Original subtitles

From the archives of the United States Cavalry,

the true stories of Colonel Randall McKenzie and

the cavalrymen he led.

McKenzie's Raiders.

His secret orders from the President of the

United States.

Clean up the Southwest.

Make it a fit place for Americans to

live.

Wipe out the renegades, outlaws, and murderers.

If necessary, cross the Rio Grande.

Knowing capture means hanging by the enemy.

Discovery, court-martial by the United States Army.

?? ?? The

year, 1873.

The place, Fort Clark, Texas.

A remote military installation close to the Mexican

border.

Its commanding officer, Colonel Randall McKenzie, 4th United

States Cavalry.

His orders, clean up the Southwest under any

conditions.

McKenzie's control of the area depended on his

vital supply lines.

They had to be protected at all costs

to ensure the 4th Cavalry's effectiveness as a

striking force.

May, 1873.

Three convoys outbound from Fort Clark had been

totally destroyed.

The loss of both men and equipment was

more than Colonel McKenzie's ill-equipped command could

afford.

A way had to be found to combat

this powerful, unseen foe.

The last deserted stretch of badland before reaching

the open plains that led to the fort

was called Killer's Notch.

It was in this area that the crippling

raids took place.

Fire!

Get it.

Hurry it up!

Come on, let's go!

Come in.

Any report?

Not ready to work, sir.

Two hours overdue.

Detail assembled for search duty.

Yes, sir.

Attention!

Dead left!

Halt!

Did you check the men's weapons?

Yes, sir.

Just like the other time.

They never got off on answering wrong.

That must have been 50 on the gang, sir.

All firing on the number 2. Do this.

Three convoys ambushed.

Three armed escorts wiped out to the last man, and I...

All right, get the bodies back to the fort.

Yes, sir.

Colonel!

It's Trooper Combs, sir.

He's still alive.

Can he talk?

No, sir, and if we don't get him

doctored up fast...

All right, all right.

Get him back to the post as quickly

as possible.

Let's concentrate on the ambushers while there's still

light.

Prepare the men to mount and search the

area.

Yes, sir.

Troopers, halt!

Must be 50,000 beautiful dollars here, maybe

more.

We did it again, Kraft, huh?

We?

Well, you and your boys did the job,

sure, but I told you about it, didn't

I?

You'll get paid proper for it.

How long will it take this stuff to

be broken into small bills?

Oh, a month, maybe more.

Month?

Well, most of these are fifties and hundreds.

I had to send them to Chicago and

St. Louis to do the job.

It'll take time.

McKenzie will be poking around.

You're nervous about McKenzie, Duke?

Well, he's smart.

Don't underrate him, believe me.

Suppose he is.

How's he gonna tie us into the deal?

Well, there were, uh, no survivors, huh?

No survivors.

I personally saw to it.

Now, get this stuff counted.

It's on its way.

Only the approach of night halted Colonel McKenzie

and his men in their grim search for

the ambushers.

Did you miss the men, Sergeant?

Sir.

Stand easy, Henningsen.

What's the word on Trooper Carlton?

He's still alive, sir.

Doctor's with him.

Corporal Nathan's standing by.

If you don't need talk, tell us what

happened.

Dispatch arrived from Washington this afternoon, sir.

It's the answer to your request for more

troops.

Additional troopers not available at this time.

I've lost 20 men in the last month.

20 men.

All the bloody, hard-fought gains that this

fort has made since it was activated are

being knocked into a cocked hat.

But there are no additional troopers available at

this time.

Sir, there are non-combatant troops available.

Dispatch says they'll send you an adjutant if

you need one.

There were four men killed this afternoon.

They never knew what hit them.

They never had a chance.

I don't need non-combatant adjutants to help

me prevent that happening again.

I need fighting men.

Yes.

Yes, Nathan.

Come in.

What about Trooper Crum?

Trooper Crum is dead, sir.

Did he, uh...

Was he able to tell us anything?

No, sir.

He never regained consciousness?

All right, Corporal.

Yes, sir.

Have Sergeant Armbruster tell off five troopers for

special duty.

Yes, sir.

What kind of special duty?

Just tell them I said they may enjoy

it.

Yes, sir.

Tomorrow we're going to escort another convoy through

the notch.

This time we're going to be ready for

an attack.

And I'm depending on you men to see

to it that we are attacked.

You're all at liberty until Reveille tomorrow.

I want you to spend that liberty in

Brackettville.

Be friendly and loose-tongued about our mission.

Talk to anybody who'll talk to you.

The facts of the mission are these.

The convoy will leave here at 10 a

.m. We'll go through Killer's Notch.

We'll be escorting the payroll for Fort Crandall.

It's important, men.

I'm counting on you.

Sergeant.

Dismissed.

Ready the horses, Sergeant.

Is that reward notice ready?

Yes, sir.

Brackettville.

The sinkhole of the Southwest.

A gathering place for all the filth and

evil of this desolate frontier.

By McKenzie's orders, it was tolerated.

For it sometimes was the source of valuable

information.

For months, McKenzie had suspected the Brackettville General

Store and its owner, Duke Farrell, of dealing

in more than dry goods and hunting rifles.

It was the best place to begin.

This is probably the best model I've got.

Good evening, Mr. Farrell.

Good evening, Colonel.

My condolences on that terrible affair in the

notch.

You heard about it?

Oh, yes.

It's all over town.

Is it true?

Unfortunately, yes.

Oh, it's a nice rifle.

A sharp.

Yes, it's the very latest.

It's a beauty.

Where's the rear sight?

Oh, assemble it for me, will you, Mr.

Farrell?

Certainly, Colonel.

No survivors, huh?

One.

One?

How fortunate, Colonel.

Better let me help you with that, Mr.

Farrell.

There you are, Mr. Farrell.

If you hear of anything worth passing on,

let me know, won't you?

Certainly, Colonel.

Oh, and by the way, you wouldn't mind

if I posted a notice in your store,

would you?

My pleasure, Colonel.

Thank you.

It's a reward for those bushwhackers I was

telling you about.

Sergeant, after we pass that window, you keep

walking.

I tell you, McKenzie knows.

One of his men lived.

I told you, I personally saw to it

that they were all finished off.

He knows nothing.

He's fishing.

I want you to get some ammunition and

lots of it.

Ammunition?

One of McKenzie's little boys in blue was

shooting his mouth off.

There's another shipment going through the notch tomorrow

morning.

You may be underrating him.

This could be a trap.

A trap?

You forgot something, Duke.

We got the Gatling gun and McKenzie don't

know it.

$1,000 reward for information leading to the

capture, dead or alive, of persons or person

who ambushed...

Nice easy way to earn $1,000, eh,

Duke?

What are you talking about?

Comes to me, you're the only one besides

me and the boys who knows we got

the gun and where she's set up.

You wouldn't be tempted to turn us in

for a measly $1,000 reward, would you,

Duke?

Me?

Of course, if you ever was foolish enough

to do that, your corpse would be worth

$1,000 and that's all.

You get the idea, don't you?

Now get that ammunition ready.

My boys will be picking it up.

May 30th,

1873, seven grim-faced troopers acting as decoys

waited for the command to escort an empty

transport wagon through the notch.

McKenzie's plan was ready to be put into

action.

Come in.

Mr. Farrell, sir.

Ah, yes.

Uh, get Mr. Farrell a chair, will you?

Mr. Farrell.

The corporal said that you needed my help

and, of course, I responded.

Well, I appreciate that, Mr. Farrell.

How may I be of service?

Uh, that notice I posted in your store

last night, I thought by now you might

have some information for me.

Information?

No, nothing at all.

Somehow, Colonel, I feel that you seem to

think...

No, no, sir, nothing, nothing at all.

Mm-hmm.

That man that came into your store as

I was leaving, uh, who is he?

A man in my store?

Oh, yes, I remember.

It was a customer.

I'd never seen him before.

Oh, a complete stranger.

Yes, that's right.

He was interested in a bowie knife and

he looked at my stock.

Well, you seemed to have a pretty animated

conversation with this stranger after I left, before

you two disappeared into the back room.

Oh, I think you must be mistaken, Colonel.

I...

I never...

All right, Mr. Farrell, come on.

You're coming with us.

Where to?

Into the notch.

Into killer's notch.

You, me, and a handful of troopers.

Corporal.

Mr. Farrell will accompany us.

Please escort him to the convoy.

You're bluffing, McKenzie.

Hmm.

After you, Mr. Farrell.

There's no reason for this, Colonel.

You won't find anything in the notch.

No, I think we will.

When we get close enough to be in

danger, I think we'll find something.

Average at the ready.

All march.

Colonel!

Colonel!

He's waiting up there.

How many men are with him?

How's the arm?

I...

I don't know.

Where is he?

I don't know.

I don't know.

Believe me, he could be anywhere.

Where is he?

I don't know.

They could go off at any minute.

Turn back, I beg you.

Turn back!

They've got...

Gatling guns.

I should have known.

All those men murdered without a chance to

defend themselves because they've got a Gatling gun.

Where is it?

I don't know.

I swear.

Where is it?

I don't know.

All right, Mr. Farrell, perhaps we can jog

your faulty memory.

Sergeant Armbruster?

Yes, sir.

Put this man in uniform.

That's fine, boys.

Now fetch ammunition and fetch plenty of it.

This baby has a large appetite.

I should imagine our gun emplacement is somewhere

in those hills.

Let's find out.

Mr. Farrell, you ride on the wagon.

Sergeant, ride beside him.

Slowly, straight ahead.

The rest of us will go up in

those rocks and see if we can draw

their fire.

Yes, sir.

All right, Mr. Farrell, back on the wagon.

Get up.

Two soldier boys and a nice, fat wagon.

Get back.

Don't fire until I give the word.

Not before.

Surprise me, boys, surprise me.

Corporal, I'm not a gambling man, but if

I were, I'd bet that that Gatling gun

is in place in those rocks up there.

Yes, sir, I'd bet that too.

Well, if we're right, the limit of its

effective range should be just about that first

tree down there.

Yes, sir.

We'll charge and try and draw its fire.

We'll locate it that way.

In no case are the men to charge

beyond that tree.

That's our deadline.

Yes, sir.

Detail, prepare to charge.

It's a trick.

Here they come.

Hold your fire, Farrell.

Skip, go down to the hollow and get

some more ammunition.

Bring a lady and watch the ridge, just

in case.

Trooper Howard.

Trooper Howard.

You're coming with me.

Bring your bugle.

Corporal.

Yes, sir, sir.

See that tree in those rocks up there?

Yes, sir.

That's where our gun emplacement will be.

Howard and I are gonna work our way

up behind it.

Try and draw its fire in the opposite

direction.

I want covering fire for that until we

reach the bluffs.

Plenty of it, you got it?

Yes, sir.

Also keep yourself in readiness to charge that

emplacement as soon as we've drawn its fire

in the opposite direction.

But don't charge until you get a bugle

signal.

Yes, sir.

All right, let's start that covering fire.

All right, men.

Howard.

Yes, sir.

Bring a lady.

I'll try and work around behind it.

You go that way, but keep low.

Yes, sir.

That's for my 20 men.

It's back from Washington, sir.

Oh, read it, Corporal.

In answer to your request, Gatling gun was

shipped to you the 14th of June last.

Have no acknowledgment of receipt of same.

Request receipt for our records.

All right.

Take an answer.

Gatling gun in question had been stolen.

Located, same.

Engaged, same.

Captured, same.

Ronald S.

McKenzie, 4th Cavalry Commanding.

Yes, sir.

Oh, one other thing, Corporal.

Pass the word to Lieutenant Taylor, saber drill

this afternoon will be suspended.

Gatling gun drill instead.

Yes, sir.

McKenzie's Raiders did ride again, and again, carrying

out the secret orders of the President of

the United States.

Do whatever necessary to clean up the Southwest.

Make it a decent place for people to

live.

Ride with McKenzie's Raiders as they relive the

blazing pages of history in the making.

This is the story of McKenzie's Raiders.