Original subtitles

About time for the stage.

The stage is gonna be late.

How do you know?

Gonna be held up.

♪♪ [ trumpet ]

Howdy, folks. I'’m the Old Ranger.

We'’re in the mining camp of Alder Gulch, Montana Territory.

It'’s the year 1864.

Forces of law and order are at work trying to clean up the camp,

but they'’re not operating from that office.

Sheriff Cornett himself is one of the worst offenders.

No, there'’s a group of decent citizens

who have organized themselves into a vigilance committee.

Who they are, nobody knows,

but everybody knows their calling card.

When they run down a criminal and mark him for death,

he finds on his door the dreaded numerals,

the meaning of which still remains a mystery.

Whoa!

Whoa!

Where'’s the sheriff?

This stage was robbed this morning, held up.

What kind of law and order we got around here?

Couldn'’t have been more than a couple of miles down the road.

Here in broad daylight, too.

Seems mighty strange to me that they'’d wait till it's so close to town.

Mr. Lundy.Hello, Jim.

Mr. Morton.What happened, Jim?

Well, we got held up

near Horseshoe Hill.

They took money, and jewelry,

and this man'’s gold watch.

They didn'’t even search me.

Seemed like they knew I didn'’t have anything.

And he wasn'’t much of a help!

What was I supposed to do? Get myself killed?

MAN: Ha! You slowed down before we ever saw them.

And you never fired a shot!

MAN #2: What are you trying to say, Mr. Hackett?

What he'’s trying to say, Clem Hathaway,

is this town is run by crooks, and crime goes unpunished.

What'’s going on here?

Stage was held up near Horseshoe Hill.

Third time this month.

Same coach, same driver, same results-- nothing.

They talk like I was in cahoots. And others, higher up.

Well, anyone here trying to imply

that Hathaway and me are in on these holdups?

You, Mr. Lundy?

All right, let'’s get moving.

Hyah!

♪♪ [ piano ]

[ people chattering ]

[ horse whinnying ]

Clean you out, kid?

Wasn'’t much to clean.

Just hit town?

No. Well, I just got back.

Looks like you had your share of trouble.

What do you mean?

Oh, I just went to Denver for my pa'’s funeral.

I'’m sorry to hear it.

My name'’s, uh, Gooch.

Ben Gooch.

Jim Badger.

Young fella like you hadn'’t ought to be trying

his luck playing cards with them crooks in there.

Honest work'’s what's best.

Well, I have to get me a job first thing in the morning.

Ain'’t much work around.

I can always dig.

Lot of good that'’ll do you.

Look at me.

Worked a claim with a friend of mine.

Whitt Bailey. Know him?

Whitt Bailey.

Well, I guess there are a lot of new people in town.

The sneaking sidewinder.

Brought my share into town,

decided to spend it hisself.

He'’s in there right now,

spending what'’s rightfully mine.

Well, why don'’t you go in and get it?

Uh, he'’d only have me thrown out again.

Must be something that can be done.

Are you offering to help me, Jim?

That'’s mighty good of you, Jim. Mighty good.

Wait a minute, Mr. Gooch-- [ man shouts ]

That'’s him now.

Whitt! Oh, Whitt!

He'’s running away from me. That'’s what he's doing.

Kid, you can help me. You'’re young and strong. Follow him.

Oh, now, Mr. Gooch, I--Before he loses the rest of that gold.

He'’s got it in a bag tied to his belt.

Go after him, son.I'’d like to help you--

He'’s drunk. You'’ve seen how drunk.

Anybody could steal that gold from him,

but you could take it from him, and it'’d be safe.

I can'’t get into this.

I'’ll give you $50, Jim.

Lot of eating money.

But suppose he--First thing in the morning,

we'’ll take it down to the assayer'’s.

He'’ll tell you it'’s part mine.

I got a claim in black, white.

[ mutters ]If I ain'’t telling

the heaven'’s own truth, we'’ll give it back to Mr. Bailey.

Fair enough?

Now, hurry up, before he loses the rest of it.

Mr. Bailey,

your partner wants me to collect what you owe him.

I don'’t owe nobody nothing!

Carpetbagger! That'’s what you are!

Let me alone!

[ moans ]

Well, I got it.

Here.

This nugget'’s worth a lot more than $50.

You keep it until tomorrow morning.

But you said you'’d--I don'’t have the cash now.

Tomorrow morning at the assay office. You be there at 9:00,

and I'’ll give you your 50.

Then maybe we can work the claim together.

All right?

All right.

Well, that'’s Jim Badger.

And you'’re sure he'’s the fella?

That'’s him, all right.

Remember that coffin bag if I don'’t remember nothing else.

All right, I'’ll talk to him.

You, wait in there.

[ door opens ]

Jim, come in. I wanna talk to you.

[ door closes ]

Set your bag down.

You look like you'’re getting ready to leave town.

Oh, I'’m not living anywhere yet,

if you know what I mean.

Heard you'’re looking for a job. Are you broke?

[ sighs ] Sure am, Mr. Lundy,

except for $50 Mr. Gooch is gonna give me for this.

Where'’d you get this?

Ben Gooch gave it to me.

I did something for him.

Gooch? Now, who is he? I never heard of him.

Said a man named Whitt Bailey owed him a share of their claim.

I collected for him and he gave me that.

Uh-huh.

Mr. Gooch said for us to meet here this morning at 9:00

and he'’d give me the money he owes me.

Or if you said the dust wasn'’t rightly his,

he'’d give it back to Mr. Bailey.

Were you at Ballinger'’s last night, Jim?

It was Mr. Gooch'’s dust, wasn'’t it?

I mean, I--I didn'’t steal it.

Now, who said anything about stealing?

Leave this here and come back later.

What about my $50?

Mr. Gooch said--If there'’s anybody named Gooch,

you talk to him about that.

[ door closes ]

There is no Ben Gooch.

He'’s a liar.

That'’s a pretty serious charge, Mr. Adams.

I was here yesterday, and you weighed that dust,

and you weighed this nugget he handed you.

Yes, I remember. It'’s yours, all right.

It'’s hard to believe that Badger'’s son's a thief.

Nowadays you can believe anything about this town.

Everything in it'’s crooked.

And the sheriff,

all he does is shrug and say,

"what do you expect me to do about your gold?"

I'’ll try to find this Ben Gooch.

Maybe he does know something.

Sure there'’s nothing I can do?

Well--well, thank you.

Howdy, ma'’am.

Hello, Mr. Morton.

Hello, Badger.I'’m looking for work.

So I heard.

Puttin'’ up in that barn till I get me a job.

Don'’t seem to be none, though.

Always find honest work

if you look hard enough.

Take this to Ellis'’s feed store.

They'’re looking for someone.

Thank you, Mr. Morton.

Uh, Mr. Morton sent me with this

and said Mr. Ellis might have a job for me.

I'’ll take that.

I didn'’t steal anything.

Nobody accused you of anything yet.

Sit down.

Ted Adams was robbed in Ballinger'’s last night.

Someone cut him loose from a bag of gold dust.

Mr. Gooch asked me to get it for him.

You can ask him. He'’ll tell you it's so.

We'’ve searched the town, Badger.

There'’s no such man as Ben Gooch.

Maybe he left during the night.

Jim,

you don'’t deny lifting the gold, do you?

I'’m just telling you that Mr. Gooch--

Answer the question.

I took the bag.

I gave it all to Mr. Gooch.

He gave me one nugget.

Said for me to keep it

until he paid me for collecting his debt.

All right.

Then you admit you stole the gold.

You admit you'’re guilty.

[ sighs ] I just told you that Mr. Gooch--

MR. LUNDY: Jim.

No Ben Gooch ever filed a claim

with anybody named Whitt Bailey.

I'’m the assayer and I ought to know.

You lifted that dust from Ted Adams.

Look, boy...

if you'’re found guilty,

the only punishment that could be in inflicted

by this committee is death by hanging.

Ed Badger was a friend of mine.

Friend of a lot of you here.

Some of us have known Jim since he was born.

Now, we'’re not dealing with one of Cornett'’s gang.

This boy'’s like one of us.

We'’re all decent men here.

We have feelings, too.

Sure, some of us knew Ed Badger,

but we'’re not trying him.

We'’re trying a man who committed a crime,

who happens to be Ed Badger'’s son.

Well, he didn'’t run, he walked into our trap.

Well, that ought to mean something.

Now, look,

after a lot of hard deliberation,

we drew up our code, and we signed it.

And no murderer or thief has ever been set free.

And I say we don'’t start changing the rules here or now.

I know exactly how you feel,

but in this case, Ellis, I just can'’t go along with you.

I'’m against hanging with boy.

I vote no.

Lundy,

we'’ve been arguing this out all night.

Well, it'’s gotta be unanimous.

Well, you'’re the only one holding out.

Ellis, I'’m sorry,

but I'’m swinging my vote.

I'’m going over with Lundy.

Ed here tells me that it'’s all over town

that the committee has young Badger.

Folks are feeling kind of sorry for him.

Well, we can'’t let that sway us.

I still insist that to hang this boy would be blood on our hands.

And not to hang him would be like saying

the Vigilantes mean business sometimes.

He'’s a thief and a liar,

and if he goes out of here knowing us,

knowing our names, we'’re marked men.

Anybody thought about that?

I have and I trust the son of Ed Badger.

Let'’s prove there'’s a difference

between Cornett and his gang and the committee.

Let'’s tell the people that we temper justice with mercy.

You'’re asking for your own death sentence, Lundy.

I say let him live.

Let him live, but shunned by us,

never spoken to,

a witness to the power and the mercy of the Vigilantes.

Looks like you all agree with him.

All right, I'’ll vote with the rest of you...

but not without fear of what this may mean

for every one of us.

He goes free.

Be it so ordered and entered in the records of this committee.

[ gavel bangs ]

Now, you understand what this means, don'’t you?

You understand what Sheriff Cornett and his gang

are trying to do to this town?

I understand, Mr. Lundy.

I know I did wrong, and I'’d like to make it up.

I also understand what just happened in here.

Sort of made me grow up all of a sudden.

Now, there'’ll be a job for you.

You'’ll have to work a long time to pay back what you stole.

I'’ll pay back every penny.

Now, in the meantime, word will be spread around.

No decent person in this town will have anything to do with you.

All right, Mr. Morton will show you out.

I hope to God we did right, Lundy.

Now, one of you says the stage will be freighting

more than 20,000 in silver and gold.

Be coming through Skeleton Pass.

Should be an easy job for you boys to handle.

Look, if Wills and Smith here wanna take their chances,

that'’s all right with me.

But I still say we ought to lay low for a while.

What'’s the matter? You getting scared?

The Vigilantes are watching everything like hawks.

In fact word'’s around they picked up the Badger kid for stealing a bag of gold.

That'’s the kid's problem.

[ laughing ] Come here.

What'’s all this goop about the Badger kid being picked up by the Vigilantes?

You know what happens when the Vigilantes pick someone up?

They hang him.

He'’s out there walking around as big as life.

You'’re just getting nervous,Dunbar.

I'’d feel a lot better if at least we knew who they was.

Well, they don'’t trouble me none.

Why should they trouble you?

Okay, boys.

[ door closes ]

Boys ain'’t exactly happy

about what happened to Wills and Smith.

Ah, they probably got liquored up before they rode off.

No. No, they wasn'’t, Cornett.

I saw '’em off myself.

They was stone sober.

We'’ve been outsmarted, like with Hathaway.

Morning, ma'’am.

Hi, mister--

Like I said before, the only thing that'’ll help us is knowing who they are.

Yeah.

That would help.

Mornin'’.

Dunbar.

What is it?Wait a minute.

Mr. Lundy got me a job out at Snyder'’s flour mill.

Mr. Snyder sent me for these.

Got my meals and a bed too.

Sure is nice out there.

Mornin'’, Sam.Morning, Ed.

Morning, Mr. Lundy.

I sure want to thank you for that job out at the mill.

I, uh, understand the sheriff'’s put up some kind of reward.

What for?

Well, I heard it was for the murderers of Harry Wills and Chuck Smith.

Uh-huh. I'’ll be, uh, with you as soon as I fill this order.

Maybe the Vigilantes did pick up the Badger kid after all.

Outside there now, they'’re giving him some kind of a cold treatment,

like maybe there was a word spread about him.

Think the Vigilantes just let him walk out alive?

There'’s only one way to find out.

Maybe the way to find out who they are too.

What'’s that?

I'’m gonna have a little talk with the boy.

Hey, Badger.

Sheriff like a word with you.

[ door closes ]

Thank you, Deputy Dunbar.

Sorry about your pa.

Thanks.

Glad to see you'’re still alive though.

Vigilantes must be getting kind of soft.

Vigilantes? I don'’t know what you mean.

Now, look. We saw what happened out there.

Everybody cutting you dead. Now, how come?

Nobody cut me dead.

Now, stop stalling, boy.

We know it was you lifted a bag of dust from a drunk at Ballinger'’s.

Some of the folks around town got a little mad about it.

Called you in.

Sort of talked to you about it, now, didn'’t they?

I don'’t know what you'’re getting at.

Yes, you do, Badger.

Now, why don'’t you just tell me all about it?

About what?

About a bunch of horse thieves that call themselves vigilantes.

Look, I--You know something, Badger, and I got ways of finding out.

I don'’t know anything--

Does that help refresh your memory?

Once again, I'’m asking you. Who are they?

I don'’t know.

You try.

[ man mutters ]

[ Badger grunts ]

[ blow lands ]

[ blow lands ]

[ blow lands ]How much can he stand?

[ blow lands ]Can we help him?

Mean a lot of lives if we did.

For his sake, it might have been better if we'’d voted to hang him.

[ blows continue ] [ Badger grunting ]

[ spits ]

Now, once more.

I don'’t know.

[ birds singing, twittering ]

Throw him out.

Thank you, son.

You'’re all right, Jim.

This is a photostatic copy

of the articles of organization of the Montana Vigilantes,

who brought law and order to the territory.

As for Jim Badger,

he stayed on as one of the most respected members of the community

and lived out all his years in Alder Gulch.

Sheriff Cornett-- the Vigilantes caught up with him.

His hanging for his part in murder and crime

was their last official act.