Walker, Texas Ranger (1993–2001): Season 4, Episode 8 - The Lynching - full transcript

Hey, Jonah.

My goodness, you've
chopped enough for two winters.

I like chopping
wood, Mrs. Casey.

For you, anyways, I do.

I know you do, Jonah,
but it's gonna be dark soon.

Yeah, but it's still nice.

Clouds going by,
the way the trees look.

Real nice. Yeah.

George loved this time of day.

We used to sit out here
and sip a little wine, talk.

Well, no use dwelling
on that kind of memory.

Too darn nice.

I liked Mr. Casey, I did.

He liked you too, Jonah.

Good.

That's good.

Well, I'd better quit now.

Good night.

Miss Casey?

Ma'am?

Miss Casey, you all right?

Ma'am?

Miss Casey? Ma'am?

Hello?

Miss Ca... Mrs. Casey?

Oh, Miss Ca... Are you okay?

Oh, oh.

I'm gonna have
to arrest you, son.

Walker.

Ranger Walker, I've
got a Sheriff Dekker

who I'm patching through to you.

Ranger Walker, this
is Nathan Dekker,

sheriff of Bramer, Texas.

We got a hell of
a situation here.

What is it?

I got a mob outside with a rope

wanting to lynch my prisoner.

We need some help here, pronto.

We're about 40
miles from Bramer.

We'll be there in
less than an hour.

What's going on?

If we don't hurry, a lynching.

♪ In the eyes of a Ranger ♪

♪ The unsuspecting stranger ♪

♪ Had better know the truth ♪

♪ Of wrong from right ♪

♪ 'Cause the eyes
Of the Ranger ♪

♪ Are upon you ♪

♪ Any wrong you
do He's gonna see ♪

♪ When you're in
Texas Look behind you ♪

♪ 'Cause that's where
The Ranger's gonna be ♪

Ranger, they got my
prisoner around back!

All right, gentlemen, move
away from the sheriff. Move!

I didn't do
anything, Mr. Hewitt.

I never killed Mrs.
Casey, I promise.

Gonna pay this time, boy.

For Wilma Casey and my Billy.

Now, listen, I been
waiting a long time

for you to mess up, dummy.

Let's go, Jackson.

Do it now.

Okay, easy. Easy. I got it.

I got you.

Easy, Jonah. Get him inside.

Take it easy, son.

You're safe now. It's okay.

Get back. Easy.

All right, that's far enough.

Give us Jonah Nelson.

What you're gonna
get is jail time

if you don't disperse.

I'll stomp you good, Ranger.

Then start stomping.

Now, back off, all of you.

All right, that's it, that's it.

Listen to the ranger. What?

Now, go on home now.

Do what the man says.

What?

Howard Markham,
gentlemen. At your service.

Mayor of Bramer,
attorney at law.

You'd better keep these
people in line, mayor.

Now, Wilma Casey was very
well-liked in Bramer, and a...

And a close personal friend.
Uh, but since her murderer

is a mentally
challenged individual

who probably didn't realize
what the hell he was doing...

He hasn't been convicted yet.

Well... Of course.

It's a terrible thing
here, sir. Very tragic.

Keep him in there forever!

Right!

I tried to move him out of town.

That was a mistake.

They just swarmed us.

What's this all about, sheriff?

Well, he killed a very respected

and loved local woman.

Ain't the first time

something like
this has happened.

What do you mean,
not the first time?

About four years back,
a bunch of young bucks

got all liquored up and
started teasing Jonah.

Roughed him up some.

Jonah tried to get away
and pushed one of them.

Kid fell down and
broke his neck.

Billy Hewitt.

That's Billy's old man outside,

the fellow who tried
to string Jonah up.

Judge ruled it accidental.

Jonah's uncle kept
him out of the asylum

and right here in Bramer.

Been nothing but
trouble ever since.

Hell, people like that
should be put away,

for their own damn sake.

And ours too.

The court of law

didn't see it that way, sheriff.

Well, they don't live in Bramer.

I'm gonna go talk to Jonah.

Sheriff, may I use your phone?

Jonah, I'm Ranger Walker.

Could you tell me what happened?

I said it all to Sheriff Dekker.

I know. He told me.

He didn't believe it.

Well, could you tell
me what happened?

And I could...

I could see he was
holding something

but I couldn't see what it was.

And he ran around the house.

And then I go inside,

and I see Mrs. Casey
laying there on the floor.

I ran home as fast as I could.

Why did you run, Jonah?

'Cause... 'Cause I was scared.

And I wanted to go
to Jonah's Island.

What's Jonah's Island?

It's a place where
everyone is happy.

Where... Where the
sea is full of fish, and...

And the sky is full of birds,

and the lions and
bears can talk,

and everyone is friendly
on Jonah's Island.

Don't you worry
now. I'll be back soon.

Okay.

Okay, the victim was last seen
the afternoon of the murder.

Evidently, she went shopping.

Wilma Casey was
her name, not "victim."

And she didn't
deserve to die that way.

Take it easy, Banks.

So he still sticking
to that same fairy tale

about the dark stranger
carrying a mystery something?

Pretty detailed for
a fairy tale, sheriff.

The crime scene.

When are we gonna
take a look at it?

Now, but not you.
Me and the sheriff.

I want you to keep
an eye on Jonah.

I told you what happened today.

Sure, we made a mistake...

Yeah, you did make a mistake.

Because you think he's guilty.

And that influences
your judgment, sheriff.

Fine.

Fine, then you take
the responsibility.

Standing up for a
killer of my own kind

ain't my idea of law
enforcement anyhow.

You boys have a good time.

Yeah, right.

What's Markham doing here?

Let's go find out.

What you looking
for, Mr. Markham?

Yes. Um...

Well, you see, I
was Wilma's attorney,

and, uh, since there
was never a will,

I thought perhaps she
might have left something

in her personal papers here.

Um... Sorry.

This is a crime scene, Howard.

Now, I realize that, Nathan.

But since I am an
officer of the court

and I was Wilma's
attorney, I feel like I...

Mr. Markham, I strongly
suggest you leave.

Officer of the court or not.

Just what the hell are
you insinuating here?

Nothing yet,

but when I do,
I'll let you know.

Whew.

Looks like Mrs. Casey
put up quite a fight.

Oh, yeah.

Wilma was a feisty little gal.

Bound to have been
a hell of a struggle.

Well, if Jonah
killed Mrs. Casey,

there wouldn't have
been much of a struggle.

How do you figure that?

Jonah's big and strong enough
to do whatever he wanted,

whether Mrs. Casey
was feisty or not.

Huh.

I guess you got a point there.

Sheriff, have you
been out here before?

Oh, yeah. What was
on the wall there?

Well, George was always
collecting anything of value.

Seems to me there was a...

fancy gold coin
collection up there.

Hmm.

Where you going?

Western boot.
Pressure on the toe.

Whoever it was must've
been in a big hurry.

How'd you know where to look?

Jonah told me the man
he saw ran in this direction.

Yeah, he told me that same crap.

Yeah, but I believed him.

So, Walker, what do you think?

I think you'd better remember

about this being a crime scene.

Look here, Ranger,

I'm not used to
being treated like this.

Have a nice day, mayor.

Jonah lived right over here.

He wasn't looking for any will.

I know.

Whatever it was
he was looking for,

it must've been important.

A thing like Wilma
getting killed happens,

and lo and behold, I
get a suspect in custody

and all the questions
start getting answered.

Then you show up and
complicate the situation,

and I can't say that I
appreciate it very much.

You'll get used to it, sheriff.

Deputy Banks told me
you guys were out here.

Who are you?
This is Earl Nelson.

He's Jonah's uncle.

Heard what you did for
my nephew this morning,

and I'm grateful.

I'm gonna take a look inside.

I'll check around out here.

Jonah really liked
it out here, um...

He really did. This
was like his home.

Jonah's 20th birthday.

Mrs. Casey was a kind woman.

She really cared.

She gave him a job.

She let him stay here for free.

That sort of gave him
some independence.

And that's why I know

he did not do what
everybody says.

Jonah doesn't seem
to be retarded to me.

Yeah, that's what the
doctors call his condition.

"Borderline."

Yeah, he's not normal

but he's not quite
abnormal either.

But the thing is, he is retarded

and he knows it.

Now, can you imagine
that? What that feels like?

Hmm.

Does he get angry about it?

Well, not angry. Um...

Just sort of frustrated
and scared is more like it.

But I know Jonah
and he didn't kill Wilma.

But he's caught
in the middle of it.

Everybody just going
along with their hate,

turning their back on him.

Maybe everyone except you.

What happened to his parents?

Killed in an automobile
accident five years ago.

Wilma kind of adopted him.

That's the kind of
person she was.

Hey, look at what I found
out back by the trash can.

You recognize this?

Oh, God, I wish I didn't.

It's Jonah's.

Come on, go, go.

Ready?

Hiya, Banks.

Banks? Hey, Walker.

This is Trivette. I need
some help at the jail...

Let's go.

Where's Jonah?

They took him out back.

What the hell? Back off.

You wouldn't shoot an
unarmed man, would you?

No, I wouldn't.

But I'd sure beat
the hell out of you.

Who's next?

Let's get out of here.
Come on, let's go.

Come on, Jonah. Come on.

All right. Come on.

Come on, Jonah.

We all know what you did.

Does it hurt, Jonah?

No.

Inside.

In me is where it hurts.

Because I... I don't know why.

And I... And I don't
understand why

those men wanna hurt me.

Kill me.

I'll tell you why.

It's because some people

just to make themselves
feel big and important

like to look down their
noses at other people

that ain't got no money or...

Or... Or like me because
I'm slow in the head?

There's nothing wrong

with being a little slow, Jonah.

People get into trouble
when they don't slow down.

I never thought
about that before.

Thank you, Ranger Walker.

I feel better now. Good.

Not so scared.

Try to get some sleep. Okay.

Take care, Jonah.

Bye, Uncle Earl.

How you feeling?

Fine.

Wanna tell us why you
let those men in, Banks?

Couldn't help it.

They were waiting
when I opened the door

and they got in
before I knew it.

What the hell could I do?

Your job, damn it.
What do you think?

Look, if you need some
help, I'd sure volunteer.

Couldn't be any worse
than what we got already.

We'll manage, thanks though.

Don't forget I'm available.

You know, I suggest that we

transport Jonah back to Dallas

where the only vigilantes
are in the history books.

Well, I want you to
go back to Dallas,

but I want you to look
for a gold coin collection

that was on this wall here.

There's a picture of it
out at Jonah's house.

Go pick it up and see
what you can find out.

You got it.

What if he didn't sell it?

If he was desperate
enough to kill, he sold it.

All right, antique stores,

coin merchants, pawn shops.

I'll get Alex to help me. Okay.

This might help you.

Taken at our lodge
picnic last summer.

Most every man
in town is in there.

All right, thanks, sheriff.

Oh, here's the keys
to our squad car.

I'll show you where it's parked.

Tell me why you became

a law enforcement
officer, Banks.

Well, I don't know.

I guess ever since
I was a little kid,

I wanted to be in
law enforcement.

Do you remember
the oath you took?

What oath are you talking about?

To uphold the law,
no matter what?

Yeah.

Yeah, I remember.

And I'll never forget it again.

I'm gonna take
your word for that.

Come on out here
and deal with me Jonah.

You know what you did.

We all know what you did.

Come on. MAN 1:
Let's go, come on.

Ranger!

You come on out of there.

Now!

Let's go.

Come on.

Here we are.

Come on out, Dekker.

That ain't right.
Here we go, come on.

This is our town, Ranger,

and I ain't gonna
take much more of this.

Where were you when Wilma
Casey was killed, Hewitt?

What's that mean?

I sure as hell didn't kill her.

You had motive.

It's a good way to
get back at Jonah

for what happened to your son.

I don't have to listen to this.

You go to hell, Ranger.

Come on!

Oh, boy.

You come back again,

you're gonna get
more of the same.

Deputy, cuff that man.

Assault on an officer.

By darn, I still got
some fight left in me.

Gee, look at my hat.

It's me, partner. I
got Alex with me.

Walker, your instincts
were right on the money

and we've got a hot lead.

What kind of a lead?

Right, I ran a check
on the pawn shops

and coin merchants.

I came up with nothing.

Meanwhile, Metro put together

a list of the shady
dealers and fences.

We connected with
the man at the top

and we got lucky.

He tells us about this guy

he's been doing business with

for the past year.

Just so happens the other day,

he came in trying to sell

a coin collection
of double eagles.

He figured it was extremely hot,

so he sent it to a fence
named J.J. Carney.

Metro's running
an address on him.

Did you get a description?

Average Caucasian male,

yadda yadda, you know.

But the loot that he's selling

has the initials
stamped G and WC.

George and Wilma Casey.

Walker?

Hello?

Trivette?

Phone's dead.

Do you have a cell phone?

No, we're out of range.
They don't reach here.

Oh, man, they really
did a number on this.

It's gonna be a week

before this is up
and running again.

Let's get back
to the jail. Yeah.

I'll tell you what.

Any town worth its salt

ain't gonna let a mad-dog killer

like Jonah Nelson go to trial.

And he can get himself set free.

Or even get put
on some funny farm

just because some
bleeding-heart lawyer

proves that he's
mentally incompetent.

Wilma was a good woman.

She didn't deserve
to die that way.

Soon as it's good
and dark... we going in.

I'm good at checkers
since I was a baby.

Can't tell time but I
play good checkers.

Banks, you in there?

Shhh.

Whoever's out there,
just move along.

You know damn
well who it is, Banks.

It's Jackson and Webb.

I don't wanna know your
names, so just get out of here.

Banks, we want in there
and we want that dummy.

You're gonna give him to us
or you're gonna be damn sorry.

You hear me, Tory?

Yeah, I hear you.

Open this door!

Hold on.

Banks?

Are you okay?

Yeah, I'm all right.

Wow.

Walker, I wanna tell you.

Earlier when those
neighbors and friends of mine

got in and grabbed Jonah?

I just let 'em come
on in this afternoon.

I didn't wanna lose my buddies.

Or, hell, I must've been crazy.

You gonna take my badge, Walker?

You earned it back.

Thanks.

I sure hope Jonah's okay.

Oh, me too.

You just be sure they
made it all right, huh?

How about that
phone call, sheriff?

I want Hewitt, Jackson and Webb

out of lockup before
I catch my breath.

Wha...?

Bail, approved
by the circuit court.

And what is this I hear

about Nelson being
missing from his cell?

It's that damn Ranger, Walker.

Officially, he's got authority
over the local lawmen.

My hands are tied.

So then, it's true?

Well, sometime last night,

while I was gettin'
Banks' jaw x-rayed,

he stashed Jonah
for his own protection,

and I do not have a clue where.

All right, I'll call
his superiors.

I'll lodge a formal complaint.

But I want you to find out

where Jonah Nelson
is being kept, Nathan.

Immediately. He
could be in Dallas.

He is not in Dallas.
That's impossible, I...

Got the roads covered,
do you, Howard?

I took precautions, yes.

I didn't want outsiders
coming in here,

maybe making trouble,
maybe Jonah escaping...

He is somewhere in this town.

You find him,

and you get these
people out of jail, now.

Jonah, if there's any trouble,

I want you to do exactly what
Deputy Banks says, okay?

I do whatever Banks tells me.

Right.

Okay, I'm gonna
go check things out.

Bolt the door.

Where the hell is he, Walker?

As sheriff of Bramer,
I got a right to know

where my prisoner
is being incarcerated.

He's right.

Hewitt, Webb, and
Jackson all made bail.

Yeah, thanks to Howard Markham.

Yeah, he just pushed the papers

through the circuit court.

Nothing I could do.

But why bail those three out?

To keep folks stirred
up around here. Oh.

Did you check the crime scene?

Yes, early this a.m.

Just like you thought.

Back door glass is busted out.

Entry made. Some blood.

Got me a sample.

Oh, and Mr. Markham's
sporting a bandage

on his right hand.

Well, I think I'll go
talk to Mr. Markham.

Want me to come along?

No, you stay here and
keep your ears open.

And keep pretending you hate me.

Who's to say I'm pretending?

And I'm gonna see to it, Walker,

that you lose your
badge over this.

You tell him, sheriff.

I figured as much.

But I didn't think

you'd break into a crime scene

just for love letters.

Look, Wilma and I, we...

I had to find 'em before
somebody else did.

I mean, this could've
ruined everything

that I've worked so
hard for all my life.

My wife, my family, my job here.

Strong motive for murder.

I did not kill her. I swear it.

Why did you want Jonah dead?

Uh, that's impo... I didn't...

You've tried everything you know

to get him hanged.

Now, why?

Look, Jonah,

he caught me and Wilma together.

I was afraid he'd tell
somebody else, that's all.

You mean you'd
let a young man die

just to save your reputation?

What's the
difference? He's guilty.

Do you believe him?

For now.

And Jack Hewitt?

For now.

Damn it, Walker,

come on over here
and eat something

before you wear a
hole in my floor, huh?

And who cared about
Wilma Casey, huh?

Nobody.

Yeah!

Who cared about
my boy, Billy, huh?

Yeah.

What are we gonna do?

Are we gonna stand around
here and just take this?

No!

Let the boy kill
more of our citizens?

No!

Let escape poor boy Jonah?

No.

And you all saw the
treatment I got from the law

while they've taken
good care of Jonah.

We're gonna have to take
the law in our own hands.

We're gonna have
to deal with that killer.

Yeah!

Are you with me? - Yeah!

Good evening, Mr. Carney.

Do I know you?

You're going to, Mr. Carney.

We need to have a little talk.

Do you know anybody
in that photograph?

Yeah.

I should have listened
to my horoscope.

Yeah.

Banks, it's Walker. Let me in.

Did you find out anything?

Yeah, I checked
with the local coroner.

He found dried blood and skin
under Wilma Casey's fingernails.

Yeah?

Well, Jonah don't
have a scratch on him.

So that proves he
didn't do it, right?

Well, it proves it to us.

Right.

Now, all we gotta
do is prove it to them.

Will people believe me now,
that I never hurt Mrs. Casey?

It's Dekker. Let me in.

Jackson and Webb are
outside forming a mob.

More joining every minute.

They're getting liquored
up and looking for trouble.

They know we're here?

I don't think so yet.

Get him!

Who do we want?

Jonah!

Who do we want?

Jonah.

Who do we want? ALL: Jonah!

What are we gonna to him?

Hang him!

What are we gonna do to him?

Hang him.

We want justice.

Yeah.

We want Jonah.

Hey, you boys. Hey,
you boys. Hey, you boys.

Hey, hey. I know where he is.

Where?

Follow me.

I don't like this.

Go to Mineral Wells.

Get the DPS back
here, pronto. Got you.

Oh, I'll get behind him.

Jonah!

Jonah, Jonah, Jonah.

Jonah, Jonah!

Jonah, Jonah,
Jonah, Jonah, Jonah...

I'm going outside,
to talk to them.

Jonah, Jonah,
Jonah, Jonah, Jonah.

All right.

Jonah, Jonah, Jonah, Jonah.

Stop.

Let the law handle this.

Law?

The law let that killer
loose in the first place.

Yeah!

We're here for the victims.

We're here for their rights.

Wilma Casey, Billy Hewitt.

Maybe you don't know
'em. They were our friends.

Yeah!

He killed my little boy!

And he killed that good woman

you all loved.

Yeah!

Jonah didn't kill Wilma Casey.

Bull! HEWITT: That's right.

Yeah!

Ranger, you
can't take all of us.

Anyone comes through
this door will be shot.

You circle around the building
and you do what I told you.

You can't do that.
You cannot do it.

All of you, you'd
better stop this.

Get out of here, mayor.

If we can't have a hanging,

we're damn well
gonna have a barbeque.

Come on, baby, let's do it.

We're gonna have
a Texas barbeque.

Bring him out now.

Here's how you do it, boys.

Yeah. Yeah!

Burn, burn, burn,
burn, burn, burn...

Burn, burn, burn,
burn, burn, burn,

burn, burn, burn,
burn, burn, burn.

What we gonna do, Mr. Walker?

Burn, burn, burn, burn.

Out the back.

Burn, boy.

Burn, burn, burn,
burn, burn, burn.

I don't know.

Yeah. Come on home.

Down there?

Yeah, what do you
think? Come on, Elroy.

What's that?

Somebody's in there.

What is that?

Is it the Ranger?

It is.

They made it.

Who told you we
were here, Hewitt?

Why?

Because whoever told
you wanted Jonah dead

and you blamed for it.

Now, think about it.

It was him.

That's a lie.

I love my nephew.

I didn't think it
would go this far.

You said you
couldn't protect a killer.

Nephew or not, you said
you knew he'd done it.

Did you say that, Uncle Earl?

So, what happened to you?

It's a long story.
Did you get it?

Yeah.

That's the guy.

That's the guy who
sold me the coins.

Yeah, see? I got one too.

First thing I did
with the money.

And it'll blow a hole
right through big Jonah,

so you lay yours down.

Now!

You did it.

You killed the only person
who was ever kind to you.

Why, Uncle Earl?

Mrs. Casey treated
you real well.

She treated me
like a hired hand.

And I didn't wanna work for her

and I didn't want
her lousy handouts.

I wanted her money.

All of it.

You're a bad guy.

Officers, arrest these men.

Yes, sir. Hewitt, Jackson, Webb.

Come on, come with us.

You're coming with us.

Let's go.

Come on, son.

Come on, step to it.

Listen up. Everyone.

That's why we have laws.

You almost killed
an innocent man.

Now, go home.

There you go.

I'm sorry, Jonah.

We owe you one, Jonah.

Sorry about that, sheriff.

Sheriff.

You did good, Jonah.

You did good.

Hey, I hear you get to prosecute

Hewitt, Jackson, and
Webb there, counselor.

That's right.

Right, they deserve
everything they get.

Yeah, without
those kind of laws,

we got anarchy.

How's Jonah doing?

Oh, he's doing really good.

The town's trying to make up
for the wrong they did to him.

And guess what?

Wilma Casey left
everything she had to him.

No kidding.

You think the poor
boy can handle it?

I don't think he's
poor anymore, C.D.

Well, it just goes to show you

there's still justice
in the world.

Let's drink to justice.

I'll second to that.

Wait. Wait for me.

Come on, you're
always a cow's tail.

♪ 'Cause the eyes
Of the Ranger ♪

♪ Are upon you ♪

♪ Any wrong you
do He's gonna see ♪

♪ When you're in
Texas Look behind you ♪

♪ 'Cause that's where
The Ranger's gonna be ♪