Bonanza (1959–1973): Season 7, Episode 2 - The Dilemma - full transcript
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Gentlemen...
I would like to propose a
toast to our guest of honor.
Judge O'Hare.
Bon voyage and safe return.
Bon voyage.
We all know
that I shall be away
a considerable time;
too long for this district
to be without a judge
or a circuit court.
In this emergency, the
members of the town council have
appointed a man
to act in my place,
and we all agree that
they have selected
the best possible one...
Ben Cartwright.
Congratulations, Ben.
Gentlemen, I-I... I can't
possibly accept this.
Why, this is the wrong time
of the year, for one thing.
We're too busy here
at the ranch and-and...
- Oh, come on. Now you've got...
- No, of course.
Now, now, wait a
minute, now, please.
No, besides, I'm not qualified.
We're not going to
accept no for an answer.
That's right, Ben,
and we're gonna stay
here all night, if we have to.
You know, uh, you're
the only one we can trust.
Gentlemen, I propose a toast
to our new judge, Ben Cartwright.
Hear! Hear!
To Judge Pa!
Faithfully swear
to uphold the laws
of the United States of America
and the territory of
Nevada, so help me God.
Congratulations, Ben.
- Congratulations, Pa.
- Thank you. Thank you.
- Congratulations, Judge.
- Congratulations, Judge.
- Thank you.
- Ben.
Gentlemen, if you don't mind,
I'd like to have a word alone
with our new magistrate.
Why, surely. Go ahead.
- Excuse me.
- Ben. -Sure.
- Well... a toast?
- How about that, huh?
Help yourselves. There's plenty
more where that came from.
Well, all right. Thanks.
Do you realize what
you've done to me?
Ben, the reason I asked
you to come in here...
And I didn't want to say
this in front of the others...
Is there's no one else
in Virginia City equipped
to handle the job.
But the responsibility!
There's got to be...
There's no man better
liked or more respected.
Well, I sure don't know
anything about the law.
Uh, I'm not... I'm not equipped
to-to sit in judgment
of my fellow man.
Well...
it takes more than a
wide knowledge of the law
to be a judge, Ben.
It takes being a man
people can look up to,
whose decisions
will be respected.
You're the only one strong
enough to keep his head.
Good luck, Ben.
Aren't you gonna
go on in, Judge?
Hmm? What?
Aren't you gonna
go in there, Judge?
Oh... of course.
What's the matter with you two?
Well, there for a
minute, it looked like
you'd rather hold court
out here... Your Honor.
Yeah, well, you just
watch yourself now.
Contempt charges in my
court are very expensive.
Yes, sir.
Yes, sir, Judge.
Oh, and, uh...
you can pay off your fine
by putting up my buggy.
I was gonna plead innocent.
♪♪
Is there anything I
can get for you, sir?
Oh... Your chambers
are here, sir.
If there's anything you need,
I'll be in my
office, over there.
I'm Higgins, your bailiff.
- Thank you.
- Thank you, sir.
Hurry up! Get the sheriff!
Oh, Jed, what's all
the commotion about?
Somebody robbed the bank, Ben.
Ben.
Sure is a mess, huh?
What'd they get away with?
We ain't sure.
It's gonna be plenty, though.
Frank's going
over the books now.
Disaster.
A complete disaster.
$256,000 in cash.
We'll have to close the bank.
What?!
Shut the doors and
go out of business.
Whole town will be bankrupt.
What do we do?
Where do we start?
You ain't gonna like it, Ben,
but who is the best
safecracker in the territory?
Well, Sundown Davis,
but he didn't do this.
Why? Because you
arranged his parole?
Well, we better ride
out and check on him,
but I'll bet you you're wrong.
You go inside.
Hyah! Hyah!
No. I... I want
to stay with you.
And I want you out of the way.
Now, you mind me, you hear?
Go on!
- Whoa.
- Morning, Billy.
Morning, Sheriff,
uh, Mr. Cartwright.
Billy.
Uh, what brings
you out this way?
Is your father around?
Uh, no, he isn't.
Uh, something I can do?
Was he, uh... was
he here last night?
Yeah, I guess so.
You mean you ain't sure?
Oh, well, he's, uh...
fixed himself a
place out in the barn.
Uh, house kind of small for
three people, you know. He...
uh, I-I... I guess he
was there all last night.
He usually stays pretty close.
Well, do you have any idea
where he might have
gone off to this morning?
Oh, well, he's been thinking
about going deer hunting.
Uh, we're out of
meat, and, uh...
well, just about everything,
as far as that goes.
How'd you hurt your head, Billy?
Oh, I was... chopping
some firewood,
and a chunk flew up and hit me.
Mm.
Mind if we look around?
No, I guess not.
Uh, but, uh, can't you tell
me what this is all about? Uh...
Billy, the Virginia City
Bank was robbed last night.
Hmm.
You think, uh... Dad did it?
Well, we don't know, but...
just want to talk to
Sundown about it.
You helped him get his
parole, Mr. Cartwright.
You know he wouldn't
do anything like that.
I hope not, Billy.
You, uh, show us
around this place?
No, you can... find
your own way around.
Hmm.
Giddyap. Giddyap.
Hyah!
What'd they say, Billy?
Ah, they're just looking around.
How'd they know to come here?
Dad's reputation, that's all.
You go inside and stay there.
I don't want them
talking to you.
If they ask, I'll just
say you're too sick.
Go on now.
Hey, Pa?
Pa... what's the matter?
Oh... I'm tired. I...
We had some, uh,
trouble in town today.
What?
Well, they robbed the bank.
Really?!
Yeah, cleaned it out.
- They got everything?
- Everything.
- Oh.
- The town's in trouble.
They got any idea who did it?
Yeah, I'll... I'll
talk about it later.
Pa, you, uh... you got a
guest in there in the study.
He wants to talk to you private.
- Who?
- Sundown Davis.
Sundown.
Hello, Ben.
Sundown, I just
come from your place.
I was looking for you.
Yeah, well, you were
looking for the right man, Ben.
I came to turn myself
in. There's my gun.
I'm the one that
robbed the bank.
I let you down, Ben.
After you standing up for
me for my parole and all.
I let you down.
I can't figure you
out at all, Sundown.
I just can't figure you out.
All right.
Where's the money?
Well, now...
that's the joker
in the deck, Ben.
What is?
I hid it.
Yeah, I hid it real good.
Nobody knows where it is but me.
Well, then if, uh...
if you know where
it is, let's, uh...
let's help out the
people of Virginia City
and let's go find it.
Well, now, just a minute, Ben.
It ain't that easy.
That ain't the way
it's gonna work at all.
How come?
Well, I made a mistake...
Let's put it that way,
I made a mistake...
But I ain't gonna serve no more
time behind those prison walls
on account of that mistake.
How do you figure
you're gonna avoid that?
Well, now, that's
where you come in, Ben.
I'm gonna make you a deal.
I'll turn all the
money over to you.
You see to it that that
judge sets me free.
Come on, let's play a
game of chess, huh?
You want the...
light or the dark?
Wait a minute,
Frank, wait a minute.
Do you know what
this is gonna do to me?
It means 30 years of
good hard work gone.
Clear gone!
All right, Sundown.
Come on. Right up there.
You boys wait out here.
So I believe we split the
posse into three parts,
we'll be able to
cover... Sundown.
We was just fixing to organize
a posse to go hunting for you.
Well, I'll, uh, save
you the trouble, Sheriff.
Yes, Sundown has given
himself up for that bank robbery.
Pa, Roy,
there's a group of folks
congregating down in front
of the bank... looks like
they're heading this way.
Bob, you and Charlie
go head 'em off, will you?
Yeah. Uh, well, what do
you want us to tell 'em?
Well, tell them
that we got our man
and that, uh, they'll
get their money shortly.
All right.
All right, now,
where's the money?
Well, it's-it's put
away, Sheriff.
Well, where? Where's that?
It's hid.
Where?!
Well, as soon as Ben here
says he'll let me
off for taking it,
I'll show you where it is.
He told me about
being appointed judge.
Makes it all nice and
cozy, don't it? Huh?
And I told you
there'd be no deals, didn't I?
You're gonna tell us
where that money is,
and there's gonna be
no nonsense about it.
Oh, no.
That's where
you're wrong, Sheriff.
No deal, no money.
You're gonna stick to that, huh?
I sure am, Sheriff.
Even if it kills me.
Well, it might do just that.
What are you gonna do, Roy?
If he wants to play that game
with that crowd out there
feeling the way they do,
I'm gonna have to swear
me in some more deputies.
Hoss?
You and Little Joe raise
your right hands, please.
Hey, Ben, Bob
was just telling us
that we're gonna
get our money back.
Oh, you'll never know
what it was gonna do to me
to lose all that money.
I didn't even know how I was
gonna get through the winter.
When are we gonna
get it back, Ben?
Well, just as soon as...
Sheriff Coffee is able to...
get Sundown to tell him
where he hid the money.
Wait a minute, he...
he said he'd tell if you
let him go, didn't he?
Well, uh... yes, he did.
Well, then what's the
sheriff got to do with it?
Well, the sheriff is trying
to get Sundown to tell us
where he hid the money without
having to make a deal with him.
Well, now, just how
long is that gonna take?
Sheriff Coffee has
the answer to that.
Well, I'm telling you,
he better come up with the
answer to that pretty soon.
I'm worried about my family.
I don't even know
how they're gonna eat.
You better stay with him.
Yeah. They're pretty
worked up, ain't they?
Where do you think you're going?
Wait, Pa... hold up a minute.
Those-those folks back
there are pretty riled up.
Well, I don't blame 'em.
Pa, we had money in
that bank, too, didn't we?
Yes.
How much?
All our working
capital for the ranch.
You mean we can't
get along without it?
That's right.
What are we gonna do?
Well, right now, I'm
going into that courthouse
and study the law.
Don't expect me home for dinner.
Pa, Little Joe and me will
have dinner in town, too.
We'll be around if you need us.
♪♪
Come in.
Hello, Ben.
Well,
come on in, come
on in... fellas, sit down.
Catching up on
your homework, huh?
Oh, gosh, I'm just
beginning to find out
how little I know about the law.
Well, don't worry about it.
Nobody expects you
to be letter-perfect.
Well, maybe you
don't, but how 'bout...
how 'bout those poor people
who are gonna be in the courtroom?
What are you two boys
doing out this late at night?
Ben, I'd like to read
you a list of names.
List of names?
Henry Perkins, Donald
J. Wentworth and, uh...
well, it's a long list.
Take a look at it yourself.
You know 'em?
Of course I know 'em.
They're all friends of yours.
Well, I hope so.
Great Western Mining
needs hoist cables.
Loan's been approved but, of
course, now it can't be made.
The Great Western
employs 94 men.
All would be out of work.
That's just the beginning.
The bank is sound, Ben.
If it's closed, then
it's got to stay closed
because I haven't
any working capital
and I don't know
where to get it.
Now, if Sundown doesn't tell
us where to find that money
he stole from the bank,
all of those friends of yours
are gonna be pretty broke.
Uh, that... just about
sums it up, Ben.
And we talked to Sheriff Coffee.
He told us that
Sundown won't cooperate
unless you promise
that he'll go free.
That's why you've
come to see me.
It's a question of
who's being punished.
Sundown or the
people of Virginia City.
Some of the stolen
money was yours.
Don't you want to get it back?
Well, I want to get it
back, of course, but...
it's not that simple.
I've been... studying
these law books.
You know, Sundown
admitted to stealing that money.
He robbed the bank...
Everybody knows it.
Well, according
to these law books,
a sentence is mandatory.
For a four-time loser,
he gets 20 years.
Well, sounds like you've
already made your decision.
No, I haven't made
my decision. I...
I'm just trying to
figure out what's right
under the law.
If Sundown goes to
prison, this town goes broke.
♪♪
- Morning, Charlie.
- Morning, Judge.
Uh, I'm gonna talk to
Sundown before the trial.
You two bodyguards wait
for me at the courthouse.
Yeah, well, if it's all
the same to you, Pa,
we'll just wait
for you right here.
Oh, I think I'll be all right.
I don't need your protection.
You're the judge,
we're Roy's deputies,
and that makes us
officers of the court.
Wherever you go, we go.
It's our job.
Sure wish you wouldn't take
your job quite so seriously.
Well, Pa, you always taught
us that any job that's worth doing
is worth doing
well... didn't he?
He sure did.
Hi, Ben.
Roy.
Morning, Ruth.
Billy.
Mr. Cartwright.
How's your father?
Were you able to persuade
him to change his mind
about telling us
where the money is?
He won't change his
mind, Mr. Cartwright.
Not even if you... asked him to?
I have. Uh, he won't do it.
Uh...
how long will he go to
prison, Mr. Cartwright?
If he's found guilty, 20 years.
But he says you won't
send him to prison. You can't.
Not if you want the money back.
We will...
just have to wait
and see about that.
Oh, he is, uh, going to
court this morning, isn't he?
Yes.
You won't send him to
prison. I know you won't.
- You can't! You wouldn't dare.
- Uh, you'll have to excuse
my wife, Mr. Cartwright.
She's pretty
emotional at this time,
what with the baby
coming and all.
This whole business
got her pretty upset.
Yes, of course.
Thanks, uh...
Well, my... dad
always said that...
no matter what happened,
you were one man
that could always be
trusted to do what's right.
Thank you, Roy.
I figured I'd see you
sooner or later, Ben.
Them bankers and the
like, I knew they'd get to you.
I just dropped in to tell
you that you'll be in court
at 11:00 this morning.
Oh, and I've appointed Clem
Powell to act as your attorney.
Attorney? What for?
Well, I figured...
you're entitled to
advice from counsel.
Advice?
I don't need any advice, Ben.
I'm holding all
the cards, ain't I?
Not all of them.
Well, if that's the way
you're thinking, Ben,
maybe it's you that
needs the advice.
Come on, sit down here.
Let's talk it over, huh?
Aw, yeah, I should've
figured that a man like you,
sitting up there on the bench,
honest, God-fearing
and new to the job...
I should've
figured it, all right.
Setting me free kind of
sticks in your craw, don't it?
I suppose you...
looked up all those law books.
Yeah.
Well, I'm an old man, Ben.
You throw everything
there is in those books at me,
I ain't gonna get out
of those walls alive.
I'm gonna die there.
Yeah, I'm aware of that.
You want to see me die there?
No.
I got a grandchild coming, Ben.
I-I want to see that child
walking and talking.
And learn to ride a horse.
Then why'd you rob the bank?
Oh, I got sick of seeing my boy
and his wife
breaking their backs,
daylight till dark.
Trying to make a
crop off of land so poor
even the prairie dogs
walked away from it.
I got tired of...
seeing them kids living on
nothing but rabbit
stew and mush.
I j-just got tired
of seeing Ruthie
wearing clothes that
other women threw away.
I j-just got tired of...
having no money
for medicine or
anything else, Ben.
I just got tired.
If you'd told me about
it, I'd have helped out.
Well, a man can get tired
of begging favors, too, Ben.
A man likes to get up off
his knees, once in a while.
Yeah, I could understand that.
But there's other
ways of doing it
besides robbin' a bank.
Is there?
A man with my reputation?
Oh, Ben, there ain't
crimes bad enough
that people won't
believe I could do.
I don't know, Sundown.
You never gave yourself a
chance to find out otherwise.
Oh, but I did, Ben,
I did. Oh, boy, I did.
But this town wouldn't
give me a chance
to save my soul.
Well, now, it's my turn.
I'm telling you, Ben,
if you want to get
that money back,
there's only one way to get it.
You know, Sundown...
Sundown...
you answered every
question I had on my mind.
Except one.
Why'd you give yourself up?
Well, I...
I-I figured I'd...
split the money with my boy and
head out with the rest of it.
Why didn't you?
He wouldn't take it.
No, I had to
knock him stiff with
a piece of firewood
to keep him from bringing me in.
And I got to... thinking, Ben.
What good was the money
if my boy didn't want it?
You see, I stole the
money for them, Ben.
I'm an old man, Ben.
My life's behind me.
What good would all
that money be to me, huh?
Roy!
See you in court.
Yeah, well, Ben...
you just think over
what I been telling you.
Make it easy on yourself.
Make it easy on both of us, huh?
Ben, you sure are gettin'
a lot of advice, ain't you?
Everybody's trying to help
you make up your mind.
Even the defendant.
Well, I've had a few
suggestions made, yes.
Well, I ain't gonna
tell you what to do.
'Cause there's one thing
that I have learned in my years
in the public service:
do your duty
and give advice to
nobody unless they need it.
Now if I was you,
I wouldn't listen to anybody.
I'd do just like
I felt like doing.
You know, Roy, I've
learned something, too.
Yeah?
I've learned that everybody
starts out by saying
that they're not gonna
tell you what to do.
Then they tell you what to do.
Ben, we can't make
deals with a thief.
Why, if we do it for one,
we have to do it for all.
To bargain with a criminal
is a first step
toward moral suicide.
Well, what does the
defense attorney have to say?
Oh, I, uh, I understand
my colleague's view.
But I disagree with it.
What we do today
needn't dictate what
we do tomorrow.
Nor does it, uh, commit us
to any certain course of action.
We can't always live
by a hard and fast set of rules.
There are times when we...
we must make concessions.
We must be flexible.
Very well put.
Well, thank you, gentlemen.
♪♪
Here he comes now.
They got nothing to
worry about, Sundown.
Be over in a little while,
we'll have our money back,
it'll soon be forgotten about.
Court ready, Your Honor.
Hats off.
Everybody rise.
Circuit Court, Virginia City,
Judge Ben Cartwright presiding.
Now in session.
All sit.
People v. Sundown Davis.
Well, gentlemen.
Prosecution's ready, Your Honor.
Defense is ready, Your Honor.
Will the defendant please rise.
Sundown... you know
the charge against you.
Yeah, yeah, I know
why I'm here, Ben.
You want to hear
the charge read?
No.
Well, I guess all
that remains for me
is to ask you whether you
plead guilty or not guilty.
Well... I-I'm
guilty, Ben. Guilty.
If the court please...
Before sentencing,
the defense would like to
make a few remarks to the court.
Proceed.
Your Honor, there isn't a person
in this courtroom
who doesn't know
that Sundown offered
to return the money
he stole from the bank.
Yeah, that's right.
That's what I said.
I said I'd do that.
We think this is a fair offer.
The court is not asked
to set this man free,
just to give him
a light sentence.
It is a fair bargain.
One which will
not abort the law,
but which will avoid something
this community cannot afford:
financial disaster.
The defense throws this
case on the mercy of the court.
Mr. Powell.
The law says... quite clearly...
That the defendant
should be given
a severe sentence.
To make the kind of
bargain which you suggest,
it seems to me,
would weaken the law.
This case, to my
way of thinking,
rests on a serious question.
Which is more important?
The welfare of the people
or the welfare of the law?
The welfare of the people...
is a thing of now,
of this moment.
The law is for all time.
The law stands for all people.
It must not be weakened.
It must be guarded.
Guarded... even with our lives.
Let the record show that the
defendant stands convicted.
Guilty as charged.
Sundown Davis,
will you please rise?
I sentence you to...
20 years at hard labor.
Your Honor! Your Honor!
- No...!
- Mr. Cartwright!
Wait a minute!
You passed the law sentence.
You done your duty.
But you ain't never
gonna see that money!
Never!
None of you are gonna see it!
Billy, take me home.
I'm frightened.
We'll return to tonight's
story of Bonanza
in a moment.
And now the exciting
conclusion of tonight's story.
Move off the porch! Step aside.
Break it up. Go on home.
You boys best stay here
with your pa. Come on.
Hey, wait a
minute, Roy. Hold it.
What kind of a law is
it allows a man like this
rob us of everything
we ever made? Huh?
How 'bout that, Roy?
What kind of a
law is it, Roy, huh?
What kind of a law is it?
Inside.
That's far enough.
Why, there's no
need for gunplay, Roy.
You know who we are.
Every one of us lost a lot
of money in that bank, Roy.
All we want to do is
get our money back.
Now, why don't you go take
yourself and your deputies
and go for a little
walk for a while.
We'll go in, have a few
words with Sundown.
By the time you get back, he'll
tell you exactly where it's hid.
Now, both these barrels
is loaded with buckshot.
And if we cut loose,
there's gonna be
a mighty big crop of
widows in this town tonight.
I'm gonna give you ten seconds
to get back out of
range of this gun.
One... two...
Roy, we're all
citizens and taxpayers.
Then act like it.
Three... four... five...
six...
- seven...
- All right, all right.
But it ain't right.
It ain't justice.
No justice in this town.
No justice here at all.
The law is one thing, but the
decent citizens of this town...
Hold on, hold on. Whoa up now.
Hold your horses,
gentlemen, please.
Don't all of you rush
at me at once now.
What is this?
Uh, Ben, I guess as
prosecuting attorney,
I can speak for all of us.
All right, Mr. Hicks.
It's this way, Ben.
When I argued for
the law as it is written,
it was my job.
But to tell the honest truth, I
thought Sundown was bluffing.
I thought when the man
was faced with the reality
of 20 years in prison,
he would relent,
tell us where the money is.
I see.
And now that, uh...
you see that you're mistaken,
what do you propose?
That we make a deal with him.
Roy?
What do you think?
Ben, I certainly
know what my duty is,
but I don't enjoy putting
a shotgun on decent folks
that I've known all my life.
So I've got to say
that I'm with them.
This town is bankrupt, Ben.
You've got to listen to reason.
I'm trying to do
that, gentlemen,
but you are making
it very difficult.
What can we do to
change your mind?
Change the law.
Ben, you can't leave here
without granting permission for
us to make a deal with Sundown.
You got it all wrong, George.
I'm telling you
that no deal will be
made with Sundown.
You're selling
us down the river.
You know that, don't you?
What's the matter?
Oh, I've been thinking
all the way out here.
The law's been served
but has justice been done?
Well, I think you did
just what you had to do.
Sure would've made things
simple if old Sundown had just...
taken that money and
just kept on runnin'.
That's the only thing
I can't figure out.
Why didn't he just
keep on runnin'?
Yeah, that's been
on my mind, too.
That's been on my mind a lot.
Boys, I'll see you at the house.
I'm gonna make a
stop on the way home.
Oh, no, we'll go along with you.
Now, you gonna follow me
around for the rest of my life?
No, I'll go alone.
Hyah.
Here!
Billy, Mrs. Davis.
I'd like to talk to
you a bit, Billy.
You and your wife.
Won't you come inside?
I'll... I'll make some coffee.
Thank you, ma'am.
Come in. You can
sit down right here.
I'll get some coffee on.
It won't be a minute.
Let's see now.
Uh... Excuse me.
Uh, R-Ruth?
I'd like to talk to
you, too, if I may.
Oh.
Talk to both of you.
Um...
Well, Billy, uh...
this morning when I, uh...
I sentenced your
father... I had to.
The law is very specific.
20 years.
Now, I don't know
if you realize...
Uh, Ruthie...
I was saying,
I don't know if you realize
what that means to a...
a man your father's age.
Life imprisonment...
That's what it means.
'Cause I don't think
your father will be able
to live out his sentence.
And that worries me.
Worries me, too, Mr. Cartwright.
Does it?
Sure, it does.
He's my pa.
Well, Billy, I...
Ruth, will you...
would you sit down
so I can... look at you
when I'm talking to you?
Billy, your father
gave himself up to me.
He told me that...
he'd stolen the money
because he wanted to...
help you and-and Ruth.
And that you had
refused the money.
And that you had told him
to, uh... to give himself up.
Then he said that
he... he had to hit you
with a piece of firewood.
- I don't know anything...
- Billy!
- Ruthie, you shut up!
- Billy...
Billy, you can see the
bruise on your face.
Tell him the truth.
It's... it's the truth,
Mr. Cartwright.
Sundown... came
home late with...
all that money, and...
he wanted us to take half.
Billy wouldn't take it, and...
- and there was a big fight!
- Ruthie! Ruthie!
Billy, I don't have
to protect your father!
I have to protect my husband,
the father of my child.
Is that the way it happened?
No, that isn't the
way it happened,
- Mr. Cartwright.
- Oh, Billy.
- Ruthie, we've got to tell him.
- Billy, please.
- Please, not with the baby.
- Honey...
I can't do it. I
can't let him do it.
- Can't you understand
- Don't you see, honey?
- It's the only decent thing
- How can I live with myself
- he ever did in his life?
- If I don't...
How can I live with my own son?!
Mr. Cartwright, the man you...
sentenced this morning was...
the wrong man.
I stole that money.
Billy Davis,
you've entered
the plea of guilty
to the charge of bank robbery.
Have you anything to
say on your own behalf
before sentence is passed?
No, Your Honor.
I hereby sentence you to the
minimum term avowed by law.
10 years
in the prison of the
territory of Nevada.
Since this is
your first offense,
and since all the monies
involved have been returned,
the law leaves to the
discretion of the judge
the weight of mitigating
circumstances.
I therefore suspend
the sentence.
All but four months,
which you will serve
in the jail of Virginia City.
Oh, Billy... Oh!
- Well?
- Billy...
This court stands adjourned.
Oh, Billy... Oh, four months.
Oh, Billy.
Four months.
- Oh.
- Oh...
- Oh, Billy.
- Billy.
Oh...
Son, there's gonna be another
mouth to feed when you get out.
Yeah.
Now... Ben here has...
offered me a job
on the Ponderosa.
Maybe he'll, uh...
maybe he'll have a job
for you when you get out.
Think you can handle it?
Well, I'd sure like to try, Pa.
Yeah.
I'd like to have you try, son.
And, daughter, we've got
a lot of things to get ready
for that grandson of mine.
Thank you, Ben.
Thank you very much.
Thanks, Mr. Cartwright.
Come on, honey.
Oh...
Ben...
This smooth-riding Chevrolet
Fleetside is becoming
more and more
popular all the time.
One of the reasons is,
it is more smooth-riding.
Come here a minute. I'm
gonna show you something.
See that?
Full-coil spring, and there's
one of 'em on every wheel.
One, two, three, four.
Soft ride for your driver,
and a soft ride for his cargo.
Fleetside has two walls.
One on the inside here,
and one on the outside.
Now, that's in case your cargo
starts banging around in there,
and you don't get no
dents on your outside.
Other features.
Select wood flooring.
Steel skid strips.
And get a load of this tailgate.
Boom. Big enough to hold a Hoss.
And with only one chain.
Yes, sir, it's a
tough-built truck.
Solid as bedrock.
And to get one on your job,
you go see your Chevrolet
dealer right away, you hear?
This has been a color production
of the NBC Television Network.
is brought to you in
living color on NBC.
Gentlemen...
I would like to propose a
toast to our guest of honor.
Judge O'Hare.
Bon voyage and safe return.
Bon voyage.
We all know
that I shall be away
a considerable time;
too long for this district
to be without a judge
or a circuit court.
In this emergency, the
members of the town council have
appointed a man
to act in my place,
and we all agree that
they have selected
the best possible one...
Ben Cartwright.
Congratulations, Ben.
Gentlemen, I-I... I can't
possibly accept this.
Why, this is the wrong time
of the year, for one thing.
We're too busy here
at the ranch and-and...
- Oh, come on. Now you've got...
- No, of course.
Now, now, wait a
minute, now, please.
No, besides, I'm not qualified.
We're not going to
accept no for an answer.
That's right, Ben,
and we're gonna stay
here all night, if we have to.
You know, uh, you're
the only one we can trust.
Gentlemen, I propose a toast
to our new judge, Ben Cartwright.
Hear! Hear!
To Judge Pa!
Faithfully swear
to uphold the laws
of the United States of America
and the territory of
Nevada, so help me God.
Congratulations, Ben.
- Congratulations, Pa.
- Thank you. Thank you.
- Congratulations, Judge.
- Congratulations, Judge.
- Thank you.
- Ben.
Gentlemen, if you don't mind,
I'd like to have a word alone
with our new magistrate.
Why, surely. Go ahead.
- Excuse me.
- Ben. -Sure.
- Well... a toast?
- How about that, huh?
Help yourselves. There's plenty
more where that came from.
Well, all right. Thanks.
Do you realize what
you've done to me?
Ben, the reason I asked
you to come in here...
And I didn't want to say
this in front of the others...
Is there's no one else
in Virginia City equipped
to handle the job.
But the responsibility!
There's got to be...
There's no man better
liked or more respected.
Well, I sure don't know
anything about the law.
Uh, I'm not... I'm not equipped
to-to sit in judgment
of my fellow man.
Well...
it takes more than a
wide knowledge of the law
to be a judge, Ben.
It takes being a man
people can look up to,
whose decisions
will be respected.
You're the only one strong
enough to keep his head.
Good luck, Ben.
Aren't you gonna
go on in, Judge?
Hmm? What?
Aren't you gonna
go in there, Judge?
Oh... of course.
What's the matter with you two?
Well, there for a
minute, it looked like
you'd rather hold court
out here... Your Honor.
Yeah, well, you just
watch yourself now.
Contempt charges in my
court are very expensive.
Yes, sir.
Yes, sir, Judge.
Oh, and, uh...
you can pay off your fine
by putting up my buggy.
I was gonna plead innocent.
♪♪
Is there anything I
can get for you, sir?
Oh... Your chambers
are here, sir.
If there's anything you need,
I'll be in my
office, over there.
I'm Higgins, your bailiff.
- Thank you.
- Thank you, sir.
Hurry up! Get the sheriff!
Oh, Jed, what's all
the commotion about?
Somebody robbed the bank, Ben.
Ben.
Sure is a mess, huh?
What'd they get away with?
We ain't sure.
It's gonna be plenty, though.
Frank's going
over the books now.
Disaster.
A complete disaster.
$256,000 in cash.
We'll have to close the bank.
What?!
Shut the doors and
go out of business.
Whole town will be bankrupt.
What do we do?
Where do we start?
You ain't gonna like it, Ben,
but who is the best
safecracker in the territory?
Well, Sundown Davis,
but he didn't do this.
Why? Because you
arranged his parole?
Well, we better ride
out and check on him,
but I'll bet you you're wrong.
You go inside.
Hyah! Hyah!
No. I... I want
to stay with you.
And I want you out of the way.
Now, you mind me, you hear?
Go on!
- Whoa.
- Morning, Billy.
Morning, Sheriff,
uh, Mr. Cartwright.
Billy.
Uh, what brings
you out this way?
Is your father around?
Uh, no, he isn't.
Uh, something I can do?
Was he, uh... was
he here last night?
Yeah, I guess so.
You mean you ain't sure?
Oh, well, he's, uh...
fixed himself a
place out in the barn.
Uh, house kind of small for
three people, you know. He...
uh, I-I... I guess he
was there all last night.
He usually stays pretty close.
Well, do you have any idea
where he might have
gone off to this morning?
Oh, well, he's been thinking
about going deer hunting.
Uh, we're out of
meat, and, uh...
well, just about everything,
as far as that goes.
How'd you hurt your head, Billy?
Oh, I was... chopping
some firewood,
and a chunk flew up and hit me.
Mm.
Mind if we look around?
No, I guess not.
Uh, but, uh, can't you tell
me what this is all about? Uh...
Billy, the Virginia City
Bank was robbed last night.
Hmm.
You think, uh... Dad did it?
Well, we don't know, but...
just want to talk to
Sundown about it.
You helped him get his
parole, Mr. Cartwright.
You know he wouldn't
do anything like that.
I hope not, Billy.
You, uh, show us
around this place?
No, you can... find
your own way around.
Hmm.
Giddyap. Giddyap.
Hyah!
What'd they say, Billy?
Ah, they're just looking around.
How'd they know to come here?
Dad's reputation, that's all.
You go inside and stay there.
I don't want them
talking to you.
If they ask, I'll just
say you're too sick.
Go on now.
Hey, Pa?
Pa... what's the matter?
Oh... I'm tired. I...
We had some, uh,
trouble in town today.
What?
Well, they robbed the bank.
Really?!
Yeah, cleaned it out.
- They got everything?
- Everything.
- Oh.
- The town's in trouble.
They got any idea who did it?
Yeah, I'll... I'll
talk about it later.
Pa, you, uh... you got a
guest in there in the study.
He wants to talk to you private.
- Who?
- Sundown Davis.
Sundown.
Hello, Ben.
Sundown, I just
come from your place.
I was looking for you.
Yeah, well, you were
looking for the right man, Ben.
I came to turn myself
in. There's my gun.
I'm the one that
robbed the bank.
I let you down, Ben.
After you standing up for
me for my parole and all.
I let you down.
I can't figure you
out at all, Sundown.
I just can't figure you out.
All right.
Where's the money?
Well, now...
that's the joker
in the deck, Ben.
What is?
I hid it.
Yeah, I hid it real good.
Nobody knows where it is but me.
Well, then if, uh...
if you know where
it is, let's, uh...
let's help out the
people of Virginia City
and let's go find it.
Well, now, just a minute, Ben.
It ain't that easy.
That ain't the way
it's gonna work at all.
How come?
Well, I made a mistake...
Let's put it that way,
I made a mistake...
But I ain't gonna serve no more
time behind those prison walls
on account of that mistake.
How do you figure
you're gonna avoid that?
Well, now, that's
where you come in, Ben.
I'm gonna make you a deal.
I'll turn all the
money over to you.
You see to it that that
judge sets me free.
Come on, let's play a
game of chess, huh?
You want the...
light or the dark?
Wait a minute,
Frank, wait a minute.
Do you know what
this is gonna do to me?
It means 30 years of
good hard work gone.
Clear gone!
All right, Sundown.
Come on. Right up there.
You boys wait out here.
So I believe we split the
posse into three parts,
we'll be able to
cover... Sundown.
We was just fixing to organize
a posse to go hunting for you.
Well, I'll, uh, save
you the trouble, Sheriff.
Yes, Sundown has given
himself up for that bank robbery.
Pa, Roy,
there's a group of folks
congregating down in front
of the bank... looks like
they're heading this way.
Bob, you and Charlie
go head 'em off, will you?
Yeah. Uh, well, what do
you want us to tell 'em?
Well, tell them
that we got our man
and that, uh, they'll
get their money shortly.
All right.
All right, now,
where's the money?
Well, it's-it's put
away, Sheriff.
Well, where? Where's that?
It's hid.
Where?!
Well, as soon as Ben here
says he'll let me
off for taking it,
I'll show you where it is.
He told me about
being appointed judge.
Makes it all nice and
cozy, don't it? Huh?
And I told you
there'd be no deals, didn't I?
You're gonna tell us
where that money is,
and there's gonna be
no nonsense about it.
Oh, no.
That's where
you're wrong, Sheriff.
No deal, no money.
You're gonna stick to that, huh?
I sure am, Sheriff.
Even if it kills me.
Well, it might do just that.
What are you gonna do, Roy?
If he wants to play that game
with that crowd out there
feeling the way they do,
I'm gonna have to swear
me in some more deputies.
Hoss?
You and Little Joe raise
your right hands, please.
Hey, Ben, Bob
was just telling us
that we're gonna
get our money back.
Oh, you'll never know
what it was gonna do to me
to lose all that money.
I didn't even know how I was
gonna get through the winter.
When are we gonna
get it back, Ben?
Well, just as soon as...
Sheriff Coffee is able to...
get Sundown to tell him
where he hid the money.
Wait a minute, he...
he said he'd tell if you
let him go, didn't he?
Well, uh... yes, he did.
Well, then what's the
sheriff got to do with it?
Well, the sheriff is trying
to get Sundown to tell us
where he hid the money without
having to make a deal with him.
Well, now, just how
long is that gonna take?
Sheriff Coffee has
the answer to that.
Well, I'm telling you,
he better come up with the
answer to that pretty soon.
I'm worried about my family.
I don't even know
how they're gonna eat.
You better stay with him.
Yeah. They're pretty
worked up, ain't they?
Where do you think you're going?
Wait, Pa... hold up a minute.
Those-those folks back
there are pretty riled up.
Well, I don't blame 'em.
Pa, we had money in
that bank, too, didn't we?
Yes.
How much?
All our working
capital for the ranch.
You mean we can't
get along without it?
That's right.
What are we gonna do?
Well, right now, I'm
going into that courthouse
and study the law.
Don't expect me home for dinner.
Pa, Little Joe and me will
have dinner in town, too.
We'll be around if you need us.
♪♪
Come in.
Hello, Ben.
Well,
come on in, come
on in... fellas, sit down.
Catching up on
your homework, huh?
Oh, gosh, I'm just
beginning to find out
how little I know about the law.
Well, don't worry about it.
Nobody expects you
to be letter-perfect.
Well, maybe you
don't, but how 'bout...
how 'bout those poor people
who are gonna be in the courtroom?
What are you two boys
doing out this late at night?
Ben, I'd like to read
you a list of names.
List of names?
Henry Perkins, Donald
J. Wentworth and, uh...
well, it's a long list.
Take a look at it yourself.
You know 'em?
Of course I know 'em.
They're all friends of yours.
Well, I hope so.
Great Western Mining
needs hoist cables.
Loan's been approved but, of
course, now it can't be made.
The Great Western
employs 94 men.
All would be out of work.
That's just the beginning.
The bank is sound, Ben.
If it's closed, then
it's got to stay closed
because I haven't
any working capital
and I don't know
where to get it.
Now, if Sundown doesn't tell
us where to find that money
he stole from the bank,
all of those friends of yours
are gonna be pretty broke.
Uh, that... just about
sums it up, Ben.
And we talked to Sheriff Coffee.
He told us that
Sundown won't cooperate
unless you promise
that he'll go free.
That's why you've
come to see me.
It's a question of
who's being punished.
Sundown or the
people of Virginia City.
Some of the stolen
money was yours.
Don't you want to get it back?
Well, I want to get it
back, of course, but...
it's not that simple.
I've been... studying
these law books.
You know, Sundown
admitted to stealing that money.
He robbed the bank...
Everybody knows it.
Well, according
to these law books,
a sentence is mandatory.
For a four-time loser,
he gets 20 years.
Well, sounds like you've
already made your decision.
No, I haven't made
my decision. I...
I'm just trying to
figure out what's right
under the law.
If Sundown goes to
prison, this town goes broke.
♪♪
- Morning, Charlie.
- Morning, Judge.
Uh, I'm gonna talk to
Sundown before the trial.
You two bodyguards wait
for me at the courthouse.
Yeah, well, if it's all
the same to you, Pa,
we'll just wait
for you right here.
Oh, I think I'll be all right.
I don't need your protection.
You're the judge,
we're Roy's deputies,
and that makes us
officers of the court.
Wherever you go, we go.
It's our job.
Sure wish you wouldn't take
your job quite so seriously.
Well, Pa, you always taught
us that any job that's worth doing
is worth doing
well... didn't he?
He sure did.
Hi, Ben.
Roy.
Morning, Ruth.
Billy.
Mr. Cartwright.
How's your father?
Were you able to persuade
him to change his mind
about telling us
where the money is?
He won't change his
mind, Mr. Cartwright.
Not even if you... asked him to?
I have. Uh, he won't do it.
Uh...
how long will he go to
prison, Mr. Cartwright?
If he's found guilty, 20 years.
But he says you won't
send him to prison. You can't.
Not if you want the money back.
We will...
just have to wait
and see about that.
Oh, he is, uh, going to
court this morning, isn't he?
Yes.
You won't send him to
prison. I know you won't.
- You can't! You wouldn't dare.
- Uh, you'll have to excuse
my wife, Mr. Cartwright.
She's pretty
emotional at this time,
what with the baby
coming and all.
This whole business
got her pretty upset.
Yes, of course.
Thanks, uh...
Well, my... dad
always said that...
no matter what happened,
you were one man
that could always be
trusted to do what's right.
Thank you, Roy.
I figured I'd see you
sooner or later, Ben.
Them bankers and the
like, I knew they'd get to you.
I just dropped in to tell
you that you'll be in court
at 11:00 this morning.
Oh, and I've appointed Clem
Powell to act as your attorney.
Attorney? What for?
Well, I figured...
you're entitled to
advice from counsel.
Advice?
I don't need any advice, Ben.
I'm holding all
the cards, ain't I?
Not all of them.
Well, if that's the way
you're thinking, Ben,
maybe it's you that
needs the advice.
Come on, sit down here.
Let's talk it over, huh?
Aw, yeah, I should've
figured that a man like you,
sitting up there on the bench,
honest, God-fearing
and new to the job...
I should've
figured it, all right.
Setting me free kind of
sticks in your craw, don't it?
I suppose you...
looked up all those law books.
Yeah.
Well, I'm an old man, Ben.
You throw everything
there is in those books at me,
I ain't gonna get out
of those walls alive.
I'm gonna die there.
Yeah, I'm aware of that.
You want to see me die there?
No.
I got a grandchild coming, Ben.
I-I want to see that child
walking and talking.
And learn to ride a horse.
Then why'd you rob the bank?
Oh, I got sick of seeing my boy
and his wife
breaking their backs,
daylight till dark.
Trying to make a
crop off of land so poor
even the prairie dogs
walked away from it.
I got tired of...
seeing them kids living on
nothing but rabbit
stew and mush.
I j-just got tired
of seeing Ruthie
wearing clothes that
other women threw away.
I j-just got tired of...
having no money
for medicine or
anything else, Ben.
I just got tired.
If you'd told me about
it, I'd have helped out.
Well, a man can get tired
of begging favors, too, Ben.
A man likes to get up off
his knees, once in a while.
Yeah, I could understand that.
But there's other
ways of doing it
besides robbin' a bank.
Is there?
A man with my reputation?
Oh, Ben, there ain't
crimes bad enough
that people won't
believe I could do.
I don't know, Sundown.
You never gave yourself a
chance to find out otherwise.
Oh, but I did, Ben,
I did. Oh, boy, I did.
But this town wouldn't
give me a chance
to save my soul.
Well, now, it's my turn.
I'm telling you, Ben,
if you want to get
that money back,
there's only one way to get it.
You know, Sundown...
Sundown...
you answered every
question I had on my mind.
Except one.
Why'd you give yourself up?
Well, I...
I-I figured I'd...
split the money with my boy and
head out with the rest of it.
Why didn't you?
He wouldn't take it.
No, I had to
knock him stiff with
a piece of firewood
to keep him from bringing me in.
And I got to... thinking, Ben.
What good was the money
if my boy didn't want it?
You see, I stole the
money for them, Ben.
I'm an old man, Ben.
My life's behind me.
What good would all
that money be to me, huh?
Roy!
See you in court.
Yeah, well, Ben...
you just think over
what I been telling you.
Make it easy on yourself.
Make it easy on both of us, huh?
Ben, you sure are gettin'
a lot of advice, ain't you?
Everybody's trying to help
you make up your mind.
Even the defendant.
Well, I've had a few
suggestions made, yes.
Well, I ain't gonna
tell you what to do.
'Cause there's one thing
that I have learned in my years
in the public service:
do your duty
and give advice to
nobody unless they need it.
Now if I was you,
I wouldn't listen to anybody.
I'd do just like
I felt like doing.
You know, Roy, I've
learned something, too.
Yeah?
I've learned that everybody
starts out by saying
that they're not gonna
tell you what to do.
Then they tell you what to do.
Ben, we can't make
deals with a thief.
Why, if we do it for one,
we have to do it for all.
To bargain with a criminal
is a first step
toward moral suicide.
Well, what does the
defense attorney have to say?
Oh, I, uh, I understand
my colleague's view.
But I disagree with it.
What we do today
needn't dictate what
we do tomorrow.
Nor does it, uh, commit us
to any certain course of action.
We can't always live
by a hard and fast set of rules.
There are times when we...
we must make concessions.
We must be flexible.
Very well put.
Well, thank you, gentlemen.
♪♪
Here he comes now.
They got nothing to
worry about, Sundown.
Be over in a little while,
we'll have our money back,
it'll soon be forgotten about.
Court ready, Your Honor.
Hats off.
Everybody rise.
Circuit Court, Virginia City,
Judge Ben Cartwright presiding.
Now in session.
All sit.
People v. Sundown Davis.
Well, gentlemen.
Prosecution's ready, Your Honor.
Defense is ready, Your Honor.
Will the defendant please rise.
Sundown... you know
the charge against you.
Yeah, yeah, I know
why I'm here, Ben.
You want to hear
the charge read?
No.
Well, I guess all
that remains for me
is to ask you whether you
plead guilty or not guilty.
Well... I-I'm
guilty, Ben. Guilty.
If the court please...
Before sentencing,
the defense would like to
make a few remarks to the court.
Proceed.
Your Honor, there isn't a person
in this courtroom
who doesn't know
that Sundown offered
to return the money
he stole from the bank.
Yeah, that's right.
That's what I said.
I said I'd do that.
We think this is a fair offer.
The court is not asked
to set this man free,
just to give him
a light sentence.
It is a fair bargain.
One which will
not abort the law,
but which will avoid something
this community cannot afford:
financial disaster.
The defense throws this
case on the mercy of the court.
Mr. Powell.
The law says... quite clearly...
That the defendant
should be given
a severe sentence.
To make the kind of
bargain which you suggest,
it seems to me,
would weaken the law.
This case, to my
way of thinking,
rests on a serious question.
Which is more important?
The welfare of the people
or the welfare of the law?
The welfare of the people...
is a thing of now,
of this moment.
The law is for all time.
The law stands for all people.
It must not be weakened.
It must be guarded.
Guarded... even with our lives.
Let the record show that the
defendant stands convicted.
Guilty as charged.
Sundown Davis,
will you please rise?
I sentence you to...
20 years at hard labor.
Your Honor! Your Honor!
- No...!
- Mr. Cartwright!
Wait a minute!
You passed the law sentence.
You done your duty.
But you ain't never
gonna see that money!
Never!
None of you are gonna see it!
Billy, take me home.
I'm frightened.
We'll return to tonight's
story of Bonanza
in a moment.
And now the exciting
conclusion of tonight's story.
Move off the porch! Step aside.
Break it up. Go on home.
You boys best stay here
with your pa. Come on.
Hey, wait a
minute, Roy. Hold it.
What kind of a law is
it allows a man like this
rob us of everything
we ever made? Huh?
How 'bout that, Roy?
What kind of a
law is it, Roy, huh?
What kind of a law is it?
Inside.
That's far enough.
Why, there's no
need for gunplay, Roy.
You know who we are.
Every one of us lost a lot
of money in that bank, Roy.
All we want to do is
get our money back.
Now, why don't you go take
yourself and your deputies
and go for a little
walk for a while.
We'll go in, have a few
words with Sundown.
By the time you get back, he'll
tell you exactly where it's hid.
Now, both these barrels
is loaded with buckshot.
And if we cut loose,
there's gonna be
a mighty big crop of
widows in this town tonight.
I'm gonna give you ten seconds
to get back out of
range of this gun.
One... two...
Roy, we're all
citizens and taxpayers.
Then act like it.
Three... four... five...
six...
- seven...
- All right, all right.
But it ain't right.
It ain't justice.
No justice in this town.
No justice here at all.
The law is one thing, but the
decent citizens of this town...
Hold on, hold on. Whoa up now.
Hold your horses,
gentlemen, please.
Don't all of you rush
at me at once now.
What is this?
Uh, Ben, I guess as
prosecuting attorney,
I can speak for all of us.
All right, Mr. Hicks.
It's this way, Ben.
When I argued for
the law as it is written,
it was my job.
But to tell the honest truth, I
thought Sundown was bluffing.
I thought when the man
was faced with the reality
of 20 years in prison,
he would relent,
tell us where the money is.
I see.
And now that, uh...
you see that you're mistaken,
what do you propose?
That we make a deal with him.
Roy?
What do you think?
Ben, I certainly
know what my duty is,
but I don't enjoy putting
a shotgun on decent folks
that I've known all my life.
So I've got to say
that I'm with them.
This town is bankrupt, Ben.
You've got to listen to reason.
I'm trying to do
that, gentlemen,
but you are making
it very difficult.
What can we do to
change your mind?
Change the law.
Ben, you can't leave here
without granting permission for
us to make a deal with Sundown.
You got it all wrong, George.
I'm telling you
that no deal will be
made with Sundown.
You're selling
us down the river.
You know that, don't you?
What's the matter?
Oh, I've been thinking
all the way out here.
The law's been served
but has justice been done?
Well, I think you did
just what you had to do.
Sure would've made things
simple if old Sundown had just...
taken that money and
just kept on runnin'.
That's the only thing
I can't figure out.
Why didn't he just
keep on runnin'?
Yeah, that's been
on my mind, too.
That's been on my mind a lot.
Boys, I'll see you at the house.
I'm gonna make a
stop on the way home.
Oh, no, we'll go along with you.
Now, you gonna follow me
around for the rest of my life?
No, I'll go alone.
Hyah.
Here!
Billy, Mrs. Davis.
I'd like to talk to
you a bit, Billy.
You and your wife.
Won't you come inside?
I'll... I'll make some coffee.
Thank you, ma'am.
Come in. You can
sit down right here.
I'll get some coffee on.
It won't be a minute.
Let's see now.
Uh... Excuse me.
Uh, R-Ruth?
I'd like to talk to
you, too, if I may.
Oh.
Talk to both of you.
Um...
Well, Billy, uh...
this morning when I, uh...
I sentenced your
father... I had to.
The law is very specific.
20 years.
Now, I don't know
if you realize...
Uh, Ruthie...
I was saying,
I don't know if you realize
what that means to a...
a man your father's age.
Life imprisonment...
That's what it means.
'Cause I don't think
your father will be able
to live out his sentence.
And that worries me.
Worries me, too, Mr. Cartwright.
Does it?
Sure, it does.
He's my pa.
Well, Billy, I...
Ruth, will you...
would you sit down
so I can... look at you
when I'm talking to you?
Billy, your father
gave himself up to me.
He told me that...
he'd stolen the money
because he wanted to...
help you and-and Ruth.
And that you had
refused the money.
And that you had told him
to, uh... to give himself up.
Then he said that
he... he had to hit you
with a piece of firewood.
- I don't know anything...
- Billy!
- Ruthie, you shut up!
- Billy...
Billy, you can see the
bruise on your face.
Tell him the truth.
It's... it's the truth,
Mr. Cartwright.
Sundown... came
home late with...
all that money, and...
he wanted us to take half.
Billy wouldn't take it, and...
- and there was a big fight!
- Ruthie! Ruthie!
Billy, I don't have
to protect your father!
I have to protect my husband,
the father of my child.
Is that the way it happened?
No, that isn't the
way it happened,
- Mr. Cartwright.
- Oh, Billy.
- Ruthie, we've got to tell him.
- Billy, please.
- Please, not with the baby.
- Honey...
I can't do it. I
can't let him do it.
- Can't you understand
- Don't you see, honey?
- It's the only decent thing
- How can I live with myself
- he ever did in his life?
- If I don't...
How can I live with my own son?!
Mr. Cartwright, the man you...
sentenced this morning was...
the wrong man.
I stole that money.
Billy Davis,
you've entered
the plea of guilty
to the charge of bank robbery.
Have you anything to
say on your own behalf
before sentence is passed?
No, Your Honor.
I hereby sentence you to the
minimum term avowed by law.
10 years
in the prison of the
territory of Nevada.
Since this is
your first offense,
and since all the monies
involved have been returned,
the law leaves to the
discretion of the judge
the weight of mitigating
circumstances.
I therefore suspend
the sentence.
All but four months,
which you will serve
in the jail of Virginia City.
Oh, Billy... Oh!
- Well?
- Billy...
This court stands adjourned.
Oh, Billy... Oh, four months.
Oh, Billy.
Four months.
- Oh.
- Oh...
- Oh, Billy.
- Billy.
Oh...
Son, there's gonna be another
mouth to feed when you get out.
Yeah.
Now... Ben here has...
offered me a job
on the Ponderosa.
Maybe he'll, uh...
maybe he'll have a job
for you when you get out.
Think you can handle it?
Well, I'd sure like to try, Pa.
Yeah.
I'd like to have you try, son.
And, daughter, we've got
a lot of things to get ready
for that grandson of mine.
Thank you, Ben.
Thank you very much.
Thanks, Mr. Cartwright.
Come on, honey.
Oh...
Ben...
This smooth-riding Chevrolet
Fleetside is becoming
more and more
popular all the time.
One of the reasons is,
it is more smooth-riding.
Come here a minute. I'm
gonna show you something.
See that?
Full-coil spring, and there's
one of 'em on every wheel.
One, two, three, four.
Soft ride for your driver,
and a soft ride for his cargo.
Fleetside has two walls.
One on the inside here,
and one on the outside.
Now, that's in case your cargo
starts banging around in there,
and you don't get no
dents on your outside.
Other features.
Select wood flooring.
Steel skid strips.
And get a load of this tailgate.
Boom. Big enough to hold a Hoss.
And with only one chain.
Yes, sir, it's a
tough-built truck.
Solid as bedrock.
And to get one on your job,
you go see your Chevrolet
dealer right away, you hear?
This has been a color production
of the NBC Television Network.