Bonanza (1959–1973): Season 5, Episode 11 - The Legacy - full transcript

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Poachers.

Stupid.

Just for the killing.

Not for food, not for anything.
Just for the stupid, senseless killing.

We haven't had trouble
with poachers in a long time.

I wonder where these came from.

No, it's just one.

- See, tracks of just one horse.
- Yeah.

Joe, you go back and join
Adam and Hoss, will you?



I'm gonna follow
these tracks for a spell.

Look, maybe I
better go with you.

This fella seems
pretty free with a gun.

You got a lot of work to do.
Your brothers will need your help.

Besides,

any man who'd do a thing like
this hasn't any backbone, anyway.

You get along, Joseph.

Sure you don't want
me to go with you?

I'll be all right.

- You watch yourself, Pa.
- Yeah.

You in there! Come on out!

I'm Ben Cartwright!

You've been poaching on
my land. Now, come on out!

- You want some?
- No, all I wanna do is get home.



How far did you say that
was from Sacramento?

When I left, it was 48 miles.

I don't figure it's moved
none in the last five years.

It's a cinch you ain't.

When we get to

that way station tomorrow,
you can fork off to Dry Bluff.

Shouldn't take you more
than a day to get there.

Look, Gannon, you got
us this far. That's enough.

I don't need no more organizing.

Hey.

Come on out of it.
You'll be home tomorrow.

Yeah, what kind
of problem you got?

You're gone three lousy years.
What can happen to a farm?

Yeah, look at me.

Had a wife, a store,
a good business.

Now I lost five
years out of my life.

Anybody out there?

Been shot.

Guy riding him must
have been shot too.

We better get out of here.

Why should we run?
We ain't done nothing.

Well, maybe not.

But you still got the smell
of Huntsville Prison on you.

We all have. It's in that
suit of clothes they gave you.

When they start
asking questions,

the finger's gonna end
up pointing right here.

I've heard that. Once you've
served time, they don't let you forget it.

No, it ain't gonna be like
that. Not where I come from.

Well, you can stay if you
want to. I'm getting out of here.

- Not that I got anything to hide.
- Yeah, how do we know that?

You was out hunting
by yourself all afternoon.

So were you, and you
come back with game.

We all did.

Yeah, we're all in this
together, so let's get out of here.

We'll keep the horse.

That way we'll get a little extra
time in case they come looking for us.

Well, he's lame, only thing
he's gonna do is hold us up.

Well, all right. All right, let
him go, but hurry up about it.

Come on, Page, come on.

Stinking prison.

Now, what in the world is this?

Pa went out looking for
some poachers this afternoon.

We were worried. His horse came
limping in with this saddle on it.

We rode back out to Oak Draw
where Joe saw our pa the last time.

Found a campfire there.

Looked like two, three
men had been around.

I found some of Pa's
horse tracks there,

but we didn't see
no sign of our pa.

We should've tried
looking for him.

Joe, you can't track men
in the dark. You know that.

We'd have just been
fumbling around.

Now, boys, what makes
you so sure your pa's dead?

Roy, that's my pa's
blood on that saddle.

He was killed by some
stinking, lousy poacher!

Just a minute.

We found this in some
ashes around the campfire.

- Huntsville Prison?
- That's right.

Roy, if my pa found men
like that, convicts, poachers,

they wouldn't think any
more about killing him

than they would shooting a deer.

I believe you're right.

Boys, here's what
we're gonna do.

First off, I'm gonna
wire Huntsville.

I'll find out if there's any
prisoners been released

or escaped from there lately.

Then I'm gonna get a posse and
I'm gonna start looking for your pa.

I know it ain't gonna be easy to get
a posse together this time of night,

but I'll get some,
believe me that.

You boys can wait here.

We're not gonna do any waiting.
We're going back to the campsite.

It'll be dawn by the time we
get there. We can start tracking.

Now, you just hold on.

That's all right if you wanna go
looking for them, but if you find them,

remember, that's a case for
the law. Now, you remember that.

Just get your posse together.

Howdy. ADAM: Howdy.

Our name's Cartwright. I'd
like to ask you a few questions.

- Nope. I don't answer no questions.
- This is important, old man.

Look, I just mind
my relay horses

and mind my own
business, and that's all.

- I said we wanna talk to you, old man.
- Now, look,

you go fry a fish.
I'm not scared of you.

Now, wait a minute, mister,
uh... What's your name?

Uh.

- Pete's my name.
- Pete.

We've been riding all
night and we're kind of tired.

My younger brother
here is a little tireder

and a little touchier
than the rest of us.

So, what he's trying to say is that
we, uh, wanna buy some information.

Oh, well, that makes a
might of difference. Heh, heh.

You know?

Gee, this must have been
my lucky day, you know?

You know, early this morning,
three other fellas came in here

and they gave me a dollar too.

Other fellas? What fellas?

Well, they rode in about
dawn and they gave me a dollar

to fix them up with some
coffee and some beans.

Well, that's what we wanna know.

Was there another man
with them, an older man?

Nope.

No, they were just young fellas
and they were in an awful hurry.

- How many of them were there?
- Three. Three young fellas.

All hungry and all in a hurry.

- What'd they look like?
- Well, I don't know.

You see, last week,
I broke my glasses,

so I couldn't tell you
what they looked like.

What else do you know, aside
from the fact that they were young?

Uh, let me see.

Yeah, there was
one they called Page.

And then there was another
fella and he didn't have a coat.

What else?

Well, while they were
eating their vittles,

I took the horses down to
the water trough to water them,

and I noticed there was a
rifle on one of the saddles

all covered in oilskin.

I, uh, took a look at it and it
sure was a mighty fine rifle.

- It had the letter C on it?
- Yeah. Yeah, it sure did.

In silver.

- Does that mean something?
- Yes, it does.

Now, do you remember
which one of them had the gun?

No, no.

Three men got on three
horses and rode away. That's all.

Which way?

Oh, let me see. They
went every which way.

Pete.

Give us a straight
answer, will you? Please.

I gave you a straight answer.
They all went in different directions.

One fella went up the
mountain towards Cobie.

Another one went west
and another went south.

That's what I meant.
They went every which way.

All right. This is
where we split up.

Look. Look, fella.

- What have they done?
- Killed our pa.

They killed your pa?

Well, if I'd known that,

I never would've took
nothing from them. Not a cent!

- Which one do you want, Joe?
- Take the one that went up to Cobie.

- I'll head south.
- You're gonna kill them?

You're gonna kill them
like they killed your pa?

Let's go.

Now, now, now, you're
gonna be all right, mister.

You got Jacob J.
Dormann's word on it.

Where am I?

Right now, you're recovering
from two bullet wounds.

That one knocked you out

long enough for me to get
the one out of your shoulder.

I'm glad you came to. I was
hoping for some company.

We still got 20
miles to Carson City.

Carson City.

Easy, easy.

I was due there day
before yesterday.

You cost me almost a whole
day. I found you just off the trail.

I couldn't leave you to bleed to
death and I was too far behind schedule

to take you all the way
back to Virginia City.

I gotta get back.

- Are you, uh, in trouble with the law?
- No.

I gotta get back to my ranch.
Just outside of Virginia City.

- Ponderosa.
- Oh, the Ponderosa.

Yeah, I think I heard of that.

Do you think you
can get to the wagon?

All right, then, just take
it easy. Move slowly.

Slowly. That's it.

- Slowly. There now. Don't rush it.
- I'm all right.

- Just gotta get back.
- I've got a friend in Carson City,

a very good doctor.

- Might be smart to stop and see him.
- It's too far.

I gotta get back to my
ranch, the Ponderosa.

I'm Ben Cartwright.

- Well, once we get to Carson City...
- No, it's too far.

My family will be worried. Oh.

- I gotta get back to them.
- I don't know.

Carson City has always
been a big stop for me.

Whatever it is, I'll pay you.

Why, I might lose
as much as 70 or $80.

Mr. Dormann...

why don't you say you
might lose as much as

a hundred dollars even.

Let's just say that.

What's your family gonna think?
You must've been gone two days now.

- Did you say two days?
- Well, that's right.

And I tell you, it's
been a job tending you.

Getting you to swallow water.

They must be out of
their minds with worry.

They probably think
I'm dead. Heh, heh.

Maybe they're out looking
for whoever it is who shot you.

Yeah.

No, no, no, they...

Those boys of mine,
they're intelligent men.

They're grown men. Intelligent.
They wouldn't do anything rash.

That oldest boy of mine, Adam,

oh, he's real calm in an
emergency. Real calm.

- All right, let's try it again.
- I told you, mister.

I don't know nothing.

I just said if there
was some money in it,

I might be able to get
ahold of someone...

Well, I've got a hold of
you and that's all I need.

Now, we'll try it once more.

He should have come through
here sometime yesterday.

He came from Huntsville Prison.

Heavyset fella?

Thirty-three maybe? Thirty-four?

All I know is he's
one of three men.

His name might be Page

and he might be carrying
a rifle with an inlayed stock.

How bad do you wanna know?

- In dollars and cents, I mean.
- Save your money, mister.

He can't tell you anything.

- Is that right?
- Yeah.

Sure.

Just trying to pick up
a couple extra bucks.

Well, now, if you wanna
know anything, try me, mister.

I get around town pretty good.

And there's no charge.

My name's Jeanie. Here.

Compliments of the house.

This man you're looking for,

you said he came
from Huntsville Prison?

I suppose you're
here to take him back.

No, I won't be taking him back.

Oh?

Well, I think I know the
man. He used to work here.

He was in town the other
day asking for his old job.

Where is he now?

They didn't have
anything for him.

But I slipped him a few dollars

and he said he was
off for San Francisco.

San Francisco, huh?

That's right.

He left yesterday.

Thank you for the information.

Well, aren't you
going to use it?

Well, there's plenty of
time. I think I'd like to eat first.

Well, I have some errands to do.

If you're still here when I get
back, maybe you'll buy me a drink.

I'd consider that
a pleasure, ma'am.

Honey, just look at this yardage.
All the way from Kansas City.

Oh, you did a much better job
of choosing it than I could have.

Five years wasn't
enough, was it?

You in that prison. Me
waiting in that saloon.

What are you talking about?

There's a man in the
bar looking for you.

You did pull something
on the way here, didn't you?

Honey, I swear to you...

Didn't you?

Well, there was this
incident on the trail.

It didn't amount to anything.

I meant to tell you about it.

Why don't you tell me about it?

Who are you? What do you want?

- I tell you, I didn't do anything.
- Just tell me about it.

Well, there were three of us,

and we were taking a
shortcut across this ranch.

The Ponderosa.

Yeah, that was it.

But we were just
passing through.

And that night, this horse
came wandering into our camp.

He had blood on his saddle.

We got scared and we ran.

Now, I don't know what
the rest of them did,

but I didn't do
anything. I swear to you.

You knew a man was hurt and yet
you didn't go looking for him, huh?

Well, we were scared.

We just got out of prison.
Now, who was gonna believe us?

Look, I know maybe we did the
wrong thing running like that, but...

Well, I didn't know who this
fella was, riding out there at night.

That was my father.

He found you poaching.

You shot him,
you stole his rifle.

We traced his horse
back to your campfire.

Now, you can't prove that.
You can't prove any of that.

You're just trying to
shake me down for money.

That's what it is, honey.

You run on down
and get the sheriff.

You almost did it, didn't you?

Now, look, mister,

I was out of my
mind for a minute.

Five years in prison. Just
the chance of going back...

Jeanie, tell him I wouldn't
do anything like that.

I'm not interested in
your character references.

No, please.

I lost my head. I
grabbed the gun.

Like maybe that was the way
it happened that night, huh?

No, no.

Well, I'll tell you what.

I'll wait for you outside.

You've gotta come
out sooner or later.

- And when you do, bring this with you.
- Mister.

Please, now, think for a minute.

Look, you think I killed
your daddy and stole his gun.

Now, why would I
do a thing like that?

What would I gain by it?

Look, I got everything
I want right here.

I got a wife, waited and
worked for me for five years.

We're starting fresh.

Now, why would I
wanna shoot him?

For a gun?

Yes, it must be a fine thing

to be blessed by the Lord
with three strong sons.

Fine thing, indeed. Heh.

Three strong lads could
be quite a comfort to a man.

Yep.

Quite a responsibility too.

Uh, could you get your
horse to manage a livelier gait?

I don't want my sons to
worry more than they have to.

Giddyup!

I thought you said that oldest boy
of yours would be able to handle it,

being so smart and all.

Oh, he'll handle it, all right.

But a father worries
nevertheless.

You tend to see in your children
only what you hope you'll see, I guess.

No, I don't think Adam
could do anything

without giving it some
real deep thought

any more than Hoss
could do anything

without giving it
some real deep feeling.

- Hoss?
- Yeah, my middle boy.

Hoss, eh?

Strong back, I bet you,
but kind of slow. Hm?

Yeah, he's strong.

But if by "slow" you mean
slow to anger, slow to condemn

or slow to hurt living things...

yeah, I guess you
might say he was slow.

What are you doing here?

Who are you?

I'm looking for a
man named Page.

Some folks told me
he owned this place.

That's right.

That's my pa
you're talking about.

Your pa?

Look,

has your pa been
off on a long trip?

- Just got back?
- Yep.

Three years he's been away.

That's why the farm
looks so run down.

But me and Pa, we'll have
it neater than a pin soon.

Yeah.

Uh...

- Where's your pa now?
- He's working the field.

What do you wanna know
for? You a friend of his?

Let's just say I know your pa.

Why didn't you say so? Where
were you stationed with him?

- Stationed?
- Yeah, I bet it was Fort Peters,

when he was in the artillery.

You're too big to be in the cavalry.
He was in that too, you know.

No.

No, I didn't know.

My pa was away in
the Army for three years.

My uncle read me
all his letters, though.

So if you was at Fort Peters
with him, I'd know all about you.

Yeah, well, maybe he just
forgot to mention me or something.

No, he wouldn't have.
He never forgot nothing.

There was a Corporal
Jackson at Fort Peters.

Pa said he's pretty fat.

Look, ain't you got someplace
you're supposed to be, boy?

Danny. Danny Page.

Hoss Cartwright.

I don't know if Pa ever
mentioned that name.

Look, I knew your pa
and that's all there is to it.

Now, why don't you run along
and pester somebody else, huh?

Sure.

You staying for supper?

No.

No, I ain't.

How come you ain't
staying for supper?

Look, ain't you got nobody
else you can go pester?

I told you, my pa is out
in the field somewheres.

My uncle is in town.
My ma is off on a trip.

Your ma?

- When is your ma gonna be back?
- I don't know. She left a long time ago.

Just before pa
went off to the Army.

I see.

I stayed with my uncle
while my pa was in the Army.

I asked him about it, but he
said I wouldn't understand.

But I understood, all right.

- You did?
- Sure.

Ma borrowed some money from Pa

so she can go on a trip with
a friend of hers from town.

I think his name was Harry,
but I don't remember too good.

Anyways, Pa went after them
to make sure they got off all right.

And then he came back
and went into the Army.

I never exactly figured out why.

I guess it must have been
to make some more money.

Yeah. Yeah, I
reckon that was it.

Hey, I think my pa is coming.

- Hello, son.
- Hi, Pa.

A friend of yours from
the Army come to see you.

He says his name
is Hoss Cartwright.

- Can I help you?
- Get the boy out of here.

- What?
- I said, get rid of the boy.

What are you talking about?

Look,

I don't wanna hurt the
boy. Now get rid of him.

Go in the barn, Danny.

- But, Pa...
- Go ahead, do like I tell you.

Hurry up, now.

Now, what's all this about?

I'm after the man
that killed my father.

I don't know what
you're talking about.

What's that got to do with me?

Two days ago,

you and two other fellas from
Huntsville Prison rode across our ranch.

My Pa caught you
poaching and you shot him.

- You got no proof of that.
- I got all the proof I need.

Now you're gonna pay for it.

Look, please, mister, I
ain't never killed nobody.

Sure you ain't.

That's the reason you spent
three years in the penitentiary,

because you ain't killed nobody.

You killed your
wife, didn't you?

You don't understand.

She deserved to die.

You decided that, didn't you?

Just like you decided
that my pa deserved to die.

No.

I spent my time for that.

I ain't never gonna kill again.

Is that why you carry that gun?

Man fresh out of
prison, why he...

Well, you know,
he's gotta be careful.

- People blame him for things.
- Yep. That's right.

Just like I'm doing right now.

You better get
ready to use that gun.

Now, you saw my son.

He's been waiting
three years for me.

What's he gonna do without a pa?

I don't know.

I ain't got used to
the idea myself yet.

Now, you get ready.

Ben, there just wasn't
any other explanation.

What, with you missing and the
horse coming back and the blood and all.

Me and the posse just scoured

about every foot of that
entire section looking for you.

All right, Roy, now,
where are the boys?

Help yourself to
coffee, Mr. Dormann.

Ben, they figured that you was
dry-gulched, that you was dead.

Then they went after the three fellas
they figured that was responsible for...

Ben, I just never seen
them boys like that.

When did they leave?

It was the night before last.

I just got this telegram
here from Huntsville Prison

giving the names of the three
men that had been released.

Now, I wired the
sheriffs closest to them

hoping that they'd
get there in time.

Roy, you know my
boys better than that.

Yeah, I do. And I also know

that they figured that their
father had been murdered.

Here, take this coffee. I'm
going over and get the doc.

Be good for you.

I don't know.

If it was me, I'd
feel pretty good

knowing I had three boys ready
to kill anyone who did me in.

No.

No, they've been
taught the exact opposite.

Then why are you worried?

Why does any father worry?

It's like when you
plant seeds blind.

You don't know whether
they're gonna grow

and keep growing long after
you're past knowing and gone.

From what you tell me
about your two oldest boys,

it don't seem likely they're too apt to
go against what they've been taught.

You, uh, didn't tell me
much about your third boy.

I don't know how much I know
about that third boy of mine. Heh.

He's quick-tempered.

Sometimes, I see
an anger in him that...

Three wives, three sons,

all of them so different.

So you've got doubts
about what he'll do?

No.

No, I guess I got
doubts about me.

About whether I was able
to make him understand.

I'm looking for a man.

Would have ridden in the
last few days from the south.

Come on, all I want is
an answer to my question.

I couldn't tell you, mister.

Look, he'd probably
be without a jacket.

Might be carrying a fancy
rifle with a silver C in the stock.

- Does that help any?
- I don't know. I don't know.

- Hold it. I'll tell you when to leave.
- Leave him alone. He can't help you.

All right, then, maybe
you can help me.

For heaven's sakes, none
of us can help you, I tell you.

Take what you want,
but leave us in peace.

Everybody is here
like you asked, mister.

Bartender, give me a
pen and a piece of paper.

Now, look, we've
been here all afternoon.

Nobody's gonna tell you nothing.

My name's Joseph Cartwright.

I'm writing a promissory
note in the amount of $5000.

This note will be good in
any bank in Virginia City.

You all know the
information that I'm after.

The man who gives me
that information will receive

this money.

All right, here it is.

Five thousand dollars.

Now, one of you is gonna tell me
what I wanna know. You all know that.

And when he does...

he gets this.

Every single penny of it.

Just don't wait too
long. I'll be outside.

- Is that him?
- That's the man, colonel.

We told him nothing, colonel.

- He even tried to
bribe us, - Take him out.

But we told him
nothing, colonel.

Let him go.

I'm Colonel Abel Chapin.

These are Chapin men and
that's Chapin dirt you're eating.

Who are you and
what do you want?

I've been looking for him.

What do you want with him?

I wanna kill him.

- You know him? Don't lie to me, Billy.
- Pa, I ain't never seen him.

All right!

What do you claim he did?

He killed my father.

That's my father's
rifle he's got with him.

It's like I told you, Pa,

I bought this from one of
them fellas I come back with.

What call I got
to steal a rifle?

I don't know, Billy.

I stopped trying to give reasons

for the things you've
done a long time ago.

Pa, I swear to God.

If you're lying, don't make
it worse by blaspheming.

I'm gonna let you go.

- Pa...
- Shut up!

I'm letting you go, but come
back here and you're a dead man.

Come dawn, you look around.

As far as your eye
can see, I'm the law.

Judge, jury and
hangman. Remember that.

And consider yourself lucky.

Take him off the ranch
and turn him loose.

He'll know better than to
bring his lies back here again.

Look, Pa, you give me a chance at him,
I'll make sure he don't ever come back.

No, stay away from him.
You're protected here.

Alone, away from the ranch,

you wouldn't have a chance
against a man like that.

You wouldn't even
understand him.

All right, let him go.

All right, I'll handle it.
Go back to the ranch.

- But the colonel said to let him...
- I said get out!

Anything should happen to him...

Ain't nothing gonna happen to him
unless he tries to escape. Now get out!

Go on, move, you hear?
That's Billy Chapin talking!

Now, move!

Now, I'm gonna do
what my pa is afraid to do.

He's here. He's
gonna be all right.

Hey, Pa.

Pa, doggone it.

- I thought you was gone for sure.
- Oh, no.

What happened?

Oh.

Some fella took a
couple of shots at me.

- Couldn't see who it was, though.
- A fella?

You mean there
was only one of them?

Yeah, just the one
fella. Just the one.

Mr. Dormann here, he
found me lying on the trail

and picked me up and
took me along with him.

And before I'd come to, I
was on my way to Carson City.

How are you, sir?

Your brother just told
us what happened to him.

How about you?

I found my man...

but I couldn't go
through with it.

What he said to me made sense.
I couldn't get it out of my mind.

Couldn't do it.

What'd you do with him?

I left him with the sheriff.

They're holding him
for an investigation.

Hoss?

Well, pretty generally, the
same thing happened to me, Pa.

I found my man.

He had a little
son. Cute little fella.

I just didn't have the
stomach to go through with it.

I don't reckon that makes
a whole lot of sense.

No, that makes a
lot of sense, son.

In my business, a man
can count himself lucky

if he's two-thirds successful.

Little Joe ain't back?

You boys have been riding
quite a bit. Why don't you...

Why don't you get
up to bed and rest up.

Well, doc said you ought to get
some sleep too, you know, and...

Don't worry about Joe.

No. He's hot-tempered, but
he's still one of your sons, Pa.

Why don't we all go to bed.

Look, even if Joe did find
his man and he did kill him,

he did it believing that
that man had killed you.

An eye for an eye.

Is that what you boys
have been taught to believe?

What I'm trying to say...

I know what you're trying to
say, Adam, and I thank you for it.

But this is not something
that Little Joe has to think out.

He either believes
it in his heart or...

Hey.

I heard something.

You've been hearing
something all night.

No, but this is for real.

Sheriff Coffee told
me you were all right.

I was afraid to believe it.

How do you feel?

I'm fine, boy. Fine.

I see you got Pa's rifle.

So you found your man?

Yeah, I found him.

Joe?

No, Pa, I didn't kill him.

Nobody deserved killing
like he did, but I couldn't do it.

I had your rifle pointed at him,
had my finger on the trigger,

but I just couldn't pull it.

Maybe it was because
it was your rifle.

Took him to his father
and he confessed.

Sheriff Coffee is gonna go out
and pick him up sometime tomorrow.

You look tired.

Dormann.

I haven't paid you
what I owe you.

I, uh, kind of lied to
you about Carson City.

Never was much of a stop for me.

Never done more than $4
worth of business there in my life.

Even so, Mr. Dormann, I
feel I owe you a great deal.

I've been paid.

I hope you'll come by to visit
next time you pass this way.

I'll make a point of it.

You're a very lucky
man, Mr. Cartwright.

Thank you.

This has been a
color presentation

of the NBC Television Network.