The Young Riders (1989–1992): Season 2, Episode 1 - Born to Hang - full transcript

Stagecoach Sally, a woman raising money to send escaped slaves back to Africa, is robbed, and the riders try to help her recover her stolen gold.

Slave auction!

Read all about it!

You're early again, hickok.

You're late again, Curtis.

Well, I just got
some news
from back east.

Gang's still holding out, huh?

Yeah, till the war comes
or hell freezes over.

What do you reckon
will happen first?

Don't you dodge me with
politics, Curtis.

How long before
this paper can ride?

Can you give me half an hour?



You got half that.
Just the time it will
take me to grab a bite.

Come on, boy, you got that
ready over there?

I got $150, $150,
$150. I see $200.

Two hundred, two hundred,
two hundred.

Sold for $200.
Got yourself
a prime workhorse, mister.

Next up, we got Billy...

Starts on $125, $125, $125.

We got $125, I see $150, $150.

Looking for $200.

Bargain time, one and a half
for the price of one.

I got $150, $150, $150,
$150, $150.

I see $200.
$200, $200, $200.
$225, $225.

Let me have a look.

Three hundred!



Three hundred, three hundred,
three hundred.

Three hundred going once...

Three hundred going twice.

Four hundred!
-Four hundred, four hundred.
Four hundred.

Do I hear $450?

Four twenty-five?

Four hundred going once,

four hundred going twice...

Sold for $400!

Why in the hell ain't you up
here with the rest
of the stock, boy?

'Cause this boy is free.

Just like these two
are gonna be.

What you've done is wrong, boy.

Stupid, too.

Don't matter anyhow.
It's only a piece of paper.

It's a long way
to the state line.

He's right, you know.

It is only a piece of paper.

It's the most precious piece
of paper in the world.

And I'm truly grateful to you,
Mr. Dixon.

But I don't know what
we're going to do now
or where we're going to go.

This ought to...

Get you down the route a ways.

You can't be giving up
your last dollar for us.

That ain't the last
gold piece I'll see.

I'm just sorry you're gonna
have to go it by yourself.

No, she won't.

- Come with me.
- Why should they?

My husband and I don't share
the same understanding
of right and wrong, mister.

It happens a lot in marriages.

You bought these people.

But I know folks who
will get them to freedom.

We have to go.

Come on, boy, let's get out.

The camerons are coming,
get him out of here!

- Noah, we have to go now!
- I ain't going!

We have to go.

Joseph, we have to go.

Sally, get him out!

Get down there now, Noah!

Joseph, we have to go.

Bring 'em on in, come on.

Driving kind of
high in your saddle,
ain't you, kid?

Well, that new bronc
you brought in here yesterday
keeps bucking him off.

I'm just breaking down
his will, that's all.

Yeah, you mean more like
tenderizing your rump.

Want to break a wild animal,
kid, you got to get

inside his mind,
not on his, uh...

I'll give it a shot, teaspoon,
soon as I could stay

in the saddle long enough
to talk to him.

I wonder how Sam and
Emma are doing.

Probably hobnobbin'
with the governor
even as we speak.

- Sam?
- Himself. Now that he's
territorial marshal,

he's got to become
a real politico.

I don't know, teaspoon.

Sam's been using that gun hand
so long he might shoot first
and shake hands later.

Well, Cody, that's what
politician's all about.

- What will it be?
- Can I get a sandwich?

Hey, boy...

Me and my friends
are wondering where
a fella like you

come up with all that
merigold coins?

We figured maybe, uh,
you found 'em in your
massuh's strong box.

Oh, that's right.

You're one of them
free niggers, ain't you?

Ain't you?

I'm talking to you, boy.

Let's see some proof
you're free.

I think we've
outworn our welcome.

You always this personable?

I ain't saying my heart
ain't full for Sam and Emma
getting married.

I just don't know
if my stomach can
survive them moving off.

I wouldn't do that
if I were you.

Come on, kid. I mean, a man's
got to keep his strength up,
don't he?

Enough!

You eat like pig.

Get fat like house.

You ain't been such
a barrel of monkeys
since the wedding.

It ain't the marriage so much
as the moving, I think.

Excuse me.
Cody, it's all yours.

Thanks, kid.

You clean!

As, uh...

Temporary marshal
of Sweetwater, I feel
the call to duty.

Miss Helga.

Gentlemen, listen, try and
shine things up a little,
will you?

- Well?
- Well, I'd rest that
a few days.

- Damn.
- That will be two bucks.

Two bucks...

There you go.

Sorry, I spent my last two
bits over there at the saloon.

Hand me my gun.

Thanks.

You know, I don't mean
to tell you your business, but

you keep going around
like you did today, they're
gonna hang you for sure.

I was born to hang.

I guess I'd feel the same way
if I was colored.

Ain't got nothing to do
with being colored.

It's got to do
with being afraid.

White or colored,
you show me a man
that can't be broke

and I'll show you
the tree they hung him from.

Unless they don't
crucify him first.

Ah, that being the case,
even a condemned man
deserves a last meal?

You not having any money,
I guess I'm buying.

You're gonna brush the hide
right off that horse.

Lou... Lou, I know how much
you miss Emma, we all do.

A woman's got
a right to be happy.

Never said no different.

Nobody could be
happier for her than me.

It's just...

With Emma gone,
I ain't got no one to talk to.

- We're talking.
- That's different.

What do you mean?

I mean, with Emma
I could really talk.

Bring her all my problems.

Bring them all to me.

I can't.

You wouldn't understand.

Why not?

Sometimes you're the problem.

Hey, hey, stages coming.

Whoa, there, baby!

Whoa, whoa, I said whoa!

Saddle falls for all
of three minutes,
ladies and gentlemen.

So, do what you got to do fast.

I never thought you'd show up.

Like a bad penny.

Well, throw your
saddle up top,
hitch your horse in the back,

bring your bad butt on up here
and give Sally some sugar.

Ain't got no horse, Sally.

Got no saddle, neither.

What? You mean to tell me you
let some card shark

beat you out of
your horse and your
daddy's silver saddle?

I had to sell 'em.

Oh, that must have hurt real
bad parting with
your daddy's saddle.

Not as bad as
it hurt the cracker
I bought them slaves from.

Glory be, boy,
if you ain't your daddy's son.

Hug me! Ha, ha.

Here.

- Gold, huh?
- Yeah!

Black gold...

Just like you.

Get on out of here!

Hey! Hey!

Look at it, look at that plate!

I want to see myself in this.

Must enjoy a good scare.

And what you smile at?
You think something
is funny, huh?

I thought maybe you could
handle something easy
like dust.

But it's too much for dummy, ya?

He's no dummy, leave him alone!

You don't!

You all swine!

That ain't no woman. That...

is a force of nature.

What do you mean you can't
arrest him?

He whipped me, damn it!

After you drew on him.

Well, he stole his
master's gold.

I was making a citizen's arrest.

Don't flatter yourself, Barnes.

There ain't a place
outside of hell that would
call you a citizen.

Yeah.

Ah, you look as young
as ever to me, Sally.

- Boy, you lie. But I love you.
- Ha, ha.

You sure be looking older, Noah.

Well, thanks a lot.

Well, you're too young to be
looking so tired.

I'm doing all right, now,
Sally. You ain't got to
mother me no more.

Oh! Oh!

I wouldn't bust my guts
trying, you was too much
for me the first time.

- I was a good kid.
- You was a good kid
with a hard head.

Your head was like granite
if you had it set on something
or against something.

You can bet I ain't
turning the clock back
to them times.

Sally just pulled out
on the stage.

Free black riding shotgun.
We could take
the two of them easy.

- And what about the gold?
- On the stage coach.

You can bet your bottom dollar.

Good, good, good.
I got a score to settle
with that young buck.

And this time, I'm the one
gonna be doing the whooping.

Hey, get along there, Billy.

You ain't old enough to be
as tired as me.

So, I am sharing
the stage coach
with the infamous

James Butler hickok, well!

Oh! Say! That is a
recent injury, isn't it?

I know. Nobody wants to
contemplate his own mortality.

Believe me, I see it
all the time.

But, uh... when you do,
please, give me some
thought, won't you?

"Murphy's undertaking
enterprises. Let us spare you
the real grief."

- You're an undertaker.
- At your service.

That's just great.

I hear the camerons,
couple of them
met their maker.

I figured you gave them
the introduction,

but I see you still ain't
wearing no gun.

Yeah, well, there's more than
one way to skin a cat.

You planning on taking them
all down, ain't you, boy?

No wonder you look so wore out.

Ain't nothing takes a man down
faster than hate.

Whoa, them, Billy! Whoa, whoa!

Whoa! Whoa!

- What was that?
- Looks like a broken wheel.

- This is all your fault.
- My fault?

Yeah. You got me distracted
up here, I know to
miss that damn pothole.

Been tickling my wheel
since last December... oh!

You passengers have to get out
while I fix this bad boy.

Thank you very much.

That's the first time
I ever had anybody
to thank me for breaking down.

He gave me some help
back in saddle falls.

Well, you stay down wind
of his friendship and
upwind of his reputation.

Oh, yes. I've raised
five children on my own.

- Five, really?
- Five children.

Real stinkers, everyone.

Between them, they've given me
18 grand-kids.

Eighteen? You don't say!

Wore me out with them, too.

Always crawling all over me,
granny this, granny that.

Oh, that's terrible.

So, you boys will go easy on
old grandma llewellyn
now, won't you?

You won't have
any problem from us.

No problems at all, ma'am.

Of course, I could turn the
whole crew of you across
my knee, if I want to.

Any time.

Come here!

There's a mess of gold
on this coach.

Enough to take a whole
wagon train of runaways
back to Africa,

and all I have to do,
is give part of it to

the wagon master
over in Sweetwater.

Where'd you get
that kind of money, Sally?

Well, some of these
southerners do almost
anything to get us out of

their hair.

They bought a big ship,
gonna take us all the way
across the ocean.

And, Noah, I'm going
if I have to crawl.

What for? This is our country
much as anybody's.

- My daddy had a whole...
- Your daddy? Your daddy?

I'm trying to teach you
a lesson that your daddy
learned the hard way.

We can't be free here, Noah.
They ain't gonna let us.

Well, they can't stop us
unless we give up.

If you had any sense in that
hard head of yours,

you'd let god send
the camerons to hell
his way.

Come on, Noah.

Come back home with us.

Be the black prince that you is,

instead of this dead nigger
that they want to make you.

Get down everybody!
Get down!

Get behind the tree.

- You okay?
- Yeah.

Noah!

No, don't shoot it! Open it.

What the hell
happened down there?

I thought you said there was
just the two guns.

- Ran into a trap.
- A trap?

I thought we were the ones
that were setting the trap!

She's got to pay the
wagon master in Sweetwater.

We could be there to collect.

Boy, we damn well better be.

This is just great, Cody.
She gets all the rest,
and we get all the work.

No, no, no, no, no,
don't you be trying
to pin this one on me!

I mean, after all,
it was your idea to hire her.

- Mine?
- That's right, yours.

You are the one that said
"teaspoon will love her."

Well, teaspoon ain't the one
who's got to do all her work!

Shh!

Ike's right. The main thing is
we got to get ourselves
out of this mess.

Now, somebody's got to fire
the dear old thing.

Oh, what do you mean,
it would kill her?

She probably wouldn't even
know the difference.

- The overland stage...
- Shh!

It's rolling in here like
the devil's chasing it.

Now, you're
saying there
was 10 of them.

That's right.

All right.

Yet, none of you
seen any of these characters?

- Faces was covered, teaspoon.
- And you wasn't carrying
nothing valuable?

- Well, I wouldn't say that.
- Well, except for this young
one here.

Nothing but him. Benjamin.

- This is Benjamin.
- How do you do?

He was sold away from his
ma and his baby sister.

He ran away from his new master.

I found him out on the road
south of saddle falls.

He's gonna ride on the
freedom train.

- Freedom train?
- Wagon train camped
outside of Sweetwater.

Gonna take some of us home.

No offense, Benjamin,
but wasn't them bushwhackers
running a mighty big risk

to come after a little runaway
slave like this?

Now, if you gonna keep looking
for sense in people that
ain't got none,

you gonna have
a tough haul as
the marshal, teaspoon.

Guess you're right, Sally.

I'd rest that shoulder
for a day before I made
any more trips, sal.

Hey, doctor?

Might I please
ride into town with you?

I have a client waiting for me.

It's all right by me.

See you later, folks.
Got to be going.

Well, if anybody ever tried to
tell me that Wild Bill Hickok
would save my life one day...

Don't believe 'em.

Right.

I better make tracks, too.

I can't talk you into
going on with us, huh?

You rest up like
the doctor told you, you hear.

Hold up a second, doc,
I'm riding with you.

Well, that's twice in one day
being in my neighborhood's
almost got you shot.

Yeah, but who's counting?

I ain't big on thank yous,
hickok.

I ain't big on your welcomes,
Noah.

Watch your back.

You, too...

Noah, hold up a minute.

This leg here's gonna
slow me down for a while.

Why don't you think about
filling in for me
here a while?

- Much obliged but...
- You need a fresh grub stake,
don't you?

Yeah. We could use a hand
breaking in the new stock.

At least the kid's rump could,
anyway.

Seems there's a new horse they
ain't been able to break yet.

Normally, ike would do it,
but he's nursing a bad leg.

You busted broncos before?

Wow! Mmm-hmm.

Ah, ah, I got him.

Sure you do.

What's he doing, kid?

Damned if I know.

Boys, he's getting into
the mind of a wild animal.

- Hang on him, Noah!
- Hang on him, Noah!

That's what I call a man
understanding something wild!

Understanding something free.

Mr. Wilkes, how come
miss Sally don't meet
us out here?

She doesn't know where here is.

Couldn't take the chance
of slavery finding out, so we
set up a meeting in town.

Be back in the morning.
Looks like it's
gonna be a bad one.

Mmm-mmm.

I must have died and gone to
hungry man's heaven.

Great eats, Sally.

Well, you didn't think I was
gonna be eating something

you boys slopped together,
did you?

Be the best of both worlds
having you and Noah
working here with us.

So, how did
the two of you meet, anyway?

Noah's daddy bought me, oh...

Twenty years ago before
Noah was even born.

His daddy bought you?

Yep, till 1850 there was
quite a few free coloreds
owning land in the territory.

Then the legislature passed
a law making it illegal.

Noah's daddy bought me...

Then he gave me my freedom,
then he hired me...

To help him and his wife
with the land.

She died, giving birth to Noah.

Then, when his
daddy was killed, I became
mama and daddy, too.

I raised him till he was big
enough to say "no"
and I had to listen.

So, now that idabel's gone...
What do we got to do to get
you two to sign with us?

Ain't nothing you can do to
make me stay.

Me and some runaway slaves,
we gonna ride on
the freedom train.

We going back to Africa.

Back to Africa?

Hell, you even got him
saying it, Sally.

You can only go back
someplace you done already
been, boy.

And ain't none of you runaways
been anywhere's near Africa.

- Noah?
- Hey, kid.

What would you call a bunch
of southern gentlemen

willing to finance a ship
of coloreds back to Africa?

Generous, I guess.

I call them scared.
They scared of a new south
full of free blacks.

Noah, that's enough.

Don't you understand?

All you doing is running
harder and faster and further
than you already run.

You just leaving
more of the fighting
for those of us

that got the guts for it.

That's enough, Noah.

Don't you worry about it,
Benjamin, it's all right.
You all excuse me!

Don't you ever do that again,
you hear me?

Don't you stomp on nobody's
dream just 'cause
it ain't yours.

You don't know the price
Benjamin paid for
the little freedom he knows.

But you could read it
on his back.

It's written all over his
body, scar on top of scar,
on top of scar.

And he ain't wearing no whip,
the whip done wore him.

You ain't had no irons
around your ankles.

And you ain't never had
nobody snatch your son

out of your arm
and sell it like he was
one of these damn horses.

- Sally!
- Don't you Sally me!

You and your daddy...

You'll so full of pride
and so full of what you
think is right,

that you can't see what's
staring you plain in the face.

- Leave him out of this.
- I wish I could.

But you got him figured
for a hero, and that's
gonna get you killed

if you don't listen
to the truth.

I don't want to hear this.

They strung up a blind man
out there that night.

Because any man with eyes,
would know to get
out of the way

of that kind of trouble.

All he had to do
was pick you up
in his arms and run.

And there wouldn't have been
no shame in it.

- Not that night.
- I remember it different.

You your daddy's son,
and that's all right for you.

But don't you be spitting on
nobody else's dream

'cause you just living
for vengeance now, baby.

And the rest of us is
after something that's
much harder to come by,

and much more worthy of a chase.

Mr. Wilkes!

Oh, my god. Mr. Wilkes!

- Hand it over.
- Hand over what?

I didn't mean it!

What in the hell
did you do that for, huh?

It was an accident.

Well, damn it, you killed her
before she had a chance

to tell us where
the rest of the gold is.

All I did was smack her,
how'd I know she'd

fall in the stall and
spook the horse?

Well, I figured she'd bring
the whole payment with her.

Guess these people ain't
always as stupid as I thought.

What are you gonna do now?

I'm going to send
the freedom train,
a new wagon master.

- Hey!
- Now, think about it.

We can make this accident
work for us.

This way, we get the gold...

And the slaves.

I like this idea.

Let's get rid of
our friend here.

Thought you were right handed.

Where I come from,
a man needs two right hands.

Jimmy says you sold
your horse and saddle
to free some slaves.

He did, did he?

Said you didn't even know 'em.

Well, then, I guess
it must be true.

Wouldn't want it getting
around I called
James Butler hickok a liar.

Then, why'd you do it?

Oh, family tradition.

Buying and freeing slaves,
was one of my daddy's
favorite things.

Said it was better than
planting devil's Thorn
in a cracker's backyard.

I don't know where you come
from, but, down my way they'd
have hung a man for that.

They did.

I'm sorry. I didn't know.

Yeah, why should you?
Unless hickok's a mind reader,
as well as a blabber mouth.

I said I'm sorry.

I don't think I'd be able
to get over a thing like that.

Yeah, well, my daddy
certainly didn't.

Damn, if you ain't
the strangest nig...

I'm sorry, I didn't mean that.

- Sure, you did.
- No, I didn't,
it just came out.

Of course, it did.
Why shouldn't it?

Fine southern boy
like yourself, hmm?

I wouldn't be surprised
if it wasn't the second word
out your mouth,

mammy being the first.

I never had a mammy!
My mother and father
were dirt farmers!

- They were, were they?
- Yeah, they were!

I don't know what
your problem is, anyway.
Ain't you heard?

Huh?

Niggers is in fashion.

Why, master Webster
done even put us
in his dictionary.

Yes, he did, see,
you got men that are niggerly,
and men that are niggerish.

So, see, saying the word
is all the rage.

Now, being one, that's a horse
of a different color.

Ike, what is it?
Ike, ike, slow down,
I can't follow you.

What's he saying?

Stagecoach Sally.

They found her in town.

Found her?

What?

She's dead.

Looks like a horse
spooked somehow
and stomped her.

Teaspoon, we're talking about
stagecoach Sally
who knew about horses.

She wasn't about to get
stomped by no horse, no way.

All I'm saying
that's what it looks like.

I ain't decided what it was.

How come she come here, anyway?

Did she say anything to anybody?

She was bunked down
across from me
when I fell asleep.

I didn't hear her get up.

Remember how she
talked at supper, though?

Maybe she come to town
because of this
freedom train business.

What about you, Benjamin?

You know anything about her
being in town last night?

Sally said, the less I knew,
the safer I was.

Well, that's good advice, son.

Didn't keep her too safe,
though, did it?

- Where are you going?
- I'm gonna take
the horse back.

Didn't ask about the...

Horse.

Wouldn't say where he was going.

Well, maybe he don't know.

What are you doing?

Look, I know you two were close,

but that don't
give you the right
to tear her stuff up.

- Why don't you let me help?
- What if I don't need it?

Then, at least, show some
respect for the dead.

Don't you talk to me
about respect.

Let her go!

Now!

You're looking
in the wrong place,
she put it in the barn.

Must be a small fortune
in there.

A fortune and dreams.

You know where that
wagon train is camped, boy?

I ain't no, boy.

Saddle up.

- I'm going with you.
- Ain't nobody asking you.

Well, us pigheaded
dirt farmers don't stand
on ceremony.

You're gonna need more than
one gun to go after that gold.

I'll go after teaspoon
in case you need
more than two guns.

We found the payment for the
wagon train master,

I'm gonna make sure
Sally's dream comes true.

Let's ride.

Make it quick, Lou.

♪ Jah, please
come to crossroads

♪ you can save
the children I know

♪ jah, please come
to the crossroads

♪ tell them to let
the people go now

♪ jah, go to mother Africa

♪ answer this prayer for me

♪ jah, go to mother Africa

♪ set all the people free

♪ that's my blood down there

♪ in mother Africa

wagon master.

Wagon master!

It's a trap!

Get 'em out, get 'em out!

- Get down.
- Get down, go.

Benjamin, get down!

- What the hell's he doing?
- I don't know, cover him.

There's teaspoon.

Thank god.

Ha!

We got 'em, boys, we got 'em.

Joseph, you were wonderful...

Three times in two days, Dixon.

Reckon I'll survive
this friendship?

You're looking mighty
self satisfied.

Yeah, so are you.

Clint, here, will lead
your train till you can find
another wagon master.

Good luck to you people!

Sally's dream is riding on
your shoulders, now.

I won't let her down.

Well, you sure took your time
riding to the rescue.

Well, better late
than never, kid.

Never seen people fight
like them folks did,
that's for sure.

That's 'cause they're free now.

So much to lose,
and so much to win.

Teaspoon.

Who's that?

Boys. I forgot to tell you,
I hired us a new...

Cook.

Can anyone that beautiful cook?

- Who cares?
- I do.

You would.

Take it easy on her, boys,
she fell off a horse
last week.

Unless she cooks
with her feet,
it shouldn't be a problem.

- Kid! Kid!
- Uh?

Careful, you're drooling.

What about you, Noah?

You're welcome to
stay with us for a while.

Well, I'll stay for dinner,
anyway.

Jimmy...

Did you see the way she
carved that roast?

Yeah.

Personally, I liked the way
she passed the roles.

I'm a prisoner of love.

Go to sleep!