The American West (2016–…): Season 1, Episode 6 - The Big Killing - full transcript

Previously on
"The American West"...

The country is rapidly
settling the frontier,

but with
a growing population

comes lawless boomtowns...

- where crime runs rampant.
- Cheater, huh?

In the town of Dodge City,

the new Deputy Marshal
Wyatt Earp

is making use
of his natural ability

to keep the peace
in the chaotic West.

Meanwhile, in the territory
of New Mexico,

a new breed of outlaw
is on the rise.



After years on his own,
Billy the Kid

finally finds a place
to belong

when he's hired by
cattle rancher John Tunstall.

But when Tunstall is murdered
over a business dispute,

Billy loses the only father
figure he's ever known...

and vows to take down
everyone involved,

setting the stage
for a new war in the West.

In Lincoln County,
New Mexico,

Billy the Kid is determined
to avenge the murder

of his friend and mentor,
John Tunstall.

Billy was devastated
when Tunstall was killed.

He got together
with his friends,

and the more they
talked about it,

the more angry they became.



Tunstall's death
is orchestrated by

a corrupt group
of wealthy businessmen

known as "the House."

The House has a hold on
everything in Lincoln County,

including the law.

With no one to turn to
for justice,

Billy and a gang
of local citizens band together

to take the law
into their own hands,

forming a vigilante group

known as "the Regulators."

Billy and those loyal
to Tunstall

are going after every man
that was in that posse.

Billy is going to fulfill

his vendetta
before he dies.

At the top of
their hit list...

the man responsible
for the murder of Tunstall,

Sheriff William J. Brady.

Sheriff Brady is working
for the House.

Brady, to Billy,
is just as culpable

as any of those men
that murdered his friend.

Here he comes.

It sure is nice
to see you again...

Sheriff.

On April 1, 1878,

Billy the Kid
kills a member of the House

in cold blood.

He kills...

but he's a killer
for justice...

his sense
of "Gunsmoke" justice,

because the law is corrupt,

and the law was totally,
irrevocably corrupt

in territorial
New Mexico.

For Billy,
the killing of Sheriff Brady

is just the beginning.

Now Billy is an outlaw.

That really is
the point of no return.

Over the span
of a month and a half,

Billy and his gang
kill five more men

involved
in Tunstall's death.

Billy the Kid found
the one thing that he was good at,

which was killing
other people,

and he got a lot of attention
for it and he embraced it.

There's not a lot
of characters in the West

as aggressive as that.

Word of the violence
spreads quickly

through the surrounding
counties.

Now the small-time
cattle thief

has become a feared,
cold-blooded murderer.

When you kill the man
that represents law and order,

that definitely
makes the newspapers.

Even if Sheriff Brady
is corrupt,

he's still a sheriff.

He's still the elected sheriff
of Lincoln County.

Twelve hundred miles away,
another outlaw

who's become a hero
for the Confederate cause

remains in hiding.

In the years since
their disastrous bank robbery

in Minnesota,

Jesse James
and his brother Frank

have been keeping
a low profile.

And now two of America's
most famous outlaws

live under new identities

working as farmers.

Jesse and Frank

hide out in Tennessee
for a while

and, you know,
"Maybe this is the time

that we kinda give up
this crazy stuff

and let's see if we
can make a living,

and maybe they'll
leave us alone."

Wanna see Dada?

They both have wives.
Jesse had two children.

When they're home,
they're good family men,

when they're not at home,
they're not very good citizens.

But stories of
the new breed of outlaws

wreaking havoc
in the West

are now making news
nationwide.

And Jesse James,
the most notorious criminal of his time,

is growing restless.

They're gonna be pullin'
all the troops out of the South.

And Missouri.

It's about damn time.

I wonder what kind of angle
they're working with that.

I don't think
it's an angle.

I think the war
is over.

So what are we
gonna do now?

We're gonna take care
of the farm, Jesse.

Jesse wasn't doing that well

trying to be just a normal person,
a normal Joe.

That life was so sedate

compared to the rush
of the wind in your face

and the smell
of gunpowder

and seeing the fear
in people's eyes.

I'll be back.
I promise.

So I think, for him,
the natural place to turn...

"I know how to rob trains,
I know how to rob banks."

After two years in hiding,

Jesse James is going back
to a life of crime.

After years of roaming
the West,

looking to make his fortune,

Wyatt Earp has finally
found himself a home...

as deputy marshal
of Dodge City.

With his imposing figure
and strongarm tactics,

Wyatt's bringing
a new sense of order

to the lawless frontier.

Rather than use bullets,

he was more likely
to use words.

But if he really needed to,
he would pick up his pistol

and hit the offender
over the head with it.

Very effective.

Wyatt averages nearly
300 arrests a month.

But soon he gets a case
that will change his outlook

on justice in the West.

In 1878, Dora Hand,

a popular Dodge City
actress and singer,

is murdered...
shocking the town.

But despite Wyatt's
tireless efforts

to seek justice
and overwhelming evidence,

her murderer walks free
without a trial

after his father,
a wealthy businessman,

pays off local officials.

The American West
at the time

was lawlessness.

And there were
many violent acts

that weren't prosecuted.

The court system
was not the best.

The case leaves
Wyatt questioning

why he bothers
enforcing the law...

in a town where
corruption runs so deep.

Miles away in a remote hideout
in Missouri...

Jesse James
is planning his next heist.

Well, aren't you a sight
for sore eyes, brother?

Looky there.

Jesse, I ain't
comin' back.

I thought long
and hard now.

And it's time.

What do you mean?

What do you mean
you're not coming back?

We've been on the run
half our lives.

I'm tired.

I'm sick and tired
of it, Jesse.

I'm gonna be a husband.

I'm gonna be a father.

It ain't right kids growing up
without no father.

You and I know that
better than most.

So you rode
all the way out here

to tell me you're
quittin' on me?

You want to be famous,

or you want a family?

Go be with your son.

Well, I appreciate
you coming out.

Frank was just able
to adjust better

to that civilian lifestyle
than Jesse was.

Frank has a son
by this time.

I think he would prefer
to leave that life behind.

Jesse's already lost

every other member
of his gang...

and now with Frank
backing out,

he'll have to rebuild
his life of crime

on his own.

Over 900 miles away...

the murderous rampage
of Billy the Kid...

that left
the Lincoln County sheriff

and five other men dead

is gaining the attention

of New Mexico's
most prominent figures,

including wealthy landowner
Thomas Catron.

Sheriff Brady was owned
by the House.

He was indebted to them,

and he was abusing
his office as sheriff.

But killing a sheriff now
brings on all sorts of heat.

You cannot kill
an officer of the law

without the law
having to crack you.

Not necessarily 'cause
that officer was a good guy,

but because he's a symbol
of the system.

After three months
of hunting,

the House finally
tracks down Billy the Kid

- and his gang...
- Hyah!

...and forces them to take
refuge in a nearby farmhouse.

How long can we hold out?

Don't worry so much.

This is the fun part.

You know, they say
God created man,

but Samuel Colt
made 'em equal.

I have here a warrant
for the charge of murder

in the death
of Sheriff William Brady!

This is your last chance, Billy.
Come out with your hands up!

I don't believe
in last chances.

So I guess, uh,
you can go to hell.

Maybe I'll meet
you there, Billy!

Billy had never suffered
a personal defeat.

Even if there'd been
a thousand men

surrounding that building,
Billy, in his mind,

"You know,
we could probably do it."

To increase their manpower,

the House calls in
the U.S. Army

to help take down
the notorious outlaw.

It's not only
a column of soldiers,

but they have a very
formidable-looking Gatling gun.

I mean, what are you gonna do
against artillery?

Open fire!

Surrounded by lawmen
and the U.S. Army,

Billy the Kid
and the rest of the Regulators

are trapped.

Your last chance, Billy!
Come out with your hands up!

Go to hell, Deputy!

Maybe I'll meet you
there, Billy!

Billy, uh, had
a violent reputation.

And they figured that he
wasn't gonna be taken easily.

Open fire!

Billy the Kid
is a man of action.

He wants to do something.

He doesn't want to be
holed up in this house

where they're surrounded.

With the odds
stacked against him...

Billy the Kid
does the unthinkable.

Billy the Kid
was well-known for escaping.

And this was his
most sensational escape.

Being surrounded
by soldiers and gunmen

and fleeing through
a hail of bullets...

that's quite an escape.

Miraculously, Billy
gets away without a scratch.

But the showdown
leaves seven people dead

and becomes known
as "The Big Killing."

The Big Killing was seen
as the epitome

of western anarchism
and Wild West violence.

It made huge headlines
across the West,

and as far east
as New York City.

It verified to everybody

that the West,
and especially New Mexico,

was a place that
was beyond civilization.

As news spreads
of the disastrous showdown

in Lincoln County,

Billy the Kid knows
he's a hunted man.

So he heads to the most lawless
city in the United States...

Las Vegas, New Mexico.

Like Dodge City before it,

Las Vegas, New Mexico,
is a boomtown,

meant to bring
big business west.

But because
of its remote location

and lack of a police force,
it attracts gunslingers,

murderers,
and outlaws instead.

The killings rage
out of control,

at one point
reaching a murder a day.

And the city becomes known

as the "most dangerous place
in the West."

What'll you have?

Whiskey.

It's the perfect place

for a wanted man like Billy
to hide out.

But what he doesn't realize

is that there's another
infamous outlaw in Las Vegas...

determined
to track him down.

Billy the Kid is hiding out
in the lawless town

of Las Vegas, New Mexico.

But another famous outlaw
is also there...

looking for him.

Thank you.

Mind if I join you?

You're even younger
than I expected.

You got a name, friend,

or just a mouth on you?

I got both.

How do you feel about...

working for Jesse James?

You're Jesse James?

Your name's Jesse James?

You hear that?
I'm sittin' with Jesse James over here!

Well, if he's right,
I recommend

you put your heads
back to your tables.

I got a proposition for you.

I'm puttin'
something together.

The way you draw
that pistol,

I could use a man
like you.

For what?

I'm about to make
some real money, Billy.

I'm not talking about the silly little
pony game you play,

picking off
a few head of cattle.

I'm talkin' about
train money.

You think about it.

Jesse James
and Billy the Kid.

Got a ring to it,
doesn't it?

The legend says that
Jesse was trying to recruit

Billy the Kid.

But Jesse is this hardened,
hardened professional

who's had many years'
experience.

Billy the Kid, well, he's
just kind of a cattle rustler.

He didn't rob stagecoaches
or banks or trains.

But they both were
at the height of their infamy.

I only ride
with people I trust.

And all those people...
are dead.

I'm not interested.

But thank you.

Enjoy that whiskey.

Jesse James leaves determined

to reignite
his criminal career,

while Billy the Kid
continues to elude the law.

But what Billy doesn't know
is that Thomas Catron

is determined
to track him down.

And with big business
pushing further west,

Billy the Kid
has become a liability.

Well, I think things
changed drastically

in terms of outlaws

when business developed,

like the railroad
and like banks.

In order for those things
to succeed,

you needed law and order
to protect it.

How much time
do you think you'll need?

About a month.

Maybe less.

But I'm gonna need men,

and those men
are gonna need money.

Money isn't a problem...

time is.

Whatever it takes,
get it done.

Yes, sir.

Catron decides
to throw his political weight

behind the election
of a new sheriff,

a man whose
main responsibility

will be the capture
of Billy the Kid.

His name is Pat Garrett.

There's something
in his character

that people see.

There's some
integrity there.

There's some fortitude.

A former buffalo hunter

with a sharpshooter's eye,

Garrett's known for
his skills as a tracker.

Pat Garrett was
a good choice.

He knew many
of the same people

that Billy the Kid knew,

and he also knew the area.

He knew the places
that an outlaw might hide

or where they might go.

He would be able
to track them better

than somebody that came in
from the outside.

Pat Garrett is facing

the greatest challenge
of his life,

but he knows he's the man
who can take down

Billy the Kid
once and for all.

In Dodge City, Kansas,

lawman Wyatt Earp is fed up
with rampant corruption...

and ready to move on.

Dodge City, after a while,

according to Wyatt, anyway,
lost its "snap."

And he was hungry
for a new adventure.

Thank you.

When he hears
from his brother Virgil

about silver strikes
in a nearby territory,

he knows it's time
for a change.

Wyatt turns in his badge...

and heads west.

I think part of the appeal
for us of the West

is that this was a place
of limitless opportunity.

And if you were willing to accept
the idea that risk is the price

and you were going to pay
for that opportunity,

you picked up stakes,
took that risk,

and, in many cases,
changed your life.

It's very American
in spirit.

Wyatt joins thousands
of Americans

pushing deeper
into the frontier,

hoping to cash in
on a new age in America.

By the 1870s,
the United States

is fully into
the Industrial Revolution.

It was a confluence
of changing technology,

so there was a sense
in which

the American experience
was gonna change.

Back East, big cities
are growing like never before,

built by steel and powered
by electricity and kerosene.

And as the country modernizes,
it relies on materials

that can only be found
in the West.

The United States
is a rapidly urbanizing

and rapidly industrializing
country.

The gold, silver, copper,
timber, cattle...

a lot of the resources
in the West

are being drawn into
this industrializing nation.

In the Southwest,
massive silver strikes

have given rise to
a new wave of boomtowns.

And Wyatt Earp
is heading to the one

that will be forever linked
to his legacy...

Tombstone, Arizona.

Twelve hundred miles away
in Missouri,

after failing to recruit
Billy the Kid in Las Vegas,

Jesse James
has finally managed

to pull together
a new gang.

And he's ready to make
his first big score in years.

Let's go over this
one more time.

Train's gonna come
around this curve, slow down.

That's gonna give us
the time we need.

And I'm gonna come out
two days early.

When you boys come in, I want you
to come in through the north.

Do not go through the town.

Am I clear?

Once we board the train,

I'm gonna go to the express car,
you boys spread out.

Anybody gives you trouble,
you take care of it quick.

What do you mean,
"take care of 'em"?

What the hell
you think I mean?

Get outta here.

Come on up here.

I'm gonna put you
in the lead, okay?

All right,
one more time.

At this point,
he's just finding somebody

that can hold a gun
and hold a horse

and that, hopefully,
is trustworthy.

Stay in your seats,
do not move.

Yes, this train
is bein' robbed.

And I'm not in the mood
to kill anybody today.

Where the hell
you goin'?

You open that safe.
Come on.

Open the damn safe!

You hear that sound?

You know what comes next?

You open that safe.

Jesse.

What are these?

Checks.

Checks. Where's the money,
where's the cash?

This is it.

You got checks in here?

You got checks
in here?!

Where's the cash?!

We don't carry much cash
anymore, just checks.

I want everybody's attention
and I want it now!

I am no longer
in a good mood!

I want watches,
I want rings,

I want jewelry,
wallets!

You have something of value,
I want it now!

C'mon now!

Without any cash,
Jesse's gang

is only able to gather
a fraction of what he made

on train robberies
years ago.

What you hidin' from me?

Jesse's comeback heist
is a complete failure.

And now that the rail companies
know he's back,

he's once again
one of the most wanted men

in the West.

Pat Garrett is the new sheriff
of Lincoln County,

and his first order of business
is finding Billy the Kid.

Garrett tracks Billy
relentlessly,

covering hundreds of miles
in the New Mexico territory.

There are so many places
to hide out

in this open,
butte-covered country

in New Mexico.

It's kind of like a needle
in a haystack.

So you need someone
who knows the territory,

knows the country.

Finally, after six weeks...

Garrett gets a lead.

Billy and his gang
have been spotted

heading to a hideout
100 miles outside Lincoln.

Pat Garrett was
a tracker and a hunter,

and when he was told
to go get Billy the Kid, he did it.

- Congratulations.
- I gotta take a piss.

Who's there?!

It's Pat Garrett!

You're not gettin' away
this time!

He's gonna try to get that lead horse.
Shoot it free.

Come on, man,
can't you hit a rope?

All right...

all we have to do now
is wait, boys.

With the hideout
completely isolated,

Pat Garrett knows
that Billy's supplies

will eventually run out.

I always think Billy
thought there was a chance.

He'd already done it before

and, you know,
wasn't even scratched,

so maybe we can do it again.

But the fellow gang members
are starting to get weak

and they're starting to say,
"I think we should surrender."

Drop your weapon!

Billy was surrounded.
He was running out of water,

he had very little food,

and he really only
had one choice

and that was to
put his hands up and come out.

On December 23rd, 1880,

Billy the Kid surrenders.

But while he may have
turned himself in...

Billy the Kid
is not about to give up.