Rawhide (1959–1965): Season 7, Episode 9 - The Backshooter - full transcript

[HORSE WHINNIES]

[HORSE NEIGHING]

[SNORTS]

You all right, boy?

Oh, no.

Oh, no.

[NEIGHS]

[GUNSHOT]

I heard a shot.

Had to shoot my horse.

Where?



Down there. We took a spill.

I'm with a cattle
drive back a ways.

I sure hated to lose that
horse. I had him a long time.

Well, you're lucky you got
yourself a hard head there, friend.

Took yourself one
great big whack.

Yeah, you ought to see the rock.

So you're with a
cattle drive, huh?

Yeah, that's right.

Rowdy Yates is the name.

You're a long way from anything

with mean eyes and
long horns right now.

Cattle don't have mean eyes.

Who you running from?

I'm not running from anybody.



Why all the questions?

What about you? What
are you doing out here?

My name's Sam Jefferson.

- Yeah?
- Oh, you mean what I do for a living?

Well, I do the best
I can, that's what.

Well, anyway, I owe you.

No, you don't owe me nothing.

Hey, now, take it easy
there. No sudden moves.

You treat that gray matter in
your skull like a beautiful young girl.

Don't rile her up. Treat
her gentle, she'll love you.

Mm.

I think my head's feeling
like it's on right side up now.

You know, I've been
doing some thinking.

You said something
about owing me?

Yeah, that I did.

Well, maybe there's one
thing you can do for me.

What's that?

Just lay right still,
look straight out.

Don't move your head
one way or the other.

I wanna show you a picture.

Well, there is a
likeness, all right.

I've been planning
to turn myself in.

Know what I was doing
when I ran into you out here?

- Uh-uh.
- Circling around.

Yeah, I'd head in toward town,
change my mind, turn back.

Change my mind
again, head in again.

I guess if you hadn't been circling
around, you'd have missed me.

Yeah.

I want you to do me a favor.

- What's that?
- I want you to take me in

and collect the reward
money and give it to my wife.

Five thousand dollars will
set her up for a long time.

I owe her that.

I'm reading you as honest
enough to give her that money.

That's some favor.

Well, you don't have to do it.

I said I owed you.

Yeah.

Well, you think about it.

Take a walk around,
see how your head is.

I'll make some coffee.

[GUNSHOT]

How's the skull?

Fine.

God, I'm hot.

- You got any idea who'd do this?
- Unh!

ROWDY: Huh?

You ever see those little snow
glasses they sell in Denver, Rowdy?

You turn them upside
down and it snows.

I wish I was inside it now.

Cool.

Don't move.

You take me in, Rowdy.

You collect the reward
money, give it to my wife.

I told you I owed you.

MAN: Hey.

- Accident?
- No.

- Who is he?
- Sam Jefferson.

Sheriff, you got a minute?

No, I haven't got a minute.

I've got forms to fill out,
letters to write, rounds to make.

But that's my
own private failing.

Look, this is important.

Stranger, I got all the work
cut out for me that I can handle.

Now, if you want some help,
why don't you ride over to Haysville

and get the federal
marshal to help?

- I don't need any help.
- Good.

I just brought in Sam Jefferson.

Got him right outside here.

You didn't tell me he was dead.

This here poster
says "dead or alive."

That's right.

Will I get the money?

Well, I'll have to notify
the Wells Fargo man.

You can wait for him in
my office if you want to.

No, thanks. I'll
be at the saloon.

Tom, run over to Mr. Tasker's
house and get him for me.

- That's Sam Jefferson, all right.
- Yeah.

[CHATTERING]

- Another?
- Yeah.

He's here. Somebody
got Sam Jefferson.

Yeah, I seen him bring
him in. Now, somebody...

Hey, that's him there.

- You got Sam Jefferson, huh?
- Yeah, so it seems.

- Sam's dead.
- Dead?

- How about that?
- You track him long, mister?

Look, uh, I just wanna
drink my beer, all right?

Sure. It's on the house.

No, thanks.

Yeah, he can afford to pay.

How's it feel to
be $5,000 richer?

MAN: Say, what about Jack
Cleet and the Adams boys?

- Wasn't Sam with them?
- Yeah, how'd you kill him anyway?

Sam put up much of a fight?

Drop it, will you?

TOM: Mr. Tasker, you
hear what happened?

Here he is back here.

[MURMURING]

Who are you?

- My name's Yates. Rowdy Yates.
- I'm John Tasker.

- The Wells Fargo man?
- Yeah, that's right.

Yeah, you're the man
who pays the money, huh?

I'll have to wire Denver
for the authorization

to pay you the reward money.

It should come
through by tomorrow.

What time?

Well, the sheriff plans
on burying Jefferson at 11.

I should have the
authorization by then.

Fine.

Was it really Sam Jefferson?

Yes, I identified him. It's
Sam Jefferson, all right.

With a rifle
bullet, in his back.

In his back?

Dead center of the
shoulder blades.

Look, uh, someone else, uh...

Who else?

See you tomorrow.

[MURMURING]

Anybody there?

- Anybody in? MAN: Yes, sir.

Right here, sir.

Will you put my
horse up for the night?

BURT: Mm-hm.

Uh, you say, uh, this
here is your horse?

Yeah, that's what I said.

[BURT CHUCKLES]

Funny, this looks just like the
horse Sam Jefferson used to ride.

Look, mister, do you want
my business or don't you?

Oh, I... I... I do. I truly do.

You see, I'm not like
most folks around here.

I believe if a fella got a chance
to better hisself, he's gotta take it,

even if it means doing some things
that most folks might not approve of.

Feed him, will you?

Oh, hey, now. No, no, no. Heh.

Look, don't be mad at
me. I want us to be friends.

- You do?
- Mm.

Matter of fact, I got a
proposition I'd like to make to you.

What kind?

Gold. A genuine gold mine.

I know where we can
pick up the only map to it

for under a thousand dollars.

We could be
partners, you and me.

Hey...

Hey, what's a thousand to you?

Hey.

You gonna cut the heads?

CLEET: Yep.

You ever see what one of
these does to somebody?

I never stayed around that
long after I squeezed the trigger.

You remember that mountain
lion I got back at Flagstaff?

- Yeah, the mama?
- Yeah.

It sure hurt her.

- I mean, Cleet, it hurt her bad.
- Heh-heh.

My friend, when you decide
to pour lead into somebody,

you better make
sure it hurts them.

Because if you just make
them angry, you'd best watch out.

[MAN WHISTLES]

That must be Burt.

Howdy, Bill.

CLEET: Well, it's about
time, you old weasel.

Yeah, well, I just
couldn't get away, Cleet.

There was a lot of
excitement in town.

CLEET: Yeah, I'll bet. Heh.

- Well, it was about Sam.
CLEET: Yeah, we know.

Oh, you didn't bring much.

Well, how would
you know about Sam?

Oh, Sam talked it over with us.

He said he wanted to turn himself
in, and we told him that was up to him.

I'll bet he really caused a stir
when he rode into town. Heh.

Well, he didn't
rightly ride into town.

Some fella brought him in.

Just this afternoon.

You mean somebody caught him?

Not caught, shot in the back.

Who did it?

BURT: Don't know his
name, never seen him before.

But he's still in town.

Yeah? How come?

They're burying
Sam tomorrow at 11.

He has to wait there till
then to get his reward money.

CLEET: Tomorrow at 11, huh?

You know, I liked Sam a lot.

FRED: So did I.

Well, we're gonna
be in town by 11.

In town?

You mean you're
going to the funeral?

Yeah...

both of them.

Yeah, there he
is. Just finishing.

I'll wait till he
comes on out here.

Why don't you run on, Burt?

What...? You mean you
don't want me to stay?

No, I don't want you to stay.

Well, I kind of figured I was
gonna handle one of the guns.

You mean to tell me

that you'd draw down
on your own friends?

I could be talked into it.

Well, Yates.

You got a lot of nerve,

wandering around town like
this at night all by yourself.

Be seeing you.

Well, uh, I thought maybe, uh...

You thought wrong.

Well, boy, I'll walk
along with you for a ways,

if you don't mind.

- That's all right, your street.
- Heh-heh.

You know, you wouldn't
have nothing to worry about

if you'd shot a really bad man.

He couldn't have
been too much of a lily

with $5,000 on his head.

Well, understand that you
gotta know Wells Fargo.

He worked as an agent for
them up until about a year ago,

when he took off with
$20,000 of their money. Heh.

Mr. Tasker, their
headman around here,

wasn't too pleased
with the example he set.

Yeah. Well, I understood
that Jefferson hung around

with a bad crowd.

Well, it can get awful
lonesome riding the owl hoot trail.

I think maybe he was
just after the company

more than anything else.

Some company.

The Adams brothers
and Jack Clate.

Cleet. Jack Cleet.

You better get that
name straight, boy.

Understand that him and the
Adamses is riding in to the funeral,

and I don't think they'd
come in out of pure sentiment.

I see.

As I understand it, why,
they don't plan to start nothing

till after the funeral's over.

That's at 11:00,

and, well, you ought to be able
to get your money about that time,

and, well, I can have
a couple of deputies,

when they ride in after
you, I'll take care of them.

Ah, well, thank you very much.

Uh, of course, I'll take care
of them out of my own pocket.

Yeah?

And, uh, then all you'll
have to settle with is me.

Oh...

Oh, I see.

How much?

Half.

[CHUCKLES]

- No.
- Now, boy, just mull it over a while.

I don't have to mull it over,
I'm not gonna give you one cent.

Now, that's remarkable.

Because I wouldn't give
one cent for your chances

if you try to go it alone.

Better sleep on it, boy.

If you decide to take
me up on my proposition,

why, get ahold of me
before 11:00 tomorrow.

Otherwise, I don't think
you'll be around to see 12:00.

- Oh.
- Yes?

Uh, Mr. Tasker here?

No, he isn't, but I expect
him back any moment, Mr...?

Uh, Yates. Rowdy Yates, ma'am.

Oh.

Can I wait here for him?

Not in my father's house.

Well, I'm sorry I bothered you.

Was $5,000 really
that important?

- Well, what are you doing here?
- I was looking for you.

I told you you'll get paid off
when I get the authorization.

I'll see you at the
telegraph office at 11.

I'll be there. But I
wanna know one thing.

Maybe you could tell me where
I could locate Jefferson's wife.

His wife?

Right. I understood he had
a wife here in Morgan City.

Jefferson had no wife.

- You sure?
- Of course I'm sure.

I knew Jefferson well.
He was with my company.

He was never married.

What put a stupid notion
like that in your head?

- I don't know, I just heard it...
- Well, you heard wrong.

I'll see you at the telegraph
office, Yates, at 11.

[BANGING]

Well, there you are, you lazy,
good-for-nothing saddle bum!

What are you doing just
strolling around town like this?

- Wish, are you a sight for sore eyes.
- Wait till Mr. Favor gets ahold of you.

- Yeah, where is he?
- The boss?

- Yeah.
- Well, we had to move the herd,

so I come to find you.

Let's get out of here,
we're in a fishbowl.

I'll buy you a cup of coffee.

What's the matter
with folks in this town?

Haven't they ever seen a
bearded gentleman before?

[CHATTERING]

[CHATTERING STOPS]

What's the matter, my hair
not combed or something?

No, no. Wish,

I want you to play a
little game with me.

You see, we're old friends, haven't
seen each other in a long time.

We're really enjoying
ourselves, right?

Smile, Wish.

[WISHBONE LAUGHS]

- I'm really enjoying this.
- Right, right.

Now, here's what
I want you to do.

Without batting an eye,

[BOTH LAUGHING]

I want you to get on your horse
and just walk him right out of town.

[BOTH LAUGHING]

Then when you get out of town,

you ride like the whole North
American world's after you.

When you get back, see,
you get Mr. Favor and Quince

and the whole crew, fully armed,

and you come back
here ready for a fight.

[WISHBONE LAUGHING]

- Guns? Ha-ha-ha-ha.
- Guns.

- Oh, Rowdy, you're as funny as ever.
- I thought you'd think so.

- Well, it's good seeing you again.
- It's good seeing you, Wish.

- I've got a million questions.
- Haven't got time to answer them.

- You're gonna need to see the sheriff.
- Now, look, I need what I need,

and I need it right now.

- Now, get moving.
- Ha-ha-ha-ha.

Now, look, it'd take
me three hours there

and three hours
back. That's six hours.

A man can get shot up 20,
30 times in six hours. Ha-ha-ha.

So I got a whole batch of new
ammunition out in my saddlebag,

I'm staying.

Wi...

You dirty old...

All right. All right, I brought in this
wanted man with a bullet in his back.

I didn't shoot him, no.

But I promised him I'd turn the
reward money over to his wife.

He saved my life
up there on the trail.

Oh, boy, what's
the matter with you?

Tell somebody, anybody.

At least tell the sheriff.

I can't tell a soul. How do you
think that Wells Fargo would feel

about paying reward money to the
widow of the man who robbed them?

They wouldn't
go for that at all.

I told Mr. Favor, I said,

"Mr. Favor, if you got
to send somebody in

to check cattle prices,
don't send Rowdy Yates."

That's what I told him.

If there's a cinder of trouble in the
sky, it'll find its way into your eye.

Have you found that woman yet?

No, I don't even
know where to look.

Well, we better get started.

You got any idea where?

Well, the mayor,

the minister down there,
somebody's gotta know.

We do hope.

All right, you get on the other end
and let's get it over to the undertaker's.

This thing gives me the creeps.

All right, now get a better
grip on it. That's it, boy.

Hey, Cleet.

Must be time.

Yeah, looks that way.

[TICKING]

- You wish to see me?
- Uh, yes, sir.

I'm a bit rushed, but if
you can tell me quickly.

Well, it's about Sam
Jefferson... Or rather his wife.

That's what we wanna know about.

- You're strangers in town, aren't you?
- Well, yes, sir.

Would your name by
any chance be Yates?

Yeah, I'm afraid it is.

I see.

Uh, it was my understanding that,
uh, he had a wife here in Morgan City.

I thought maybe you'd
know something about it.

And if that were true,

you would seek out this
woman and ask her forgiveness.

Is that your wish, Mr. Yates?

Well, I'd like to
see her, though.

I would suggest that you speak
instead to your God, young man.

Ask his forgiveness.

Well, I'm sure that's
a very good idea, sir,

but, uh, could you tell me,

is there a Mrs. Jefferson
here in Morgan City?

Not to my knowledge, no.

[CARRIAGE APPROACHING]

And now, if you'll excuse me,

I have a rather
regrettable task to perform.

It's almost time
for the funeral.

Well, what now?

I don't know.

- You want some advice, boy?
- Yeah, I'm open.

Let's pick up that money

and you come on back
to the drive with me.

We're gonna lay over a
couple of days anyway.

That way you can come back
in town and look for that woman.

Only this time, you'll
have some help with you.

Hey, that's not
a bad idea, Wish.

You go on back and you tell
Mr. Favor, and I'll be along shortly.

No, I'll wait around,
then we can go together.

No, no. Look, I don't need your
help. I'll pick up the money by myself.

- No.
- No, why?

Well, why?

Because it don't
make sense, that's why.

Anyway, it's almost 11:00.

Besides, Mr. Favor
told me to bring you in

and that's what I'm gonna do.

Look, maybe I don't
like being calf-towed in.

Maybe you'd like
to be hogtied then.

No, I want you to get on your horse
and I want you to ride out of here.

Maybe I'll be back,
and maybe I won't.

Now, just what's that
supposed to mean?

Means if I find Mrs. Jefferson,
I'll give her the money,

and if I don't, well...

Well, what?

Well, with $5,000 in my pocket,

you don't think I'm gonna work
for some lousy trail drive, do you?

So now you're thinking
about keeping that money?

Maybe I will, maybe I won't.
That's my business anyway.

Oh, boy, I always heard the prospect
of big money could change a man.

Now you're trying to
make me believe it.

Your horse is waiting, Wish.

Don't be ridiculous.

You can tell Mr...

Well, don't tell him
anything about the money

unless I don't show up.

And if you don't show
up, I'm supposed to tell him

you suddenly got so rich
you don't need the likes of us?

- Why don't you just do like I sa...?
- Look, get moving, will you?

I'm tired of standing
here, listening to your gab

and looking at your
funny face. Now, get going.

All right then, you can just
get yourself out of this mess.

I will.

SHERIFF: What'd you do, boy?

Send your friend
out for some help?

- No.
- Heh.

Now, that's funny.

Because I figure
you're gonna be needing

all the help you can
get right after the funeral.

I just didn't want him
to get hurt, that's all.

Uh-huh. Well, like
I said last night,

you ain't got a ghost of a chance
unless you get me to help you.

The answer's still no, sheriff.

Yeah, and you're still a fool.

[THUDS]

Well, you still figure you
can pick up that money

and get out of town

- before they get down off of the hill?
- Maybe.

Well, now, what if you do?

They're gonna follow you, boy.

Don't make no
difference where you are,

they're gonna pick up your trail
and they'll be right behind you.

I say let's cut them
down right here.

It'll be worth the money.

I don't understand, you're willing to
let them ride right into town like this,

yet you wanna cut
them down for $2,500.

Well, at least I'd fight
them fair and square.

I wouldn't go shooting
them in the back.

[SIGHS]

ROWDY: Hey.

Get my horse ready, will you?

Have you been at the
telegraph office yet?

No.

Well, I better get
your horse ready.

Well, you're right on time.

ROWDY: Any word yet?

Not yet. But I've got
the money right here.

It's yours, just as soon as
we've heard from Denver.

[TICKING]

I'm surprised you
didn't go to the funeral.

Looked like it was just
family and friends to me.

Yeah, I saw them ride into town.

That's why there are
no townspeople up there.

Those three are the kind
you, uh, stay away from.

You scared, Mr. Yates?

Maybe. Wouldn't you be?

Oh, I'm not a back-shooter.

Look, I just came
here to get the money,

not to listen to your chatter.

Of course.

And for your sake, I hope
it doesn't take too long.

[SIGHS]

We're gathered here
today to honor a friend,

Samuel Billy Jefferson.

Was it Billy or William?

Billy.

We're gathered here
today to honor a friend,

Samuel Billy Jefferson.

A young man gone
long before his time,

who barely touched our lives,
yet we will never forget him.

He worked with us,
he lived among us,

he died alone.

[TICKING]

[TAPPING]

It's just a line signal,

but it should be coming
through any minute now.

It is not our purpose

to condemn the
circumstances of his death,

but to recall in sacred memory
the brief moment of his life.

[TICKING]

[TAPPING]

Here it is.

[TELEGRAPH MACHINE TAPPING]

"Denver office authorizes John
Tasker to pay the reward money

if Tasker is certain
deceased is Sam Jefferson."

Well?

I'm certain.

And here's the money,
5,000 in $20 gold pieces.

- Thank you.
- Not so fast.

First, I'll, uh, need a receipt.

Before you sign the
receipt, you have to count it.

Count it? I'll take
your word for it.

No, Mr. Yates, we'll do
business my way or not at all.

Now, count it.

[CLOCK TICKING]

[COINS RATTLING]

"I am the resurrection and
the life," sayeth the Lord.

"He who believeth in
me, though he were dead,

yet shall he live.

And whosoever liveth
and believeth in me

shall never die."

It's all there.

TASKER: Mm.

I feel a little, uh, thirsty.

Care to join me at
the saloon, Yates?

No, thanks.

Goodbye, Mr. Yates.

[CLOCK TICKING]

- That ready?
- One second.

I'm not sure I got a second.

Yeah, you'll never outrun them.

I think you should've took the
sheriff up on his proposition.

You know all about that, huh?

Ah, you seem to hear a lot of
things. What else do you know?

About what?

About a woman
married to Sam Jefferson.

Come on, friend, you think
I'm the back-shooter, don't you?

Well, look, like I
told you before,

I'm not the type to
make any judgments.

You think I shot a
man in the back, right?

Yeah.

[COCKS GUN]

Well, you just keep
on thinking that,

because I'm gonna spin
you around like a top.

When you come around
the second or third time,

- I'm gonna put a bullet in your back.
- It won't help you none.

Those boys on Boot Hill, they won't
let you get away with harming me.

They're my friends. I been taking
supplies to them for years now.

- Even when Jefferson was with them?
- Well, sure.

Just carrying messages
back and forth?

Well, what's wrong with that?

Jefferson told you he
was gonna give himself up,

and then you told his wife.

Heh. You're pretty good.

You weren't even there
and you know all about it.

I just wanna know
where his wife is.

I'm asking you like a gentleman.

Unto Almighty God
we commend the soul

of our brother Samuel
Billy Jefferson, departed,

and commit his
body to the ground.

Earth to earth, ashes
to ashes, dust to dust.

In sure and certain hope of
the resurrection unto eternal life,

through our Lord Jesus Christ,

at whose coming in glorious
majesty to judge the world,

the earth and the sea
shall give up their dead.

And the corruptible bodies
of those who sleep in him

shall be changed

and made like unto
his own glorious body,

according to the mighty working,

whereby he is able to
subdue all things unto himself.

What do you want?

I wanna talk to you.

I have nothing to say to you.

Well, I have something to
say to you, Mrs. Jefferson.

I want you to know I
didn't kill Sam Jefferson,

and I was kind of hoping you'd
tell me something about him.

Why, that's asking
a lot, isn't it? I...

Where do I start?

He was born and he
went to school, he died.

No, I mean, uh,

I was hoping you'd tell me
about you and him together.

Oh, Mr. Yates, you cannot ask me

about my life with Sam
Jefferson without intruding.

No, I'm no fool. I...

My father has filled this house
with books on legal matters.

I know all about the
due process of law,

and you simply cannot thrust
your way into someone's house

and try and frighten them into
saying what you want them to say.

Well, you invited me in.

Well, I don't see any reason

for going into any personal
discussion on the porch.

I have friends here, you
know. This is my town,

and I don't want them
staring and gossiping.

Ma'am, would you
like to sit down?

Mr. Yates, this is my house,
and I will extend the courtesies.

Please sit down.

Oh, please, take
this chair over here.

[ROWDY SIGHS]

- Can you tell me about Sam?
- Why?

Well, back on the
trail, uh, I was hurt,

and he found me and fixed me up.

Possibly saved my life.

Well, isn't that all you
need to know then,

that Sam was a charitable man?

You're the only wife Sam had?

Yes.

Thank you very much.

I'm going to give you the reward
money like Sam asked me to.

Uh, sorry I bothered you.

Is that all you
need to know then?

Yeah, that's all.

But you haven't heard the rest.

Well, I don't want to intrude.

No, you see, my father
had the marriage annulled.

Did Sam know this?

No.

When Sam proved himself to
be weak and able to be tempted,

without any of the
gentlemanly virtues,

no true character,

why, there was no reason for me

to try and communicate
with him further.

Sure.

Sam may have helped you,

but one can't redeem himself
with a single act, can one?

No, I guess one can't.

I was only 18, you see.

I was infatuated.

You know how young people are.

He wasn't really
right for me at all.

He came from a completely
different background,

and he didn't have
any real ambition.

It was just two
people infatuated.

But wait.

He gave me this.

You see, it's a snow
scene in a glass.

You turn it upside
down and it snows,

and you turn it
back and it clears.

He was really very childish.

[SOBBING]

Uh, preacher, that was,
uh, a real fine service.

- Thank you, but this isn't necessary.
- Uh, yes, it is.

That's why we're here in town,

to make sure everything
is taken care of proper.

I'll have one more, Tom.

- Street empty too?
- Yeah.

Hello, Tasker.

TASKER: Yates, I thought
you'd be long gone by now.

No.

No, I thought I'd
stick around a little.

[COCKS GUN]

TOM: Hey, there's
no guns drawn in here.

Bartender, take a walk. I
wanna talk to Mr. Tasker.

TOM: Wait a minute...
- Now.

What is this all about, Yates?

- Count that.
- Now, you listen to me...

[GUNSHOT]

I said, count it.

[COINS RATTLING]

Sheriff, that back-shooter
is at the saloon,

and he's got a
gun on Mr. Tasker.

Oh? Well, now, I wonder where
Jack Cleet and them Adams boys are.

Well, I don't know,
still up the hill, I guess.

Well, I reckon they ought
to be down here pretty quick,

and then you won't have to worry
about that back-shooter no more.

Sit down.

Ain't you gonna do something?

Why, Tom, I'm doing
my duly-elected job here,

and it's a mighty
tiresome one too.

But that's my
own private failing.

That's it, Tasker,
nice and neat.

I don't understand this.

Sam Jefferson wasn't good
enough for your daughter,

so you got rid of him, right?

I did everything to help him.

I wanted him to succeed.

After all, he was my
daughter's choice.

He wasn't your choice,
so you framed him.

I see.

You came into town for one
day and you know everything.

Understand everything.

You missed your
calling, my friend.

You should've been
with a traveling show,

reading leaves at
the bottom of a cup,

predicting the future for farm
boys too stupid to make their own.

Your daughter told
me that you framed him.

She couldn't.

Well, she did.

Well, uh, the girl's distraught.

Chronically distraught. You...

You had no right to bully her.

I know my daughter, and
I know what's right for her.

And Samuel Billy Jefferson
was simply not right for her.

So I ended that relationship
in the best possible way,

a sharp, clean break...

My daughter never
told you a word.

She didn't know anything.

You lied.

Yeah, I guess I did.

But then I never claimed to have
any of those gentlemanly virtues.

I don't know what you...

Go ahead and count your
money. It is your money, Tasker.

Are you trying to say
that I shot Jefferson?

That's right, right in the back.

Now, count your blood money.

There he is! There's the
back-shooter! Get him.

[GUNSHOTS]

Fred, you better
cover the rear door.

[GUNSHOT]

Come on, he's in the stable.

He's bleeding bad. We
gotta get him to a doctor.

Ah, take him.

Sorry, Cleet, he's my brother.

Well, go on before
he bleeds to death.

RUTH: Father.
- Ruth, stay here in the house.

- Mr. Yates was here.
- I know.

- Well, he said he didn't kill Sam.
- Of course he said he didn't kill Sam.

- What else would he say?
- Well, of course you're right.

Why should I believe some
cowboy who just came to the door

and started talking about Sam?

He liked Sam.

Fine, fine.

RUTH: You killed
him, didn't you?

[RUTH SOBBING]

[CLATTERING]

[GUNSHOT]

[GRUNTING]

You get up, we're
gonna have a little talk.

You've done enough talking,
Yates. Now, don't turn around.

You're gonna shoot somebody
else in the back, Tasker?

No, I wouldn't wanna
spoil Cleet's fun.

Get up, Jack, he's all yours.

Why don't you shoot me, just
like you did Sam Jefferson?

What's he talking about?

Don't listen to
him, get on with it.

Why does he wanna kill me?

Why would he wanna
help you out, Cleet?

- Yeah, why?
- All right.

[GUNSHOT]

His daughter come down to my
office and we had a nice little talk.

There's your back-shooter.

What about him?

Him?

He's just a dumb,
stubborn cowboy.

Cleet, the Adams
boys is down at Doc's.

You better go pick them
up and get out of town

before I suffer
another fit of civic duty.

- Sheriff...
- I know, I know.

But that's when I figured
you was a back-shooter.

Yeah. Well, there's
$5,000 down at the saloon,

and Ruth Tasker, she
probably wouldn't mind having it.

She don't want it.

I'll give it back
to Wells Fargo.

Don't look like I'm ever
gonna get rich, not at this job.

But that's my
own private failing.

Happy, will you get the
stinking hide out of here?

Well, you come
crawling back, huh?

Yeah, I guess I did.

Yeah, you must have got real
unlucky and found that widow

so you didn't have to
give the money back.

Well, something like that.

Where's Mr. Favor?
I better go talk to him.

He's out at the herd.

Oh, and, uh, you can tell
him whatever you want to.

I just told him you
had some business

and you might be
back and you might not.

Well, thanks, Wish.

[SNIFFS]

Ah. Stew smells great as usual.

Well, thank you.

[SNIFFS]

That's scorched hide!

Head them up!

Move them out!

[MEN YELLING AND WHISTLING]