
- I'm cutting it under.
- Yeah?
And I'm adding a stick seat.
Oh, stick seat, huh?
Hey, what about the springs?
- Oh, oversized, naturally.
- Good.
You don't know the best part.
I got myself a pair of--
get this--
panel-boot Victoria lamps
from Boston.
Oh, panel-boot Victoria
are nice.
- Hey, want to see 'em?
- Yeah, I'd love to.
Watch the key for a minute.
- I'll go get 'em.
- Right.
One minute.
"To J.R. Huggins.
"Manager Harrison Branch Bank...
"Virginia City, Nevada.
"Declaring Virginia City
branch...
"insolvent. Stop.
"You are hereby ordered
to close bank
"and forward all assets
to Harrison Corporation.
John J. Harrison."
Well, there it is, Little Joe.
What do you think
of that, huh?
Yeah, it's, uh,
it's really great, Frank.
Great? That's all you're
going to say about it?
Look, have you seen
my brother Hoss?
Uh, yeah, I saw him down in
front of the Bucket of Blood.
All right, thanks.
Oh, hey, any messages
while I was away?
No, no, Frank,
none to speak of.
Uh, he probably never even saw
a panel-boot Victoria lamp
before.
Here, read this.
Over here, everybody.
Come on now.
Quiet, boys, quiet.
Tim O'Brien has something
to say.
You are now looking at
the Leaning Tower of O'Brien.
Drink hearty, lads,
drink hearty.
And there's more
where that came from.
For I have $100,000 in the
Harrison Bank down the street.
Drink up, drink up.
That's the way.
Insolvent? Don't... don't that
mean the bank's going broke?
Yeah, that's what it means,
but the bank ain't going broke.
They're doing this deliberate.
How come they'd want
to break their own bank?
I don't know.
Some kind of shady deal.
I remember Pa saying
that old man Harrison
was as crooked
as a dog's hind legs.
As a matter of fact, I remember
Pa's pa saying the same thing
about the old varmint.
If this telegram ever
gets delivered
it'll bust this town
wide open.
If it gets delivered.
New in town.
Pretty face.
What do you mean,
if it ever gets delivered?
I don't know if I'm going
to deliver it or not.
I saw Tim O'Brien
in the Bucket of Blood.
Bank closes, he'll lose
every cent he's got to his name.
I heard Pa tell him not to put
a penny in that Harrison Bank.
You know Tim.
He's so contrary,
whatever Pa told him to do,
- he'd do the opposite.
- Yeah.
Let's go in and talk to him.
Hey, Tim! Tim O'Brien!
Wee Joseph and Hoss Cartwright!
How are you?
Hey, Tim, we want
to talk to you.
Ah, today, Tim O'Brien
is a drinker, not a talker.
Irish whiskey
to wet our whistles.
Tom, well, give the boys
a couple of bottles.
Two bottles.
There you are, boys.
Hey, look, Tim, we want to...
Ah, now, where's...
where-where's your dad,
the big Cartwright,
me old friend?
Well, he's gone, Tim.
- Now, here's...
- Gone?
Ben... gone?
Me boozin' friend,
Ben Cartwright.
Now you tell me that he's gone.
He just rolled over
to Cedar Creek, Tim.
Cedar Creek?
Oh, for a minute, I thought you
meant something more permanent.
Now that he's back
amongst the living,
me spirit roars
for another drink.
Right away.
Joe, we're wasting our time.
Come on, Tim.
Let's go sit down.
Irish whiskey,
the nectar of the gods.
Consumed by gentlemen in all the
civilized capitals of the world.
Tim, you got any money
in the Harrison Branch Bank?
Have I got money
in the Harrison Bank?
Have I got money
in the Harrison Bank?
I don't think you lads realize
that it's Tim O'Brien
you're talking to.
Here, have a look at that.
That's me bankbook.
$98,649.
And 82 cents.
Yeah. And 82 cents.
Yeah, well, Tim...
hey, Tim, see,
Hoss and I were thinking
it might be a good idea
for you to take your money
out of the Harrison Branch Bank
and put it into another bank.
Why?
No special reason, Tim.
Just thought it'd be
a good idea.
Take me money out of one bank
and put it into another?
That don't make sense at all.
Have you boys been drinking?
Well, if you haven't,
you should be.
Here, do justice to that
while me back is turned.
Ain't no use in talking
to him, Joe.
- He's so drunk, he can't hit
the floor with his hat. -Yeah.
Sure wish Pa was here.
He'd know what to do.
Yeah, well, Pa ain't here,
so it's up to us
to do some thinking.
Let's go on over to the bank,
pussyfoot around,
ask some questions.
What sort of questions?
Now, what kind of question's
that to ask me--
what kind of questions?
Questions!
Here, Tim.
The idea--
me taking me business away
from a nice old man
like Mr. Harrison.
Out of three branches,
they pick this one to break.
That proves it's crooked.
If it wasn't, the whole bank
would go busted,
not just one branch.
Dad-burnit, Joe, how...
how do they get away with it?
Well, crook like
John J. Harrison
gets away with it all the time.
Listen, you keep
a lookout out here.
I'm going to talk
to Mr. Huggins.
Hey. Keep a lookout for what?
Would you just...
just keep a lookout?
Mr. Finch, that young
Cartwright boy, uh,
must think we're running
a general store.
He actually wants me
to take all the money
out of the safe
so he can see it.
Well, Mr. Huggins,
you're the manager.
I'm just your assistant.
But if I were you,
I'd humor the boy.
- You would?
- Mm-hmm.
Why?
Who knows? Maybe Ben Cartwright
sent the boy here
to check on our
financial structure.
You may be right.
Very well, Mr. Finch.
Get everything out of the safe
and bring it into the office.
Yes, sir.
Here we are.
$60,000 in cash
and our securities.
Now, let me get this straight.
You said you had deposits
totaling $150,000.
Yes, in that neighborhood.
You only have $60,000 here.
Well, I can see you don't know
much about banks.
Those bonds can be cashed
at any Harrison Bank
on demand for $100,000.
Hmm.
Well, then, gentlemen,
I suggest you cash them
before your depositors read this
and want to withdraw
their money.
Close the bank?
But that would mean
I'd have to go back...
- What?
- Oh, nothing.
I was just, uh...
All right, here's what
we'll do-- you cash the bonds,
let the depositors
draw out their money,
then I'll deliver the telegram.
Are you trying to tell me
how to run this bank?
No, but do you want to ruin
a bunch of innocent depositors?
Oh, no, no, no.
Of course not.
All right.
Me and my brother will ride
to Placerville
to the Harrison Branch.
We'll cash the bonds,
bring the money back here
to Virginia City.
You want me to turn these bonds
over to you and your brother?
Do you think I'm out of my mind?
Mr. Huggins, come here.
Gentlemen, I am trying
to be reasonable.
Joe.
Hey, Joe, what are you...
what are you doing?
Oh, robbing a bank.
Well, come on.
We're in this together.
Bread and butter.
Come to supper.
Hey, uh, everything
satisfactory, fellas?
Oh, uh...
The bank's been robbed.
Um, uh, Sh-Sh-Sheriff!
Mr. Huggins and Mr. Finch!
$100,000.
What else did they take?
Nothing else.
Only the bonds.
You're dead sure it was
Little Joe and Hoss Cartwright?
Of course it was them.
Oh, I know those boys well,
Sheriff.
It was them.
No mistake about that.
Mr. Johnson, you better get
back to your window.
Yes, sir.
I just can't believe it.
Yes, it came as quite a shock
to us, too.
I'd have sworn that those boys
just couldn't do a thing
like that.
When Ben Cartwright finds out
that they're bank robbers,
it'll... well, it'll
just break his heart.
And our bank, too.
You got any idea where they'd go
to cash the bonds?
Yes, they went...
Uh, yes. Yeah, I heard
the young Cartwright say
that they were heading south
for the Mexican border.
Mexican border, huh?
I'll send telegrams to all
the law enforcement officers
within a radius of 100 miles
to keep a lookout for them.
I'll keep you advised.
Mr. Finch, I was almost sure
that Cartwright boy
said he was going
to Placerville.
Exactly, Mr. Huggins.
Do you think they'll have
any trouble
cashing the bonds there?
Oh, no trouble at all.
Our Placerville branch
is equipped to handle
the largest kind
of transactions.
Precisely.
We're going to let
the Cartwright brothers
pull our chestnuts
out of the fire.
What do you mean, Finch?
You know what I mean, Huggins.
Mr. Finch, if you're suggesting
what I think
you're suggesting...
Why not?
Spoken in the true spirit
of John J. Harrison.
Now, we've got the $60,000 cash,
plus the $100,000
we are going to get
from the Cartwright boys,
which gives us a grand total
of $160,000.
$80,000 each.
$80,000 each!
Yes, a man could live handsomely
on that in Switzerland.
Switzerland?
I think I would prefer
the South of France.
I've heard the women
in France, uh...
Uh, by the way, Finch,
you've met my wife, haven't you?
Yes. Once.
Now, I have one suggestion.
We'll leave $10,000 of the money
with Johnson
for the teller's safe.
That'll take care
of the transactions
for the next three days.
The rest of the money,
we put in the big safe.
The big safe? Why?
That's what we tell Johnson.
Very wise.
You know, Mr. Finch, in time,
you, too, could have risen
to the post of branch manager.
Thank you, Mr. Huggins.
Frank. Send this message...
Hey, wait, wait, shh, shh.
Now, that can wait.
You send this message
to the peace officers
of every town on this list.
Joe and Hoss?
- See, now, I knew it.
- Knew what?
I knew something was wrong
when he wasn't interested
in my panel-boot Victoria lamp.
In your what?
- My panel-boot...
- Never mind!
Just send the message.
Joe, are you... you right sure
we're doing the right thing?
Well, Pa said I was boss
and I make all the decisions,
didn't he?
Yeah, but you done had us
robbing a bank,
and now it's destroying
private property.
I... I don't know whether Pa
would consider that
coming under the title
of making decisions or not.
Yeah, well, what if Mr. Huggins
telegraphed the Harrison Bank
in Sacramento?
They'd send a messenger to
Placerville who'd get there
before us and tell 'em not to
cash the bonds.
Come on, you better
knock on it.
Yeah.
Well, what's the matter?
The line just went dead.
Must be a loose connection
along the line somewhere.
Or a pole might've fell.
Now, what do you mean
a pole might've fell?
Yeah, last month over in Carson
City a bull tower went down.
Bull? Bull!
You send a message
as soon as you can, you hear?
Dad-burn it, Joe,
my feets as cold
as a couple of bushel baskets
of icicles.
How come we didn't stop
by the house
and pick up some bedrolls?
- Hey, Joe.
- Hmm?
What's the average time
a man gets for-for bank robbery?
Ten, 15 years of hard labor.
Yeah, you got nothing
to worry about.
Yeah?
A lynch mob usually saves the
government cost of a trial.
Adam!
Look at that!
Now, is this somebody's idea
of a joke?
Hmm, looks pretty
official to me.
No, not Joe and Hoss!
They wouldn't do a thing
like that!
I'm gonna see the sheriff.
I don't believe it!
I wouldn't believe it
if there were 50 witnesses.
I know my boys! They just
wouldn't do a thing...!
Ben, I understand how you feel,
but nonetheless
it's the truth,
and you just gotta face it.
It just isn't possible!
My boys...
How much are they supposed
to have taken?
$100,000.
I'm just fixin' to swear in
a half a dozen deputies now
and go after 'em.
Well, there's no need
to do that, Roy.
I... I'll bring the boys back.
I'll, I'll see to it that
everything they're...
they're supposed to have taken
is returned.
Well, that's very
nice of you,
but the trouble is this is
not just a family affair.
The boys have committed
a crime.
That means it's my job
to go after 'em, not yours.
Now I'm asking...
Roy...
I'm asking this as
a favor, Roy.
I... I'll, I'll bring 'em back.
All I need is a little time
to do it in.
Ben, I can't...
All right, I'll give you
a little time,
but to protect me,
now don't tell anybody.
All right, Roy, thanks. Thanks.
Hurt your hand?
- Whoa.
- What's the matter?
Joe, you know how
my head always itches
when somebody's following me?
You always claim that.
Well, it's itching right now.
I don't think they could
organize a posse this soon.
You sure your hair
just doesn't need washing?
I just washed it last month.
What, sheep dip and water?
- No.
- That explains it.
So far so good, Mr. Huggins.
Onward and upward, Mr. Finch.
Ho!
Hey, ma'am, didn't I see you
in Virginia City?
Reckon it must have been
the hat or the...
Hmph!
Good day, ma'am.
Hey, Hoss, you know, I just...
Yeah, I just made
the same mistake.
- Did you get the money?
- Oh, sure, I got it.
It's what what I went in
there for, isn't it?
Yeah, but $100,000,
that's a lot of money.
Ah, the bank manager knew Pa.
Figured he was working
on some kind
of a big business deal.
I didn't see any reason
to tell him otherwise.
Joe, we ain't ate
since yesterday,
and we got another cold night
on the trail.
How come we don't buy us
a couple of blankets
- and some beans or something?
- Here.
Yeah. You got any cash
money on ya?
No, I ain't, right on me,
but I was thinking that maybe...
Hoss, what you thinking
ain't honest.
But Joe, we'd
just be borrowin' it.
Well, we're on
the right trail, Pa.
That horse has a break
in his shoe.
That Joseph is getting
lazier by the day.
I told him more than
a week ago
to replace that shoe
on his horse.
Got dang, my feet
nearly froze last night.
I ain't, I ain't gonna let
that happen again.
The Cartwright brothers,
I presume?
Joe, we got us more troubles
than a horse without a tail
at fly time.
How are we gonna explain all
this to the sheriff?
It ain't the sheriff
I'm so much worried about
as it is Pa.
Dad-burn it, every time
I think about the brace game
them two bank fellers
playing on us,
makes me mad
enough to bite myself.
Well, better
get on back to town.
We got a lot of tall
explaining to do.
Yeah. We gonna be just
about as popular in town
as a couple of wet dogs
at a parlor social.
Well?
Go-go ahead and-and tell 'em.
You're the boss.
Well, you... you see, Pa, wha...
what ha... what happened is...
I think I'll get me some water.
That's the most unbelievable
cock-and-bull yarn
I've ever heard.
You steal the bonds from the
bank because it's going broke,
then you cash them,
and then the bankers steal
the money from you!
Well, that's exactly
what happened, Pa!
It sure is, Pa.
And then, then they stole
our horses on top of that.
Oh.
Where's that telegram
you got over the wire?
It's here.
Wait-wait a second.
You-you got the telegram?
I ain't got it.
You got it, ain't ya?
Well, I, I ain't exactly
got it with me, Pa.
You ain't exactly got it
with you,
because it wasn't exactly sent.
Oh, now, listen!
No, you listen,
and you listen good.
I don't know what you boys
did with the money,
but there's one thing
I do know for sure.
You're gonna give yourselves
up to the sheriff
and stand trial
for bank robbery.
Understand?
Adam, you and I'll ride back
to Virginia City
and make arrangements
to pay back every cent
that these... brothers
of yours took.
Uh, Pa, where you gonna get
a quick $100,000?
Sell the Ponderosa,
if I have to.
Hey, Pa, how are we supposed
to get back into Virginia City
if we ain't got no horses?
You'll walk.
We'll-we'll walk?
And make sure you get there,
ya hear?
Like you said, Pa,
you really know Little Joe.
He'll be cleaning out the
stable, repairing the fences.
Oh, come on!
What's going on?
Well, looks like a bank run.
Keep them out of here
until I get my money.
Your money?
What about my money?
Bennigan, don't be selfish.
Let's go! Hurry up!
Give me my money and quick.
Right away, Mr. Miller.
Mr. Miller, did you remember
to fill out your withdrawal slip
in triplicate?
Triplicate?!
What seems to be the trouble,
Mr. Johnson?
Bank run, Mr. Cartwright.
That $100,000 your two boys
stole is
turning this town into...
All right, all right,
now, now quiet down, folks.
Please quiet down now.
Just... Now, look,
your deposits are
perfectly safe here.
I-I promise you that.
Who's gonna make
up the money your boys stole?
Well, I will.
- The whole 100,000?
- Every cent.
Now, you can, you can
take my word for that.
Where are you going to get
the money, Mr. Cartwright?
Well, I'll, I'll get it,
e-even if I have
to sell the Ponderosa.
And as you all know,
the Ponderosa is worth well
in excess of $100,000.
Well, I'll go along
with that, Mr. Cartwright.
We all know what the Ponderosa
means to you.
You heard it, folks.
Mr. Cartwright says
we won't lose a penny.
That's good enough for me.
Come on, I'll buy the drinks
at the Bucket of Blood.
I tell you, Mr. Cartwright,
if you hadn't stopped them
when you did,
we'd have been
plum out of money.
Where's Huggins?
Oh, Mr. Huggins and
Mr. Finch have gone
away on a hunting trip.
A hunting trip?
The bank is robbed, and the
two men in charge go hunting?
Well, they had vacation
coming to 'em.
Matter of fact, I got
a vacation coming, too--
three weeks and two days!
Course I ain't
had time recently to...
Mr. Johnson, what exactly
did my boys steal?
Don't you know?
Well...
I sure hate to be the one to
tell you, Mr. Cartwright, but...
it was $100,000...
In bonds.
Bonds?
But they didn't take any cash?
Mm-mm, just the bonds.
There was $60,000
in cash right there
that they could just as easy
taken as not,
but didn't touch that.
Mr. Johnson, you can tell
any of your depositors who ask
that I'll have the money
in the bank tomorrow.
You have to believe them.
Wait a minute, Ben.
If what
the boys told you is true...
It must be true!
The fact that they didn't
touch any of the bank's cash
would prove that.
Certainly all in their favor.
I can't say as I've heard
of any bank robbers
passing up ready cash.
Roy, doesn't it strike you
as being pretty strange
that the, uh, manager
and his assistant
would go on a hunting trip
the morning after
their bank was robbed?
Yeah!
Well, it doesn't seem like
the natural thing to do.
Well, it seems to tie in
with Little Joe's story
about the bankers
having robbed them.
- Well, yeah... -Now, mind you...
mind you, Roy,
I'm not saying that I approve
of what the boys did,
but it was certainly a...
a great relief for me
to learn that at least
their motivations were honest.
Ben, I don't want to jail
Little Joe and Hoss
- if it can possibly be avoided.
- Yeah.
But I've got to remind you
that bank robbing in this
territory is still a crime.
If anybody's committed a crime,
it's that John J. Har...
Harrison
and that confounded
conspiracy of his
to bankrupt his own bank.
And I think you know it!
Maybe I do, but who's going to
convince the depositors?
Well, I'm going to personally
pay back every deposit,
whether the bank closes or not.
Ben, you could
go broke doing it.
I came here with nothing,
and if I have to,
I can start out all over again!
Hey.
Hoss, we're heading
in the wrong direction.
What are you talking about?
This is the right way home.
No, we ain't going home.
We're going to get
that money back.
We're going after the crooks.
On foot?
Joe, the way I feel, I couldn't
catch a turtle on foot.
Yeah, well, we need
some transportation.
And if my eyes aren't
as sore as my feet,
I have two vacant mules
I'm looking at.
Hey, hey, Joe...
Wait a minute, Joe.
These dang mules
don't belong to us.
Yeah, well, we got no time
to argue about ownership.
Nah, not me.
I done got enough
again' me already
without adding mule-stealing
to the list.
Yeah, and when it came time
to explain to Pa,
you said I was boss, didn't you?
Well, didn't you? All right,
then, I'm still boss,
and I'm telling you to get
on that thing and ride it.
And hurry up!
Joe, you sure we're
doing the right thing?
Come on. Get.
Well, I saw Colonel Duggan;
he's willing to help.
Oh, good. How much?
$50,000. He'll meet you
at the bank at 2:00,
it'll be a ten-year,
low-interest loan.
Oh, he's a good friend.
Well, I've been figuring out
we should be able to get
about $25,000 on
the timber rights...
Afternoon, Pa!
Howdy, Pa.
Guess what we done, Pa? We...
We got our horses back.
Yeah, we-we got the
money back too, Pa.
The money from the bank?
Yeah. Here.
- This is the bank's money?
- Yeah.
Well, how'd you get it?
Well, wasn't easy.
What happened to
Huggins and Finch?
- Oh, they got away.
- Well, no, not exactly.
You see, Pa, there was a little,
a little argument
about that money.
They didn't want to give it up.
So there was a little
pushin' and shovin', and I...
reckon them two fellers sorta
- fell in the Truckee River, huh,
Joe? -Last time we saw them,
- they were floating on their way
to Lake Tahoe. -Yeah.
This is the, uh,
the whole 100,000?
No, th-that's 150,000.
150,000?
Yeah. Th-There's, uh, the
100,000 they took from us,
and then see that other
little bag there?
Says "Virginia City Branch"?
That's got $50,000 in it.
I reckon they robbed their own
bank before they robbed us, Pa.
Where'd you get the mules?
Oh. Them mules.
Well...
Tell 'em, Joe.
Tell 'em?
Well, we, uh...
we borrowed them.
Sort of.
You borrowed them?
Yeah, well, we, we had to
get some transportation
- to go get that money, Pa.
- Yeah.
Now you two boys are going
to take those mules.
You're going to find
the owner of those mules,
and you're going to pay
the owner for renting them.
Yeah.
Oh.
We-We haven't got any money, Pa.
Now, Adam and I are going to
ride into Virginia City.
We're going to give this money
back to the bank.
This afternoon, you two boys
are going to ride
into Virginia City.
To the sheriff's office.
Yes, sir.
Yes, sir, Pa.
Adam, you take
these to the bank.
I'm going to see the sheriff.
You going to press charges
against Hoss and Joe?
I'm going to press some charges.
Uh, so, so we'd li... we'd like
to pay you a rental fee
for the mules--
say, uh... say $10.
Uh, we, we woulda asked you
before we took 'em, but...
- Yeah.
- It was sort of an emergency.
Make it, make it $15.
Yeah. Here.
Uh, of cour... course, that's
$15 for the rental of mules,
and, uh, there's $10 more for
the time you lost plowing.
Well...
mister, you, uh, you tell us.
What-What's it gonna take
to make you happy?
- Hi, Miller.
- Hi, Sheriff.
Mr. Cartwright, the people
of Virginia City, well...
Thank you. We ain't gonna
forget what you've done.
Well, I hope they forget what
Hoss and Little Joe "done."
And I'll have no advice from
you, Mr. Ben Cartwright.
Not as much as you'd put
in the eye of a needle.
This money goes up to my claim.
To be buried in a tin can.
There's too many different
kinds of bank robbers
around here to suit me.
What is the meaning of this?
Why hasn't this bank been
closed, as I ordered?
This is no place
for an honest man.
Well?
Well, uh, it's closed
all right, Mr. Harrison.
We're plum out of money.
Out of money?
That's impossible.
Well, there is enough to cover
three weeks and
two days' vacation.
Vacation?
Nobody who works for me
ever gets a vacation.
Finch, what is this fool
blathering about?
Mr. Harrison!
What's that? Who are you?
Oh. Ben Cartwright.
Yes. Ben Cartwright.
I can promise you, Mr. Harrison,
that if you try to pull one more
shady deal in Nevada Territory,
I'll make a special
trip to Washington
and use all the influence
at my command
to have you investigated,
and jailed.
And that's my department.
You heard what the man said.
This bank is closed.
Adam.
Wait!
You wait till I find out who's
responsible for all this.
Which reminds me, uh, Hoss and
Joe should be back by now.
I wonder where they are.
I just hope they
returned those mules.
I wouldn't want that charge
hanging over their heads.
Sort of a...
sort of a wiry
little man, ain't he?
He sure was.
- Hey, Hoss?
- Huh?
Why don't I let you
be boss for awhile?
No. No, no.
No, brother, I'm perfectly
content just being a hired hand.
This has been
a color presentation
of the NBC Television Network.
is brought to you
in living color on NBC.
Hmm?
Aw!
Well, well?
The claims that have
the X's on them belong
to us, Mr. Harrison.
Th-That is correct,
Mr. Harrison.
Uh, we've gotten control of all
the silver claims in the area
but this one.
What? Well, why haven't we got
that one, too?
The claim belongs
to a stubborn Irishman
by the name of Tim O'Brien.
Holmes has been unable
to get him to sell
or negotiate in any manner
whatsoever.
Won't negotiate?
Negotiation is the backbone
of our civilization.
Force him to negotiate.
I think I've got
the answer, chief.
Item number one--
Tim O'Brien has all his money
deposited in the Virginia City
branch of our bank.
And to the tune of nearly
$100,000.
Oh, the man's a fool.
Item number two--
about a month ago, he bought
$10,000 worth of machinery
from your mine equipment
company.
And we've seen to it that the
bill has not yet been paid.
Were you also farsighted enough
to require his claim as
collateral for the equipment?
That is item number three.
Close the doors of our
Virginia City branch.
Declare it insolvent.
And demand immediate payment
for the equipment.
And when O'Brien can't pay,
foreclose and take over
his claim.
Chief, we might have
just one problem.
I don't have problems,
I give them.
It's Ben Cartwright.
He's a good friend
of Tim O'Brien's,
and he might cause
a stink about this.
Let him.
It won't do any good.
Ben Cartwright will have
troubles of his own soon enough.
What do you mean, sir?
After we acquire
Tim O'Brien's claim,
can you guess what piece
of Nevada real estate
we're going after next?
Not the--the Ponderosa?
Precisely. The Ponderosa.
I want it all.
I want everything.
This is really a good-looking
briefcase you got, Pa.
Oh, it ought to be.
It's genuine kangaroo.
We got your horses
all saddled up, Pa.
Oh, thank you.
Oh, boys, now you know what
my policy is.
When Adam and I are away
on business,
I like to leave one of you two
in charge.
Yeah.
I'm leaving you in charge,
Joseph.
Huh?
Me?
That's right.
You'll be in charge
of ranch operations
and, uh, make all the decisions
just as I do.
Wait, now, you mean that I'm the
boss, I'm the head man?
That's right.
I'm giving you a blank check
as far as the Ponderosa
is concerned.
Well, you know,
I've been thinking
there's a few changes
we ought to make around here.
Changes?
Oh, well, n-not exactly changes,
sir-- improvements.
I mean, like, uh, well, cleaning
the stable and all those
fence posts above the ravine,
they need to be replaced.
They're all full of dry rot.
You know, things like that.
All right.
Oh, uh, Joseph, about
those, uh, improvements--
nothing too drastic, huh?
No, no.
No, no, sir. Nothing drastic.
Now, listen, y-you and Adam,
you go have a good time.
Stay as long as you want.
I'll take care of everything.
You sure you know
what you're doing?
Yes. I want Joseph to have
the responsibility.
He's got to learn that running
a ranch as big as the Ponderosa
isn't as easy as it seems.
Yes, but you left him
with a blank check.
When we get back, we'll probably
find the ranch has been
traded off for
a salted gold mine up in Alaska.
Now, stop worrying.
He'll be so busy cleaning
stables and repairing fences
he won't have time
for anything else.
And then after you've finished
branding the new calves,
I want you to whitewash
the smokehouse...
Whitewash the smokehouse?!
Joe, we've got hired hands
to do stuff like that.
I got other plans
for the hired hands.
Hoss, don't you remember
what it was like
when Pa left you to be boss?
Yeah.
What else you want me to do?
After you've finished
with the whitewashing,
I want you to build a new ramp
up into the stable.
- And then...
- Wait a minute, Joe.
Just one thing
I got to find out.
What do you want me to be doing
when I ain't busy?
Oh, I'll think
of something, Hoss.
What's taking you so long?
You wanna go
in town with me, you're gonna
have to knock on it.
- Town?
- Mm-hmm. Come on, hurry up.
There's another brush there.
Oh, yeah.
Hmm!
Hey.
Hmm, that's good thinking.
Hey, I'm going to go down to the
telegraph office for awhile.
What you gonna be
doing down there?
Well, there-there's a fella
advertising
he's got a prize bull for sale
in Placerville.
See? I'm going to send him
a telegram
telling him I want to buy it.
It says here he wants
$1,000 for that bull.
Yeah. Well, Pa left me a blank
check, didn't he?
Told me to make
all the decisions?
Figure buying this bull
is a decision.
Oh, hey, hi, Little Joe.
What are you doing in town?
Well, business, Frank.
You know, now that I'm running
the ranch, I've got a lot of
business to take care of.
- You're running the ranch?
- Mm-hmm, yeah.
Oh, that reminds me,
I want to send a telegram
to Placerville, California
to a Mr...
Uh, wait, wait, wait.
We haven't strung any telegraph
wires to Placerville yet.
The only way to get in touch
with anyone there
is, you know, regular mail.
Well, better
get the letter written.
- Hey, hey, hey, Little Joe.
- Yeah.
You ain't forgot how to send and
receive Morse code, have you?
Oh, no, I remember.
Of course, you know,
I gave up the idea
of being a telegrapher.
It's, uh, kind of kid stuff
compared to running
one of the biggest spreads in
Nevada, you know?
Why do you ask?
Well, nothing. I was... I was
just figuring on showing you
something I got for the, uh, the
new rig, if you'd watch the key
for a minute, but I guess you
wouldn't be much interested now.
- A new rig?
- Yeah.
Hey, you didn't get
a sulky, did you?
Better than that.
I got my pa's old buggy, see?
- What I'm doing, I'm stripping
it down, see? -Uh-huh.
- I'm cutting it under.
- Yeah?
And I'm adding a stick seat.
Oh, stick seat, huh?
Hey, what about the springs?
- Oh, oversized, naturally.
- Good.
You don't know the best part.
I got myself a pair of--
get this--
panel-boot Victoria lamps
from Boston.
Oh, panel-boot Victoria
are nice.
- Hey, want to see 'em?
- Yeah, I'd love to.
Watch the key for a minute.
- I'll go get 'em.
- Right.
One minute.
"To J.R. Huggins.
"Manager Harrison Branch Bank...
"Virginia City, Nevada.
"Declaring Virginia City
branch...
"insolvent. Stop.
"You are hereby ordered
to close bank
"and forward all assets
to Harrison Corporation.
John J. Harrison."
Well, there it is, Little Joe.
What do you think
of that, huh?
Yeah, it's, uh,
it's really great, Frank.
Great? That's all you're
going to say about it?
Look, have you seen
my brother Hoss?
Uh, yeah, I saw him down in
front of the Bucket of Blood.
All right, thanks.
Oh, hey, any messages
while I was away?
No, no, Frank,
none to speak of.
Uh, he probably never even saw
a panel-boot Victoria lamp
before.
Here, read this.
Over here, everybody.
Come on now.
Quiet, boys, quiet.
Tim O'Brien has something
to say.
You are now looking at
the Leaning Tower of O'Brien.
Drink hearty, lads,
drink hearty.
And there's more
where that came from.
For I have $100,000 in the
Harrison Bank down the street.
Drink up, drink up.
That's the way.
Insolvent? Don't... don't that
mean the bank's going broke?
Yeah, that's what it means,
but the bank ain't going broke.
They're doing this deliberate.
How come they'd want
to break their own bank?
I don't know.
Some kind of shady deal.
I remember Pa saying
that old man Harrison
was as crooked
as a dog's hind legs.
As a matter of fact, I remember
Pa's pa saying the same thing
about the old varmint.
If this telegram ever
gets delivered
it'll bust this town
wide open.
If it gets delivered.
New in town.
Pretty face.
What do you mean,
if it ever gets delivered?
I don't know if I'm going
to deliver it or not.
I saw Tim O'Brien
in the Bucket of Blood.
Bank closes, he'll lose
every cent he's got to his name.
I heard Pa tell him not to put
a penny in that Harrison Bank.
You know Tim.
He's so contrary,
whatever Pa told him to do,
- he'd do the opposite.
- Yeah.
Let's go in and talk to him.
Hey, Tim! Tim O'Brien!
Wee Joseph and Hoss Cartwright!
How are you?
Hey, Tim, we want
to talk to you.
Ah, today, Tim O'Brien
is a drinker, not a talker.
Irish whiskey
to wet our whistles.
Tom, well, give the boys
a couple of bottles.
Two bottles.
There you are, boys.
Hey, look, Tim, we want to...
Ah, now, where's...
where-where's your dad,
the big Cartwright,
me old friend?
Well, he's gone, Tim.
- Now, here's...
- Gone?
Ben... gone?
Me boozin' friend,
Ben Cartwright.
Now you tell me that he's gone.
He just rolled over
to Cedar Creek, Tim.
Cedar Creek?
Oh, for a minute, I thought you
meant something more permanent.
Now that he's back
amongst the living,
me spirit roars
for another drink.
Right away.
Joe, we're wasting our time.
Come on, Tim.
Let's go sit down.
Irish whiskey,
the nectar of the gods.
Consumed by gentlemen in all the
civilized capitals of the world.
Tim, you got any money
in the Harrison Branch Bank?
Have I got money
in the Harrison Bank?
Have I got money
in the Harrison Bank?
I don't think you lads realize
that it's Tim O'Brien
you're talking to.
Here, have a look at that.
That's me bankbook.
$98,649.
And 82 cents.
Yeah. And 82 cents.
Yeah, well, Tim...
hey, Tim, see,
Hoss and I were thinking
it might be a good idea
for you to take your money
out of the Harrison Branch Bank
and put it into another bank.
Why?
No special reason, Tim.
Just thought it'd be
a good idea.
Take me money out of one bank
and put it into another?
That don't make sense at all.
Have you boys been drinking?
Well, if you haven't,
you should be.
Here, do justice to that
while me back is turned.
Ain't no use in talking
to him, Joe.
- He's so drunk, he can't hit
the floor with his hat. -Yeah.
Sure wish Pa was here.
He'd know what to do.
Yeah, well, Pa ain't here,
so it's up to us
to do some thinking.
Let's go on over to the bank,
pussyfoot around,
ask some questions.
What sort of questions?
Now, what kind of question's
that to ask me--
what kind of questions?
Questions!
Here, Tim.
The idea--
me taking me business away
from a nice old man
like Mr. Harrison.
Out of three branches,
they pick this one to break.
That proves it's crooked.
If it wasn't, the whole bank
would go busted,
not just one branch.
Dad-burnit, Joe, how...
how do they get away with it?
Well, crook like
John J. Harrison
gets away with it all the time.
Listen, you keep
a lookout out here.
I'm going to talk
to Mr. Huggins.
Hey. Keep a lookout for what?
Would you just...
just keep a lookout?
Mr. Finch, that young
Cartwright boy, uh,
must think we're running
a general store.
He actually wants me
to take all the money
out of the safe
so he can see it.
Well, Mr. Huggins,
you're the manager.
I'm just your assistant.
But if I were you,
I'd humor the boy.
- You would?
- Mm-hmm.
Why?
Who knows? Maybe Ben Cartwright
sent the boy here
to check on our
financial structure.
You may be right.
Very well, Mr. Finch.
Get everything out of the safe
and bring it into the office.
Yes, sir.
Here we are.
$60,000 in cash
and our securities.
Now, let me get this straight.
You said you had deposits
totaling $150,000.
Yes, in that neighborhood.
You only have $60,000 here.
Well, I can see you don't know
much about banks.
Those bonds can be cashed
at any Harrison Bank
on demand for $100,000.
Hmm.
Well, then, gentlemen,
I suggest you cash them
before your depositors read this
and want to withdraw
their money.
Close the bank?
But that would mean
I'd have to go back...
- What?
- Oh, nothing.
I was just, uh...
All right, here's what
we'll do-- you cash the bonds,
let the depositors
draw out their money,
then I'll deliver the telegram.
Are you trying to tell me
how to run this bank?
No, but do you want to ruin
a bunch of innocent depositors?
Oh, no, no, no.
Of course not.
All right.
Me and my brother will ride
to Placerville
to the Harrison Branch.
We'll cash the bonds,
bring the money back here
to Virginia City.
You want me to turn these bonds
over to you and your brother?
Do you think I'm out of my mind?
Mr. Huggins, come here.
Gentlemen, I am trying
to be reasonable.
Joe.
Hey, Joe, what are you...
what are you doing?
Oh, robbing a bank.
Well, come on.
We're in this together.
Bread and butter.
Come to supper.
Hey, uh, everything
satisfactory, fellas?
Oh, uh...
The bank's been robbed.
Um, uh, Sh-Sh-Sheriff!
Mr. Huggins and Mr. Finch!
$100,000.
What else did they take?
Nothing else.
Only the bonds.
You're dead sure it was
Little Joe and Hoss Cartwright?
Of course it was them.
Oh, I know those boys well,
Sheriff.
It was them.
No mistake about that.
Mr. Johnson, you better get
back to your window.
Yes, sir.
I just can't believe it.
Yes, it came as quite a shock
to us, too.
I'd have sworn that those boys
just couldn't do a thing
like that.
When Ben Cartwright finds out
that they're bank robbers,
it'll... well, it'll
just break his heart.
And our bank, too.
You got any idea where they'd go
to cash the bonds?
Yes, they went...
Uh, yes. Yeah, I heard
the young Cartwright say
that they were heading south
for the Mexican border.
Mexican border, huh?
I'll send telegrams to all
the law enforcement officers
within a radius of 100 miles
to keep a lookout for them.
I'll keep you advised.
Mr. Finch, I was almost sure
that Cartwright boy
said he was going
to Placerville.
Exactly, Mr. Huggins.
Do you think they'll have
any trouble
cashing the bonds there?
Oh, no trouble at all.
Our Placerville branch
is equipped to handle
the largest kind
of transactions.
Precisely.
We're going to let
the Cartwright brothers
pull our chestnuts
out of the fire.
What do you mean, Finch?
You know what I mean, Huggins.
Mr. Finch, if you're suggesting
what I think
you're suggesting...
Why not?
Spoken in the true spirit
of John J. Harrison.
Now, we've got the $60,000 cash,
plus the $100,000
we are going to get
from the Cartwright boys,
which gives us a grand total
of $160,000.
$80,000 each.
$80,000 each!
Yes, a man could live handsomely
on that in Switzerland.
Switzerland?
I think I would prefer
the South of France.
I've heard the women
in France, uh...
Uh, by the way, Finch,
you've met my wife, haven't you?
Yes. Once.
Now, I have one suggestion.
We'll leave $10,000 of the money
with Johnson
for the teller's safe.
That'll take care
of the transactions
for the next three days.
The rest of the money,
we put in the big safe.
The big safe? Why?
That's what we tell Johnson.
Very wise.
You know, Mr. Finch, in time,
you, too, could have risen
to the post of branch manager.
Thank you, Mr. Huggins.
Frank. Send this message...
Hey, wait, wait, shh, shh.
Now, that can wait.
You send this message
to the peace officers
of every town on this list.
Joe and Hoss?
- See, now, I knew it.
- Knew what?
I knew something was wrong
when he wasn't interested
in my panel-boot Victoria lamp.
In your what?
- My panel-boot...
- Never mind!
Just send the message.
Joe, are you... you right sure
we're doing the right thing?
Well, Pa said I was boss
and I make all the decisions,
didn't he?
Yeah, but you done had us
robbing a bank,
and now it's destroying
private property.
I... I don't know whether Pa
would consider that
coming under the title
of making decisions or not.
Yeah, well, what if Mr. Huggins
telegraphed the Harrison Bank
in Sacramento?
They'd send a messenger to
Placerville who'd get there
before us and tell 'em not to
cash the bonds.
Come on, you better
knock on it.
Yeah.
Well, what's the matter?
The line just went dead.
Must be a loose connection
along the line somewhere.
Or a pole might've fell.
Now, what do you mean
a pole might've fell?
Yeah, last month over in Carson
City a bull tower went down.
Bull? Bull!
You send a message
as soon as you can, you hear?
Dad-burn it, Joe,
my feets as cold
as a couple of bushel baskets
of icicles.
How come we didn't stop
by the house
and pick up some bedrolls?
- Hey, Joe.
- Hmm?
What's the average time
a man gets for-for bank robbery?
Ten, 15 years of hard labor.
Yeah, you got nothing
to worry about.
Yeah?
A lynch mob usually saves the
government cost of a trial.
Adam!
Look at that!
Now, is this somebody's idea
of a joke?
Hmm, looks pretty
official to me.
No, not Joe and Hoss!
They wouldn't do a thing
like that!
I'm gonna see the sheriff.
I don't believe it!
I wouldn't believe it
if there were 50 witnesses.
I know my boys! They just
wouldn't do a thing...!
Ben, I understand how you feel,
but nonetheless
it's the truth,
and you just gotta face it.
It just isn't possible!
My boys...
How much are they supposed
to have taken?
$100,000.
I'm just fixin' to swear in
a half a dozen deputies now
and go after 'em.
Well, there's no need
to do that, Roy.
I... I'll bring the boys back.
I'll, I'll see to it that
everything they're...
they're supposed to have taken
is returned.
Well, that's very
nice of you,
but the trouble is this is
not just a family affair.
The boys have committed
a crime.
That means it's my job
to go after 'em, not yours.
Now I'm asking...
Roy...
I'm asking this as
a favor, Roy.
I... I'll, I'll bring 'em back.
All I need is a little time
to do it in.
Ben, I can't...
All right, I'll give you
a little time,
but to protect me,
now don't tell anybody.
All right, Roy, thanks. Thanks.
Hurt your hand?
- Whoa.
- What's the matter?
Joe, you know how
my head always itches
when somebody's following me?
You always claim that.
Well, it's itching right now.
I don't think they could
organize a posse this soon.
You sure your hair
just doesn't need washing?
I just washed it last month.
What, sheep dip and water?
- No.
- That explains it.
So far so good, Mr. Huggins.
Onward and upward, Mr. Finch.
Ho!
Hey, ma'am, didn't I see you
in Virginia City?
Reckon it must have been
the hat or the...
Hmph!
Good day, ma'am.
Hey, Hoss, you know, I just...
Yeah, I just made
the same mistake.
- Did you get the money?
- Oh, sure, I got it.
It's what what I went in
there for, isn't it?
Yeah, but $100,000,
that's a lot of money.
Ah, the bank manager knew Pa.
Figured he was working
on some kind
of a big business deal.
I didn't see any reason
to tell him otherwise.
Joe, we ain't ate
since yesterday,
and we got another cold night
on the trail.
How come we don't buy us
a couple of blankets
- and some beans or something?
- Here.
Yeah. You got any cash
money on ya?
No, I ain't, right on me,
but I was thinking that maybe...
Hoss, what you thinking
ain't honest.
But Joe, we'd
just be borrowin' it.
Well, we're on
the right trail, Pa.
That horse has a break
in his shoe.
That Joseph is getting
lazier by the day.
I told him more than
a week ago
to replace that shoe
on his horse.
Got dang, my feet
nearly froze last night.
I ain't, I ain't gonna let
that happen again.
The Cartwright brothers,
I presume?
Joe, we got us more troubles
than a horse without a tail
at fly time.
How are we gonna explain all
this to the sheriff?
It ain't the sheriff
I'm so much worried about
as it is Pa.
Dad-burn it, every time
I think about the brace game
them two bank fellers
playing on us,
makes me mad
enough to bite myself.
Well, better
get on back to town.
We got a lot of tall
explaining to do.
Yeah. We gonna be just
about as popular in town
as a couple of wet dogs
at a parlor social.
Well?
Go-go ahead and-and tell 'em.
You're the boss.
Well, you... you see, Pa, wha...
what ha... what happened is...
I think I'll get me some water.
That's the most unbelievable
cock-and-bull yarn
I've ever heard.
You steal the bonds from the
bank because it's going broke,
then you cash them,
and then the bankers steal
the money from you!
Well, that's exactly
what happened, Pa!
It sure is, Pa.
And then, then they stole
our horses on top of that.
Oh.
Where's that telegram
you got over the wire?
It's here.
Wait-wait a second.
You-you got the telegram?
I ain't got it.
You got it, ain't ya?
Well, I, I ain't exactly
got it with me, Pa.
You ain't exactly got it
with you,
because it wasn't exactly sent.
Oh, now, listen!
No, you listen,
and you listen good.
I don't know what you boys
did with the money,
but there's one thing
I do know for sure.
You're gonna give yourselves
up to the sheriff
and stand trial
for bank robbery.
Understand?
Adam, you and I'll ride back
to Virginia City
and make arrangements
to pay back every cent
that these... brothers
of yours took.
Uh, Pa, where you gonna get
a quick $100,000?
Sell the Ponderosa,
if I have to.
Hey, Pa, how are we supposed
to get back into Virginia City
if we ain't got no horses?
You'll walk.
We'll-we'll walk?
And make sure you get there,
ya hear?
Like you said, Pa,
you really know Little Joe.
He'll be cleaning out the
stable, repairing the fences.
Oh, come on!
What's going on?
Well, looks like a bank run.
Keep them out of here
until I get my money.
Your money?
What about my money?
Bennigan, don't be selfish.
Let's go! Hurry up!
Give me my money and quick.
Right away, Mr. Miller.
Mr. Miller, did you remember
to fill out your withdrawal slip
in triplicate?
Triplicate?!
What seems to be the trouble,
Mr. Johnson?
Bank run, Mr. Cartwright.
That $100,000 your two boys
stole is
turning this town into...
All right, all right,
now, now quiet down, folks.
Please quiet down now.
Just... Now, look,
your deposits are
perfectly safe here.
I-I promise you that.
Who's gonna make
up the money your boys stole?
Well, I will.
- The whole 100,000?
- Every cent.
Now, you can, you can
take my word for that.
Where are you going to get
the money, Mr. Cartwright?
Well, I'll, I'll get it,
e-even if I have
to sell the Ponderosa.
And as you all know,
the Ponderosa is worth well
in excess of $100,000.
Well, I'll go along
with that, Mr. Cartwright.
We all know what the Ponderosa
means to you.
You heard it, folks.
Mr. Cartwright says
we won't lose a penny.
That's good enough for me.
Come on, I'll buy the drinks
at the Bucket of Blood.
I tell you, Mr. Cartwright,
if you hadn't stopped them
when you did,
we'd have been
plum out of money.
Where's Huggins?
Oh, Mr. Huggins and
Mr. Finch have gone
away on a hunting trip.
A hunting trip?
The bank is robbed, and the
two men in charge go hunting?
Well, they had vacation
coming to 'em.
Matter of fact, I got
a vacation coming, too--
three weeks and two days!
Course I ain't
had time recently to...
Mr. Johnson, what exactly
did my boys steal?
Don't you know?
Well...
I sure hate to be the one to
tell you, Mr. Cartwright, but...
it was $100,000...
In bonds.
Bonds?
But they didn't take any cash?
Mm-mm, just the bonds.
There was $60,000
in cash right there
that they could just as easy
taken as not,
but didn't touch that.
Mr. Johnson, you can tell
any of your depositors who ask
that I'll have the money
in the bank tomorrow.
You have to believe them.
Wait a minute, Ben.
If what
the boys told you is true...
It must be true!
The fact that they didn't
touch any of the bank's cash
would prove that.
Certainly all in their favor.
I can't say as I've heard
of any bank robbers
passing up ready cash.
Roy, doesn't it strike you
as being pretty strange
that the, uh, manager
and his assistant
would go on a hunting trip
the morning after
their bank was robbed?
Yeah!
Well, it doesn't seem like
the natural thing to do.
Well, it seems to tie in
with Little Joe's story
about the bankers
having robbed them.
- Well, yeah... -Now, mind you...
mind you, Roy,
I'm not saying that I approve
of what the boys did,
but it was certainly a...
a great relief for me
to learn that at least
their motivations were honest.
Ben, I don't want to jail
Little Joe and Hoss
- if it can possibly be avoided.
- Yeah.
But I've got to remind you
that bank robbing in this
territory is still a crime.
If anybody's committed a crime,
it's that John J. Har...
Harrison
and that confounded
conspiracy of his
to bankrupt his own bank.
And I think you know it!
Maybe I do, but who's going to
convince the depositors?
Well, I'm going to personally
pay back every deposit,
whether the bank closes or not.
Ben, you could
go broke doing it.
I came here with nothing,
and if I have to,
I can start out all over again!
Hey.
Hoss, we're heading
in the wrong direction.
What are you talking about?
This is the right way home.
No, we ain't going home.
We're going to get
that money back.
We're going after the crooks.
On foot?
Joe, the way I feel, I couldn't
catch a turtle on foot.
Yeah, well, we need
some transportation.
And if my eyes aren't
as sore as my feet,
I have two vacant mules
I'm looking at.
Hey, hey, Joe...
Wait a minute, Joe.
These dang mules
don't belong to us.
Yeah, well, we got no time
to argue about ownership.
Nah, not me.
I done got enough
again' me already
without adding mule-stealing
to the list.
Yeah, and when it came time
to explain to Pa,
you said I was boss, didn't you?
Well, didn't you? All right,
then, I'm still boss,
and I'm telling you to get
on that thing and ride it.
And hurry up!
Joe, you sure we're
doing the right thing?
Come on. Get.
Well, I saw Colonel Duggan;
he's willing to help.
Oh, good. How much?
$50,000. He'll meet you
at the bank at 2:00,
it'll be a ten-year,
low-interest loan.
Oh, he's a good friend.
Well, I've been figuring out
we should be able to get
about $25,000 on
the timber rights...
Afternoon, Pa!
Howdy, Pa.
Guess what we done, Pa? We...
We got our horses back.
Yeah, we-we got the
money back too, Pa.
The money from the bank?
Yeah. Here.
- This is the bank's money?
- Yeah.
Well, how'd you get it?
Well, wasn't easy.
What happened to
Huggins and Finch?
- Oh, they got away.
- Well, no, not exactly.
You see, Pa, there was a little,
a little argument
about that money.
They didn't want to give it up.
So there was a little
pushin' and shovin', and I...
reckon them two fellers sorta
- fell in the Truckee River, huh,
Joe? -Last time we saw them,
- they were floating on their way
to Lake Tahoe. -Yeah.
This is the, uh,
the whole 100,000?
No, th-that's 150,000.
150,000?
Yeah. Th-There's, uh, the
100,000 they took from us,
and then see that other
little bag there?
Says "Virginia City Branch"?
That's got $50,000 in it.
I reckon they robbed their own
bank before they robbed us, Pa.
Where'd you get the mules?
Oh. Them mules.
Well...
Tell 'em, Joe.
Tell 'em?
Well, we, uh...
we borrowed them.
Sort of.
You borrowed them?
Yeah, well, we, we had to
get some transportation
- to go get that money, Pa.
- Yeah.
Now you two boys are going
to take those mules.
You're going to find
the owner of those mules,
and you're going to pay
the owner for renting them.
Yeah.
Oh.
We-We haven't got any money, Pa.
Now, Adam and I are going to
ride into Virginia City.
We're going to give this money
back to the bank.
This afternoon, you two boys
are going to ride
into Virginia City.
To the sheriff's office.
Yes, sir.
Yes, sir, Pa.
Adam, you take
these to the bank.
I'm going to see the sheriff.
You going to press charges
against Hoss and Joe?
I'm going to press some charges.
Uh, so, so we'd li... we'd like
to pay you a rental fee
for the mules--
say, uh... say $10.
Uh, we, we woulda asked you
before we took 'em, but...
- Yeah.
- It was sort of an emergency.
Make it, make it $15.
Yeah. Here.
Uh, of cour... course, that's
$15 for the rental of mules,
and, uh, there's $10 more for
the time you lost plowing.
Well...
mister, you, uh, you tell us.
What-What's it gonna take
to make you happy?
- Hi, Miller.
- Hi, Sheriff.
Mr. Cartwright, the people
of Virginia City, well...
Thank you. We ain't gonna
forget what you've done.
Well, I hope they forget what
Hoss and Little Joe "done."
And I'll have no advice from
you, Mr. Ben Cartwright.
Not as much as you'd put
in the eye of a needle.
This money goes up to my claim.
To be buried in a tin can.
There's too many different
kinds of bank robbers
around here to suit me.
What is the meaning of this?
Why hasn't this bank been
closed, as I ordered?
This is no place
for an honest man.
Well?
Well, uh, it's closed
all right, Mr. Harrison.
We're plum out of money.
Out of money?
That's impossible.
Well, there is enough to cover
three weeks and
two days' vacation.
Vacation?
Nobody who works for me
ever gets a vacation.
Finch, what is this fool
blathering about?
Mr. Harrison!
What's that? Who are you?
Oh. Ben Cartwright.
Yes. Ben Cartwright.
I can promise you, Mr. Harrison,
that if you try to pull one more
shady deal in Nevada Territory,
I'll make a special
trip to Washington
and use all the influence
at my command
to have you investigated,
and jailed.
And that's my department.
You heard what the man said.
This bank is closed.
Adam.
Wait!
You wait till I find out who's
responsible for all this.
Which reminds me, uh, Hoss and
Joe should be back by now.
I wonder where they are.
I just hope they
returned those mules.
I wouldn't want that charge
hanging over their heads.
Sort of a...
sort of a wiry
little man, ain't he?
He sure was.
- Hey, Hoss?
- Huh?
Why don't I let you
be boss for awhile?
No. No, no.
No, brother, I'm perfectly
content just being a hired hand.
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