Original subtitles

DRIVER: Hyah! Hyah!

Don't move, mister.

Plan it right, it works out right.

I'll see you in the morning boys.

Hold it!

JIM: The marshal had recognized the leader of the bank robbers,

a man named Pete Jennings.

Jennings had made a clean getaway

with the $21,000 he took from our Dillman office.

Wells Fargo posted a reward

and did all of the usual things

and drew a great big blank.

I'm Jim Hardie, Special Agent for Wells Fargo.

I'd hardly been assigned to the case

when out of nowhere, I got a tip.

I didn't know whether it was worth anything or not,

but I couldn't ignore it.

That's where I was going now, to White Springs.

My tipster had said that Pete had gotten married

and was living there.

I'd soon find out.

The sheriff didn't know anyone in White Springs

named Pete Jennings,

but a man answering his general description

had rented a house two or three months ago.

He called himself George Grant.

It would've been plain suicide

to rush the house if George Grant

was really Pete Jennings,

so we waited.

I'll be back in about an hour, honey.

Here, let me have that.

Hello, Pete.

Howdy, Jim.

It's been a long time.

Yeah. I figured I had lost you.

Yeah.

Wells Fargo figured they had lost $21,000.

What does he mean?

Elsie, I... I'd like you to meet Jim Hardie.

You might say we're old friends.

Jim, this is my wife.

Pleased to meet you. Ma'am.

JIM: Sorry it has to be under these circumstances.

Well, Pete, you can make it easy on yourself.

You mean the money.

Exactly.

No, Jim. That money is my insurance.

I figure I'll get five to ten years for this,

but the money will be waiting for me when I get out.

Get smart, Pete.

That Wells Fargo agent, you hit him on the head,

but he's all right.

The Sheriff was hardly touched.

If you'll turn that money over to me now,

then I'll tell Wells Fargo.

They'll try to get you a light sentence.

No dice, Jim.

All right.

Get the horses, Sheriff.

You have a very pretty wife.

It's a shame you're gonna be gone from her so long.

She'll be waitin' for me.

Won't you, honey?

Pete. Pete, please. Maybe you better tell him.

All those years in jail,

it'll be awful without you.

JIM: She makes a good deal of sense, you know.

Not only that. Wells Fargo

is not gonna forget about you, Pete.

When you come out, there'll be a man there to meet you.

He'll stay with you the rest of his life if he has to.

If you ever go near the gold,

then you'll wind up right back where you came from... prison.

Pete, tell him.

Let's go.

You wanted to see me, Jim?

Yes, I did.

I just got this letter from Pete Jennings.

You think he's ready to tell us where he's hidden the money?

I'll let you know after I have a talk with him.

When you leaving? Right away.

Will you tell Mr. Carter where I've gone?

Will do.

Good luck, Jim. Thank you.

I knew I could count on you, Jim.

Well, I came as soon as I could.

What's on your mind?

This letter.

I've been half out of mind.

Listen, it says,

"Pete, we know you still have the Wells Fargo money."

"If you don't tell us where it is"

we're gonna kidnap your wife.

"She's a nice gal, partner.

"We'd hate to see anything happen to her.

You'll be hearing from us."

Got any idea who sent it? No.

He calls you partner.

Suppose it could be one of your old sidekicks.

It could be anyone.

Doesn't guarantee that they'll

go through with their end of the bargain.

They could wind up with the money and...

I'll have Elsie, dead.

You're absolutely right.

I'm not thinkin' of the money, Jim.

You gotta believe that.

What are you thinking of? Elsie.

If anything did happen to her, I would go out of my mind.

She's the only good thing that ever happened to me, Jim.

About the hold-up, I...

I figured I'd get enough for a good spread and go straight.

I think you know that wouldn't work, though.

No, I guess not.

I've got a proposition for you.

Find out who's behind this.

Nail him down, so Elsie's safe, and I'll...

I'll tell you where the money is.

This isn't very much to go on.

And I haven't got much to look forward to

if you don't stop him, Jim.

If you get any more of these letters, you telegraph me immediately

All right.

Look, tell Elsie that I...

Well...

tell her I miss her.

Well, I'll do what I can.

You'll hear from me. Thanks.

How do you do? I was looking for Mrs. Jennings.

Does she still live here?

Well, just what did you want to see her about?

I'd rather talk to her in person.

I'm Jim Hardie, an investigator with Wells Fargo.

Oh, yes. I'm Elsie's sister, Marge Walker.

Won't you come in? Thank you.

MARGE: I'm afraid you came at a bad time.

Elsie was just getting ready to leave.

I'll only detain her a moment.

Someone to see you, Elsie.

ELSIE: Be right there.

You heard from Pete lately?

Well, yes. We got a letter just last week.

Well, Elsie went up to see him a month ago.

Well, it is rather a problem, Mr. Hardie.

It's a long and expensive trip.

I'm sure it is.

I'll see if I can't arrange

for a pass for her on one of our stages.

Might help a little.

Oh, could you? That would be wonderful.

Yes, Marge? Who is it?

Oh. It's you.

Good evening.

I know just what you're thinking.

This dress.

Well, I haven't said a word about it.

I've got to earn a living,

and there aren't many jobs in this town for women.

Marge, she was lucky.

She got a job at the store here.

I had a choice. Either slinging hash

or singing at the Birdcage.

That's not exactly what I came here to talk to you about.

I was up seeing Pete.

Oh?

He said to tell you he missed you a good deal.

That's fine.

When he gets out, I'll be an old woman.

Elsie!

It's all right for you to talk.

You don't have to put up with it.

Men, pawing at you, spilling whiskey on your clothes.

I'm so sick of the Birdcage, I could scream!

What do you want, Mr. Hardie?

It's about you and Pete and the money.

He received this.

I thought you ought to know about it.

JIM: Needless to say he's pretty upset.

Oh, no. No!

What is it Elsie?

They'll kill me! I know they will!

If Pete really loves me like he says,

he'll give them the money.

It's not doing him any good,

and it's certainly not helping me.

He called me up there and made a deal with me.

That if I'd find out who's behind this,

then he'd turn the money back to Wells Fargo.

What am I supposed to do in the meantime?

Hide away somewhere like a criminal?

Now, Elsie's right.

We can't take chances. Pete has to let them have the money.

Of course. How do you even know where to begin?

How can you even start looking for them?

I've had a good deal of experience

in these matters, Mrs. Jennings.

For right now, I'm going to ask you

to sit tight and do nothing.

I don't know.

I'm gonna try to see that you're protected in all cases.

And if I find out I'm getting nowhere after a while,

then I'll come back to you, and we'll try it your way.

All right, Mr. Hardie. We'll see.

Good night. You'll hear from me very soon.

Things were starting to break.

The kidnappers knew I was in town.

There wasn't much to go on, I know,

but I was certain it wouldn't stop with that one shot.

Mind if I join you?

Oh, it's a pleasure, ma'am.

Thanks.

Drink? Why not?

Jack, another glass for the lady.

Um, what about Hardie?

He made a deal with Pete.

Oh? What kind of a deal?

He thinks he could find out who sent the letters

if Pete agreed to tell him where the money is hidden.

I put on a big act like I was scared I'd be killed.

Don't worry about Hardie.

I took care of him.

Didn't I, Jake?

No.

What do you mean no?

I missed him.

Look, Clete, it can happen.

It was just one of those things.

Next time, I won't miss.

You better not.

You know, maybe you oughta pay the jailbird a visit.

Let him see just how scared his little wife is.

I don't know.

The longer we keep stalling,

the more chance of something going wrong.

She's right.

Look, Clete...

Let's go ahead as we planned before Hardie stuck his nose in.

All right, then.

Then we can get out of this godforsaken town.

Good mornin', Miss Walker.

We shouldn't have listened to you, Mr. Hardie.

Elsie didn't come home last night.

She didn't, huh?

I hope you'll understand the way I mean this, Miss Walker.

Did she ever fail to come home before?

Of course not.

I don't think it has anything to do with the kidnap threat.

Why not?

They told Pete that he'd hear from 'em again.

They're relying on him to tell 'em where the money is.

That way, they won't have to kidnap your sister.

That letter hasn't come.

How do you know?

I made arrangements for Pete to telegraph me if a letter came.

I haven't heard from him.

Do you think your sister could be stayin' with friends?

No, she would've told me.

I suppose we'd better go ask a few questions.

Maybe she left before you got up this mornin'.

I told you, Mr. Hardie, her bed hadn't been slept in.

"If you value your sister's life,

"tell us where the money is.

"Place an ad in the newspaper

"if you ever want to see her again.

"The ad must read, 'All is well. Come and see me.'

You will get word from us."

Oh, Mr. Hardie, what are we gonna do?

Exactly what it says to do.

So I took the chance that you'd tell me where the money is

and ran the ad.

Now, are you gonna tell me?

How do I know this isn't a trick?

Maybe my wife's still home, safe.

Maybe you and Wells Fargo are puttin' the squeeze on me

to get your hands on the money.

Maybe,

'cept we don't do business that way.

I brought you a note from your sister-in-law.

I'm sorry, Jim.

Well?

You know where Dead Beat Canyon is.

Yes...

At the end of the canyon, there's a cave.

You go in about five feet,

and the cave turns to the left and to the right.

You take the left side.

Pace off 15 yards,

you'll find a pile of rocks.

The money's underneath 'em.

I'll find it.

Hold.

JAKE: All right, throw out the money, Hardie.

You can't get past me. I got you bottled up.

JIM: The man, whoever he was, was right.

He had me bottled up.

Well, the ad's placed the way they want it.

The money's ready. Now it's up to them.

Is everything all right?

Right as rain.

I left the instructions at the house.

Hardie will be along with the money.

When we get that money,

you're gonna take me to New York, aren't you, Clete?

Honey, we're gonna see the whole wide world together.

Clete?

Do we have to kill Hardie?

Now, you want that trip, don't you?

You want to get away

from this stinkin', grubby little town, don't you?

Well, if Hardie lives, he'll be on our backs no matter where we go.

JIM: The kidnappers' answer to the ad

gave complete instructions.

If I followed those instructions,

they'd lead me to where Elsie was being held.

The second set of instructions were buried here.

The next turn in the trail would take me to the shack.

I kept thinking of Pete Jennings

back there in that prison.

I wondered how I'd break the news to him

if I didn't find her alive.

Well?

Here he comes.

21,000 simoleons on the hoof.

And with Jake gone, there's no one to split it with.

Now, you remember what to do, don't ya?

I remember.

Just set him up for me.

Now, no slip-ups.

Help me! Help me!

Let me go!

Let me go! Let me go!

Careful, Hardie, they're trying to kill me!

Clete, you got him!

Yeah.

Clete!

Clete!

The ironic part of it is that even if you'd have killed me,

you wouldn't have gotten any money.

Those sacks were stuffed with paper.

The real money is in the Wells Fargo office back in town.

He was going to kill me all along, wasn't he?

I suppose he was.

Maybe he should've.

I'm no good.

Pete, he...

He treated me right,

but that wasn't enough for me.

What are you going to tell him?

Nothing.

It's not my job to interfere in people's personal lives.

Maybe you won't believe this, Mr. Hardie,

but I really loved...

If you hadn't taken him away, I...

Let's get one thing straight.

I didn't take him away.

He committed a robbery.

I only did my job.

Now, you're a big girl, Elsie.

You knew what you were getting into.

You play with filth, there's some of it gonna rub off on you.

What you've got to do now

is sit down and take a good, long look at yourself

and decide which way you want to go.

I...

I don't know how I can ever...

face Pete again.

Do you really want to?

Yes.

Yes, I do.

Are you going to turn me over to the sheriff?

No, I don't think I will.

You're gonna pay

for whatever wrong you might've done.

That I'm sure.

Mr. Hardie...

thank you.

JIM: Elsie Jennings was as good as her word.

When Pete got out, he settled down to an honest job.

He's makin' good,

and they're bringin' up two of the cutest kids you ever saw.

One of them's named after me...

James Hardie Jennings.

And I'm on my way now to help celebrate his third birthday.