The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (1955–1961): Season 2, Episode 31 - Old Jake - full transcript

♪ Wyatt Earp, Wyatt Earp ♪

♪ Brave, courageous and bold ♪

♪ Long live his fame and long life his glory ♪

♪ And long may his story be told ♪

Violence in the West took many forms.

Friction between soldiers and settlers was one of them.

With the fort just outside the town, Dodge City

became an arena for such violence more than once.

All it took was the appearance of one old man

who followed an ancient hatred.

There he is. Right there.



You buffalo hunters still think you can run things in Dodge?

Who says we can't?

- I do.
- You?

You ain't big enough to make that stick.

- I'm big enough to lick you.
- You wanna try?

Why not?

Why, are you slabs out of your blue.

Jake Castor, you old gopher. It's good to see you.

Good to see you too. Come, let's have a drink.

Well, I'll tell you I don't drink.

And especially with men that are breakin' the law.

- Gun?
- Yep.

What kind of town are you running there, boy?

- Well, it's the law, Jake.
- Law?



First thing I've heard, a man had to keep his eye on clothes.

That's out in the Tooley's, where you lose, not in Dodge.

Really, Wyatt?

Well, anybody else but you.

You want the Sharps, too?

No, you just keep that in your saddle boot

and everything will be fine.

Well, now I'll have a little drink of milk with you.

- Hey, Soapie.
- Yeah?

- Bring us a round, will you?
- Alright.

Wyatt, what does that thing say?

You old good, haven't you learned to read yet?

What for?

Out where I lived talking in sign is all that matters.

You do that pretty well, too, don't you?

In any Indian language you can name.

It's more than I can do.

Well, uh, alright.

I never thought I'd see then.

You always did have

a wide streak of righteousness in you.

I thought you've gotten over that by now.

Well, I haven't changed much, Jake.

Ain't a boy no more, Wyatt.

Well. Yeah, the years go by.

Yes, they do. Don't they?

And what are you doing these days?

Oh-h. Things ain't like they used to be.

Times have changed, to the bad.

Remember, how it was the first time I took you out?

Buffalo soles take the paint off of his black

with him as far as the eye could see. She's like a rollin' ocean.

Yeah, I remember.

Them days I heard was maybe two or three million animals.

Now you're lucky even if you can find even ten

in a minimum 'cause of hunting.

I know.

Serious, Wyatt.

Why do you need this fighting?

You can't blame him. He's starving.

You wanna see there tonight, quit hunting for the fortune

trying to feed the soldiers.

I'm living with the Cheyenne.

With your wife's people?

My wife's, it was.

Oh, I'm sorry, Jake. I'm sorry to hear that.

Plenty buckles here.

Do you mind?

Yeah, especially at night.

Fort's not too far away and today was pay day.

- Yes, I know.
- Well, you ought to celebrate.

Got every deputy on the street.

Which reminds me I better get to work.

Say, by the way, you, uh..

You didn't tell me why you were here in Dodge?

Maybe I've come to see the town.

You don't care that much for towns.

Maybe I've come to see you.

Why you old gooch, you didn't even know I was here.

You know, you ask an Indian a thing three times

and the third time he has to tell you the truth.

- I'm asking you the third time.
- I've come to see a fella.

What fella?

- Don't matter.
- Why?

I mean it must be important otherwise

you wouldn't have come all this way.

I've got a score to settle.

I'm sorry to hear that.

- Why?
- Well, I'm the Marshal.

Knowing how you settle your scores.

Well, that could mean trouble for you and me.

Well, you my friend, ain't you?

- Yeah.
- No need to worry then.

I asked you to move over.

You leave me alone. Just because you're an...

- Who do you think you are...
- That's enough, soldier.

Hey, you better watch out, Marshal, I got friends.

If you boys start any trouble, you're gonna wind up in jail.

Now go on, do your drinking some place else.

- You can't tell us what to do.
- Come on.

You heard the Marshal. Now go on.

Thanks.

I wasn't thinking of you.

I was thinking about the bail.

There ought to be a law against those ruffians

coming to town, Marshal. Shoving on the citizens around.

If you're not hurt, mister, go back to your drinking.

Are you siding with them, Earp?

Look, they got a hard and lonely job to do

protecting all of us. They deserve a little spree.

- Hey, Soapie?
- Yeah?

Where did the buffalo hunter go?

I don't know. Guess he must have left, Marshal.

- I'm alright.
- You're alright.

Look, you sit down right here. You sit down.

You sit down. I'll get the horse.

Okay, Sergeant. You get the horse.

Huh?

Sarge?

Sarge. Sarge!

I'll kill him. If I ever get my hands on him, I'll kill him!

- You leave that to me, soldier.
- Oh, no.

I know you low-life civilians.

If it's a blue coat you don't care. You don't even try.

Well, you watch. Sarge has got friends.

If you just stop yammering long enough

to tell me what you saw, I'd have a better chance

to get whoever did it.

I didn't see anything.

Marshal, you don't think it couldn't have been Indians?

Those are Markinson tracks.

It's the way they do it.

- And the hair.
- No.

An Indian wouldn't take that chance, not in Dodge.

Well, you better find him, Marshal.

You better find him quick.

Because if you don't..

Huh? Whoa, what?

What are you doin' here?

Well, looking for you.

Had a hard time findin' ya.

Yeah, can't sleep inside walls, on them soft beds.

You're up mighty early.

I'll tell you, I haven't been to bed yet.

How long you've been here?

Some little time, I reckon. Why?

You've ever hear of a big guy. A sergeant named McCafferty?

No, I can't say I have.

I don't brag it with soldiers, you know that. Why?

He's been killed.

Indian style.

Yeah?

Scalp. With a knife like that.

By a man wearing Markinson's.

You think I killed him, Wyatt?

I haven't any other suspect, Jake.

He probably had it coming to him.

Besides, what reason I have to kill him?

I don't know.

You said you had a score to settle.

It was McCafferty

that you were staring at in the saloon last night.

That's who?

And you're bitter, Jake.

And why shouldn't I be?

- Don't pay to be bitter.
- You know how our life was?

Kinda life a man could be content with.

Kinda man was meant to live.

Yeah, but you can't stop a whole nation bent on moving, Jake.

You gotta accept what's bound to be.

Son busters, cow wranglers, bone pickers.

They are people looking for homes.

- They gotta live, too.
- And what about us?

They just better stay out of my way.

And them Blue Coats. Them is the worst.

Murderers. All of them.

McCafferty?

You really think I killed him?

Yeah. I think so, Jake.

If I said I did, what would you do about it?

Only one thing I could do.

Wyatt, you and me.

We mean two different things when we say "friend."

This is just a boom, if I killed a blue coat..

- Did you, Jake?
- What reason would I have?

Did you?

Wyatt, I already told you...

Did you, Jake?

I ain't no Indian, Wyatt.

Where you goin'?

Well, first up, I'm going over to the fort.

So, should you go to?

Gotta take back the body.

Try and stop the trouble that's bound to come.

If you think I did it

ain't you afraid I'll run out on you?

Well, if you do, then I'll know.

And I'll come after you.

My friend.

My friend.

That's right, Jake.

You're gonna have to tell me yourself.

Well, Marshal.

Surprised you ventured out here.

I brought the body.

You needn't have bothered. We were sending the detail.

Sir, I'd rather you kept your men out of Dodge

until after this is cleared up.

My men wear the uniform of their country.

They can go anywhere in these United States they wish.

- Including Dodge.
- Of course, sir.

But I don't think you want trouble any more than I do.

The cavalry doesn't look for trouble, Marshal.

But they're ready for it when it comes their way.

You just worry about your civilians.

Well, the civilians don't start every fight, sir.

But that's not what we're talking about now.

We'll discuss that in a few days after I get the murderer.

Do you really think you have a will?

Maybe.

I'm not concerned about where my men go off duty.

But, sir, you... you could keep them on the post

under orders for a couple of days.

I could, but I won't.

In fact, I've already given leave to B Company today

after the burial.

That's McCafferty's company.

Sir, that's deliberate incitement to riot.

Is that what you want?

You realize that will cause more bloodshed?

If you can't keep order in Dodge

I can arrange to have Martial Law declared.

- Then you better do that now.
- Maybe I will, tomorrow.

Unless, of course, you can find the man who did it first.

- Will you help me?
- How?

I like to take a look at McCafferty's service records.

Why?

Because I think it was a personal grudge.

Maybe we can find a clue in the records.

I can't give you that. We have orders from Washington.

Well, then, at least let me talk to some of his friends.

I don't know if they'd even talk to you.

Thanks.

Well, Marshal, this is Mrs. McCafferty.

I come to see the man who brought him.

I come to thank you, Marshal, for bringing him home to me.

I'm sorry, ma'am.

Are you? Are you, Marshal?

Then why don't you find the man who did it?

I'm trying to.

Will you help me?

Help you?

Colonel, could I speak to Mrs. McCafferty in your office?

Well... alright.

Sit down, ma'am.

Now, Mrs. McCafferty

can you tell me any reason anyone might have

for killing your husband?

Only that you didn't protect him.

That you let a lot of scum and killers run around loose.

Well, I think this is personal, ma'am.

Did your husband have any enemies?

Patrick? Not an enemy in the world.

He was an angel.

Yes, ma'am, but..

Was there anything in the past?

I mean, before he met you?

You'll not be getting me to say anyone had a right to kill him.

Did Mr. McCafferty ever mention a man named

Jake Castor?

Castor?

No. No, never.

It's not help from me you'll be needing, Marshal.

Well, where was your husband born?

Ohio, I think.

He came to Colorado as a boy.

Colorado? He joined the army there?

Yes.

Colorado Volunteers?

During the civil war.

Well, could have there been something about the Indians?

Cheyenne?

It was the Colorado Volunteers at St. Creek, wasn't it?

Please tell me, Mrs. McCafferty.

Oh, no, it-it couldn't be.

Surely.

But he was at St. Creek.

Tell me.

Well, it was the only thing he ever did he was ashamed of.

Bothered him certain awful for a time.

You understand he was under orders.

Yes, ma'am.

But he said something seemed to happen

to all the men that day. Even him.

They seemed to go crazy with the Indian killing.

You heard, it was horrible.

Even their women and children.

I mean, he couldn't get it off his mind.

He used to wake up at night, crying and mourning and..

Well, I told him he had to forget it.

That the Lord would forgive him.

He had made a better soldier out of him.

He hated the Indian fights

but he did his job the best he could.

He was a good man.

Yes, ma'am.

Well, thank you, Mrs. McCafferty.

Maybe you gave me the answer I needed.

Wyatt, I've lined up some men for Deputy's

and commandeered some wagons for a barricade.

I know you didn't order this

but I figured we ought to fight at the start.

Alright, Al.

Sure to win anything out there?

Something.

Jake.

Tell me about St. Creek.

What do you mean?

I've heard about it just like everybody else has

but not from somebody that was there.

Your white men were at the Cheyenne that day.

George, Charlie Ben, Ed Gary.

- Jake Castor.
- What are you driving at?

I want to hear it from you.

Sure, why not?

It's a great victory. Just like they said.

Pride attack on a peaceful village

of naked and starving Indians.

We thought they were under a flag of truce.

Three hundred of them butchered.

Three hundred full of women and kids.

Jake, your wife, what happened to her?

Right in front of my eye.

And I couldn't do a thing about it.

I didn't even have a gun.

My wife and my son still in her arms

and I couldn't do nothing about it.

Nothing at all.

But I covered his face and I never forgot it.

It's really more over the waist.

- McCafferty?
- Even worse.

Even worse.

Hadn't I had the right?

Sorry to say "no" to that, Jake.

Not many men would.

Probably... the Jury wouldn't.

But the Bible says "no."

Jake, there was blood enough spilled that day.

There's already a trail of red all over the West.

The Indian ain't finished yet.

Look, we're all ashamed about what happened

at St. Creek, the whole nation.

Shevington was court martialed

and forced out of the army for it.

Congress has voted indemnities.

Indemnities. Indemnities.

Well, all I know is that

the answer to killing is... not more killing.

Well..

I'm no man.

I ain't get much time left

that I got.

I got to be out in the open.

Gotta be free.

Alright, nobody takes any action without my orders.

Not a shot fired until I say so. Everybody understand that?

You think you can stop them with talk, Wyatt?

- I can try.
- They're coming.

Wyatt, they're coming.

Alright, let's go.

Wyatt, give me my gun, I'll help.

I don't want your help, Jake.

Wyatt! We've been friends a long time.

Wyatt! Get those men out there. Go on! Get back!

Get out of the way, Marshal!

Your men are violatin' the law

coming into this town armed.

Now any of you wanna drop your guns

and swear to keep the peace can come in.

I reckon we'll come our way... Marshal.

You realize what you're doing?

You wear the uniform of the US army, these US citizens.

They should have thought of it before.

- We didn't start the trouble.
- Neither did they.

Well, have you found out who did, Marshal?

Or maybe we can.

Alright, get out of the way.

We're coming through and you can't stop us.

- Wait!
- Jake!

You want McCafferty's killer?

Right here he is. I killed him.

I had a good reason.

- You want to know why?
- Jake?

Alright, Wyatt.

Maybe I was wrong.

Hold it! First man to pull a gun goes to jail.

Now, he's my prisoner.

You're going back to your post or come in peacefully.

I just wanna know why.

I wanna know why you killed my husband.

You said you had a good reason and

I wanna know before I kill you.

Mrs. McCafferty, his wife and baby died at St. Creek.

Come on, Jake.

Alright, move out.

♪ Well, he cleaned up the country ♪

♪ The old Wild West country ♪

♪ He made law and order prevail ♪

♪ And none can deny it the legend of Wyatt ♪

♪ Forever will live on the trail ♪

♪ Oh, Wyatt Earp, Wyatt Earp ♪

♪ Brave, courageous and bold ♪

♪ Long live his fame and long life his glory ♪

♪ And long may his story be told ♪