Bonanza (1959–1973): Season 8, Episode 24 - Judgement at Red Creek - full transcript
A marshal's brother is shot by two men who held up the stage depot. Little Joe joins the posse who follows the trail left by those men. They come upon two men who say they didn't do it but since his brother may die, the marshal seems to have other ideas.
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(fanfare plays)
♪♪
Indians!
(giggles)
(laughing)
♪♪
Something wrong.
Those horses should
have been ready.
Tom?!
Jack!
Jack?
Tom Delaney.
Station agent.
My brother's got to be
around here somewhere.
All right, look around,
help me find him.
In here!
Jack.
Jack.
Jack.
Brother Will.
Where'd you come from?
Who did it?
Who shot you?
Two... drifters.
Uh... Asked for a meal.
What they...
what they wanted was
what was in the safe.
(groans)
I'll find them.
And when I do, they
won't live long enough...
(Jack groans violently)
I'll find them.
(theme song playing)
That's about all I can
do for him, Mr. Rimbau.
You've already done
enough and done it very well.
Jack.
Those two drifters?
What did they look like?
(shivering): Just ordinary.
Twenty-twenty-three
or twenty-f-four.
One... one abou...
One-one dark, one light.
Did you hear any names?
No.
No names.
They just rode in,
asked for a hand-out.
Tom fed them.
N-No warning, nothing.
They... they just
started shooting.
Did you get a look
at their horses?
I-I'm cold, Will.
Ow.
I-I hurt.
Look, I-I think you
ought to let him rest.
He-he needs all
the rest he can get.
Don't you think I know that?
You think I like asking him
questions when he's hurt so bad?
Maybe we should have
sent him in with the stage.
No, he'd have never made
it over those roads anyhow.
How long would it take?
Well, 60 miles to
Virginia City and a doctor
and 60 miles back.
Three days at least.
What do you think, Hoss?
Will he last that long?
Well, I ain't no
doctor, Mr. Rimbau.
I know that.
I'm just asking what you think.
Well, he's...
he's got a bullet
lodged in his lung,
and it's right
close to his heart.
There ain't no way I can get it.
I found this gold
receipt for $15,000.
They keep that kind
of money around here?
That's the weekly shipment
from the Horn of Plenty mine.
I guess the killers got it all.
That's a lot of money.
And a good reason
for them to ride hard
to new country where
they can spend it.
Ain't been no change
as far as I can tell.
Come and get it, boys.
It ain't much, but
it's the best I can do.
I'll be riding
out at first light.
Hoss, I'd appreciate it
if you'd stay with Jack.
There's no doubt in my mind
you can do more for him
than any of the rest of us.
Look, I can start tracking them.
Why don't you stay
here with your brother?
No, I'm the lawman
here, it's my job.
Overland Stage men were shot,
and an Overland safe was robbed.
Okay, if that's the way you
want it, I'll go along with you.
Me, too.
You can count me in.
Thanks, but riding
with a posse is
a little out of your
line, isn't it, Mr. Willow?
Liable to be a lot of
bullets flying around
before this is finished.
I may look like a
dude, Mr. Rimbau,
but I've done my
share of hunting.
I can hold up my end.
Well, we'll find
out, that's for sure.
There are rifles and
shells in the storeroom.
Plenty of food and camp gear.
Well, there's still a
couple hours before sunup.
Why don't you try
to get a little rest?
All right, let's go.
Joe, you be careful, you hear?
I got a hunch you're gonna
have more trouble than you think.
I'll watch it.
LITTLE JOE: They stopped
here to water their horses.
RIMBAU: Yeah.
They're swinging north again.
That's the second time
they've changed direction.
These tracks are fresher, too.
They're not pushing too hard.
We're picking up two
or three hours on them.
Probably don't know
we're following them.
Come on.
♪♪
Here, try some hot coffee.
Thanks.
You know,
it took me three years to
talk my brother into taking
that job with the stage line.
He was on the
payroll only two weeks.
Told me I threw
too big a shadow,
he didn't want
to get lost in it.
So he kept moving,
looking for a job he'd like.
Tried ranching, bronc busting,
faro dealing.
Wasn't till Tom Delaney
came out of retirement
and took over the
Red Creek Station
that Jack changed his mind.
Yeah, I met Delaney
in Virginia City.
He seemed like a fine man.
The best.
Made a driver out
of me, then a guard.
When he quit, he
put me up for his job.
He did more for me than...
than any man I ever met.
First time I ever got mixed
up in anything like this.
You ever ride with
a posse before?
None that ever caught anybody.
Murder, robbery.
That old man shot in the back.
It's just about the
worst thing I ever saw.
Yeah.
Hanging is too good
for whoever did it.
You think they'll
put up a fight?
I don't know, but
Rimbau's hoping they will.
Yeah, that's what he told me.
Saving the bother of a trial.
Might not be such a bad idea.
You ever kill anybody?
Nope, never even came close.
But I never had a
good reason before.
Me neither.
Want some more?
No.
That's got to be the worst
excuse for coffee I ever tasted.
Shouldn't be; I only used
the grounds five or six times.
Yeah, that just might have
something to do with it.
All right, hold it!
You've got four
guns covering you.
If this is a holdup, you
sure picked the wrong men.
We ain't got a
dollar between us.
You're under arrest
for murder and robbery.
Murder and robbery?
We didn't kill anybody.
We-we never stole a penny.
You were at the
Red Creek Station,
we tracked you from there.
Sure, th-they gave us a meal.
Hot cakes and bacon.
That ain't all you got.
You killed Tom Delaney
and left my brother for dead.
Then you cleaned out the safe.
There's a rope waiting
for you two in Virginia City.
N-No, wait a minute.
Uh, I don't even know
what you're talking about.
You've got the wrong men.
You keep talking, you
won't get to Virginia City.
All right, get over there.
Go on, move.
We'll be riding pretty
soon; let's get our horses.
Good idea.
Right there.
I got some questions for you.
Anything you want to
know, mister, you just ask.
All right, let's
start with names.
I'm Stubb Morgan,
this is Johnny Hill.
You were at Red
Creek Station, right?
But we didn't kill anybody.
You, your gun was fired.
Sure, one shot.
We had fried rabbit
for supper last night.
One shot or six doesn't
make any difference.
The barrel looks
and smells the same.
Mister, how come
you so sure we did it?
There were other men
riding by that station.
You're the only one
that left fresh tracks.
Besides, we got an eyewitness
that gave a pretty good
identification of you.
There's got to be some mistake.
If there is, we'll find out when
we get back to Red Creek.
That fella tearing up our gear.
If he thinks we put a
bullet in his brother,
we won't live to
get to Red Creek.
- You'll get there.
- Don't make any guarantees
you can't keep, Cartwright.
All right, you two.
Where'd you hide the gold?
We don't know about any gold.
We'll see.
You both fit the descriptions,
and you had a
gun that was fired.
That's good enough for me.
Come on, on your feet.
Get your horses saddled up.
Come on, hurry up.
Look, mister, this
doesn't make any sense.
If we were running away, would
we camp out right in the open?
Shut up!
LITTLE JOE:
Rimbau, that's enough!
How would you feel
if it was your brother
and best friend they shot?
Same way you feel, probably.
I might even make
the same mistake
I don't want you to make.
What mistake?
If anything happens to them,
if they don't get back
to Virginia City alive,
you're gonna be
held responsible.
That's something you're
gonna have to live with
the rest of your life.
All right, you made your point.
Get those saddles
up on the horses.
♪♪
Hold it.
This looks like as
good a spot as any.
We'll camp here for the night.
I can use some of that.
Could you?
Get off those horses.
Here you go.
Have some of mine.
Thanks.
What do you think
would have happened
if my brother had
asked them for water?
What's that got to do with this?
I'll tell you what would have
happened: they would have
put another bullet in him. That's
what would have happened.
It's men like you who
make killers like them.
We don't even know
they're guilty yet.
They've been in trouble before.
They've been caught before.
How do you know that?
I know. All I have
to do is look at them.
Well, you got better
eyes than I have.
All I see are two men who
are getting a little nervous
looking down the
barrel of your shotgun.
If you were sitting where they
were, you'd be nervous, too.
Bites a little, huh?
Well, you'd better
get used to it.
Because it's gonna bite
a lot more before morning.
Getting them
ready for the night.
Any objections?
Just figured we'd
feed 'em first, that's all.
You think I care
anything about that?
I know you don't care, but I do.
They're our prisoners,
but they're human beings
and we're gonna feed 'em.
I said we're gonna feed 'em.
All right, feed 'em.
But if they make a break,
you'd better not get in the way.
Or I might have to take
three of you instead of two.
Take it easy. I may
want some more.
There's plenty more
in the saddlebag.
Don't worry, we ain't
gonna try anything.
With that shotgun looking at
us, I ain't even sure I want to eat.
You'd better eat. It's a
long way to Red Creek.
And a slim chance
of getting there.
He's a friendly cuss, isn't he?
He's acting like you're the
killer instead of them two.
Yeah, that's what keeps
going through my mind.
Well, he's young.
I used to be the
same as Cartwright.
But when you've seen
as much as I have...
well, you change.
I don't quite follow you.
There hasn't been a killer
born that doesn't start yelling
he's innocent once he's caught,
just like those two are doing.
All they're waiting
for is a chance
to kill again and get away.
I believe it.
Yeah, but what
keeps itching at me is...
we didn't find the gold.
That's an old trick.
They hide what they steal.
And when they get to
court, a smart lawyer
uses their empty pockets
as proof of innocence.
I never thought of that.
Then the jury turns 'em loose.
They pick up the loot they
hid and ride out of the country,
free and rich.
You know what
those two have done.
You're gonna take them
all the way to Virginia City
and see them go free?
No, I sure don't want to.
Well, me neither,
but I don't hold to no lynching.
Nobody said anything
about lynching,
but I can't help wishing
they'd sure try to get away.
Yeah, that would
make a difference.
It sure would. Self-defense.
Just protecting our own lives.
That's the way I
see it... self-defense.
All right, give me the plates.
All right, you've had your meal.
They can't sleep that way.
You don't like the way
I'm treating the prisoners,
you put 'em to bed.
Now lie back.
I'll wrap you around the tree.
Well, aren't we cozy?
I'll take over watch.
♪♪
♪♪
Cartwright said he'd
see that we stand trial.
Do you think he can do it?
I keep hoping.
But then I see that Rimbau
looking at us and I don't know.
A man never knows what
he's gonna wake up to.
Last evening all I
was worried about
was where my next
meal was coming from.
Yeah, now I'm just
wondering if I'm gonna
live long enough to
have another meal.
Feeling sorry for
yourselves, huh?
It never fails.
Soon as one of your
kind gets caught,
they start feeling real
sorry for themselves.
Mr. Rimbau, we didn't
shoot your brother.
We didn't shoot anybody.
I know better.
I swear, I'm telling
you the truth.
He ain't interested
in the truth.
All he wants to
do is see us dead.
Mister, I never wanted
anything more in my whole life.
And don't you forget it.
♪♪
(whispering): Now's the
time. He's sound asleep.
No.
He dropped that key on purpose.
He wanted you to see it.
Don't do it. Don't do it.
He'll shoot us both.
Maybe, but if we don't try,
he'll kill us tomorrow for sure.
At least we can try.
♪♪
You want to run,
killers, go ahead and run.
Go on, run.
- Hold it.
- Don't move.
(grunting)
(Little Joe and Rimbau grunting)
Hold it.
All right, take the
gun out nice and slow.
Easy.
Toss it over here.
As of now I run this posse.
Sit over there.
Go on, sit down.
Siding with murderers.
Taking my posse.
You're only giving them
room for more killing.
Really had you going
his way, didn't he?
You were just gonna stand by
and watch him commit murder.
They tried to escape.
How'd you get the cuffs off?
Rimbau dropped the keys.
What difference does it make?
They were still
trying to escape.
It makes a big difference if you
dropped those keys on purpose.
Now, we came out here to
find and bring in two men.
Two men who may
or may not be guilty.
May or may not be guilty.
The description fits 'em to a T.
We tracked 'em all the
way from Red Creek.
Right on both
counts, but there's still
a lot of things
that don't add up.
First of all, they were in
no hurry, no hurry at all.
Didn't bother to
hide their tracks.
They camped right
out in the open.
Now, if I'd just left a robbery
and murder behind me,
I'd ride hard and fast.
And I'd make sure I hid
my tracks and my camp.
I told you they didn't know
they were being followed.
If they didn't think they
were being followed,
why'd they bother
hiding the gold?
What about when we
found 'em in their camp?
They were all but
out of food and shells.
Now, there was plenty of
both back in Red Creek Station.
If they robbed it, why
didn't they take it with them?
Somebody probably
spooked them and they ran.
We don't know that.
And that's not for us to decide.
That's for a court of law.
See, Mr. Rimbau here, he
doesn't want 'em to get there.
He doesn't want
'em to have that trial.
Because he's only had one idea
from the moment
we started this posse.
And that's to see them dead.
Yes, he said he hoped
they'd try to get away
so he could use that shotgun.
MAPES: Well, I
guess you're right.
He almost had us talked
into seeing it his way.
And how do you see it now?
I see it like you do.
Our job is to take 'em in
and hand 'em over to the law.
That's all I wanted to hear.
RIMBAU: All right,
take the prisoners in.
But before you do, there's
something I want to say to them.
I want you to hear it, too.
Because you're right.
I did want them
dead. I still do.
So you're gonna get that trial.
And when it's over, you're
gonna look out of your cell window
and watch the
gallows being built.
You're gonna watch
them test the trap
and stretch the rope.
You're gonna count the days,
the hours and the minutes
until that rope is
around your necks.
And you're gonna wish a
thousand times that Cartwright
had let me do it my way.
♪♪
By the time the
doctor got here, there...
there wasn't much he could do.
There was no pain.
He just drifted off into a
deeper and deeper sleep.
Did he... Did he say anything
about what happened?
Anything at all?
HOSS: Never opened
his eyes after you left.
I know it don't do much good
to say things at a
time like this, but
I'm terribly sorry.
We did everything we could.
I... guess I knew
there wasn't any hope.
Thanks.
Sit down over there.
Sorry about your brother.
Yeah.
Here.
You know, all the time I've
been a law officer, that was
the first time that anyone ever
took my guns away from me.
Cartwright,
when we get back
to Virginia City,
I'm gonna have you arrested
for interfering with a lawman
in the performance of his duty.
And you, too, Mr. Willow.
And you, Mr. Mapes.
You're gonna be arrested, too.
I'm just trying to stop you
from killing two men, that's all.
Trying to stop me
from killing them.
I say I was just
trying to prevent
two prisoners from escaping.
An escape that you arranged.
You put a knife to my throat
to convince us we had to run
or die. Then you dropped
those handcuff keys on purpose.
Well, now, just a minute.
Did you see me do
anything like that, Mr. Mapes?
Can't say that I did.
And you, Mr. Willow?
Well, I was asleep
most of the time, but...
Mr. Willow, you'll be
testifying under oath.
Now, did you see me threaten
the prisoners with a knife?
Yes or no.
No, I didn't.
I dropped those
handcuff keys by accident,
and you can't prove otherwise.
Your brother's been siding
with two cold-blooded murderers.
I don't know what happened
out there on the trail,
but I know if Little Joe
went against a lawman,
that was only because
he thought he had to.
Well, it isn't what he thought,
but what he did that counts.
You all heard my
brother's statement
describing the murderers.
You heard it and
you heard it and you.
And you.
And you'll all have to
testify to that in court.
Well, I'll testify to
that, Mr. Rimbau,
but I'm also going to
testify to the other evidence.
They weren't trying
to cover up their tracks,
and they were
camping out in the open.
MAPES: And they
didn't have the gold.
Look, we all understand how
you feel about your brother.
Nobody's trying to
protect the prisoners.
We just want to see 'em
come to trial, that's all.
We want to make sure these
are the men that are guilty.
Oh, you want proof
beyond a reasonable
doubt, as they call it.
Right.
Well, with your permission,
I'll get you that proof.
All right, you two,
over by the door.
You're gonna tell us and
show us exactly what happened
when you were here
before, step by step.
HILL: We came in this door.
All right, you came in
the door. Then what?
There was a man over
there by the counter.
Show me.
Over here, back of the counter.
Well, which man?
What did he look like?
He look...
He was, uh... had
gray hair, lean,
kind of old.
Tom Delaney, the station master.
Well, then what?
MORGAN: We
passed the time of day.
We told him, uh, we were
looking for work, we were hungry.
We could use a meal, but we
didn't have any money to pay.
He said he never
turned a hungry man
away from his door in his life.
He said, "Sit down."
You sat over there?
Yeah.
Well, show me.
Right here.
Then what?
He give us a meal...
Hotcakes, bacon, coffee.
That's when the other man
came in, while we were eating.
Younger fella.
The old man called him Jack.
That's right. They both went
over to the ticket counter.
Then what did you do?
Nothing.
We could have used
some more hotcakes,
but they were busy, so we
just said thanks and we rode out.
Just where did you say "Thanks"?
Don't point. Show me.
About over here, I guess.
The old man was
sitting at the desk.
The other one was
by the ticket counter.
You saw the safe
and decided to rob it.
My brother was at
the ticket counter.
You shot him first.
Tom was sitting at the desk.
He was getting up when
your bullet hit him in the back.
You're a liar.
LITTLE JOE: Wait a minute.
How'd they get the safe open?
With $15,000 in gold in here,
they're sure not
gonna leave it open.
Somebody knew the combination.
That's right. Tom did.
They forced him to
open it and then shot him.
That's not what
your brother said.
He said they walked in here,
asked for some food
and started shooting.
Maybe my brother made a mistake.
In his condition
maybe he was wrong.
In his condition he
could have been wrong
about identifying those two men.
Like you say, we'll
let the court decide.
We've got the
gun that killed him.
That's good enough for me.
Maybe that's where I ought
to get into this conversation.
What caliber was that gun?
.44.
HOSS: Well, sir,
here's the slug that...
the doctor got out of
that brother of yours.
Somewhat smaller than a.44.
Looks more like a.25,
maybe out of a Derringer.
Which one of you
two had a Derringer?
Mister, I've seen a
Derringer in my life,
but I sure never owned one.
Well, one of you did. You
shot him and then threw it away.
We never did! Neither one of us!
- That's a dirty lie.
- Leave him alone!
- RIMBAU: What did you do with it?
- Hey, hey, hey. Rimbau.
Rimbau. Oh, Rimbau.
Leave him alone.
I'm sick of their lying,
sick of listening to them!
So, you never had
a Derringer, huh?
It's Tom Delaney's gun.
It's got his initials on it.
RIMBAU: Well, they killed Tom,
then took his gun
and shot my brother.
Then he hid it
under the counter?
That doesn't make much sense.
Well, hid it or kicked it under.
What difference does it make?
They were through with it.
I think we ought to
take a look in the barn.
In the barn? For what?
Looks like we found the gun
that we didn't know was here.
Can't hurt nothing
to look around.
Your brother was shot in
the lung right here in the office.
Yet he crawled out
to the barn. Why?
Maybe he was afraid these
two killers would come back.
All we're looking
for is the truth.
That's what you want, isn't it?
WILLOW: Whatever we
find will only help prove it,
so what are your objections?
All right, I have no objections.
Let's look in the barn.
But somebody better
stay with these two.
We'll watch 'em.
Well, this is where
we found him.
You want to look
around, go ahead.
What do you expect to find?
I think you know.
You trying to pull
my brother into this?
We know your brother was
shot with Delaney's Derringer.
We don't know who pulled
the trigger or when it was pulled.
One of those killers pulled it.
Why?
They had their own guns.
LITTLE JOE: Those drifters
could be telling the truth.
Delaney and your brother
could have been alive
when they left here.
You're saying my
brother killed Tom
and then robbed
the safe, is that it?
I'm saying it could
have happened that way.
We do know he came over here.
Now, if he robbed the safe,
maybe he came
here to hide the gold.
Well, he didn't kill Tom,
and he didn't rob the safe.
Well, then, you shouldn't
mind us looking around.
All it'll do is prove your
brother's innocence.
Go ahead, look around.
Tear the place apart.
Why don't you look in the loft?
Maybe he hid it up there.
You know your brother was
in no shape to get in the loft.
Think he hid it in here?
Go ahead, look.
RIMBAU: Don't move.
There's blood on the sack.
And Mr. Rimbau
knew where to find it.
You said Tom Delaney was
your best friend, didn't you?
So you let your brother
shoot him in the back.
Shut up and get over there.
Go on. Move!
Now, turn around
and face the wall.
- MAPES: Drop it, Rimbau.
- (gun chamber clicks)
(gun clanks onto floor)
Willow!
We owe you two an apology.
Thanks for believing us.
No need for thanks.
Get your guns. You can
leave any time you want.
There's one thing...
I want to know.
Why?
A respected lawman.
Why did you suddenly
turn thief and killer?
You wouldn't understand.
Nobody would.
Always riding shotgun,
protecting other people's money.
Never having any of my own.
The way we planned this,
nobody was supposed
to get killed. Nobody.
Just before we were
to arrive on the stage,
my brother was
gonna knock Tom out,
take the gold out of
the safe and hide it.
And then he was
gonna cut his head
and say he'd been
knocked out, too.
And then you were supposed
to track the would-be thief, huh?
Yeah.
I was supposed to
go out and come back
and say I'd lost the tracks.
But everything went wrong.
Yeah, it all went wrong,
including you and your brother.
There's one thing I can
guarantee you, Rimbau.
You're gonna get a trial.
WILLOW: Stage is coming in.
(wagon wheels turning)
Giddap. Giddap!
Giddap.
ANNOUNCER: This has
been a color production
of the NBC Television Network.
is brought to you in
living color on NBC.
(fanfare plays)
♪♪
Indians!
(giggles)
(laughing)
♪♪
Something wrong.
Those horses should
have been ready.
Tom?!
Jack!
Jack?
Tom Delaney.
Station agent.
My brother's got to be
around here somewhere.
All right, look around,
help me find him.
In here!
Jack.
Jack.
Jack.
Brother Will.
Where'd you come from?
Who did it?
Who shot you?
Two... drifters.
Uh... Asked for a meal.
What they...
what they wanted was
what was in the safe.
(groans)
I'll find them.
And when I do, they
won't live long enough...
(Jack groans violently)
I'll find them.
(theme song playing)
That's about all I can
do for him, Mr. Rimbau.
You've already done
enough and done it very well.
Jack.
Those two drifters?
What did they look like?
(shivering): Just ordinary.
Twenty-twenty-three
or twenty-f-four.
One... one abou...
One-one dark, one light.
Did you hear any names?
No.
No names.
They just rode in,
asked for a hand-out.
Tom fed them.
N-No warning, nothing.
They... they just
started shooting.
Did you get a look
at their horses?
I-I'm cold, Will.
Ow.
I-I hurt.
Look, I-I think you
ought to let him rest.
He-he needs all
the rest he can get.
Don't you think I know that?
You think I like asking him
questions when he's hurt so bad?
Maybe we should have
sent him in with the stage.
No, he'd have never made
it over those roads anyhow.
How long would it take?
Well, 60 miles to
Virginia City and a doctor
and 60 miles back.
Three days at least.
What do you think, Hoss?
Will he last that long?
Well, I ain't no
doctor, Mr. Rimbau.
I know that.
I'm just asking what you think.
Well, he's...
he's got a bullet
lodged in his lung,
and it's right
close to his heart.
There ain't no way I can get it.
I found this gold
receipt for $15,000.
They keep that kind
of money around here?
That's the weekly shipment
from the Horn of Plenty mine.
I guess the killers got it all.
That's a lot of money.
And a good reason
for them to ride hard
to new country where
they can spend it.
Ain't been no change
as far as I can tell.
Come and get it, boys.
It ain't much, but
it's the best I can do.
I'll be riding
out at first light.
Hoss, I'd appreciate it
if you'd stay with Jack.
There's no doubt in my mind
you can do more for him
than any of the rest of us.
Look, I can start tracking them.
Why don't you stay
here with your brother?
No, I'm the lawman
here, it's my job.
Overland Stage men were shot,
and an Overland safe was robbed.
Okay, if that's the way you
want it, I'll go along with you.
Me, too.
You can count me in.
Thanks, but riding
with a posse is
a little out of your
line, isn't it, Mr. Willow?
Liable to be a lot of
bullets flying around
before this is finished.
I may look like a
dude, Mr. Rimbau,
but I've done my
share of hunting.
I can hold up my end.
Well, we'll find
out, that's for sure.
There are rifles and
shells in the storeroom.
Plenty of food and camp gear.
Well, there's still a
couple hours before sunup.
Why don't you try
to get a little rest?
All right, let's go.
Joe, you be careful, you hear?
I got a hunch you're gonna
have more trouble than you think.
I'll watch it.
LITTLE JOE: They stopped
here to water their horses.
RIMBAU: Yeah.
They're swinging north again.
That's the second time
they've changed direction.
These tracks are fresher, too.
They're not pushing too hard.
We're picking up two
or three hours on them.
Probably don't know
we're following them.
Come on.
♪♪
Here, try some hot coffee.
Thanks.
You know,
it took me three years to
talk my brother into taking
that job with the stage line.
He was on the
payroll only two weeks.
Told me I threw
too big a shadow,
he didn't want
to get lost in it.
So he kept moving,
looking for a job he'd like.
Tried ranching, bronc busting,
faro dealing.
Wasn't till Tom Delaney
came out of retirement
and took over the
Red Creek Station
that Jack changed his mind.
Yeah, I met Delaney
in Virginia City.
He seemed like a fine man.
The best.
Made a driver out
of me, then a guard.
When he quit, he
put me up for his job.
He did more for me than...
than any man I ever met.
First time I ever got mixed
up in anything like this.
You ever ride with
a posse before?
None that ever caught anybody.
Murder, robbery.
That old man shot in the back.
It's just about the
worst thing I ever saw.
Yeah.
Hanging is too good
for whoever did it.
You think they'll
put up a fight?
I don't know, but
Rimbau's hoping they will.
Yeah, that's what he told me.
Saving the bother of a trial.
Might not be such a bad idea.
You ever kill anybody?
Nope, never even came close.
But I never had a
good reason before.
Me neither.
Want some more?
No.
That's got to be the worst
excuse for coffee I ever tasted.
Shouldn't be; I only used
the grounds five or six times.
Yeah, that just might have
something to do with it.
All right, hold it!
You've got four
guns covering you.
If this is a holdup, you
sure picked the wrong men.
We ain't got a
dollar between us.
You're under arrest
for murder and robbery.
Murder and robbery?
We didn't kill anybody.
We-we never stole a penny.
You were at the
Red Creek Station,
we tracked you from there.
Sure, th-they gave us a meal.
Hot cakes and bacon.
That ain't all you got.
You killed Tom Delaney
and left my brother for dead.
Then you cleaned out the safe.
There's a rope waiting
for you two in Virginia City.
N-No, wait a minute.
Uh, I don't even know
what you're talking about.
You've got the wrong men.
You keep talking, you
won't get to Virginia City.
All right, get over there.
Go on, move.
We'll be riding pretty
soon; let's get our horses.
Good idea.
Right there.
I got some questions for you.
Anything you want to
know, mister, you just ask.
All right, let's
start with names.
I'm Stubb Morgan,
this is Johnny Hill.
You were at Red
Creek Station, right?
But we didn't kill anybody.
You, your gun was fired.
Sure, one shot.
We had fried rabbit
for supper last night.
One shot or six doesn't
make any difference.
The barrel looks
and smells the same.
Mister, how come
you so sure we did it?
There were other men
riding by that station.
You're the only one
that left fresh tracks.
Besides, we got an eyewitness
that gave a pretty good
identification of you.
There's got to be some mistake.
If there is, we'll find out when
we get back to Red Creek.
That fella tearing up our gear.
If he thinks we put a
bullet in his brother,
we won't live to
get to Red Creek.
- You'll get there.
- Don't make any guarantees
you can't keep, Cartwright.
All right, you two.
Where'd you hide the gold?
We don't know about any gold.
We'll see.
You both fit the descriptions,
and you had a
gun that was fired.
That's good enough for me.
Come on, on your feet.
Get your horses saddled up.
Come on, hurry up.
Look, mister, this
doesn't make any sense.
If we were running away, would
we camp out right in the open?
Shut up!
LITTLE JOE:
Rimbau, that's enough!
How would you feel
if it was your brother
and best friend they shot?
Same way you feel, probably.
I might even make
the same mistake
I don't want you to make.
What mistake?
If anything happens to them,
if they don't get back
to Virginia City alive,
you're gonna be
held responsible.
That's something you're
gonna have to live with
the rest of your life.
All right, you made your point.
Get those saddles
up on the horses.
♪♪
Hold it.
This looks like as
good a spot as any.
We'll camp here for the night.
I can use some of that.
Could you?
Get off those horses.
Here you go.
Have some of mine.
Thanks.
What do you think
would have happened
if my brother had
asked them for water?
What's that got to do with this?
I'll tell you what would have
happened: they would have
put another bullet in him. That's
what would have happened.
It's men like you who
make killers like them.
We don't even know
they're guilty yet.
They've been in trouble before.
They've been caught before.
How do you know that?
I know. All I have
to do is look at them.
Well, you got better
eyes than I have.
All I see are two men who
are getting a little nervous
looking down the
barrel of your shotgun.
If you were sitting where they
were, you'd be nervous, too.
Bites a little, huh?
Well, you'd better
get used to it.
Because it's gonna bite
a lot more before morning.
Getting them
ready for the night.
Any objections?
Just figured we'd
feed 'em first, that's all.
You think I care
anything about that?
I know you don't care, but I do.
They're our prisoners,
but they're human beings
and we're gonna feed 'em.
I said we're gonna feed 'em.
All right, feed 'em.
But if they make a break,
you'd better not get in the way.
Or I might have to take
three of you instead of two.
Take it easy. I may
want some more.
There's plenty more
in the saddlebag.
Don't worry, we ain't
gonna try anything.
With that shotgun looking at
us, I ain't even sure I want to eat.
You'd better eat. It's a
long way to Red Creek.
And a slim chance
of getting there.
He's a friendly cuss, isn't he?
He's acting like you're the
killer instead of them two.
Yeah, that's what keeps
going through my mind.
Well, he's young.
I used to be the
same as Cartwright.
But when you've seen
as much as I have...
well, you change.
I don't quite follow you.
There hasn't been a killer
born that doesn't start yelling
he's innocent once he's caught,
just like those two are doing.
All they're waiting
for is a chance
to kill again and get away.
I believe it.
Yeah, but what
keeps itching at me is...
we didn't find the gold.
That's an old trick.
They hide what they steal.
And when they get to
court, a smart lawyer
uses their empty pockets
as proof of innocence.
I never thought of that.
Then the jury turns 'em loose.
They pick up the loot they
hid and ride out of the country,
free and rich.
You know what
those two have done.
You're gonna take them
all the way to Virginia City
and see them go free?
No, I sure don't want to.
Well, me neither,
but I don't hold to no lynching.
Nobody said anything
about lynching,
but I can't help wishing
they'd sure try to get away.
Yeah, that would
make a difference.
It sure would. Self-defense.
Just protecting our own lives.
That's the way I
see it... self-defense.
All right, give me the plates.
All right, you've had your meal.
They can't sleep that way.
You don't like the way
I'm treating the prisoners,
you put 'em to bed.
Now lie back.
I'll wrap you around the tree.
Well, aren't we cozy?
I'll take over watch.
♪♪
♪♪
Cartwright said he'd
see that we stand trial.
Do you think he can do it?
I keep hoping.
But then I see that Rimbau
looking at us and I don't know.
A man never knows what
he's gonna wake up to.
Last evening all I
was worried about
was where my next
meal was coming from.
Yeah, now I'm just
wondering if I'm gonna
live long enough to
have another meal.
Feeling sorry for
yourselves, huh?
It never fails.
Soon as one of your
kind gets caught,
they start feeling real
sorry for themselves.
Mr. Rimbau, we didn't
shoot your brother.
We didn't shoot anybody.
I know better.
I swear, I'm telling
you the truth.
He ain't interested
in the truth.
All he wants to
do is see us dead.
Mister, I never wanted
anything more in my whole life.
And don't you forget it.
♪♪
(whispering): Now's the
time. He's sound asleep.
No.
He dropped that key on purpose.
He wanted you to see it.
Don't do it. Don't do it.
He'll shoot us both.
Maybe, but if we don't try,
he'll kill us tomorrow for sure.
At least we can try.
♪♪
You want to run,
killers, go ahead and run.
Go on, run.
- Hold it.
- Don't move.
(grunting)
(Little Joe and Rimbau grunting)
Hold it.
All right, take the
gun out nice and slow.
Easy.
Toss it over here.
As of now I run this posse.
Sit over there.
Go on, sit down.
Siding with murderers.
Taking my posse.
You're only giving them
room for more killing.
Really had you going
his way, didn't he?
You were just gonna stand by
and watch him commit murder.
They tried to escape.
How'd you get the cuffs off?
Rimbau dropped the keys.
What difference does it make?
They were still
trying to escape.
It makes a big difference if you
dropped those keys on purpose.
Now, we came out here to
find and bring in two men.
Two men who may
or may not be guilty.
May or may not be guilty.
The description fits 'em to a T.
We tracked 'em all the
way from Red Creek.
Right on both
counts, but there's still
a lot of things
that don't add up.
First of all, they were in
no hurry, no hurry at all.
Didn't bother to
hide their tracks.
They camped right
out in the open.
Now, if I'd just left a robbery
and murder behind me,
I'd ride hard and fast.
And I'd make sure I hid
my tracks and my camp.
I told you they didn't know
they were being followed.
If they didn't think they
were being followed,
why'd they bother
hiding the gold?
What about when we
found 'em in their camp?
They were all but
out of food and shells.
Now, there was plenty of
both back in Red Creek Station.
If they robbed it, why
didn't they take it with them?
Somebody probably
spooked them and they ran.
We don't know that.
And that's not for us to decide.
That's for a court of law.
See, Mr. Rimbau here, he
doesn't want 'em to get there.
He doesn't want
'em to have that trial.
Because he's only had one idea
from the moment
we started this posse.
And that's to see them dead.
Yes, he said he hoped
they'd try to get away
so he could use that shotgun.
MAPES: Well, I
guess you're right.
He almost had us talked
into seeing it his way.
And how do you see it now?
I see it like you do.
Our job is to take 'em in
and hand 'em over to the law.
That's all I wanted to hear.
RIMBAU: All right,
take the prisoners in.
But before you do, there's
something I want to say to them.
I want you to hear it, too.
Because you're right.
I did want them
dead. I still do.
So you're gonna get that trial.
And when it's over, you're
gonna look out of your cell window
and watch the
gallows being built.
You're gonna watch
them test the trap
and stretch the rope.
You're gonna count the days,
the hours and the minutes
until that rope is
around your necks.
And you're gonna wish a
thousand times that Cartwright
had let me do it my way.
♪♪
By the time the
doctor got here, there...
there wasn't much he could do.
There was no pain.
He just drifted off into a
deeper and deeper sleep.
Did he... Did he say anything
about what happened?
Anything at all?
HOSS: Never opened
his eyes after you left.
I know it don't do much good
to say things at a
time like this, but
I'm terribly sorry.
We did everything we could.
I... guess I knew
there wasn't any hope.
Thanks.
Sit down over there.
Sorry about your brother.
Yeah.
Here.
You know, all the time I've
been a law officer, that was
the first time that anyone ever
took my guns away from me.
Cartwright,
when we get back
to Virginia City,
I'm gonna have you arrested
for interfering with a lawman
in the performance of his duty.
And you, too, Mr. Willow.
And you, Mr. Mapes.
You're gonna be arrested, too.
I'm just trying to stop you
from killing two men, that's all.
Trying to stop me
from killing them.
I say I was just
trying to prevent
two prisoners from escaping.
An escape that you arranged.
You put a knife to my throat
to convince us we had to run
or die. Then you dropped
those handcuff keys on purpose.
Well, now, just a minute.
Did you see me do
anything like that, Mr. Mapes?
Can't say that I did.
And you, Mr. Willow?
Well, I was asleep
most of the time, but...
Mr. Willow, you'll be
testifying under oath.
Now, did you see me threaten
the prisoners with a knife?
Yes or no.
No, I didn't.
I dropped those
handcuff keys by accident,
and you can't prove otherwise.
Your brother's been siding
with two cold-blooded murderers.
I don't know what happened
out there on the trail,
but I know if Little Joe
went against a lawman,
that was only because
he thought he had to.
Well, it isn't what he thought,
but what he did that counts.
You all heard my
brother's statement
describing the murderers.
You heard it and
you heard it and you.
And you.
And you'll all have to
testify to that in court.
Well, I'll testify to
that, Mr. Rimbau,
but I'm also going to
testify to the other evidence.
They weren't trying
to cover up their tracks,
and they were
camping out in the open.
MAPES: And they
didn't have the gold.
Look, we all understand how
you feel about your brother.
Nobody's trying to
protect the prisoners.
We just want to see 'em
come to trial, that's all.
We want to make sure these
are the men that are guilty.
Oh, you want proof
beyond a reasonable
doubt, as they call it.
Right.
Well, with your permission,
I'll get you that proof.
All right, you two,
over by the door.
You're gonna tell us and
show us exactly what happened
when you were here
before, step by step.
HILL: We came in this door.
All right, you came in
the door. Then what?
There was a man over
there by the counter.
Show me.
Over here, back of the counter.
Well, which man?
What did he look like?
He look...
He was, uh... had
gray hair, lean,
kind of old.
Tom Delaney, the station master.
Well, then what?
MORGAN: We
passed the time of day.
We told him, uh, we were
looking for work, we were hungry.
We could use a meal, but we
didn't have any money to pay.
He said he never
turned a hungry man
away from his door in his life.
He said, "Sit down."
You sat over there?
Yeah.
Well, show me.
Right here.
Then what?
He give us a meal...
Hotcakes, bacon, coffee.
That's when the other man
came in, while we were eating.
Younger fella.
The old man called him Jack.
That's right. They both went
over to the ticket counter.
Then what did you do?
Nothing.
We could have used
some more hotcakes,
but they were busy, so we
just said thanks and we rode out.
Just where did you say "Thanks"?
Don't point. Show me.
About over here, I guess.
The old man was
sitting at the desk.
The other one was
by the ticket counter.
You saw the safe
and decided to rob it.
My brother was at
the ticket counter.
You shot him first.
Tom was sitting at the desk.
He was getting up when
your bullet hit him in the back.
You're a liar.
LITTLE JOE: Wait a minute.
How'd they get the safe open?
With $15,000 in gold in here,
they're sure not
gonna leave it open.
Somebody knew the combination.
That's right. Tom did.
They forced him to
open it and then shot him.
That's not what
your brother said.
He said they walked in here,
asked for some food
and started shooting.
Maybe my brother made a mistake.
In his condition
maybe he was wrong.
In his condition he
could have been wrong
about identifying those two men.
Like you say, we'll
let the court decide.
We've got the
gun that killed him.
That's good enough for me.
Maybe that's where I ought
to get into this conversation.
What caliber was that gun?
.44.
HOSS: Well, sir,
here's the slug that...
the doctor got out of
that brother of yours.
Somewhat smaller than a.44.
Looks more like a.25,
maybe out of a Derringer.
Which one of you
two had a Derringer?
Mister, I've seen a
Derringer in my life,
but I sure never owned one.
Well, one of you did. You
shot him and then threw it away.
We never did! Neither one of us!
- That's a dirty lie.
- Leave him alone!
- RIMBAU: What did you do with it?
- Hey, hey, hey. Rimbau.
Rimbau. Oh, Rimbau.
Leave him alone.
I'm sick of their lying,
sick of listening to them!
So, you never had
a Derringer, huh?
It's Tom Delaney's gun.
It's got his initials on it.
RIMBAU: Well, they killed Tom,
then took his gun
and shot my brother.
Then he hid it
under the counter?
That doesn't make much sense.
Well, hid it or kicked it under.
What difference does it make?
They were through with it.
I think we ought to
take a look in the barn.
In the barn? For what?
Looks like we found the gun
that we didn't know was here.
Can't hurt nothing
to look around.
Your brother was shot in
the lung right here in the office.
Yet he crawled out
to the barn. Why?
Maybe he was afraid these
two killers would come back.
All we're looking
for is the truth.
That's what you want, isn't it?
WILLOW: Whatever we
find will only help prove it,
so what are your objections?
All right, I have no objections.
Let's look in the barn.
But somebody better
stay with these two.
We'll watch 'em.
Well, this is where
we found him.
You want to look
around, go ahead.
What do you expect to find?
I think you know.
You trying to pull
my brother into this?
We know your brother was
shot with Delaney's Derringer.
We don't know who pulled
the trigger or when it was pulled.
One of those killers pulled it.
Why?
They had their own guns.
LITTLE JOE: Those drifters
could be telling the truth.
Delaney and your brother
could have been alive
when they left here.
You're saying my
brother killed Tom
and then robbed
the safe, is that it?
I'm saying it could
have happened that way.
We do know he came over here.
Now, if he robbed the safe,
maybe he came
here to hide the gold.
Well, he didn't kill Tom,
and he didn't rob the safe.
Well, then, you shouldn't
mind us looking around.
All it'll do is prove your
brother's innocence.
Go ahead, look around.
Tear the place apart.
Why don't you look in the loft?
Maybe he hid it up there.
You know your brother was
in no shape to get in the loft.
Think he hid it in here?
Go ahead, look.
RIMBAU: Don't move.
There's blood on the sack.
And Mr. Rimbau
knew where to find it.
You said Tom Delaney was
your best friend, didn't you?
So you let your brother
shoot him in the back.
Shut up and get over there.
Go on. Move!
Now, turn around
and face the wall.
- MAPES: Drop it, Rimbau.
- (gun chamber clicks)
(gun clanks onto floor)
Willow!
We owe you two an apology.
Thanks for believing us.
No need for thanks.
Get your guns. You can
leave any time you want.
There's one thing...
I want to know.
Why?
A respected lawman.
Why did you suddenly
turn thief and killer?
You wouldn't understand.
Nobody would.
Always riding shotgun,
protecting other people's money.
Never having any of my own.
The way we planned this,
nobody was supposed
to get killed. Nobody.
Just before we were
to arrive on the stage,
my brother was
gonna knock Tom out,
take the gold out of
the safe and hide it.
And then he was
gonna cut his head
and say he'd been
knocked out, too.
And then you were supposed
to track the would-be thief, huh?
Yeah.
I was supposed to
go out and come back
and say I'd lost the tracks.
But everything went wrong.
Yeah, it all went wrong,
including you and your brother.
There's one thing I can
guarantee you, Rimbau.
You're gonna get a trial.
WILLOW: Stage is coming in.
(wagon wheels turning)
Giddap. Giddap!
Giddap.
ANNOUNCER: This has
been a color production
of the NBC Television Network.