Original subtitles

♪♪ [ trumpet ]

Howdy, folks. I'’m the Old Ranger,

with an exciting new story of real life in the Old West.

The story this time comes from a little-known,

but critical chapter in our nation'’s history.

Early in July of 1861

before the Battle of Bull Run,

more than a 1,000 men froze, then sweated,

with poles and drums of shining telegraph wire,

working round the clock to...

In the troubled days following his inauguration,

Lincoln was a tortured man.

Unable to escape war,

nothing was too small or too great

to make victory swift and certain.

Mr. President.

Mr. Secretary of the Interior.

The news isn'’t happy, Caleb.

Defeats are in the making.

Then this news should help.

Mr. President, with good luck,

it won'’t be too long before the Union is linked

from ocean to ocean by telegraph.

[ sighs ] At last.

Are the contracts signed?

Better than that.

The work has actually begun.

From the Atlantic, the telegraph wires

presently run only as far west as Omaha.

And from the Pacific,

only from San Francisco to Sacramento.

All this area, from Sacramento to Omaha,

has no wires,

and our only connection is the Pony Express.

But you say the work has started.

Two companies are hanging wire, Mr. President.

The Overland Telegraph working from the west

to Salt Lake City. And the Pacific Telegraph

is building from Omaha and will meet them there.

The subsidy the government voted, of course,

goes to the first company to reach Salt Lake.

$400,000, Mr. President.

Enough so that every man will work night and day

to earn his share of the bonus.

In the meanwhile, the Pony Express

will continue to carry telegrams

from the end of one wire to the end of the other,

closing the gap just a little bit more every day.

Unless we are constantly certain

of Utah'’s support in California'’s gold,

the Union'’s a lost cause.

And the telegraph is our only protection.

Caleb...

in the name of mercy,

for every wife and mother both North and South,

see that nothing stops it.

Telegraph lines must go through.

They will, Mr. President.

[ man shouting to horses ]

[ whip cracking ]

If we don'’t get some protection soon, Captain,

we'’ll never finish.

The Indians are tearing down our wire

almost as fast as we put it up.

How do you know it'’s Indians?Well, who else?

Well, with almost a half million dollar subsidy at stake,

Mike Walsh and his Pacific company

could be out to stop you.

You don'’t think Mike Walsh would--

In this job, I'’m like a policeman.

I accuse nobody, I suspect everybody.

[ chuckles ]

Ah, here comes that Pony Express rider for your telegram.

Yeah. I'’d better get him.

These Pony boys don'’t take to waiting.

[ chuckles ]

Howdy, Captain.

Hello, McCarthy.

Mr. Hudson will be right out with your telegram.

Well, how are things back the other way

with Mike Walsh and his outfit?

Told me he'’s doing better than six miles a day

when I last saw him. When you last saw him?

I had an idea it was that pretty daughter of Walsh'’s.

Sharon is at the camp helping her father.

And she does too, operates a telegraph like a man.

Here you are, Loren.

26 eastbound telegrams for Walsh'’s wire.

By the way, is Mike having any Indian trouble

up his way? I mean, poles down,

wires ripped out?No.

Guess he'’s been lucky.

Yeah. Very lucky.

But not lucky enough to win that subsidy.

Because no matter what he does,

I'’m getting to Salt Lake first.

You tell him that.

[ horse snorts ]

[ horse approaching ]

[ neighing ]Oh!

All over me and the wash!

Is that all the welcome I get after riding lickety-split

just to see you?

The telegrams.

Here you are.

26 of '’em.

You know, you'’re as bad as your old man.

All business.

If Pa doesn'’t win this race, Loren, I hate to--

After all the prize money'’s spent, huh?

Oh, he'’s not taking any of that for himself.

Well, as superintendent--

He made that plain right from the beginning.

It'’s all to be distributed among the men.

Well, then, why is he so all-fired anxious?

He just wants the satisfaction of beating Ben Hudson.

The Irish in him.

That certainly takes a big load off my mind.

I was afraid if your father collected that subsidy,

folks would say I was marrying you for your money.

[ laughs ] Not on my clean wash!

Uh, Sharon--

[ clicking ]

I better get these off right away.

[ clicking continues ]

[ sighs ]

All right, boys, let'’s get it off.

Take it away.

Hyah!

Now get that strung out.

Are you gonna take all day?

We still got a mile to go before sundown.

Ellis, you got your work blocked out for tomorrow?

I'’d be a fine engineer if I didn'’t.

Hi, there!

Well, that wasn'’t very cordial, Ellis.

You didn'’t wave back to him.

Why should I?

Everything was going fine around here till he showed up.

Look, Ellis, the Pony boy

seems romantic to Sharon now.

Dashing, devil-may-care.

But once the telegraph is through,

what'’s gonna happen to McCarthy and the other riders?

They'’re out of work. They'’ll drift away

like tumbleweed in a wind storm.

And you'’ll still be here with money in your pockets

to afford a wife.Yeah.

If we get to Salt Lake City first.

No ifs about it.

We'’ll beat Ben Hudson hands down.

[ horse snorting ]

[ neighing ]

All right, men, thanks. Get back to work.

Mr. Hudson. Out by Round Rock,

three of your poles are down.

I know, I just heard, chopped down.

Tomahawks?Tomahawks nothing.

White man'’s axes.What do you mean?

What do you think?Mr. Hudson, look.

I know Mike Walsh and I know his family.

Mike'’s a fighter but he fights clean.

He wouldn'’t pull a lowdown trick like that, it was Indians.

Then how come they don'’t tamper with his line?

Tell me that.

Different tribes east of here.

Ah, Indians are Indians.

Well, maybe he scared '’em off.

If you'’re talking about that business with the electric shock,

I tried the same thing. It only made '’em madder.

Then it was Indians, you admit it.

I admit nothing except my wires are coming down

faster than I can put '’em up.

The Indians think the telegraph is bad medicine.

You have to show them how it'’ll help them.

That way they'’ll learn to respect it.

Oh, you can'’t reason with those red devils.

I said show '’em.

Now you got a line up to Shoshone territory.

You arrange to have their chief get on that end,

and I'’ll get Chief Kopaw of the Paiutes in here.

It might work.

We'’ll do it.

[ telegraph clicking ]

Chief Red Deer is at the other end now.

You understand what Mr. Hudson is going to do, Chief Kopaw?

He'’s going to prove to you that the telegraph is good,

not bad medicine.

You show. We will see.

Now you give the operator a question

to ask Chief Red Deer.

You say, "How many moons is it

since last time Red Deer smoke pipe with Kopaw."

[ clicking ]

Wire have split tongue.

Little Elk is son of my brother,

but still young.

He has not learned yet,

Indian and white man must give a little,

so they can live side by side

and gain much.

[ clicking ]

Chief Red Deer says,

"You, Chief Kopaw, came to war council

he held 19 moons ago."

That is truth.

Wire does not speak with split tongue.

I see now why a rope express good for everybody.

Carry messages more miles than smoke or drums.

I make promise.

Paiutes not hurt wire, ever.

You wouldn'’t believe it.

Old Kopaw came there to prove the wire was bad medicine

and by the time he left, you'’d have thought he'’d invented it.

[ all chuckling ]

Ben Hudson can really move ahead now.

It'’s plain to see which side you'’re rooting for.

I don'’t care who gets to Salt Lake first,

just so long as the line is finished.

Well, we can still give Ben Hudson a run for his money.

You'’ve got that survey for me, Ellis?

It'’s in the office.

He'’s got some nerve, kissing you.

He didn'’t kiss me, he just patted me.

I should have punched his face in.

You'’re not jealous?

Yes.

[ whistling ]

Stop it.

Why, Loren.I don'’t like that song.

"Rose of Alabama," I think it'’s very pretty.

I don'’t, it belongs to the South.

Oh, now you'’re being ridiculous.

I'’m sorry, it--

Well, it'’s just that--

Well, the way things have been going,

the Rebs whaling the tar out of us--

At this rate, we could lose the war.

Ellis says it'’s only to be expected

that the South would win at first.

They'’ve been preparing so long.

Oh? What makes Mr. Ellis Higby

such an expert on the war?

Maybe he should be in Washington telling Lincoln what to do.

Oh, come on now, Loren. You can'’t get all in a dither

every time you hear Ellis Higby'’s name mentioned.

I think you better get some rest before you start your run back.

You need it.

Well, Loren, old Kopaw'’s living up to his word.

Not a foot of wire down in the past five days.

I'’ll tell Mike Walsh.

Well, I'’m ashamed of myself for ever having suspected Mike.

I guess I just had to lash out at someone.

Sure, I know.

Well, I'’ll be seeing you, Mr. Hudson.

Take care, Loren.

Good going.

[ horse riding away ]

[ explosions ]

[ neighing ]

You mean you think my father'’s responsible

for tearing down the Overland wires?

I--I didn'’t say that.You didn'’t have to.

But since that'’s what you think,

you'’re not only wasting my time, you'’re wasting your own.

[ dog barking ]

The fact that this fragment of box

undoubtedly belonged to Pacific Telegraph

means nothing by itself.It was Walsh'’s powder!

Even so, it could have been taken without Mike'’s knowledge.

By whom, for instance?

You, for instance.

What?

Now, not you personally,

but anybody working for Pony Express

who figures he might make his job last a little longer.

That was a bad guess.

Then, on the other hand, it could have been Indians.

Or even Southern sympathizers.

Johnny Reb'’s here?

Enough to do this kind of damage.

Captain...

I think I can get you proof nobody can question.

One way or the other, you'’ll be hearing from me.

Soon.

[ shouting to horse ]

Well, Sharon, here comes your Pony boy.

LOREN: Hyah, hyah!

I don'’t want to see him.

Moving up again, huh, Mr. Walsh?

First thing in the morning.

We'’ve strung 26 miles the last three days.

Oh, at that rate you'’re bound to beat Ben Hudson into Salt Lake.

I thought Overland was going great guns.

They were.

But now they'’re facing a shortage of poles,

what with all that'’s been blown up lately.

Looks like your Indians didn'’t keep their promise to behave.

The poles were blown with black powder.

Now, I ain'’t never heard of Indians knowing how to use it.

Have you?I wouldn'’t know.

I don'’t go around making friends with the dirty heathens.

Has any of our powder been missing, Ellis?

Couldn'’t be. I used the last of it

blasting those boulders a few days ago.

Well, flapping our jaws isn'’t going to help Ben Hudson.

It struck me as I was riding in here just now, Mr. Walsh,

you have enough equipment left over

to build clear through to San Francisco.

That'’s how I've kept the lead on Hudson so far.

Of course, once both lines are up,

poles and wire won'’t be worth what they are today.

You have the gall to suggest that I sell our surplus poles

to Ben Hudson? Oh, no, sir.

I was going to suggest that you lend him enough to tide him over.

Till his next shipment arrives.

Are you out of your head?

Why, for all we know, the Indians might tear down

every pole we'’ve got up. Then where would we be?

Same place as Ben Hudson is, I guess.

But your line in without his isn'’t going to help anybody.

Well, certainly not the Union.

How much poles and equipment would Ben be needing?

Good trainload.

Well, Mike, you'’re not gonna listen to him.

Why--why that'’d be just like

handing the opposition that $400,000.

Or helping Abe Lincoln end the war a little sooner.

SHARON: Go on, Papa.

We can give him half what we'’ve got

and still beat him to Salt Lake.

You'’re not an engineer,Sharon.

She doesn'’t have to be, Higby.

Anyone can help win the war.

Sure. Like Sharon says,

we can give Ben Hudson cards and spades

and still beat him to the prize money.

And if we lose?

You can blame me.

Come on now. Show me the wagons to be loaded for Ben.

Thanks for backing me up.

Well, I figure it'’ll take two days

to deliver this to old Ben and get back here.

We'’ll be waiting.You better be.

Ellis, first thing I want you to do,

take the flatbed down to the junction.

Bring every bit of equipment we'’ve got back here.

Yes, sir, just as soon as you'’ve left.

Wasting this much time, we'’ll have to work

18 hours a day when I get back.

Now, you two watch things.

All right, boys. Let her roll.

MIKE: Tell Jimmy to get the rest of the wagons rolling tomorrow.

[ horse neighing ]

Higby say where he'’s going?

Nope, just drove off.

Getting supplies, I guess.

Junction'’s not that way.

No, that way.

Sharon, I take back what I said about your father.

So, it'’s someone else?

Yes, Higby.Higby.

He just took off from here driving like yayhoo.

That'’s right, on an errand for Papa.

Heading west.

I'’m going after him, make sure nothing happens

to that trainload of poles.Oh, Loren, you don'’t think--

I'’m afraid Brother Higby's

been the villain of the piece all along.

I should have guessed it.Why, what makes you think--

Lots of little things that don'’t mean anything in themselves.

Like certain songs. But add them all up--

Are you accusing Ellis Higby of being a Rebel?

All I know for sure is I'’m gonna follow him,

and I'’m gonna watch him till those poles are safe in Mr. Hudson'’s camp.

Wait.I haven'’t got time to waste.

The rate he'’s driving, he could pick up help

and race around ahead of '’em.I'’m going with you.

They turned off here. What'’d did I tell you?

Making a loop around the wagon train.

Yep.

We'’ll make camp the other side of the canyon.

Get '’em across before night.

MAN: Right.

Hup.

Higby met some Indians here.

Maybe four.

Looks like he rode off with '’em.

In a wagon?

Oh, looks like he ditched that here in the brush.

Doesn'’t look good. You better stay here.

I will not!

I said stay here!

[ grunts ]

[ grunting ]

[ grunting ]

[ grunts ]

[ gunshot ]

Ho!

[ shouts ]

[ grunting ]

Go ahead, Reb, tell '’em.

Tell '’em how you've been fighting the Union every mile of the way.

But in spite of you, there'’s gonna be a telegraph

clear across the United States of America.

Confederate Ellis Higby

was promptly tried and sentenced.

And Sharon Walsh and Loren McCarthy--

they were sentenced too.

To a long life filled with happiness

and wonderful memories.

Not the least of which was a framed letter

which graced the parlor of every house they ever occupied.

A letter signed quite simply--

"Gratefully yours, A. Lincoln."

Oh, and in case you'’re wondering,

the line from the East reached Salt Lake first

by four days.