All language subtitles for 8.10 Ballad of the Ponderosa

The following program

is brought to you
in living color on NBC.

♪♪

Howdy, stranger.

Howdy.

You, uh...

Where you heading?

That's my business, mister.

Well, I guess
it's my business, too,

seeing as how
this is my property.

This is your spread, huh?

That's right.

Well, I didn't mean
to be short with you, mister.

I've been riding a long way.

I guess this dust has just
dried out my good nature.

Well, it's, uh...

it's not too cold, but it's wet.

Help yourself.

Thanks, appreciate it.

This the way to Virginia City?

Yeah, just over the hill,
you pick up the road.

You come to the fork,
you bear right.

How far is it?

Oh, about an hour's ride.

That's about all me
and my horse got left in us.

You planning on staying
in Virginia City?

Yeah, I plan to stay there.

Long as it takes me to get done
what I've got to do.

Didn't mean to be trespassing.

That's all right.

You rest your horse
just as long as you want to.

Good luck.

Same to you, mister.

♪ I sing a song I

♪ Of pain and blood I

♪ The ballad of the Ponderosa ♪

♪ I sing of a man,
dead in the mud ♪

♪ 'Neath the blood tree
of the Ponderosa ♪

♪ Doug Preston died
in innocence ♪

♪ Swingin' broken,
against the skies ♪

I Not a word of truth
for him was spoken ♪

I Ch, damn Ben Cartwright ♪

♪ Damn his righteous eyes. I

Judge, you learn
something new every day.

Now, as long as we three have
been having lunch together,

this is the first time I knew

our prosecuting attorney
had a sense of humor.

It looks like I'm going
to need a sense of humor.

If this town stays
as peaceful as it has been,

there won't be any need
for a prosecuting attorney.

Don't worry, Dave.

Maybe Ben or one
of his boys can arrange

to get into a little trouble,

and then you can become
the public defender.

How soon before Roy Coffee
gets back from his vacation?

Oh, about a week or so.

You know, I practically had to
file out a warrant against him

to get him
to take this month off.

That old hardnose.

He thinks Virginia City
just can't get along

a day without him.

Well, let's not tell him
what a good job

Deputy Simms has
been doing, huh?

Well, entertainment
at lunchtime.

This town's getting more
and more like San Francisco.

Well, come on over here,
young man.

I see you made it
without too much trouble.

Yes, sir, I did,
no trouble at all.

What's your pleasure, gentlemen?

Judge?

Well, just about anything
is all right with me.

Well, in that case,
I'll do a favorite of mine.

♪ I sing a song
of pain and hate I

♪ Of a town full
of death and lies I

♪ Doug Preston was lynched ♪

♪ 'Cause they couldn't wait I

I Ch, damn Ben Cartwright ♪

♪ Damn his righteous eyes I

♪ Frank Stanley was murdered
on a lonely night I

♪ Ben Cartwright called
the truth a lie I

♪ Doug Preston was
the only one in sight I

♪ Dave Sinclair said
he had to die I

♪ Judge Borman sat
with icy eyes I

♪ Doug Preston
would not go free I

♪ No justice
under frowning skies ♪

I Just blood on the roots
of the hanging tree. I

I'm sorry, gentlemen.

I seem to have picked
an unpopular tune.

Who are you?

Cotter's my name,
Cotter Preston.

Preston.

That's a pretty famous name
around here, ain't it?

Boy, that was a long time ago.

It's forgotten by now.

Well, I ain't forgot it.

You see,

I'm Doug Preston's son.

You all seem mighty interested
in my song.

How about you, Cartwright,
you want to hear some more?

I-I apologize, gentlemen.

All right, young man,
this is quite enough.

I run this hotel,
and you're disturbing my guests.

Wait a minute.

Mr. Simpson,

I think Mr. Sinclair,
Judge Borman and I would like

to hear this young man out.

Well, well, what do you know?

All three together.

The three men responsible
for my father's death.

I don't have to listen to this.

That's right, Judge, you don't.

Why don't you just lynch me
like you did my pa?

No one condoned that lynching.

But they still claimed
he was guilty, and that's a lie.

Another man killed
Frank Stanley,

and that man went free,

while my father
was lynched by a mob

for a crime he didn't commit.

Would an innocent man break jail
before his trial was over?

My father tried to get away
because he knew

he didn't have a chance,

with a so-called eyewitness and
a hanging judge waiting for him.

I'm sorry, Ben,
I have had just about enough.

That's all right, Judge,
you just run along.

But just remember, I'm gonna
keep singing that song.

I got my rent paid up
at this hotel,

and there ain't
no law against singing.

Why are you doing this?

Justice, in the memory
of an innocent man.

And don't you try and stop me.

A guitar ain't no gun,
and singing ain't no crime.

Good day, gentlemen.

♪ Doug Preston ran
to save his life I

♪ The innocent must be free I

♪ His frightened cries
stopped late that night I

♪ When they lynched him
on the great blood tree I

♪ Frank Stanley was murdered
on a lonely night I

♪ Ben Cartwright called
the truth a lie I

♪ Doug Preston was
the only one in sight I

♪ Dave Sinclair said
he had to die I

♪ Judge Borman sat
with icy eyes I

♪ Doug Preston
would not go free. I

What are you doing up here, Pa?

Oh, thinking.

Is something wrong?

I don't know.

Remember yesterday I... told you

I met a young man out here

when I was on my way back home?

You mean the one
with the guitar?

Yeah.

Yeah, the one with the guitar.

That boy is Doug Preston's son.

Yeah. Doug Preston, huh?

I knew he had a boy.
He left here years ago.

Yeah, he did. His aunt took him
away right after his...

right after his father died.

But he's back.

And he's grown to be
a very bitter young man.

Oh, not that I can blame him

after what he's been through.

He believes
his father was innocent.

Well, I guess it'd be
pretty rough for any boy to...

accept the fact
that his father was a murderer.

It's a lot more than that, Joe.

A whole lot more.

He blames his father's death

on Judge Borman, Dave Sinclair,

and me.

That don't make sense.

You three did more
than anybody else,

tryin' to stop that lynching.

Yeah, I know.

But there was a lynching.

If he thinks his father
was innocent, doesn't he know

you saw his pa run out of the
barn the night of the murder?

He refuses to believe it.

If he won't believe the truth,
there's nothing you can do.

Well, I was thinking
maybe there is.

If one of you boys believed
in something

as strongly as he does,
I sure hope

there'd be someone
that you could talk to about it.

I think I'm gonna ride into town

and... see if I can't get
through to that boy somehow.

See you tonight.

Be careful, Pa.

Oh. Good evening,
Mr. Cartwright.

Mr. Simpson.

Is the Preston boy in his room?

No, he's not. He's...

he's probably still
running around town,

singing that song
and raising a fuss.

He's been at it all day.

I guarantee you, Mr. Cartwright,

that I'll have him
out of this hotel

just as soon as he gets back.

Why?

Has he broken any laws?

No, but...

He, uh, do any damage
in the hotel?

No, Mr. Cartwright.

Get him onto the chair.
Yeah.

What happened to you, boy?

Somebody jumped me in the alley.

I'll get a doctor.

And you don't have
any idea who beat you up, huh?

Already told you, Sheriff.

It was too dark to see.

Somebody hit me from behind,

then started working me over.

It could have been anybody.

I don't have very many friends
in this town, Sheriff.

You have any ideas, Ben?

Well, the boy's right.

He doesn't have
too many friends around here.

He's caused an awful lot
of unrest since coming,

but I can't think of anybody

who'd get angry enough
to do this.

I know somebody
that'd be angry enough.

Well, who's that?

The man that murdered
Frank Stanley.

Oh, now, just a minute, boy.

You ride into town
and sing a ballad

that makes a lot
of loose charges

and doesn't offer
proof of one of them.

Oh, come on, Sheriff.

You think somebody beat me up
just for practice?

Uh-uh.
I think somebody in this town

thinks I'm getting
pretty close to the truth

and they're trying to stop me.

I've waited 15 years
to clear my father's name.

The only way anybody's gonna
stop me now is to kill me.

There's a bitter young man, Ben.

Yeah.

Well, he has a right to be.

Oh, that lynching
was 15 years ago.

It was wrong,
the whole town knows that,

but it's over and done with now.

The boy's father would have
hung anyway, he was guilty.

Yeah.

I guess he was. I...

I sure thought so then.

Well, but, Ben, the evidence...

Yeah.

The evidence.

Do me a favor.

Ask Judge Borman
and Dave Sinclair

to meet me at the hotel.

Well, it's awful late, Ben.

Yeah, it is late.

Maybe 15 years late.

Gentlemen.

Good evening, Ben.

Thank you for coming out
so late at night.

It's real friendly of you.

Yeah, friend or no friend,
it'd better be important, Ben.

Well, I think it's important.

Somebody beat up
the Preston boy tonight.

Yes, the sheriff told us.

But frankly
I'm not surprised, Ben.

The boy was looking for trouble.

Well... it's only
human nature, Ben.

People don't want
to be reminded of the lynching,

so they strike out at whatever
brings up the memory.

That's one possibility.

What's the other?

Well, I got a...

Maybe it's crazy, but...

I got a strange notion
that maybe...

somebody's trying
to keep the boy quiet,

to protect themselves.

Judge, I'd like to go
back over the trial records.

But it was
an open-and-shut case, Ben.

You yourself saw Doug Preston

come out of the barn
after the killing.

You had no doubts 15 years ago.

I know I didn't.

I know.

But that boy
was beaten up tonight.

Judge...

maybe we missed something
at the trial.

I think we owe it to ourselves
and to the Preston boy

to make sure
that nothing is overlooked.

Well... if you feel
that strongly about it, Ben...

I do.

I do, Judge.

I'll stay in town.

We can start
going over the records

first thing in the morning,
if that's all right with you.

All right.

Good night, Ben.

See you in the morning.

♪♪

Oh, Mr. Simpson,
I'll be staying here the night.

Could I have my usual room?

Why, certainly, Mr. Cartwright.

There you are, sir.

Hope there's no trouble.

Sure hope not.

Night.

Harold.

What are you doing up
this time of night?

Mother couldn't sleep.

She was sitting by the window,
saw you come in the hotel.

She wanted to talk to you.

About the Preston boy?

Yes.

Does she know who he is?

No, but she heard him singing.

Look, if you could just
go upstairs and talk to her,

tell her everything's
all right...

I'm sure she could sleep then.

Yeah, sure.

Mother,
Ben Cartwright's with me.

Ben!

Thank you for coming to see me.

Sit down.

Thank you, Lisa.

Well...

I hear you've been a bad girl.

You haven't been resting
as much as you should.

Oh, I will, I will.

I just wanted to talk to
an old friend for a few minutes.

Well, it's good to see you.

Who is that boy?

The one with the guitar.

Who is he, Ben?

Well...

just a boy with a guitar.

No reason for you
to bother about it.

I keep telling her that,
Mr. Cartwright.

There's every reason.

Doug Preston was hanged
for the murder of my husband.

Ben, who is that boy?

Well, you seem

determined to...
know about it.

He's Doug Preston's son.

Doug Preston's son.

Yep.

I guess the town forgot
about that boy.

Yes, I imagine
most of the town did forget.

You, uh...

you heard him singing.

He's convinced that...

that his father
didn't kill Frank.

And, uh...

he's just come here
to find whoever it was that did,

if anybody else did.

Do you think
it was someone else?

No, I find it hard to believe
it was anybody else, but...

Well, somebody beat up
that boy tonight.

Why?

Now, you see what I've done
by telling you?

No, you've-you've helped
by telling me.

It's worse wondering
and not knowing.

One imagines so many things.

Yeah, that's true.

It sure is true.

Now, Lisa, you get yourself
a good night's rest.

Thank you, Ben.
twill.

Night.
Good night.

♪♪

I don't like that guitar player.

You're not the only one
who don't like him, Hank.

He's got no right
singin' about the posse.

I don't care
if he is Preston's kid.

It was a good posse.

We did what we had to.

I was in it.

In fact, you were, too,
weren't you?

Yeah, I was in it, all right.

♪♪

Hey, you.

We don't want to hear
no more of your songs.

As a matter of fact, we don't
want you 'round here no more.

You look at me
when I'm talking to you!

♪♪

We don't want the son
of a stinkin' murderer

hanging around this town!

Now get your fight outta here!

Hold it... uh, here,
stay away from the bar...

Will you take
your fight outside!

Take your fight out...

Sorry I'm late, gentlemen.

It's all right, Ben.

This may all be unnecessary now.

What does that mean?

The sheriff was in to see us
a few minutes ago.

He had to lock up
the Preston boy last night.

Seems he got into a fight
in the saloon,

and did a pretty good job
of smashing it up.

Yeah, he couldn't pay
the damages, so the sheriff's

gonna let him cool off
for a few hours,

and then escort him out of town.

And that'll be good riddance.

Well, whether the boy
leaves or not

isn't gonna change anything
for him or for us.

We've got to make the boy see...

See what? Uh, see that
the evidence is right?

Ben, Preston was
guilty as charged.

We all agreed on that
15 years ago.

Yes, Dave, we did agree.

But maybe we were
just a little anxious.

If you remember,
the man we were trying

had already been executed.

Well, I'll go over
to the sheriff's office

and see what I can do
for the boy.

Meanwhile, will you fellas
start going over the evidence?

We've been doing that, Ben.

We'll get back to it.
Thank you.

All right, boy,
your bail's been paid.

You're free to go.

Who paid it?

Mr. Cartwright.

Son, there's work for you to do

and a place for you to stay,
if you want it.

You're offering me a job?

Why not?

There's always room for an extra
ranch hand at the Ponderosa.

And you look like
you've been around cattle, son.

You think
I'd be fool enough to accept?

I'd ride out to the Ponderosa
with you,

I might never ride back.

Why don't you just let me
lock him back up, Ben?

Leave me alone with him for...
a minute, will you?

Son...

Son, I'd like to be your friend.

But I reckon you don't
believe that, do you?

You're right, I don't.

But you do want to know
about your father, don't you?

Whether he was guilty
or innocent?

I've got the judge
and the prosecuting attorney

working on the evidence,

just in case they missed
something 15 years ago.

You're doing that?

I want the truth
as much as you do.

I don't believe you.

All right.

Wait a minute.

I'll go with you.

But don't expect any thanks
for what you're doing.

This town still
murdered my father,

and you're part of this town.

♪♪

What's your son's name?

Adam.

Oh, yeah, Adam.

He play the guitar much?

Oh, yeah.

All the time.

We kind of miss it.

You're welcome to use that one
while you're here.

Thanks a lot.

I never had one this good.

Where you learn to play?

Just picked it up.

I used to listen to my father
a lot, when I was real young.

He was a fine guitar player.

Made up songs by the hour.

You, uh... you seem to have
the same gift.

Oh, no.

All my father's songs
were happy songs.

I bet you could make up
a happy song, if you tried.

Well, there's one thing
I'd have to find out first.

What's that?

What it's like to feel happy.

Well, uh... look, you get
yourself cleaned up.

I'll see you at supper.

Hop Sing, that was delicious.

You've outdone yourself again.

Young man no like.

He eat less than bird.

It was fine.
I just wasn't very hungry.

Don't worry.

Mr. Hoss,
he finish it all anyway.

He only one who eat good.

Hop Sing stand
over hot stove all day.

Nobody eat.

Pretty soon now, Hop Sing quit.

Here, don't let him down.

Mr. Cartwright,
you said something

about going over
those records again.

Yes. Matter of fact, uh,
Judge Borman and Dave Sinclair

have been working on them
all day.

I'm going to join them tomorrow.

I certainly would like
to see those records.

I think that'd be
a very good idea.

Tell you what,
we'll go to town together,

first thing in the morning.

Pa, I sort of figured on going
into town tomorrow anyhow.

Is there anything I can do?

Yeah, you can ask
Dave Sinclair to bring out

a copy of the records with him,
out to the ranch.

Hey, I'll go with you,
so you don't get lost.

Mm-mm.
Hmm?

Plenty of work
for you to do here tomorrow.

And don't try to get out of it.

Well, in that case,
I think I'll turn in.

I'll see you in the morning.

I think I'll hit it, too, Pa.

Night.
G'night, Cotter.

G'night.
Night, Hoss.

I guess I better turn in, too.

I didn't get much sleep
in that jail last night.

Uh, Cotter...

there's something that I...

I'd like to ask you.

Don't quite know how to put it.

Well, I suppose the best way
is flat out,

man to man.

What has made you so sure...

all these years...

that your father was innocent?

Because he told me.

And my father wouldn't lie
to me, Mr. Cartwright.

He said he was innocent,

and I believed him,
deep in my heart.

Well...

one of us has to be wrong.

Has to be.

And...

that one is gonna have to...

face the truth...

and accept it.

Yeah, I know that,
Mr. Cartwright.

I know.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

What time you think
they'll be here, Mr. Cartwright?

Oh... figured
they'd be here by now.

Around 11:00, I guess.

That's really a nice piece.

Yeah, you've got
a good eye, young fella.

You know who gave me that?

Sam Colt himself.

That's a beauty.

I've never seen
a collection as nice as yours.

Yeah, it's a pretty good one.

This is an interesting piece.

That's a Belgian blunderbuss.

And, uh, that middle one there,

that's, uh, those are two
English carriage pistols.

Those are buccaneer's
pistols up there.

Yeah, pirates used to stick them
in their sashes.

Oh, I think they're coming.

Let me look at that...

Pa!

In here!

Pa, what happened?

Cotter shot himself by accident.

Only creased his side,

but I think we better
get him in to see Doc Martin.

Get some hot water, will you?
You won't be able

to lie your way out of it
this time, Cartwright.

He tried to kill me!

You hear? He tried to kill me!

Hank...

What happened?

What's all the excitement?

They got Ben Cartwright
in there.

He tried to kill
that singin' feller.

Ben Cartwright?!

You heard me.

The kid's accusing him
of attempted murder.

Hey, Hoss, wait a minute.

What's going on?

They lock him up, Joe?

Look, boys, we can't
say anything. It's, uh...

Well, we just
asked a simple question.

What's the difference?

It'll be in the paper, won't it?

If it's in the paper,
you can read about it.

Mother, I don't understand
why you're getting so excited.

Now, I've already told you
for the tenth time--

I'm not trying
to keep anything from you.

For 15 long years,
I've sat at the window, Harold,

watching the street down there.

I've seen things
that nobody else has ever seen.

I know things about this town

that nobody else will ever know.

This afternoon,
I saw Ben Cartwright

and his two boys ride into town

with Doug Preston's boy
and Dave Sinclair.

I saw them go into the jail.

But I didn't see
Ben Cartwright come back out.

Tell me, Harold.

Mother, you know
what the doctor said

about you getting upset.

Tell me, Harold.

All right.

Doug Preston's boy
has accused Ben Cartwright

of trying to murder him.

Thank you, Harold.

I was just trying
to spare you the upset.

It'll all blow over.

Yes, of course.

Hey, don't you think
you ought to go to bed now?

No, no.

You go on to your room.

I just want
to sit here for a while.

♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh... ♪

♪ Ooh, ooh ♪

♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪

♪ The truth was lost I

♪ For 15 years I

♪ Ben Cartwright rode ♪

♪ Tall and free I

I But now his sons ♪

I Will know my tears I

I As their father swings ♪

I From the hangin' tree I

♪ I sing a song I

♪ Of pain and blood... I

You're gonna die...

Mr. Cartwright, you're gonna die
just like my father did.

You saying just because it's Ben
Cartwright, it couldn't happen?

I didn't say it couldn't happen.

I just said
I don't think it did.

Well, what the kid says
makes a lot of sense to me.

Ben beat him up
to scare him off,

and when that didn't work,
he tried to shoot him.

What do you think you are,
the judge or something?

I got a right
to say what I think.

Now, not everybody
around here thinks

the Cartwrights
are as pure as you do.

To get that big, you got to
tromp on somebody along the way,

and that's a fact.

Shh, shh.

How come he took
the kid out to the ranch?

Can you explain that?

Hush up, will you?

...and then, Mr. Cartwright,
you, um...

you not only posted bail
for this boy

but you went even further
and, uh,

invited him out to the ranch.

Can you explain
why you did this?

Well, I...

I felt badly for the boy.

He was, uh, it seemed to me,
a bitter young man

who was destroying himself,
I thought,

because of a mistaken idea he'd
been living with for 15 years.

I didn't make any mistake.

I've already proved
what I came here to find out.

Go on, Mr. Cartwright.

I figured if I could...

get through to Cotter,

get through to his mind,

have him live with a family,

something which I guess

he didn't have a chance
to do before,

have people around him who...

...who weren't filled
with hatred.

You say, uh,
"have people around him."

Your sons,
is that what you mean?

Yes, that was...

that was my intent.

Well, on the day in question,

were your sons present?

No, sir, they were not.

And, um, you and Cotter Preston

were alone at the Ponderosa?

Yes, sir, that's correct.

He even sent Little Joe
on a wild goose chase

to the other end of the ranch,
and he sent Hoss into town

on some kind of errand and...

and there wasn't even a hand
on the place.

Young man, you will remain quiet
until you are questioned,

or I shall instruct the deputy

to remove you from the courtroom
and hold you in contempt.

Now, Mr. Cartwright,

on the night
of the previous assault

you admit then that, um...

that you were in town,

that you were in the vicinity
of the assault

and at exactly the time
it happened?

That's right.

Then, um,

you could have been the man who
gave Cotter Preston a beating?

If you're referring to the time
and place,

yes, I could've done it,
but I didn't.

But he could have.

He's answered the question.

Well, what kind of hearing
is this?

Are you just gonna listen
to what you want to hear?

Is this the kind of trial
you gave my father?

Order! Order!

Lisa.

She insisted, Judge.

I couldn't stop her.

You don't miss a bit,
do you, Cartwright?

Bringing in the widow
of the murdered man

to get sympathy for you!

Sit down!

I have a right to have my say!

What's the matter, Cartwright,
afraid of the truth?

Did you see my father comin' out
of the barn that night,

or did he see you?

Deputy,

you sit this boy down
in that chair.

Isn't that the truth,
Cartwright?

Go ahead!

All right, come on, boy...

Come on. Sit down.

I'll sit down.
Sit down and behave yourself.

If he gets up
or opens his mouth again,

take him out of here
and lock him up.

Doggone it, Dave, it...

it just don't make sense.

If Pa intended to shoot Cotter,

why'd he wait fill me
and you got there to see it?

The witness will please answer
the prosecutor's question.

I repeat...

as soon as we arrived,

we heard a gunshot.

We ran into the house.

Ben Cartwright was there.

Cotter Preston
was gripping his side.

He'd been wounded by a gunshot.

Well, Hoss?

Speak up, Hoss.

Wasn't that the way it was?

Yeah, that's... that's right.

You'll-you'll have to speak up
so the court can hear.

I say, ye-yes, that's right.

Your Honor,

in view of the evidence,

I ask that Ben Cartwright

be charged with assault
and battery

and with assault
with a deadly weapon

with intent to kill.

Ben...

if you have anything to say...

...if you have another line
of defense...

Ben, your only defense, so far,
has been your conviction

that the boy's lying.

He is lying, Judge.

He may not know
he's lying, but he is.

Please...

Order!

Please...

How can you be so sure, Lisa?

Because my son and I have lived
with a lie for 15 years.

Mother, I'm not gonna
let you do this.

You'll let me, Harold.

In a way, it'll be like
getting out of prison.

Should have been said
15 years ago.

It should have been said
the night my husband was killed.

I was in the barn
that night, Ben.

That's what you didn't see.

Doug Preston and I were in
the barn and my husband came in.

My husband was a violent man.

You knew that, Ben.

But for my sake,
you-you tried to ignore it.

But you knew it.

There were other women,
a lot of drinking...

I was terrified
what he might do to my son,

in one of his drunken rages.

I needed someone
that would understand,

give me sympathy.

We didn't mean it to happen,

but we fell in love
with each other.

We planned to run away together,

take our two sons with us.

She's Iyin'!
Deputy.

Listen, my father was takin' me
away with him.

He would've told me if he had
an interest in that woman.

You're a liar, woman!

Frank began to suspect us.

We were in the barn that night,
and Frank came in.

There was a horrible argument.

Doug Preston drew his gun
and fired.

No! That's not so!

Doug ran out of the barn.
That's when Ben saw him.

I hid in the loft,
and I saw Ben come in and...

look down at my husband,

lying there dead.

Doug was afraid.

He was guilty,
and he was afraid.

He told me he was gonna try
to break out of jail,

and I-I enc... I encouraged him.

We'd meet someplace.

I told him I'd take care
of his son, Cotter,

but he wanted the boy with him.

If he hadn't stopped that night
to pick up the boy,

the posse might never have
caught him.

Don't lie, Cotter.

Please don't lie.

Haven't enough lives been ruined
by lies already?

Do you have anything to say
for yourself now, Cotter?

I did lie.

I shot myself.

And that other beating,
in the alley?

I did that, too.

I just beat my head
against the wall,

pretending I was beatin' my head
against Ben Cartwright,

beatin' the truth out of him.

I had to know the truth.
I had to know the truth.

Well, you know it now.

The charges against
Ben Cartwright are dismissed.

The court stands adjourned.

My father lied to me.

He said that he was innocent.

And... in hadn't
really believed him, I...

I wouldn't have caused anybody
this much trouble,

especially you.

He lied to you
because of his love for you.

Forget the lie.
Remember the love.

That's what I remember.

That's what I was trying
to protect.

I think Lisa told him
what would happen.

Someday the hatred
will be gone and...

he'll remember only the love.

You know,

he once said to me that he...
he'd never sung a happy song,

'cause he didn't know how.

Maybe he will now.

I sure hope so.

Come on. Let's go.

This has been
a color production

of the NBC Television Network.