Original subtitles

All right, get down.

Josh: Let's go.

Well, there's your prisoner, sheriff.

All in one piece.

That's Hunt Willis, all right.

The authorization for the reward payment hasn't come in yet.

Probably be in in the morning.

Oh, there's no hurry.

All I need is 12 hours of good sleep.

Well, there's a hotel just up the street. Come on.

Oh, what do you want me to do with his horse?

Oh, I'll take him down to the livery stable.

Take care of yours, too, if you want me to.

Then you can go get some sleep.

Much obliged.

Howdy.

Well, howdy. Can I do something for you?

Yeah, I'm looking for the sheriff.

Well, that's me.

I mean the one that was here last night.

I was out of town last night.

Then one of your deputies, where is he?

I ain't got no deputy.

Say, do you mind if I ask you something?

- Go ahead. - What's your name?

Paulson. Lon Paulson.

Yeah, well, did you get my telegram yesterday?

I already told you I was out of town yesterday.

Now, wait a minute.

I brought a prisoner in here last night.

We locked him up right there.

We ain't had a prisoner in this jail for over a month.

You, uh, mind telling me where you were yesterday?

Why, you...

Was it you?

Hmm?

Was it you who sent that message?

You lost me. Now I don't know what you're talking about.

Somebody sent me word

that there was a body up in Snake's Pass.

There'd been a killing.

I went up there and it was a wild goose chase.

Are you sure you didn't send me that message?

It wasn't me.

Well, it sounds like something you'd do,

coming in with a cock-and-bull story

like you just told me.

Now, you go on and get out of here before I lock you up.

Wait a minute.

Go on!

Would you believe me if I told you

I brought Hunt Willis in here last night

and we locked him up right there in that cell?

I'd say you was crazy.

Yeah, well, if I don't get out of here pretty soon,

I'm gonna have to agree with you.

Hello, Pop. Say, tell me, you working here yesterday?

Yeah.

You notice a man come in here about midnight with two horses.

I don't remember.

Well, I don't suppose that $10

would help refresh your memory.

Well, ordinarily it might.

In this case, it don't do anything for me.

You see, there wasn't any horses

brought in here last night.

Somebody steal your horse?

Yeah, along with a couple of other things.

Well, the sheriff's right up the street.

Why don't you see him?

I already did. Thanks.

Well, you gotta understand he's pretty busy these days.

Hunt Willis is supposed to be in the area.

Yeah? Let me ask you something.

The sheriff, has he spent much time

trying to find this Hunt Willis?

Well, some folks say one thing and some say another.

Such as?

Well, some say he's looking for Hunt,

some say he's looking the other way.

He should've been looking this way

when I brought Hunt Willis in last night.

You brought Hunt Willis in here last night?

Mm-hmm.

Huh.

He a friend of yours?

Uh-uh. Kinda choosy myself.

And what about the rest of the town?

Well, every man is entitled to his own opinion.

Say, Pop, what do you know

about that train business Hunt Willis is mixed up in?

Well, I only know what I heard,

sidetracked about seven miles from here

to let a manifest freight go through.

I understand he shot up the Express messenger.

Killed him.

You know, I've known Hunt

ever since he was knee-high to a duck.

Never was any good.

I guess he ain't changed.

If he gets a chance, he'll shoot you in the back.

Stay away from him.

Much obliged.

Advice is free, son. Funerals ain't.

What'd he want?

Trying to find out who stole his horse.

Sound kinda crazy to you?

Determined, maybe, but not crazy.

What else did he say?

Claims he brought Hunt Willis in here last night.

That's what he told me.

You know what I think?

I think he's trying to collect that $1,000 reward

under false pretenses.

If you ask me, he's telling the truth.

Aw, what do you know about it?

The lamp in your office was burning till almost midnight.

Well, I wasn't there.

Somebody was.

Two men rode into town late.

After 15 or 20 minutes, two men rode out again.

What else do you know?

I know that Hunt Willis is a kin of your'n.

Anybody ever tell you you talk too much?

If you don't like the answers,

don't ask the questions.

Yes, sir. Something I can do for you?

Yeah, I'd like to check on a telegram I sent here yesterday.

The name's Randall.

I don't recall the name.

What was the message about?

I said I was bringing in Hunt Willis.

Oh, sure. Heh.

Yeah, it isn't very likely I'd forget anything like that.

Yeah, that message come in in the morning,

and then I got the one in the afternoon about paying the reward,

the one authorizing the bank to pay the $1,000.

Yeah, I remember the name now, too.

I guess you must feel pretty good about that, Mr. Randall.

Well, I could be better.

What did you do with the messages?

Give 'em to the sheriff.

In person?

Well, I shoved them under his office door.

See, he was out of town all day yesterday.

I guess he got them when he got back.

Mm-hmm. You work here alone?

Yeah, not enough work around here

to hire another telegrapher.

Were you here all day yesterday?

Yeah, all day.

Oh, I went out to lunch.

Did you send for authorization to pay out that reward money?

No.

Hmm. Could anybody else have sent it from here?

Well, not likely.

What are you asking all the questions for? Is something wrong?

You might say that.

Could somebody up the line have sent the message

to make it to look like it came from this office?

Well, that's possible, but not very likely.

Well, if they did, how would it work?

Well, now, let's see.

The authorization to pay the reward

comes from the district superintendent up at Fort Summit.

Yeah, could be somebody up there recognized the fist.

What's a fist?

That's the way you send, mister.

There's no two people got the same touch on a telegraph key.

It gets so as you can tell who all's working up and down the line

just by listening to 'em send.

Yeah. Well, here's $10.

I want you to see if you could find out

where that message come from, huh?

What's your interest in this, mister?

Well, about $1,000.

Listen, I'll be back later.

You see what you can do for me, huh?

Say, I wonder if I could get a little information.

I'll be glad to help you if I can.

Did you give out any reward money here yesterday?

Yes, sir, we did.

I handled the matter myself.

$1,000 just before we closed for the day.

Paid to a man named, uh, Josh Randall.

Randall.

You wouldn't remember what he looked like?

About your height, maybe a little heavier.

Had a mustache, if I remember.

Thank you.

I was very glad to hear that they finally caught Hunt Willis.

Well, don't be too glad. He's gone again.

Again? But we paid the reward to Mr. Randall.

He had a telegraph message from the railroad authorizing payment.

I don't understand this.

Don't suppose it would do any good if I said that I was Randall.

No, sir, I don't think it would.

How we doing?

It looks like we hit pay dirt.

The fella that sent the authorization on the reward's Ollie Tate.

He works in a station in Hode's Junction

about 10 miles west of here.

Much obliged.

Oh, mister, don't forget your change.

You gave me a $10 bill.

That message only come to 2.80.

Well, you keep it. Get yourself a haircut.

Because if this works out, I'm gonna make $990.

Yeah, you get a haircut.

Pop, I wanna rent a horse from you.

Wait a minute. Did you say rent?

Yeah, rent.

Where you going?

Well, I'm trying to find Hunt Willis.

Under those circumstances,

that horse just got taken off the rental market.

He's for sale.

Oh. Well, how much do I lose on the deal

when I sell him back to you?

Same amount you'd have paid if you'd have rented him.

How much is that?

I'll tell you when you get back.

Much obliged.

Be right with you.

Hello, sheriff.

I think you've made a mistake.

This is a railroad station, mister.

I don't think so.

This office is closed.

One inch and you're a dead man.

All right, get over here.

Get your hands over your head.

What do you want from me?

The $1,000 you took from the Cottonwood Bank.

I don't know what you're talking about.

And then I want Hunt Willis.

Never heard of him.

Now listen to me.

I've got a rented horse outside.

Every second I spend with you costs me money,

and I'm a very stingy man.

Then I suggest you take that horse back where you got him.

They don't change your looks, but they help.

Just hate to hit a man with glasses.

Maybe you'd rather hit one that's half blind.

You don't need these glasses any more than I do.

Now where's that $1,000, huh?

I still don't know what you're talking about.

You're liable to wear yourself out if you're not careful.

There's your $1,000. That's all you wanted, isn't it?

There's the question of a saddle and a very, very good horse.

Well, I can get them back for you.

Where's Hunt Willis?

I can't help you there.

Now listen to me, it's just a point of pride,

but this $1,000 doesn't belong to me

until I bring Hunt Willis in, you understand?

Well, that's your problem, not mine.

I'm gonna share it with you.

What makes you so sure I know where he is?

You broke him out of jail.

And I got paid for it, too.

Yeah, I expect you did.

Now where do I find him?

I'm sorry.

Well, I'm gonna have to improve your memory.

And I assure you, it's gonna hurt you

a lot more than it's gonna hurt me.

I'll take you. I'll take you.

I'll take you.

After dark.

Now.

In broad daylight? You wanna get us both killed?

All right, where's your horse?

We won't need a horse. It's not that far.

Well, you walk slow and you stay close to me.

I don't want anybody trying to pick me off.

Now go on ahead.

I think you're crazy to try to take him now.

I don't trust you in the daylight, much less at night.

You're gonna make a real good target for him,

I can tell you that.

You ever stop and think, Hunt Willis nails you,

he won't have to split the money with you.

You know, the money you two stole off that train?

I didn't hold up that train.

Well, that's funny 'cause I figured

you were the only that could've flagged down that train,

you know, made sure it was sidetracked?

Think you can prove that in court?

Keep moving, buster.

Put your hands in your pockets,

and you keep them in there.

You find the man you're looking for?

I think so.

All right, that's it.

What's the matter now?

I thought you said it wasn't very far.

Well, it isn't. Just through that cut.

You go ahead.

You do that again, mister, and I'm just liable to shoot you.

I didn't try anything. I just tripped over that rock.

Get up.

Hunt!

Hunt, it's me, Ollie Tate!

Come ahead.

Who hit the trap?

The bounty hunter who brought you in at Cottonwood.

What's he doing here?

I brought him, Hunt.

I led him right into that trap.

Well, how'd he get to you?

Nobody saw you in Cottonwood.

Well, I don't... I don't think so.

Don't you lie to me.

Well, maybe...

Maybe there was one person that saw me.

Who?

Who?

The teller at the bank.

Why him?

Why the teller?

Now, look, Hunt, I went way out on a limb for you.

As far as I know,

maybe you weren't even gonna keep your end of the bargain.

I had no way of being sure.

Why the teller?

Well, it was the reward.

On you, the $1,000.

I couldn't see any use in it going to waste.

And I was gonna split it with you, Hunt, I really was,

and I'm telling you the truth.

Idiot. A plumb out-and-out idiot.

Was he alone?

Randall?

"Randall?" No, the king of Spain.

Yeah, he was alone.

Nobody behind him?

No. I'm sure.

Good. That's good.

You sure the trap got him?

Yeah, he's dead.

Hmm.

What are you gonna do, Hunt?

Something I should have done a long time ago.

Nobody never could trust that Ollie.

He said you was dead.

I'll give him this, though.

He only missed by a few minutes.

Let him alone, Hunt.

Don't tell me what to do, Lon.

I said let him alone.

Well, let's face it.

If it wasn't for you, I just wouldn't be buying a new hat. I'd...

All right, I was wrong about you.

Well, that makes us even.

I was wrong about you, too.

Listen, I got $1,000 here.

It's Hunt Willis' reward money.

I think you ought to take half of it.

No, you caught him first.

It wasn't your fault he got loose.

Besides, I don't want the money.

You see, Hunt's my cousin.

And there are certain citizens in this town

who figured I was in cahoots with him.

Well, if you're asking for an apology,

you got it, at least from me.

Pop, how much do I owe you for that horse?

Well, since Hunt rode him back in,

I think I'll send him the bill.

At least I know where I can find him.

Well, I know you're not interested,

but I could be talked into buying a drink.

Well, I could be talked into accepting.

Well, I might consider it.

It's been a long hard day, ain't it?