Original subtitles

♪ [ trumpet ]

The history of the Old West tantalizes us

with stories and legends of lost mines,

abandoned bonanzas waiting to share their wealth

with those who rediscover them.

Such a mine was the Black Prince

near Breckenridge, Colorado.

In the 1880s, it was a played out hole in the ground,

but by a twist of fate,

it beckoned to one Stony Wilson,

a retired miner who heeded its call

and entered Western folklore as a man who discovered...

...seven, eight.

Stony, where'’s the rest of your pension money?

What you gave me is two dollars short.

Happy birthday, Euny.

It'’s not my birthday.

You know that, Stony.

Now what have you gone and spent two dollars on?

Open it and see.

A broach.

The one I saw in Mr. Overstreet'’s window.

You like it?

Oh, I do, Stony,

but you know we can'’t afford luxuries like that.

Not when I'’m trying so hard to put a few dollars aside.

How much you got in there?

Never you mind, Stony Wilson.

Couple of hundred, maybe?

Maybe, but it'’s not for the likes of you.

Oh, Euny.

Everything'’ll be all right, you'’ll see.

Look, we'’ve got enough pension money,

and I'’ve got chores to do for the neighbors,

and that'’ll give us spending money.

Oh, Euny.

I'’ll always look after you. You know that.

Land sakes, you always have.

Now, get.

Go wash your hands.

I got supper to fix.

Come on, this darn thing.

Isn'’t that the preacher's harness you'’re fixing?Uh-huh.

Then mind his words.

"Strong words don'’t make for easy chores."

[ horse whinnies ]

What was that?

I didn'’t hear nothing.

[ horse whinnies ]

There.

Shh.

Who'’s out there?

Euny, come on out here.

Will he be all right, Stony?

We'’ve done all we can but he'’s hurt real bad.

Think you ought to fetch Doc Luback?

Probably.

But I can'’t leave you, Euny.

Whoever shot at him might come back to finish him.

No, I'’ll go tomorrow

if he'’s still alive.

Poor man.

Now, Euny, just go get some sleep.

I'’ll sit up with him.

[ pained groan ]

Well, howdy.

Where am I? And who are you?

My name'’s Stony Wilson.

You'’re at my place.

What'’s your name, mister?

Ross. Duke Ross.

I'’m hurt bad, ain't I?

Yeah, I'’ll go get the doc.

No, no.

Nothing'’s going to help me.

There'’s no time.

I gotta talk.

You gotta do something for me.

I got money in my pocket,

enough for a decent burial.

You take it.

See that I get a proper burial.

Do that for me, will you?

Sure, I'’ll do that, Mr. Ross.

You take care of '’em. I'’ll fix something for you.

That'’s all right, there's no need to worry about that.

Don'’t talk, just listen.

You know the Black Prince mine?

It ain'’t much of a mine, Mr. Ross.

Why, it'’s all played out and flooded.

It'’s just a hole in the ground.

You can buy it cheap.

Couple of hundred dollars maybe.

I got no need for the Black Prince, Mr. Ross.

You do.

There'’s something in it.

Buy it.

Buy it, you hear?

You should rest.

Mr. Ross, Mr. Ross.

Mr. Ross?

Is he dead, Stony?

Poor man.

And you say he died this morning?

Do you know who he was, Stony?

Well, he said his name was Ross, Duke Ross. Do you know him?

We'’ve been looking for him.

He and two others tried to hold up

the in-bound stage yesterday.

His two partners got shot, but Ross got away.

You mean me and Euny was comforting a road agent?

You sure were.

Ross is wanted in two territories

for everything from armed robbery to murder.

If I had known that, I'’d a brung him in last night.

That'’s all right.

You didn'’t do anything wrong, Stony.

I surely hope not.

By the way, did he tell you anything before he died?

Oh, yeah,

he told me to see that he got a decent burial,

and he give me money for that.

But nothing about his robberies?

Nothing about why he came back to this part of Colorado?

No, he never told me nothing about no robberies,

and he never said why he come back, either.

Well, he can'’t do any more harm.

I'’ll run out to your place with doc,

and we'’ll bring him back.

I'’m much obliged for your help, Stony.

You'’re a good citizen.

Yes, sir.

I told him what he asked, Isabelle.

Rest of it don'’t make no sense, so why bother him with it?

I can'’t believe it.

I don'’t believe it.

I don'’t.

Euny, I made a real good buy.

$189 and I bought the whole mine,

the Black Prince.

And it took everything I saved.

Oh, Stony.

Why?

How could you do this?

Euny, please don'’t cry.

I bought it for us.

For us?

Every cent we have poured down a sinkhole full of water,

and you stand there and say you did it for us?

Well, I did.

Euny,

I never had nothing worth having

in my whole life '’cept you. I mean...

I'’ve never owned nothing.

Nothing I could share with you, and see,

Euny, it'’s ours.

Yours and mine.

Oh, Stony.

Euny.

There'’s so much I want to do for you,

so much I want to give you.

I want to make up for all them years after my accident

and for my bad leg and just the way we'’ve had to live.

You'’ve got nothing to make up to me, Stony.

Yes, I do, Euny,

and the Black Prince is going to change all that.

I know.

If it'’s what you really want, Stony,

if it means so much to you.

It does.

Then it'’s what I want, too.

Euny.

Euny.

We own something.

[ splashing ]

Sure is deep.

MAN: What are you trying to do, Stony, fall in?

Jim Bergman!

What in tarnation brings you over here?

You, you crazy old coot.

We heard over at The Lucky Lady

that you were trying to buy this old,

no good hole in the ground.

I came over to talk you out of it.

You'’re too late. I bought it.

She'’s all mine.

You can'’t open up this mine by yourself.

What are you going to use for men and equipment?

I don'’t know, but if a fella wants something bad enough,

he'’ll think of a way.

Don'’t you worry none about me, Jim.

Oh, just like that, huh?

Well I can tell you, it'’s not quite that simple.

Mining takes equipment, and equipment costs money.

Well, seeing as how you is superintendant to The Lucky Lady,

maybe you'’d be of a mind to loan me a rig,

just to get started?

I can'’t loan anything,

and renting a rig will cost you $1,000.

How how you gonna get it?

I don'’t know that either.

Watch it, Stony.

If I sit out here long enough, I'’ll figure a way.

You'’re a might fretful, ain'’t you Jim?

You know, sometimes I think you need watching, just like a kid.

Now Jim,

I expect Stony knows what he'’s doing out there.

Like he says, you are a might fretful.

Eunice, if he weren'’t a friend of mine, I wouldn'’t be here.

I'’m worried about him.

Out there every day, all alone,

eating a sandwich and dreaming some dang fool daydream.

That dream is all he'’s got.

He wants to stay out there with it.

Neither of us has the right to tell him he can'’t.

All right, Eunice. All right.

But I'’m still going to keep an eye on him.Thanks, Jim.

Oh, while you'’re at it, will you take him his lunch?

He went off without it this morning.

Stony?

Stony? Where are you?

His derby and Isabelle are all I found.

This was floating in the water.

And no sign of him in the shaft?

None.

There'’s 80 feet of water in that mine.

I had trouble fishing this out.

And you think Stony'’s still down at the bottom?

Must be.

Well...

I better break the news to Eunice.

Want me to go with you?

No, I'’ll tell her. It'’s part of my job.

I'’ll take Isabelle back, too.

You round up a bunch of your men

and get them out to the Black Prince.

We'’ve got to figure out a way to get his body out of there.

No luck, Irv?Not at all, Mr. Bergman.

We'’ve been fishing for over six hours. Not a sign of him.

I hate to say it, but I think we'’re wasting our time.

If he is down there,

he'’s buried so deep we'd never get him out with a hook.

All right, men, that'’s enough.

We'’ve done all we can.

EUNICE: No you haven'’t, Jim Bergman.

I'’m sorry, Eunice, we did everything we could for Stony.

You'’ve got to get him out of there

so I can bury him proper.

But how?

Drain the shaft.

You'’ve got all the equipment you need over at The Lucky Lady.

You can pump the water out.

Mr. Bergman?

It'’ll cost a couple of thousand dollars

to get a crew and that equipment over here.

But you'’re his friend, Jim.

You said so yourself.

All right, we'’ll get him out.

Thanks, Jim.

All right, some of you men go back to The Lucky Lady

and get a pumping rig

and plenty of black coffee.

We may be here all night.

Well?

Any luck, Jim?

None.

We got all the water out by dawn.

All we'’ve brought up in the last five hours

is mud and some old mining equipment.

Mister Bergman!

We'’ve hooked on to something pretty heavy.

Well bring it up.

Well, I can'’t put it off any longer.

I better go back and tell Eunice.

STONY: That there box is mine!

Stony.

We thought you drowned.

Well, I ain'’t,

but you and Jason sure upset Euny telling her I was.

Why, that poor soul near had a spell when I walked in.

Well, you weren'’t drowned, where you been hiding out?

I ain'’t been hiding out.

I went on up to Hillsmont,

see if I could borrow me a rig,

like the one you said I couldn'’t borrow.

Appears now I could have saved myself the trouble.

Why, you old buzzard!

You'’ve got us to do this on purpose

to drain this blasted old mine of yours so...

Why? What were you looking for?

Well, I don'’t rightly know,

but I sure had me a spell

when I see you pull up that there box.

You were watching?

Yeah, I was watching from the rocks out there.

You know a man gets a might curious

when he sees fellas trespassing on his property.

Trespassing!

Well, it'’s been a long day,

so...

if someone would give me a hand,

I'’ll take my box and I'’ll be getting on home.

No, Stony, you ain'’t taking it.

But it'’s mine. It was on my property.

Maybe so, but nature didn'’t put it there.

I got a hunch it has something to do

with your friend Duke Ross.

Put it on the wagon, boys.

We'’ll hold the grand opening in town.

Why, Jason Marble,

you and Jim, you just don'’t trust nobody.

Well, that'’s all of it.

$54,000 in gold.

And you ain'’t gonna let me keep none of it, Jason?

No.

It'’s stolen property, Stony.

It was taken from Wells Fargo months ago

by your friend Duke Ross.

I guess that'’s why he came back to Breckenridge,

hoping to get it out of the Black Prince mine.

It seems like we both went

to a powerful lot of trouble for nothing.

Not exactly.

I got a wire from the Wells Fargo people

authorizing the bank to pay a reward.

Reward?

$10,000?

All here and accounted for.

$10,000.

Yippee!

What'’s going on here?

Where'’d you get that?

It'’s ours, Euny. Ours.

$10,000 reward from Wells Fargo.

Oh, Stony.

Oh, I'’m glad, you old coot,

even if you did put people to a lot of trouble getting it.

Well, here you are, Jim.

What'’s this for?

I'’m beholden to no one.

Some of it'’s for renting the equipment,

and you divide the rest

between the men who come to fish me out.

And mind you don'’t go keeping too much for yourself, Jim.

Thanks a lot.

You'’re quite a man, Stony Wilson,

but I'’ll take care of the rest of this.

Well, anything you say, Euny.

Gentlemen.

She'’s right, you know.

About what?

Stony'’s quite a man.

And that was the amazing story of Stony Wilson

and his lost bonanza.

He invested his reward money wisely,

enabling him to live comfortably for the rest of his life.

Among his pleasures during those years

were occasional visits to the Black Prince mine,

the worthless holding which had made it all possible.

Be with us next week

for another story from Western history.