Original subtitles

♪ Yellow John Thurmond was his name ♪

♪ He deserted his wagon train ♪

♪ Leaving the helpless folks to die ♪

♪ A hunted coward is he ♪

♪ Now this is the story of old Yellow John ♪

♪ And why he's still on the run ♪

♪ The guilt within him lives on and on ♪

♪ Disgraced by the wrong he has done ♪

Let's move up closer, Pa.

No, we can hear, Tom. We can hear well enough.

I hate that Yellow John Thurmond.

Come on, Pa.

That song teaches hate, John. A song shouldn't do that.

You think a song should teach the young ones to love a coward?

♪

♪ The men returned from their terrible plight ♪

♪ And Thurmond was strickened with shame ♪

♪ A bloody massacre was inside ♪

♪ The women and children were slain ♪

Well, you like that song, huh, Tommy?

Yeah, I like it, but I hate that Yellow John Thurmond.

Why don't you make up another one, Lucas?

Not about any old yellow coward,

make up one about a hero.

Well now, you wouldn't want me

to be making up a song about your Daddy, would you?

Sure. He's a hero, isn't he?

Seems to me like I heard he was... from you.

Aw.

Major...

Major...

What's on your mind, Tommy?

You know all about heroes. I mean, fighting and heroes.

Well, I guess a lot of us have done a little fighting in our time,

but I don't know much about that hero part, though.

Aw, you're spoofing me, Major.

You know you're a hero, and Pa there's another.

You bet your boots he is, sonny.

Tommy...

Come on, son. Time to go to bed.

Pa fought at Bull run. He fought brave.

Now he limps.

Tommy, you gotta stop bothering folks.

Well, couldn't they, Major?

Couldn't they make up a song all full of glory about my Pa?

Lucas, you heard the boy.

I heard, Major.

See that you do it, hear me?

I'll sure do it, boy... how your Pa chased old Johnny Reb.

I didn't mean for him to bother you, Major.

No bother, John, no bother at all.

Good night.

Good night, Major.

You shouldn't make such a fuss, Tommy.

You're only one little boy around a campfire.

I'm not just one little boy, Ma. I'm John Darro's boy.

How can I make him understand?

How can I tell him?

He's only a boy, John.

You're the biggest thing in the world to him.

Children have dreams. They build castles.

They all grow up sometime.

It's not fair not to tell him.

It's fair.

Some day he's gonna find out.

Somebody, somewhere, sometime is gonna tell him about...

Oh...

When that time comes...

I'll want to die.

Hey!

Hey!

Hi-ya!

Thaddeus Briscoe, sir.

No need of that.

I can tell an Army man and a fighting man, sire.

Be he just sitting there, I can see the iron in him.

The war's over, mister.

Some wars, Colonel...

Major.

Yeah, well, like I was saying, Major,

some wars are over and some ain't.

Now, the Indian wars...

They ain't just about to be over for old Briscoe.

See that scar?

That's one reason why the wars with the Indians ain't over.

Here's another.

Yes, sir, Colonel, you're looking at

one of the few, if not the only survivor.

A whole wagon train wiped out. Massacred.

What's going on up there, Chuck?

You got me.

What is it, Pa?

I don't know.

I'll go see.

Tom.

More than likely it's a breakdown, Pa.

I'll tell them you can fix any part of a wagon... and real fast.

No, no. No, no.

Uh, I mean, there are others just as good.

There's nobody as good as you, Pa.

Tommy.

Been hunting buffalo, huh? On foot?

No, Colonel, with the greatest pal,

the finest friend a buffalo hunter ever had...

With a horse I call Thunderbolt.

It happened... Wasn't more than an hour ago.

He just dropped dead.

Down there.

Don't see a thing down there.

Oh, I buried him, Colonel.

I wouldn't leave my friend to the buzzards.

Take me with you. I'm an old man.

Maybe it'll happen to me soon

like it happened to my old horse.

Take me along with you. I'll earn my pay.

Well...

I don't reckon I can leave you out here all alone.

You won't regret it. I'll keep a sharp eye out for Indians for you, Colonel.

I'll fight for you. I'll fight them with a fury like you never seen!

There ain't no one that's never been in one

of them wagon train massacres that can feel like I do.

Were you really in a massacre? Really?

Was I? Let me tell you, boy...

You can tell him a little later.

For now, you just get in the back end of my wagon. It's the first one there.

We gotta make four or five more miles before noon.

All right, everybody, get back to your wagons.

Yes, sir, my blood is on the prairie.

So is the blood of my dead brother

and two score of others.

Nine years ago...

The pain is still with me.

Fever builds up sometimes. It builds up.

Tongue gets dry.

Feels like a desert gully in the middle of summer.

The name's Briscoe.

I heard.

Powerful hot.

Yeah, it sure is.

These old wounds ache.

You wouldn't have a little something

for a man that's done what I done?

Sure.

Water!

He sure does smell bad, Major. You better keep him downwind.

I'll bet that old dog ain't seen a buffalo in the last five years. Nah.

Probably got thrown off another wagon train someplace.

Maybe I better just cork up that jug a little tighter.

Mr. Briscoe...

Yes, sir, Colonel.

Major.

Mr. Briscoe,

you're perfectly welcome to stay with us,

but we run a sober train here,

and I want you to understand that.

Yes, sir.

Now, there's three or four wagons can use an extra hand...

Mr. Hawks and some of the others down the line.

Mr. Briscoe, you could come ride in our wagon.

Could I, boy?

Well, I don't know whether it'd be the right thing to do or not.

The Colonel here says I should go to a wagon that's short a man.

But I can tell by looking at you you're man enough for any wagon.

Mr. Hawks, I'd be mighty proud to ride in your wagon.

I'll earn my way.

You sure will.

Tommy, I think you better get back to your wagon.

Mr. Hawks...

just a wee drop of something medicinal

to take the chill off the old aching bones.

Not a drop before sundown. Now get in the back.

Could I ride with you for a bit, Mr. Hawks?

You sure can, Tommy, for as long as you like.

Did you get the boy loaded in?

He's in the back of my wagon with Briscoe.

Fine. Wagons, hi-yo!

Hi-ya! Hi-ya! Hi-ya!

What was it like, Mr. Briscoe? I mean, the massacre.

It was bad, boy, bad.

There's a man on the train, Mr. Briscoe. His name's Lucas.

He sings a song about a massacre of a wagon train

and a man called Thurmond.

That wasn't no song, boy. That's the gospel truth.

There we sat waiting...

waiting for John Thurmond to come back.

My brother Will, holding his baby, patting him on the back...

I can see it just as clear...

And then came the arrow.

It went right through...

Then his wife started over toward him and the baby.

Then it all started... the howling and screaming... and dying.

I saw that Indian coming, and I didn't care, boy.

My people were all dead, and I didn't care.

You hear me, Pa? You hear me, Ma?

He was really there! He saw it all!

I hear you, Tommy. Maybe he was just talking.

Ain't likely.

Well, why not? An old tramp on a trail... gives him something to say.

A tramp? That's nothing to call Mr. Briscoe.

Briscoe?

You know him, Pa?

I knew a Briscoe once.

Wait till you see him, Pa. Wait till you hear him talk!

Hush, Tommy, hush.

And there he was...

leading that hunting party away from the frozen camp.

Now that I look back,

he had that look of fear on his face...

The look of a coward.

You should have shot him right then.

You're a man after my own heart.

What's your name, neighbor?

John Bixby.

Well, Mr. Bixby, tomorrow morning...

If your missus has an extra flapjack for an old man...

Maybe I'll tell you some more.

You're welcome to eat with us.

Just eat?

Here you are.

Here's to the death... A coward's death...

Of John Thurmond.

Johnny...

I've been listening to him.

He doesn't have to see you, John. It's a big train.

Yeah, it's not that big.

Look, each night he'll stop by that big fire where the drinking men go.

He'll never get past that fire.

Thaddeus Briscoe.

He was a man once.

Rain, heat, cold... nothing bothered him.

He faced them all.

Strong man. He was a good man.

If I could only talk to him...

If I could try to tell him how it was...

The fear grabs you by the throat.

You try to break away. You can't.

All the time, that shame.

And that taste in your mouth that never goes away.

Johnny! Johnny! Johnny!

Mr. Hawks. Mr. Hawks.

Yeah, what is it?

UGH!

Mr. Hawks, Mr. Hawks...

Not now, you old windbag.

Brother Hawks, as one fighting man to another,

can you spare a drop of rum for my arthritis?

Listen, Major Adams says you've been having too much liquor as it is.

Now go on, get.

Mr. Briscoe, Mr. Briscoe!

Oh, not now, boy.

But Mr. Briscoe, I know where there's a bottle

that'll make your wounds feel better.

You do, boy?

Something grand and powerful to warm up an old man?

Yes, siree.

Well, then march, boy.

Mind you, watch out for the Indians behind every shadow.

Pa! Ma! I brought a friend!

Hush, Tommy, some people are trying to sleep.

This here is Mr. Briscoe.

My pleasure, ma'am.

Pa! Pa, this here is Mr. Briscoe.

Didn't you hear me, Pa? This is Mr. Briscoe.

Your Pa heard you real good.

Didn't you, Mr. Darro?

That's certainly good whiskey.

Fine fella you got here, Mr. Darro.

He knew I needed something for my arthritis when it's cold.

Said his Pa wouldn't mind giving some to old Thaddeus Briscoe

who suffered so at the hands of Yellow John Thurmond.

I sure did suffer, Mr. Darro.

Everybody knows that.

Pa's heard the song. I sing it.

Do you, boy? And does your Pa like it?

Pa ain't much for songs.

It's a good tune, Mr. Darro.

A mite sad, but it's a good tune.

Well, here's to all brave men.

My Pa's a brave man, too.

Is he now?

He fought in the war. He led a charge at Bull Run.

Did he now? Did he?

Ma'am, I don't know if you've heard or not

how the few of us that lived suffered at that massacre.

I heard, Mr. Briscoe.

If you could spare it, I'd take a drop more.

Well, let's see. What'll I drink to now?

To you, boy...

for figuring out the one place I'd most like to be

and leading me to it.

Maybe you'll come again, Mr. Briscoe.

That I promise.

You know, some folks think old Thaddeus Briscoe is kind of a pest.

They're not so eager to give the old man food

and maybe a little medicating liquid.

But your Ma and Pa, Tommy, I can see they'll be different.

Sure, I know that.

I can see that they respect a man

that's gone through what I've been through.

Ain't that so?

Mr. Briscoe...

I've been thinking about John Thurmond.

Yellow John Thurmond.

If you ever had a chance to talk with him,

maybe he could...

Could what?

Explain.

Explain what?

Mr. Briscoe, I've heard that John Thurmond

is a brave and a fine man.

Inside of each one of us, there's a breaking point.

Maybe if you'd had to go through what he went through...

Try to understand, Mr. Briscoe.

Understand Thurmond?

Why, Ma, why?

Because maybe he has a family, son,

maybe a boy like you,

and maybe he could prove to people

that's he's a fine and a brave man,

if they'd give him a chance,

if they would forgive him this one moment of human weakness.

The boy. The boy.

You think so?

I do. Oh, my god, I do.

You know what I think?

I think that wherever he is,

he's just as yellow as he ever was,

hiding behind some other name to be if he's ever noticed.

Well, he can beg for the rest of his life,

and it won't do him no good.

No good at all.

Mr. Briscoe.

John. John.

Wanna leave it, Steve?

Good night, Steve.

Night air sure chill a man.

Yes, sir, can chill a man clean through.

Seems kind of pleasant to me. What about you, Hawks?

By gosh, you're right, Chuck. It's warming up.

I think we're in for another hot spell.

You young fellas can stand a little cold weather.

Never used to bother me.

Back a few years ago, I used to stand anything,

sleep out anywhere.

I never been the same since that Thurmond massacre.

Time to turn in, Alice Elizabeth.

No call to go running off so early, folks.

Might as well sit a spell.

Bad enough having liquor in the camp without feeding it to the like of that.

Now, he'll be all right, Mr. Sparton.

All he needs is a good night's rest.

Night's rest won't do him any good. The devil's got him.

He's already burning in the fires of hell.

A little more respect, sir,

for a man who's lived through the Thurmond massacre.

SPARTON: Massacre? The chances are the sight of an Indian

is the only thing that's gonna bring you to fear God, Briscoe.

Massacre? It's the babbling of a drunken sot!

You folks about to turn in, Mr. Sparton?

Come, Alice Elizabeth.

Mr. Briscoe, I'm afraid you've reached the end of your drinking on this train.

MAN: Indians! McCullough spotted Indians!

So I'm just not gonna take any chances.

I want every man armed and ready.

You think they'll cause trouble, Major?

Well, it's hard to say.

Flint said they came to trade, but I don't believe it.

So you better double the guard. Right, Major.

Now, you, Mr. Peterson, Mr. Larson...

How come you're stepping back, Briscoe?

I ain't stepping back.

Better let him stand guard over the whiskey.

He'll be hanging around it anyway.

Colonel, sir...

Step aside, Briscoe. I want sober men.

Thompson, Curtis, and you, Ford.

What about my Pa, Major?

He's a real fighter.

Easy, easy now. Let the Major do the picking.

He fought at Bull Run.

Well, we can sure use a good man, Tommy.

Good man. Good man, you say.

That's funny, Colonel. That's very funny.

You're all so brave and smart and God fearing.

All of you!

Well, I was once, too!

I wore clean clothes!

People had respect for Thaddeus Briscoe!

Then one man...

One man took it all away from me!

One man... an upstanding, God-fearing family man!

Please, Mr. Briscoe, please!

This good man you picked to guard against the Indians is John Thurmond!

Yellow John Thurmond!

Pa! Hit him, Pa.

He won't hit nobody! He's Yellow John Thurmond!

Go on, tell him! Tell him!

Tell everybody!

You're John Thurmond! Yellow John Thurmond!

Tommy!

Tommy! Tommy!

Tommy. Tommy.

Listen, Tommy...

Leave me be!

No, no, Tommy, come here.

Let me go!

No, no, I can't let you go, Tommy.

Leave me be!

Tommy, you got any idea how hard it's been

keeping that a secret from you all these years?

Tommy, tell me, tell me a man can make a mistake

and still be a good father, still love his son.

Look at me. Tommy, Look at me! I'm your father!

I don't wanna look at you! I wanna die!

What are you two doing out here?

Major, you've been in battle. He respects you.

Tell him how a man can be afraid.

Sure.

Any man can be afraid.

You, too. Even you, Major.

Even me.

But you didn't stop, Major.

You didn't turn tail.

No, boy, but...

maybe I had better luck than most.

You go on back to camp. That's an order, Tommy.

Get back to your wagons, all of you.

We had a meeting, Major.

I'm not interested in your meeting.

We had a meeting, and we decided...

We ain't gonna do no hanging or anything like that, Major.

You bet your boots you ain't.

All we're saying, Major,

is decent people don't have to ride no wagon train with John Thurmond.

He's on this train. He stays on it.

Not according to out vote.

We voted to cast his wagon off the train tonight.

Why, cutting one wagon loose alone in hostile Indian territory

is just like murder,

and you know it as well as I do.

Wait a minute, wait a minute.

Now, you can turn me loose, but not my wife and boy.

Now, I done wrong, I admit it, but they haven't done anything.

They weren't even on that wagon train.

No need to listen to him.

You can't hurt them!

Stay out of this, Darro.

They can't turn my wife and my boy loose.

They're not gonna turn anybody loose.

These three people are gonna stay on this train.

Is that clear?

Just who you protecting, Major?

I'm protecting the people of my wagon train, Bixby,

people like you and you, Larson, and you, Peters,

people who are trying to get across this country

through the heat and the cold and the privation,

people that are trying to find a place to make a new home for themselves.

I don't give a hoot what he did before he joined this train.

He's lived by our rules. He's caused us no trouble.

I guaranteed to deliver him to the coast with his family and his goods in safety,

and as God as my judge, I'm gonna do just that.

We voted, Major. There's a hundred of us.

You can't stop us.

I can't?

You just try me.

Who's gonna lead you against the Indians, Bixby?

Who's gonna get you and your family through?

Answer me that, any of you!

All right then. Get back to your wagons.

You, too. The trouble's over.

Tommy, you see how your father fought for us?

He didn't stop them.

Major Adams... he's the one that stood up to them.

Tom, your father would die for you and me.

I don't believe it.

He would, Tommy, he would.

Mr. Hawks, where's Mr. Briscoe guarding?

The wagon after this, Tommy. Now, you mind the Indians, boy.

If he's like his father, he'll mind the Indians all right.

Mr. Briscoe, Mr. Briscoe.

Mr. Briscoe.

Go away.

You shouldn't be drinking. You're on guard.

Go away, son. Go away and leave me be.

Tell me it wasn't like that. Tell me he didn't, please.

What's done is done. Go away and go to sleep.

I can't sleep. I hear him. I hear Mom crying.

He's my Pa, Mr. Briscoe.

Don't you understand? I can't sleep.

I didn't mean to hurt you, son. I didn't mean to hurt anyone.

Did he really do those things? He says he can explain.

Is there something to explain?

I don't wanna hate my Pa, Mr. Briscoe. Please, help me.

Won't you help me?

I told you, what's done is done.

Your Pa was afraid of the Indians,

afraid of himself maybe. I don't know.

I don't know.

Go on back to your wagon, back to your Pa.

He did it to you, he did it to me, all of us.

Go on back. Leave me be.

I need a drink.

But why did you have to tell people?

Why'd you make them hate my Pa?

Why'd you have to make me hate him? Why?

I don't have to tell you why.

Mr. Briscoe!

I don't have to listen to you. Leave me be.

Mr. Briscoe!

Leave me be!

Why?!

Did you check with Jones?

I did. He's missing three head.

Well, that makes a total of eight then.

How many head are missing altogether?

Eight head, Major.

The sentry should have been able to see those Indians

before they're close enough to steal cattle.

Who was on duty here? Briscoe.

Briscoe! That loud-mouthed faker. Where is he?

I ain't seen him for quite a while.

Briscoe!

Matter of fact, I ain't seen him since last night, Major.

Wooster, go back and get everybody up here right away.

Right, Major.

As near as I can figure, that raiding party

must have taken Briscoe with them when they took the cattle.

The trail seems to lead north.

I'm going after him. Who wants to come along?

I'll go, Major. Me, too.

Any of the rest of you wanna go,

meet me at my wagon in five minutes.

I'm going.

John.

Major, count me in. I'm coming, too.

We don't want him.

You asked for volunteers.

I'm sorry, but we got enough men.

Major, you saw my boy last night.

You understand what I'm trying to do.

Yeah, I saw.

A youngster like that...

He doesn't understand the words. You gotta show him.

I gotta show him I'm not afraid.

I'd like to help you, but I can't force those men

to take you along if they don't want you.

I can't have dissension out there when those men are risking their lives.

I hope you understand that.

Yes, I understand.

Sorry.

Might have gathered a few pieces of wood for us

before they rode off.

Well, this sure ain't women's work.

His wife don't have to worry about gathering none.

Sure, but who'd wanna be Mrs. Thurmond?

Aline, it's Briscoe's boot.

How can you say? It's just an old boot that got left out on the prairie.

How can you tell? I can tell.

How many times have I had to look at it in the past week?

You know what that means?

Adams and the rest figure he went off that way up north.

Why, I found this boot south of the camp... way south.

I don't think he got taken by Indians at all.

I think he got drunk, so drunk he just wondered off,

got lost, and just kept going.

Then they'll pick up his trail.

They'll find him sooner or later.

By that time, it'll be too late.

Aline, I gotta go after him.

They laughed at you. They called you a coward.

They wouldn't take you with them. Let it be that way.

I'm a man, Aline. I need respect.

That's what's been killing me all these years.

I'm a proper man and a dignified one,

and I intend to see that people treat me that way again.

I love you. Take care, please.

I'll tell Tommy.

Ma. Ma, what's wrong? What is it?

Pray, Tommy.

For what?

For your father... that he find his way back.

To where?

To us.

Mr. Briscoe, Mr. Briscoe, come on.

Hey, it's about time you got here.

My ankle...

They brought you along?

There's nobody else.

What are you talking about, Thurmond?

You wouldn't go out on the prairie alone for your own mother.

Major!

Shh, quiet! Major Adams!

Quiet! Quiet!

There's Indians around!

Indians?

Shh.

There ain't no Indians, Thurmond.

Of course you'd make sure of that before you ventured out.

I don't need no John Thurmond's help.

I knew Adams and the rest of them wouldn't be far behind.

I knew you wouldn't go out on the prairie by yourself.

No, don't hurt me! Oh, don't hurt me!

Oh, God! Aah! Aah!

Any luck, Major?

No, not a sign of him.

Wish that McCullough was here. He's supposed to be a tracker.

Major, Major.

Major, you've gotta go after my Pa.

What?

Pa found Mr. Briscoe's boot. He went after him alone.

Are you sure?

Yes, sir.

Major. My Pa is a brave man, isn't he?

Well, he sure is, Tommy.

Wooster, you take charge, will you? Post sentries and double the guard.

Right. Come on, Bill.

Kennedy, get your guns. You heard the Major.

Hey, Major!

You missing anybody?

Yeah, why?

I saw signs of a fight... Raiding party and two white men.

The men dead?

No, Indians must have taken them captive.

You know where the Indian camp is?

Yeah. It's about a three-hour ride northwest.

Let's go.

You're gonna die, Thurmond.

You're gonna die in this stinking heathen hole.

You're gonna die!

Ain't you gonna scream like they did at the massacre?

Take it easy, Briscoe.

You'll see! You'll see!

They got them,

and from all that whooping and hollering,

they're gonna burn them.

You got any ideas?

Yeah.

It's not much of a chance, but it's the only one they got.

If you can get around this gully, you and Hawks

can come up that draw on the other side behind the Indian camp.

Now, Briscoe and Darro will be in the council teepee.

That's the big one there at the back.

You wait in the gully till you hear my shots.

The Indians will take out after me,

and that ought to give you enough time to get them out.

All right?

Wait a minute, Flint.

Keep your eyes open.

Why, they're coming for us! They're coming for us!

Here they come! They're coming! They're gonna take us!

Don't let them take me! Oh, no!

Shut up, you fool, shut up!

Aah!

Get him to our horse!

Ugh!

Come on, let's get out of here.

They'll be swarming all over us now.

It's the Major!

Ma, it's Daddy! It's Daddy!

Oh!

Hello, boy.

John! Oh!

You're all right! Oh!

Briscoe, maybe you'll listen to me now

and leave the whiskey to them that can handle it.

He saved my life.

Your father's a brave man, sonny,

and a fine name... Tommy Darro.

Got every right to be proud of it.

♪ Yellow John Thurmond is no more ♪

♪ Old John Darro settled the score ♪

♪ With peace of mind and his head held high ♪

♪ A happy man is he ♪

♪ Yellow John Thurmond had changed his name ♪

♪ To help him on his way ♪

♪ Though the fear within him was still the same ♪

♪ He knew he'd lick it one day ♪

♪ The day has arrived and John's fears are behind ♪

♪ Never more will he run ♪

♪ He's earned his freedom and now he'll find ♪

♪ Respect and a mighty proud son ♪

That's a little more like a song, isn't it, Tommy?

Sure is, Major.

♪ Old John Barro settled the score ♪

♪ With peace of mind and his head held high ♪

♪ A happy man is he ♪

♪