Original subtitles

Hyah, Hyah.

HARDIE: I rode shotgun from San Francisco

to Silver Town to deliver the monthly mine payroll.

I took the stage on into Morgan to pick up a horse

to go back to the home office in San Francisco

figuring my job was finished.

Actually, It had just begun.

Whoa.

Howdy, Jim.

Hello, Hank, boy. How are ya, Hank?

Mother!

Came from the top of that hotel

Must've gone down the back stairs.

He's long gone now.

Yeah, one thing's for sure,

he was waiting up here for that stagecoach.

And...

It wasn't just anybody he was shooting at. It was that woman.

Perfect stranger.

Not to the man that killed her, she wasn't.

You asked me if someone had a reason for killing my mother.

WOMAN: One man did.

Who was that?

His name is Aquith.

Until five years ago, he worked with my...

father in a brokerage house.

Sheriff, do you know anybody in this town named Aquith?

Aquith? No.

He's changed his name.

He's built up a complete new identity.

Why would he do that?

Because he stole 20,000 pounds

from the company my father worked for,

and he put the blame on my father.

He's responsible for my father being sent to prison.

Because he knew someday we'd find him.

Well, now, it seems to me

if a man stole that much money,

the police would be more interested

in finding him than you are.

There was a fire.

A body was found in the ashes and...

the police thought it was Aquith.

But you think it wasn't.

My mother was positive it wasn't

She spent every penny she had to track him down.

And you think he's here?

Yes, he settled here about two years ago.

How did you find that out?

WOMAN: My mother hired investigators in New York.

They traced a letter he'd wrote to a friend.

It bore the postmark of this town.

He knew we'd come to take him back to England.

That's why he killed my mother.

But that wouldn't help him none.

You're still here.

You could start proceedings against him yourself.

I can't. SHERIFF: Why not?

I've never seen him.

I was away at school the whole time.

Didn't your mother ever describe him to you?

How tall he was,

what he'd looked like.

HARDIE: About what age.

I... guess I never bothered to ask her.

I thought as long as...

she was with me

I wouldn't have to identify him.

I understand.

That doesn't help much, does it?

No, I'm afraid it doesn't.

Ma'am, I think the best thing for you to do

is to go back to England.

Go back? SHERIFF: Yes, ma'am.

It's gonna take me a spell to puzzle this thing out,

if I ever do.

But I'll be working on it, ma'am.

And you, Mr. Hardie.

Do you think I should go back to England?

I think we'll have time to think about it later on.

Hank, do you know of anyone in this town

that's got an English accent?

No.

Then I think what we'd better do is get a list

of names of all the people

that settled here about two years ago.

Maybe you don't know it, Jim,

but our sheriff's might touchy about his job.

Hates to be interfered with.

Well, I have no intentions

of interfering with anyone.

Just give a little assist here and there.

Thank you, Mr. Hardie.

You've got nothing to thank me for yet.

Hank, why don't you take Miss Hedge on over.

Get her a room, get her settled.

Thank you.

Thomson?

Good Afternoon. What can I do for ya?

Jim Hardie from Wills Fargo.

I got a list of names here.

Wondering if you tell me what you know about these people.

I hear you've been doing some investigating.

If you wanna call it that.

I do. I ain't getting so old I can't do my own.

I hear you've been asking questions about these four people

That's right. I figured one of them killed the English woman.

I happen to know these folks.

Some of 'em good, solid citizens.

Some of them are quick to take offense.

None of them will thank you for involving them.

The innocent ones have nothing to worry about.

Talk can hurt folks.

I don't intend to do much talking.

Good day. Good day.

Mr. Hardie?

That's right.

Let me introduce you.

Joe Jenson.

Stitch Bailey.

Larry Wills.

And I'm Whitey Lawson.

You should know the names, Hardie.

You've been making enough noise

saying them around town.

Would you mind telling us what it's all about?

Let's not pretend ignorance, Joe.

We know what it's all about.

He claims one of us is a murderer.

You're not afraid to use words, are you? Mr...

Lawson, was it?

I deal in 'em.

I publish the local paper.

Mr. Hardie?

I run a general store.

I can't afford to be mixed up in this foolishness.

It's bad for my business.

Relax, Joe. No publicity is bad for business.

Morgan's full of people, Hardie.

Why single us out?

We have reason to believe that the killer,

whoever he is,

settled down about two years ago.

How long have you been here, Mr. Jenson?

Mr. Wills?

Maybe you'll give me an answer, Mr. Bailey.

How about you, Mr. Lawson.

You have a point, Hardie. Make it.

In every deck there are four jacks.

This is no different.

Except in this case, one of these jacks is wild.

You could be wrong. HARDIE: could be.

I've been wrong before. Probably be wrong again.

But I don't think I am this time.

WELLS: Why?

Because you're the only four who fit the picture

Now, look here.

One of you is a killer.

The other three are innocent.

I hope you three feel as I do

about any man who'd kill a woman.

Well, Bailey's the only man I know

that's cold blooded enough to kill a woman.

You talk a lot, Lawson.

When you drink, you talk out of a bottle.

Hey, it's a tough world, Stitch.

A man has to find inspiration where he can.

Lawson is the only one who talks

good enough to be an Englishman.

Yeah, but you, Joe, you're quiet but deep.

Shut up, Lawson.

Well, it's gotta be one of us.

Lawson, Bailey, Jenson, or Wills.

Sounds like a law firm.

And come to think of it.

Wills could be your man.

He doesn't have a past

and probably no future.

Another killing wouldn't mean anything to him.

That's the way it is, Lawson.

A man with a mouth as big as yours won't be missed.

Now, take it easy, Wills.

BARRY: Can't you see what he's trying to do?

He trying to play us off against each other.

There's no way he can be sure

it has to be one of us that killed the English woman.

One of you is a killer.

How can you be sure you're holding all the jacks.

Because this town is a like a deck of cards.

It only has four jacks.

Maybe.

But there's a joker.

And the joker's wild.

Somebody broke into my room and tried to kill me.

Take care of her.

Well?

Whoever it is, is gone now.

What happened?

Somebody tried to kill her.

Probably the same one that killed her mother.

I've been a stubborn mule, Hardie. What can I do to help.

You might start by checking our friends' guns

I imagine he's gotten rid of it by now.

I'll check 'em anyway.

He's smarter than that I hope.

Vicky, We better get you back to your room.

All right. Come on in.

Why would he want to kill me?

'Cause he obviously thinks you can identify him.

But I can't. I don't know anything about him.

Try to remember.

Dig way back in your memory

and see if there isn't some little thing

that you can possibly come up with.

Nothing.

I can't remember anything!

It's all right.

Now, Vicky, you keep yourself locked in this room

and don't open that door for anyone

unless it's Hank or me.

And remember one other thing.

If you leave here, you could very well get yourself killed.

Is that clear?

All right.

"Lawson, Jenson,

Bailey, Wills."

You keep going round and round.

One of those four men is a murderer,

and I don't know which one.

There's gotta be a way of smoking him out.

Sure, but how?

I don't know that either.

Jim.

You fool. Aren't you tired

of making a target out of yourself?

Put me down this instant!

Put me down!

I was doing it deliberately!

Don't you see, Mr. Hardie?

If you use me as a decoy... That settles it.

The sheriff was right.

You're gonna be on the next stage out of here.

No, Mr. Hardie. What do mean, "No?"

I'm not leaving here until my mother's murderer is found.

And it's not just my mother.

My father is still in jail!

And you think it's worth getting killed over?

If you leave this thing to me,

we'll get it solved one way or another.

I'm sorry, Mr. Hardie. I'm not going back.

Not until this killer is found.

Hardie! Jim Hardie!

Come out here, Hardie.

Hardie,

this was a nice town before you got here.

You hear me?

I hear you.

What are you trying to stir up, Wills?

Keep out of this, Sheriff. My quarrel's not with you.

You haven't got a quarrel with me either

unless your name's Aquith.

I say, this used to be a nice, quiet town

till Wills Fargo began stinking it up with agents.

Get out of the way, Sheriff.

Hardie!

I'm gonna count to three, then draw.

Don't try it, Wills.

One...

Two...

Three!

Somebody get a doctor. Here, Sheriff.

Take him inside.

Pull that bench around.

Thank you, men. That'll be all.

All right, Aquith, tell us about it.

Don't pin that label on me.

I never killed no woman.

Larry Wills is what I was born.

Then what's this all about, Wills?

You here, bleeding and broke.

Broke?

I got more money than you got, Sheriff.

There'd have been another 500 to match it

if I'd have put you under, Hardie.

I could've made it the easy way if I'd have got her.

But I couldn't gun down... a girl.

And who paid you to do it?

I got paid.

You'll have to figure out...

who paid me.

Well, that narrows it down to three.

But which one?

I think your uncle's gonna tell us that.

Uncle?

I don't have an uncle.

Oh, yes, you do.

He'll be coming in here on the 3:00 stage tomorrow.

What's that man's name again? Kevin Boons.

He came over from England a few years ago

and he came with Wells Fargo.

He's been with us ever since.

Looks, age, and all,

I think he's gonna be a very convincing uncle.

Who is it? Hank.

We got a very interesting reply

from those New York detectives.

Go find the sheriff.

I'll meet you over in our office in a few minutes.

Right.

What is it?

The answer we've been waiting for... I think.

Now, Vicky, the best way in the world you can help us

is to keep right on staying here in your room,

not opening this door to anyone.

I won't.

When did you get this?

Just a few minutes ago.

Why don't I just go pick him up?

'Cause you'd never get him to admit he's a killer.

We're gonna have to smoke him out.

Yeah, you're right.

We'll go on just as we planned.

Each of us take a man,

keep an eye on him.

We've gotta make him believe we're awful busy.

HARDIE: Don't shoot! We'll take him alive.

He's Aquith?

That's right.

I thought it was one of us.

Why wasn't he on the list of

two-year residents?

'Cause he came here about four years ago.

Yes, he bought the livery stable and the smithy here.

Worked them for about a year

and then went back to New York.

He returned just before you folks came.

Give me a hand.

According to that telegram,

he made the mistake of writing his friends in New York

he was staying on.

Mr. Hardie.

Remember I warned you about a joker.

Oh, yeah.

That's right. You did.

Good day.

It took a few days while depositions went back and forth,

but an English court finally released Vicky's father from prison.

Vicky was there to meet him.

I get a letter from her now and then.

She's living with her father.

She won't be for long.

She's getting married soon,

a London barrister no less.