Original subtitles

MAN: Hyah! Hyah!

Tales of Wells Fargo.

Come in.

Jim, I've been expecting you. Glad to see you.

Come on in. How are you, Bob?

Been a long time, about two years, hasn't it?

Closer to three.

I would have to get Into a mess to bring you here.

Well, what kind of a mess you in?

Couldn't be much worse.

After 14 years with the company,

I thought I was a pretty good judge of people but...

Just a minute.

The story I got is just simple case of robbery.

$4,000 isn't simple.

Mr. Benton, I heard... Don't touch a thing.

It's Mr. Benton. He's dead.

It's customary to register

before you take a room at this hotel.

Where is the man that has this room?

Nobody's got this room.

Better put that thing away before somebody gets hurt.

Somebody's already been hurt.

There's a man shot across the street.

The shot came from here.

What are you talking about?

Across the street?

Not Bob Benton?

Yes, do you know him?

Well, he's my best friend.

He isn't dead?

Yes, he is.

We've had just about every kind of thief

or robber that you can think of,

but we ain't never had a killer like this one.

Sniping at a man, it just ain't decent.

Murder seldom is.

Why didn't he come to me?

Why'd he holler out to you for help?

Maybe he thought you were in with the crooks.

Look. Look, that fleabag hotel of yours

has been on my list for a long time.

Maybe it's time I paid some attention to it.

If you find anything wrong with my hotel,

I'll give you the place

Well, with a Wells Fargo detective on the case,

I guess there ain't much I can do.

Just yell out if you need help.

If I need help, I will.

He couldn't find a crook

at a pickpocket's convention.

I'm glad you're here, Mr. Hardie.

Thank you.

I'm gonna find the murderer of Bob Benton,

for more reasons other than he was a good employee

of Wells Fargo.

He was a good friend,

and a long-time personal friend.

He was my friend for 15 years.

We served in the army together.

He saved my life

at the Second Battle of Bull Run.

Stayed with me when he could've made his own escape.

We were in Libby prison, three years.

Two people go through a thing like that,

they're not exactly strangers.

Mr. Hardie, I'm not a rich man

but I'll personally pay $500 reward

for the arrest and conviction of the man

or woman who shot Bob Benton.

That's very kind of you, Major Dorcas,

but I'm not allowed to accept reward money, thank you.

I'll give it to anyone who helps you.

I'll give it to an informer.

Well, don't look at me.

I'll be back at the hotel if you want me.

Thank you, sir.

I'll may come over and get a room.

ROY: I'll save you one.

He's got nothing but rooms over there.

I take it you don't like Major Dorcas.

I don't dislike him.

In fact, I live at the hotel myself.

I didn't like that crack about informers.

Oh, I didn't either.

You both knew about the robbery, didn't you?

Benton practically accused me

of stealing the money?

Did you?

Mr. Hardie,

I've worked for Wells Fargo for almost five years.

I've been a hard, faithful worker.

It isn't fair that I should suddenly

become an object of suspicion.

I don't suspect you any more

than I do anyone else at this point.

From that I gather I am also under suspicion.

Are you, Miss Parnell?

I work here too. At least I did.

You still do.

This office has to continue to function no matter,

same as before.

Let me see if I've got the facts straight.

On May the 17th,

a shipment of money was brought in here

to be stored in the safe overnight.

It was to be shipped the next morning on the Creed stage,

is that correct?

That's what Benton said.

What do you mean by that?

I never saw the money.

I saw it. It was stacked

on Mr. Benton's desk when I came in here

with the morning mail.

He seemed to be counting it.

Is that a usual procedure?

Mr. Benton was always careful.

And did you see him put the money in the safe?

No, I can't say that I did

but he must've done so.

I have no reason to believe otherwise.

Well, I believe you're right.

His loyalty was unquestionable.

Well, you want me anymore?

No, I don't think so.

Not right now anyway.

I'll go to the hotel and check in.

Then I'll contact you later.

Thank you.

You're not going to tell him about me?

What's there to tell?

That you've been gambling,

or has it gone beyond that? What do you mean?

I know you've lost a lot of money.

No more than I can afford to pay.

No? Then why was that gambler...

What do they call him. Acey-Deucey...

Threatening you?

What can I do for you, Hardie?

Mind if I look at your register?

Help yourself.

Only one new guest in the last three or four days?

Uh-hmm. This isn't the Ritz.

Sometimes we don't get a new guest for weeks.

Weren't for the regulars and the saloon,

I wouldn't be open.

Hmm.

Luke Abbot of Chicago, what does he do?

Drama.

Peddles ladies' ready-to-wear dresses.

You're barking up the wrong tree there.

Abbot comes here around four times a year.

Would you know if he'd have any

dealings with Wells Fargo in anyway?

Well, his dresses might be shipped by express,

I don't know.

Where is he now? Is he out on his run

or he's in his room? Um-hum.

Luke's in there, that's the trouble.

Thank you.

What'll it be?

Just talk.

What time you open here?

Usual time.

What time is that?

9:00, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00?

Hmm, about that.

MAN: You're the Wells Fargo detective, aren't you?

I'll answer your questions.

Yes, I knew Bob Benton and no, I didn't kill him.

Now, anything else?

Yes, where were you at 1:30 this afternoon?

MAN: In my room.

JIM: Here at the hotel?

Where else?

And you, Mr. Abbot, where were you at 1:30?

Me?

Well, I was right here.

Well, no, maybe I wasn't.

1:30, I was down the street getting a shave.

You're sure?

Doggone, if I know.

It was about two hours ago, I...

Well, I might have been up in my room taking a nap.

Yeah, I might have...

been getting up just about that time.

Did you know Bob Benton?

The Wells Fargo man, sure, I guess so.

You shipped your merchandise

by Wells Fargo, I believe.

All the time.

They got good service too.

Mister, why should I wanna kill someone I hardly knew?

You won't find your man here, Hardie.

Mr. Abbott scarcely knew Bob Benton.

But he did know him.

We all knew him. He lived here.

He dropped in every evening for a drink or two.

Sometimes he played cards.

Did he lose?

Of course, he lost.

I wouldn't be in business if the customers won.

He didn't lose as much as you might expect, though.

None lately. He got in to me for about, oh,

500 or 600 the last week or two.

Bob Benton was no lamb in a wolves den.

He could hold his own around a card game.

Well, I remember a game we got into

right after the Battle of Antietam.

Well, there's no sense of talking about the past.

Next thing you know, I'll be crying in my beer.

Reward stands, Hardie,

$500 to the man

who gets the skunk who killed Bob Benton.

Good evening, Miss Parnell.

Mr. Hardie, there's something

I think I should tell you.

Well, I think it'd be nice if you did.

You knew?

I know some things but not all the things.

It's about Mr. Withers.

He's lost a lot of money gambling. To who?

The man they call Acey-Deucey.

I think his name is Longman.

Mr. Withers owes him money.

You don't like Mr. Withers very well, do you?

I don't think you could call us friends.

Why not? You work in the same office together.

We work at the same place, that's all.

Mr. Withers minds his business and I mind mine.

I thought it was my duty to tell you

about Mr. Withers owing money.

I'm wondering why it took you so long to tell me.

You're insulting, Mr. Hardie.

I'm sorry. It's my job to ask questions.

What was it you were so afraid

that he might tell me, Miss Parnell?

That's none of your business.

JIM: Once a person has killed someone,

they've crossed over a bridge from which

there's no turning back.

That makes the second killing easy.

Whoever the sniper was who had shot Bob Benton,

he knew how to get into this room,

and I didn't wanna be his victim number two.

What are you trying to do, Hardie,

wake up everybody in the hotel?

I heard shooting.

Did you see anyone come down those stairs?

How could I? I was sleeping.

Do you have a night clerk?

What would I pay him with?

I don't make enough now to pay my expenses.

I sleep in there.

Anybody comes in, they ring that bell.

What's going on around here? Sounds like a shooting gallery.

Someone tried to kill me.

Is there a backdoor to this place?

Of course. In the stairway

leading up to the second floor

at the far end of the hall.

Mr. Withers.

What do you want?

You, Hardie. What's the matter?

Have you been asleep all this time?

Sure. What's up?

You didn't hear anything?

Am I supposed to hear something?

Two or three pistol shots is all.

I sleep good.

Now is there any chance of a man

getting some shut-eye?

Mr. Withers never did wake up.

He sleeps good he says.

That's more than I can say.

Give anything for about 10 hours straight sleep.

That drama fellow.

He was asleep pretty good too.

Um-uh. He checked out.

Oh.

Well, let's see. Who does that leave?

Acey-Deucey, Mr. Withers, and the girl.

And you and me.

You're sure it's someone in the hotel?

Couldn't be someone who came in?

I'm not sure of anything at this point.

Come upstairs a moment, I wanna show you something.

Well, who could have done that?

I don't know.

Someone who's familiar with this hotel though.

I know that nail wasn't driven in there tonight.

It had to be done sometime during the day,

and not when I was in my room either,

or I'd have heard it.

Well, who?

Someone who lives here.

Well, not the girl.

Why not the girl?

Well, she was the first one down the stairs.

What was to keep her from jumping over the wire,

running down the stairs,

and coming up the rear exit,

then coming down again?

But I don't think it was.

I'm sure it was a man.

But it could have been a woman wearing man's clothes.

No. She wouldn't have had time for all that.

All right.

Let's say she didn't do it.

Who does that leave?

Well, there's Clem Withers and Acey-Deucey.

And yourself.

Me?

It could have been you.

In fact, I've only got your word

it wasn't you who did all the shooting.

Maybe you had a fight with Bob Benton.

It's only your word the shot came from over here.

So there is.

Good night.

Who is it?

Clem Withers.

I'd like to talk to you a minute, Mr. Hardie.

Come in.

It's about Mr. Benton and... Harriet Parnell.

You know?

You probably come over here to tell me

that they've been going around together

and there's something going on between them.

Yeah, they were going around together,

and they had a bust-up last week.

But she was still working at the office.

She was leaving the end of the week.

Did she talk to you about me?

What about you?

Well, we didn't get along.

I thought she might...

She told me you owed Acey-Deucey some money,

if that's what you're after.

Then she did tell you?

Yes. She told on you.

Now you've told on her, that makes you even.

I'd like to get some sleep.

Good night.

From what I gather from the records here,

the money was in $100 bills.

$100 bills?

That's right, 40 of them.

I think you should know that I gave Mr. Benton

my notice for the end of the week.

You're leaving Wells Fargo?

HARRIET: Yes.

Well, you know, that isn't necessary now.

Regardless of what you've heard,

I'm not leaving because of Mr. Benton.

If you have a better job somewhere,

then I'm happy for you, Miss Parnell.

I'm going back to Ohio. There's a man back there.

We were engaged to be married a year ago.

We had a difference of opinion and I came out here.

I've had time to think it over and...

Well, our difference seemed so trivial now

that I can scarcely remember it.

Time takes care of a great deal.

It doesn't bring back a year of your life.

I know.

Good luck to you, Miss Parnell.

I can't figure it out.

Hmm?

$4,000

in $100 bills, that makes 40 of them.

If they're in town anywhere, they should start turning up,

shouldn't they?

Search me.

I never had that much money at one time.

They play a pretty rough game of poker in there?

Well, Acey-Deucey ain't no amateur.

Maybe I'll go contribute a little bit.

I hate to see a good poker player

wind up in the poor house.

Yeah, well, don't say I didn't warn you.

That ought to fill your inside straight.

It was the card I wanted, all right.

Man has to be pretty desperate

to draw out an inside straight.

I'm not desperate.

Dealer takes two.

You open, Mr. Howland.

I check.

I'll bet $10.

Call a 10, raise 20, it's $30.

And 30 to me.

And the prize of poker is going up, gentlemen.

I raise it 50.

$50, that freezes me out.

Here's your 20, your 50,

and I raise 50.

What are you fellas trying to pull?

You started the raising, Mr. Withers.

Well, I raised $20, that's all.

Come on, a hundred dollars.

This started out as a friendly game.

You try to win my money, I try to win yours.

What's so friendly about that?

A hundred dollars.

Just a hundred-dollar bill.

What do you mean by that?

JIM: Well, I think it's self-explanatory,

a hundred dollars.

You said a hundred-dollar bill.

I think it's plain enough.

It's means put up a hundred dollars.

You're trying to insinuate something.

Hardie wasn't insinuating anything Withers.

Put up your money or shut up.

Yeah, sure, it's easy enough for you to talk.

There are whips on me.

I know I got the best hand, but they got the money.

Lend me a hundred dollars, Major.

You better make it 200

because I'm gonna raise a hundred.

You never could play poker.

I've got a diamond flush.

I got them beat, I know it.

If you feel that way, bet your money.

Yeah, a hundred-dollar bill,

some of the Wells Fargo money.

Shut up, Acey. Leave him alone.

You leave him alone, Dorcas.

You know I'm not in this for fun.

Now, put up your money or get out.

I got $40.

And you owe a hundred now,

and a hundred more when I raise.

And it might very well cost you

200 more when it gets to me,

because I might raise myself.

I know I got them beat because they both drew

two cards.

Lend me the money, Dorcas.

I haven't got it.

Oh, yes, you've got it.

I know you've got it.

Shut up.

You think I don't know?

I've suspected you for a long time.

I used to see you watching Benton

opening that safe.

Hold it.

I wondered why a man would carry a cane that size.

I knew it was him.

It had to be.

What was it, Dorcas?

What on earth could make a man

kill his best friend for $4,000?

Was it business? The hotel?

The hotel!

Everything.

This blasted leg.

I couldn't do a decent day's work.

The girl, she wouldn't even look at me twice.

And then there was the money.

I watched Benton put it in the safe.

I already had the combinations.

And you've been planning it for a long time,

hollow cane and everything.

I was there often enough.

Money coming in, going out...

It was too much of a temptation.

Evidently, Benton suspected you.

He knew I needed the money.

But when he sent for you, I knew he was gonna point at me.