Original subtitles

Tad boy.

You look like you got troubles.

You got to call this thing off.

I got to do nothing of the kind.

Things have changed. The regular guy took sick.

So?

So Jess Harper's taken his place riding shotgun tomorrow.

I just found out.

You worried about him?

He gave me my job on the stage line.

Been a good friend, I don't want him hurt.

And I don't want to miss out on that $20,000 in cash.

You're gonna have to do it by yourself.

I can't do that, Tad boy, and you know it.

Now it's gonna go just like I planned.

No.

Now you put in that saw-through pull pin,

stage crashes and we split $20,000.

Wes--

Time has passed for you to back out, Tad, way passed.

Morning, Tad.

Hello, Jess.

About ready to roll?

Yeah, I was just changing one of the tug chains.

It looked worn.

When are you leaving for St. Louis?

I'll be gone before you get back.

Couple of weeks' time you'll be an old married man.

Say, Jess...

Yeah?

About that money

you lent me for my trip to St. Louis--

I told you to forget it.

That's my wedding present to you.

I wish it could have been more.

I guess we're ready to roll. Here they come.

Hey, Jess, you take care. You hear?

You bet.

Any trouble comes along, I'll run the other way.

Yeah, you know that's not what I mean.

Weather's been dry.

Trails are probably rutted pretty bad.

Ain't nothing to worry about

with old Mose heading up the team.

Maybe so, but you take care anyway.

Sure.

Well, just climb aboard, folks, we'll be leaving shortly.

I'll be going.

Got to pack.

Good luck to you, Tad.

Lots of happiness with your wife.

So long, Jess.

Well, a fine guard you'd make without a gun.

Thanks, Mose.

Are they all aboard?

All except you and me.

All right, you first.

If you don't hang together

there's no point in me trying to drive it.

Yeah, I knew it, I forgot something.

What's that, Mose?

In my pocket there, that letter.

It's for Tad.

Postmark's blurred, I can't read it.

Yeah, I was supposed to give it to him. Ha!

It's a lucky thing that my head is tacked on my shoulders

or I'd forget that, too.

It's from St. Louis.

That's a good trick. How did you know?

Professional secret, Mose.

Well, it could have been important.

Well, he'll know what's in it in a few days.

He's going there to marry the girl that wrote it.

Well, it's a good straight road, Mose.

You think you can drive this team?

Ha. [ whooping ]

[ continues whooping ]

Jump, Mose!

What could be easier?

They're not dead?

Well, if they ain't, we will be,

if we don't get out of here.

You all right, Mose?

No, I ain't all right.

My arm's busted.

I'm gonna check on the other passengers.

Just take it easy, sir, don't try to move.

Better look inside the coach, mister.

They're hurt pretty bad.

Whoa.

Anybody killed?

Don't seem so. Pretty banged up though.

I'll give you a hand.

Much obliged.

Could you take these people back to the Sherman ranch?

It's a couple of miles down the road.

Sure. I'll fetch the doc, too.

He's just over at the Perkins place delivering a baby.

Thanks, we can sure use him.

You want me to take care of the one in the coach?

Yeah, will you?

Where you going?

Going after those hard cases, Mose.

You take care of things around here.

You better let the doc have a look at you first.

I don't want to chance losing their trail.

Wind's coming up.

Slim, cloth.

Thanks, Mike.

Here's the water, Miss Daisy.

Good boy, Mike.

Now will you tear up those sheets the way I told you to?

Yes, ma'am.

Still unconscious?

Yes.

His father will be here soon.

I wish the doctor would get here.

He'd be more help.

You didn't leave him much to do.

You're next, Mose.

Dislocated.

You ready?

Ready as I'll ever be.

It's gonna hurt.

Stop talking, Slim. Yank.

[ groans ]

[ chuckles ]

Didn't feel a thing. It's just...

Mike, bring me some of those strips.

Boy, Mose sure is tough.

You think so, huh?

Sure do.

Going to sleep at a time like this.

Where's my boy?

Billy? Billy, are you all right?

Oh, don't touch him, Mr. Burch.

Don't tell me what to do.

She's right, don't move him until I get a look at him.

Oh.

Hi, Sherman. What happened?

Stage was wrecked.

I know it was wrecked. I want to know why and how.

We thought it more important to take care of these people

before going into that.

If you'd taken better care of the equipment

maybe this thing wouldn't have happened.

It wasn't the fault of the equipment.

Where's the driver?

I understand your friend Harper was riding shotgun.

You understand right.

Driver is in there unconscious.

It seems running this stage is a little too much for you.

I can arrange for a replacement if that's so.

Now, Mr. Burch, I know you're concerned for your son,

but don't come in--

Now don't you don't me, Sherman!

As superintendent of this line I'll tell you what to do.

You'll lower your voice.

There are injured men here

and they're not the least bit interested

in your acting like a wild man.

Don't you--

You ease off.

All right then, tell me what happened.

Stage was wrecked and robbed.

Robbed?

I don't know how, but I'll find out.

Well, ask the driver. Ask your friend Harper.

Where is he?

He isn't here, he's out.

Thought as much. Chances are he's part of it.

Man with a past like that,

I shouldn't have let him work here in the first place.

And I wouldn't have if you hadn't talked me into it.

Mr. Burch!

Listen, right now, Jess is out after the ones

who took that money.

Probably already split with them.

Take your hands off me now!

Superintendent or not, you listen to me.

Jess was hurt in that wreck,

but he refused to come inside and be helped.

He went out in the trail instead before it got cold.

I've said what I think.

I'll change my opinion when he comes back with the money.

Until then, I'm holding you personally responsible.

Well, I sure picked the wrong time to be out of town.

Sorry, Slim.

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.

It seems like everything is naturally going against us.

Yeah, I know. Did you find anything?

Yeah, a couple of tracks heading north.

Jess' tracks following.

Well, that's something,

We'll play the devil trying to follow him now.

We can make a good try.

It'll be dark before long.

But we can still try.

Slim, we don't even know who we're looking for.

Yeah.

I was just thinking of Jess.

Oh, I heard what that Burch said about him.

I sure hope I'm around when he has to eat those words.

Well, what do we do now?

Well, I'll check all the ranches on

up through the Laramie basin,

see if anybody saw any strangers

or anyone clearing out in a hurry.

Why don't you head on back to your place?

I'll let you know if anything turns up.

I don't know.

Don't worry too much about Jess.

He'll take care of himself, all right.

But how do you know he'll be all right, Slim?

I've known Jess going on 3 years, Mike.

Never knew him not to pull through.

I still think it'd be better if he had some help.

Jess sure wouldn't like to hear you say that.

Why, he'd think you didn't have any trust in him.

Slim, it ain't that.

It isn't that, and I need some help in the kitchen.

Oh, Miss Daisy, have I got to peel more potatoes?

No! Apples.

Unless you don't want any apple pie for dessert.

Pie?

You're right, Slim, Jess will be all right.

Thanks, Miss Daisy.

You heard what Mike said. You believe it, too.

Is Mose awake yet?

I heard him stirring in there a while ago.

Mose.

Come on in.

Whatever the doc gave me sure put me under.

Feeling better?

Oh, some.

Look what I found near the wreck.

Pull pin, huh?

Hey, that's been sawed, almost clean through.

That's how it happened.

That means it must have been somebody

that was working for the stage line.

Any ideas who?

Of course not.

Every man knows that he'd be questioned except...

Except who?

One that couldn't be questioned, he quit this morning.

Young Tad Kimball.

He left for St. Louis to get married.

Sure, he told everybody.

He and Jess are real good friends.

Jess got him the job with the line.

Well, he wouldn't...

Say, Slim, maybe that letter will tell us something.

Now Jess said it was from Tad's girl in St. Louis.

Well, we've got no proof still, Mose.

Well, it'd do no harm if we was to read it.

[ opening letter ]

What's the matter? Ain't he getting married?

Not in St. Louis.

His girlfriend lives in Billings, Montana.

Montana?

Well, why for did he say it was St. Louis then?

So he'd be riding north through the Laramie basin,

into Casper, then up to Sheridan

and then into Billings, Montana.

Well, Wes, we finally made it.

Yeah.

You wanted to call it all off.

Two days, be on the trail to Oregon.

And clean free, Tad boy,

$10,000 each and you with a new bride.

Still can't help thinking about Jess.

Well, thinking will do nothing for him now.

It's over.

Hey, you think the money's all right in that old mine?

If it wasn't, do you think I'd have hid it there?

Guess I'm a little edgy being on the run.

Yeah, well, you're not on the run anymore.

It's a wide open town, boy, so relax and enjoy it.

Yeah.

Need for a hot bath and get out of these dirty clothes.

You gonna see if Francie still works inside?

Why not?

I haven't seen her in a long time.

We've got a lot of catching up to do.

Well, you want me check on the wagon train to Oregon?

I'll do that. Now don't fret, there's time.

Well, I'm gonna go over to the post office,

pick up that letter Mary says is gonna be there.

Yeah, you do that, bridegroom.

I'll see you in here about an hour or so.

Right.

Let's see.

I'm sorry, young fellow, nothing here.

Well, you sure?

Yep.

She said she'd have a letter waiting.

How's that?

Huh? You been in Billings long?

Well, 20 odd years I'd say.

You know just about everybody in town then.

Well, there aren't very many people I don't know.

You ever heard of the Andersons?

Sure.

He runs a little place just outside of town.

Yeah, that's him.

I used to go to school with their daughter Mary.

Oh, nice girl, Mary.

Oh, yeah.

She's down in Colorado.

She's what?

Yep.

Her pa found out that

she was planning to elope with some no-good so he took her

to Colorado Springs for the summer.

[ both grunting ]

[ both laughing ]

Oh, it's good to have you back, Wes.

You know, I haven't had a good laugh in a long time.

Well, that's one thing we always had lots of, Francie.

Lots of laughs.

The least you could have done was

brought me a little surprise.

Oh, I got a surprise for you, honey, but later.

Well, you're gonna buy me the biggest steak in town.

And the best bottle of wine we can find.

Now go on, get out of here, let me take my bath.

It's my room and listen to him talk.

Um, you want me to get rid of these dirty things for you?

Yeah.

All except the boots, just in case the new ones hurts.

I'll get them later.

See you downstairs.

[ sniffs ]

Jess Harper, he's outside.

So?

What can he prove? He didn't see anything.

Who's Jess Harper?

You go on back to the hotel, keep out of sight.

Is the law after you, Wes?

Go on, get.

Go the back way.

Nothing for him to find here except you.

You stay here.

Look, Wes, I don't want to get in the middle of anything.

Francie honey, now would I get you in any trouble?

In a word, yes.

It's a long ride from Laramie.

You talking to me, mister?

I never saw the lady in Laramie.

Meaning you did see me.

A little over 2 weeks ago.

Well, now, any reason I should deny being there?

If you happen to be the man I'm looking for there would.

And don't you know who you're looking for?

Where's your partner?

I ride alone, mister.

I saw your horse outside.

I saw it with another one on the trail north.

Not my horse, you didn't.

Like I said, I ride alone.

You're a liar.

I've ridden too far

and been shot at too many times to be lied to.

I saw you in Laramie just before our stage was robbed.

I trail the two that did it and I find you here.

Now in my book that adds up.

[ grunts ]

It's been a long, quiet night, boys,

and I'd like to see it stay that way.

Well, now you're not gonna have

any trouble from me, marshal.

How about you? What's your problem?

I say this man and his partner held up a Laramie stage,

took $20,000.

Well, now I come up from Laramie

to join up with the wagon train heading for Oregon.

I got exactly $41 to my name.

You see him rob the stage?

No, I couldn't see his face.

But that don't mean he ain't the one.

Got anybody who can back up what you're saying?

No.

Well, in that case, I don't reckon you got any cause

to accuse him or anybody for that matter.

He's the one and I'm taking him back to Laramie with me.

Twenty years now, son, I've been the law around here.

That wouldn't be so if I let anyone like you

back me down, now, would it?

Nobody is trying to back you down, marshal.

Well, that's good.

You make any trouble and you'll dust a jail bunk

with the seat of your britches.

You stay clear, this thing's over.

Have yourself a drink. Simmer down.

What happened?

Relax, nothing happened.

Well, did Jess see you?

Yeah, yeah, we had a nice little talk.

You had a what?

Yeah, he's got his hackles up, all right.

But if you stay out of sight, well, we're safe enough.

I knew we couldn't get away with it.

I knew it.

I'll remind you of that when we get to Oregon.

Now you just stay in here.

Harper will get tired and move on.

Well, then you don't know Jess very well.

He's gonna dog us and--

He doesn't know me.

I guess you don't know me either.

Now I'm telling you to forget about it.

He can't prove a thing.

I'm not gonna stand here holding your hand.

Francie is waiting for me.

Now lock the door.

I'll be back.

And quit worrying.

[ knock on door ]

MAN: Porter, sir, turn your bed down?

Never mind.

I'll do it myself.

MAN: Goodnight, sir.

They paid in advance?

Of course.

For their kind it's the only safe way.

It's kind of an expense for them staying here.

There are cheaper places they could have picked.

Well, did they have any traveling bags with them?

Nothing but bedrolls.

No haversacks, nothing like that?

Did they put anything in the hotel safe, any package?

No.

[ footsteps approaching ]

Freeze.

Jess?

You.

Yeah, me and Wes.

Why?

You've been lying to me right from the start.

There wasn't gonna be a wedding,

there's not even a girl.

You set me up for this whole thing.

No, no, Jess, you got it all wrong.

There was a girl, right here in Billings.

There was gonna be a wedding.

But no more.

You're so right, no more.

Now wait a minute, Jess, please.

Please listen.

There's a reason.

All my life when--

whenever I touched something, it just turned to sand.

Now Mary was the best thing that ever happened to me...

or almost happened to me.

But here, here folk said I wasn't good enough for her.

And you set out to prove they were right.

I set out to make enough to get us a start

away from this town.

How?

By working.

I took everything I made just to--

just to get by.

So you took the easy way out.

Believe me, Jess, it certainly wasn't easy.

That was the first time in my life

I ever raised my hand against another man.

And the second time was when you took a shot at me.

You didn't stop your partner from doing it.

Mary's pa took her away someplace.

It ain't never gonna be for us two.

The money, money don't mean nothing to me now.

It means something to the folks you stole it from.

I know.

If you take it back to Laramie,

you don't need to take us, too, do you?

Look, Jess, a deal.

I'll tell you where the money is,

and you forget about me and Wes, all right?

Four people were hurt in that stage wreck.

One of them was just a boy.

Just a boy, Tad!

Now I'll make you a deal.

Take me to where that money is and I won't pull this trigger.

All right. I'll take you.

[ knocks on door ]

My friend, how long ago did he go out?

I haven't seen your friend since he retired, sir.

Well, he's not in his room.

May well be if you say so,

but I haven't seen him since he went upstairs.

You know, I'm almost glad you found us.

Is that right?

I've been a lot of things,

but a thief, I just wasn't cut out to be.

You'll have a hard time convincing the jury of that.

You better watch those timbers, they're all rotten.

Don't brush against them when you go in.

Wes!

[ horses neighing ]

You hit bad?

You know, I said I was going out at the end of a rope.

What you just did, Tad...

You reckon it'd carry any weight with the jury?

Wes picked a bad partner right from the start.

How far in did you hide it?

It's over there.

Watch out you don't touch these uprights.

It's stuffed down there between those rocks.

It's all there, all but $100.

Let's get out of here.

I'm afraid it's not gonna be that easy.

You can put that gun away, marshal.

This man will back up everything I said.

That's right, marshal. I--

Toss that money over here.

Now wait a minute, marshal.

I said throw it over here.

That's fine.

Now your gun.

Uh-uh. Left hand, nice and slow.

Now what?

Don't ask any questions.

Are you suddenly jumping the fence, marshal,

or do you still think I'm lying?

I hadn't planned it this way when I followed you from town.

You think talking is gonna change what you're doing?

Twenty years I've worn this badge,

and near gone broke doing it.

It ain't nailed to your vest.

It's a habit, son.

You starting a new habit?

No need to.

This will keep me for the rest of my life.

All of a sudden I don't think I'm all that bad.

You figure you can get away with this?

I found this one and his partner and I'll find you.

I'm afraid not.

Things have gone too far to change now.

Marshal Fletcher?

Yeah.

Been waiting to see you.

My name's Slim Sherman.

What can I do for you?

Looking for a friend of mine, Jess Harper.

Jess Harper...

afraid I can't help you.

He was tracking two men that robbed the Laramie stage.

Oh, him.

Eh, he likes to handle things himself, doesn't he?

Well, then he was here?

Yeah, he got into a fight with one of them down at the saloon.

I offered to help him,

but he was afraid that if I made an arrest,

he wouldn't find the money.

Where is he now?

He's on his way back to Laramie with the two of them

and the money.

He caught them?

Yeah.

It's funny I didn't see him on the trail.

Well, there are two or three trails

back into Wyoming territory from here.

Yeah, I know.

Well, I'll be heading back that way

as soon I get something to eat.

Thanks, marshal.

Oh, where is a good place to eat?

Saloon's as good as any.

Much obliged.

This digging ain't doing my insides any good.

Rest a while then.

Do you think it's any use, Jess?

More use than sitting back, waiting to die.

Well, I've learned to stay out of any fights

that happen around here.

That's a good policy, sometimes.

Yeah, they break up my place,

but they don't break me up.

Doesn't look like my friend caused much damage.

Oh, no, it was mostly conversation.

Marshal Fletcher stopped it. He was gonna run your friend in.

I thought he offered to help him.

He offered him a cell in the jail house.

You know, this isn't the first time that

Francie caused a fight around here.

Ah, but she's worth it.

Now who's Francie?

She's the one they were fighting about.

Suppose I could talk to her?

Well, I don't see why not.

Room is upstairs, second on the left.

Thanks.

You bet.

Well, the bartender said

he thought they were fighting over you.

The only thing Wes Darrin ever fought over was money.

And then, only if he had the upper hand.

And Marshal Fletcher did threaten to throw Jess in jail?

He warned your friend not to make any trouble.

He said there was no proof Wes robbed that stage.

What if I told you he did?

I'd half believe it.

I guess I should have known

his story of hitting it in mining was a lie.

But people like me, we want to believe even a lie.

Where's Wes now?

He's left town like all the other times,

left leaving me nothing but a lie.

I take that back.

This time he left me a sweat-stained shirt,

a pair of trail-dirty pants and some clay-caked boots.

Have a good meal, Sherman?

Fine, marshal, just fine, thanks.

Well, I guess you'll be heading back to Laramie, huh?

Yeah, I might be able to catch up with Jess on the trail.

May be a good idea. Might use some help.

It could be he might.

Thanks again, marshal.

Part of my job.

What can I do for you, young fella?

Answer a question for me.

Couldn't be a register or claim.

Mining's pretty slow around here now.

Can you tell me where the red clay on that boot comes from

just by looking at it?

Only one place in these parts.

And where is that?

Son, you won't find nothing out there.

That area was the first to peter out

more than 5 years ago.

They only dug one shaft.

Can you tell me where it is?

About an hour's ride south of town,

close to a mile east of the main trail,

right along the ridge.

The section...

Hey, you left your boot.

[ thud ]

Jess!

Jess, you in there? Can you hear me?

Slim!

Slim, is that you?

Slim!

Slim.

How come you always wind up in a hole somewhere?

Gotta do something to make you look good.

You're a long way from out.

Slim, look out!

You all right, Slim?

Yeah, Jess, I'm fine.

Lucky thing you saw him.

Yeah.

There wouldn't have been any second chance, not with him.

First time I've ever shot at a badge in my life.

I hope it's the last.

But how long did they keep you in jail?

Too long, Mike.

Just a couple of hours. Seemed like days though.

You see, we had to convince the folks in Billings

that we didn't wound the marshal

just because we didn't like him.

It took some doing, believe me.

I don't think we could have done it

without Tad Kimball's help.

Yeah, that's right.

And he made a full confession.

The townspeople believed him.

If they hadn't, they'd have had quite a necktie party.

A necktie party?

You mean everybody was gonna get all dressed up?

How come?

Not exactly, Mike. You see, a necktie--

Uh, that is what you meant, wasn't it?

You don't have any objection to wearing a necktie, do you?

Oh, uh, no, Miss Daisy.

Fact is, I got one around here someplace myself.

Uh, you see, Mike, those folks up in Montana,

they dress up more than we do down here in Wyoming.

Maybe they wanted to celebrate

'cause you straightened everything out.

I'm sure that's right.

Necktie party.

Where'd you ever pick up a crazy expression like that?

From you. Where else?