Original subtitles

♪ [ theme music plays ]

JENNIFER: Will we have to wait long, do you think?

I hope not.

It'll worry the threads right out of that dress if we do.

Uncle, for the last time, it's not a dress, it's a suit.

Oh, I beg your pardon.

Do I look all right? Is my hair mussed or anything?

For the third time, young lady, your hair is lovely,

that...suit is beautiful,

and the governor will probably fall in love with you on sight.

Tell me, is he as handsome as they say he is?

Well...MAN: Careful, Henry.

Don't commit yourself.

Governor, how are you?

Fine, Henry. And who is this?

This is my niece, Jennifer.

She insisted on meeting a bona fide war hero

and territorial governor.

Jennifer, I'm very pleased to meet you.

That's a beautiful dress.

Uh, suit, Governor.

Yes...yes, of course.

Shall we go into the library?

Jennifer.

Henry.Thank you.

Well, how are things are the ranch, Henry?

I understand the beef market is going up.

Oh, it is, it is.

I believe it'll stay up.

Thank you.So do I...

so do I.

I believe these are boom times, Henry...

boom times.

Now, what can I do for you?

I, uh, I wrote you over a month ago, James.

Didn't receive an answer.

About the Westley case?

About the Westley case.

Well, I'm familiar with the trial, Henry.

I find no circumstances for a rehearing.

I have here a transcript of the trial--

It's right here, Henry.

Together with Westley's previous record...

and a report from the territorial prison.

He's aged ten years.

Prison life is rigorous, Henry.. as is the army.

I've heard of people who are being inducted into the army--

I've never heard of anyone falsely convicted into the army.

Was this man falsely convicted?

[ sighs ] I don't know.

I do know his trial was improper.

The court refused to admit evidence

showing the confession was coerced, I know that's improper.

I can cite you cases from here to Washington.

Westheimer v. New York, Sodor--I'm sorry, Henry.

But as amicus curiae, I have a petition for a rehearing.

Denied.

I haven't filed it yet.

It'll be denied. Save yourself the trouble.

I'm sorry, Henry,

but I believe Westley is guilty.

Well, young lady...

now that you've met the governor,

I hope you're not too disappointed.

Oh, not at all.

Jennifer and I might be disappointed in the decision,

but certainly not the man.

How long are you going to be in town?

Oh, we'll probably spend a few days.

My foreman was up here with us,

but he took the morning train.

He's on his way back to Shiloh now.

[ train whistle blows ]

Come on. How many cards?

Hit me with a couple.

MAN: Reach!

Turn around.

Now, you and me are going to transact a little business, my friend.

Put the money in the bag.

Cowboy, I'm looking for your twenty dollars.

Is this it?

And raise you twenty.

Now drop it.

Turn around.

Turn around, or do you wish to have your head blown off, friend?

That's right.

Thank you for the courtesy.

I'm raising twenty.

[ wheels screeching ]

Hope everyone's all right in here.

We just had a robbery in the baggage car.

They get away?Just one fella did it.

He's probably got a horse hidden around here someplace.

We can still catch him. Want some help?

I sure do. Say, loan me your gun.

I don't know what that fella cost the railroad,

but he owes me two months pay.

Let's go.

Let's cut across there.

[ horse neighs ]

All right, hold it!

Come on! Let's go in!

What's your interest in that money, cowboy? It belong to you?

No, and I never thought it did.

Let's have a look at you.

Well, look fast.

I don't expect to be around here much longer.

Am I right about that?I'm no doctor.

Do you have to be a doc to risk an opinion?

What good would it do you?

Put your head back.

[ labored breathing ]

Is there a chance there's a doctor on the train?

I don't think so. Sorry.

There's nothing here for a doctor.

Now, if you were to produce a priest out of your pockets...

I know we haven't got one of those.

You're not much good, are you?

Maybe you want somebody to know. Do you have a family?

Do you want to give us your name?

Do I need a name where I'm going?

It's up to you.

A man can live without a name...

but dying that way...

where's the dignity?

James Francis O'Banion.

[ pencil scratching ]

Have you got that now?

James Francis O'Banion.

Aye.

Now, while the pencil's in hand...

maybe you wouldn't--

I say, maybe you wouldn't mind

writing down something else.

I have enough to answer for,

and me without a priest to pray over me.

Two years ago, October,

I held up a mail train outside Harper Lookout,

and a man named Westley was convicted.

He wasn't there.

You're talking about Curt Westley?

O'Banion...

O'Banion, you'll have to tell us more than that...

or it won't do you orWestley any good.

Do you know where... Crystal Falls is?

Yes. Is that where you hid it?

Crystal Falls.

You stole some money, then you hid it near the falls.

Where?

I--

It got--

get all wet there.

I got-- got all...wet there.

I hope you can read my writing.

Wish there was more of it.

Is it enough to help Westley?

If the money is where O'Banion says it is,

Westley has a chance.

I'm willing to help you find out. Let's get started.

I don't know if you're trying to hurry me or keep me honest.

I'll just keep you company.

Come on, it's a long ride out there.

Up ahead.

Whoa.

I guess the best place to start looking

is right behind the fall.

Whether or not it's the bank of James Francis O'Banion, it sure it pretty.

Prettier if we find the money.

Feel like gambling today? Why?

I say we'll find the money here.

If you think otherwise, name your odds.

I don't want to take your money.

There's nothing in here.

That's all.Let's get out of the wet.

Last chance.

What are your odds?

Go on, open it.

Well, now... how's James Francis doing?

Tell you better after I count it.

I'd say it was on the level.

I'd say he held up that train, not Westley.

Looks that way.

Where you goin'?

Back to Shiloh.

Seems to me you've got some new evidence to show the governor.

Give him my regards.

Mr. Westley will be home within a week.

It's been nice meeting you, Sheriff.

Well, uh, this is-- this is for a parole, not a pardon.

I'm aware of that.

Well, Westley, is a...

I mean, he-- he's had a full exoneration.

Governor, this man is completely innocent!

The confession of one thief does not exonerate another.

Sheriff...

I feel there is enough additional evidence

to warrant a parole.

There are a great many parties involved in this case...

and a pardon at this time might be unwise.

Well, all right.

We'll settle for a parole.

Thank you.

Goodbye.

[ train whistle blows ]

Hold on.

Don't want him to see you crying when he gets here.

I know I will be. I can't help it.

Oh, you look pretty anyway. Don't worry.

There he is.

Mr. Sanders.Kip.

Ryker, I just want to say that...

maybe someday that I'll--

Thank you, Emmett.Yeah, thank you.

Don't thank me. Here's your man right here.

Not my doing. It was an accident.

O'Banion made the mistake of breaking up a poker game

when I was holding four aces.

Couldn't let him get away with that.

Whatever the reason, I appreciate it.

Just wish we could have gotten you a full pardon.

I got more than I expected.

Well, welcome home,

and if there's anything I can do for you,

just let me know.

Emmett.

We could use some extra help at Shiloh, if it's handy for you.

Thank you.

Guess I'd better unload the wagon

and turn the horses out in the corral.

Later. Come inside.

I can't believe it. I...

I never thought I'd ever see this place again.

I never thought I'd ever see youagain.

Oh, Curt.

Only good thing ever happened to me was marrying you.

All the time I was in prison, for two years,

every lonely, long night and day

I tried to figure out how'd I get that break?

How'd I get you?

All I was used to was rotten luck and dirty deals

and burn-out crops.

Going to jail, I could understand that,

that was the usual Westley style. But...

how'd I get you?

Then one day I realized I... I never did get you.

I...I never did.

Not for true, just a taste of you for a few years

so that when they put me away I'd have something to miss.

Putting a man like me in prison, that was no punishment.

My whole life had been a prison.

So to really punish me, they had to...

they had to make me miss something,

so they give me the loan of you for a few years

so I could remember...

remembering and...

having you and..

and what it was like to touch you and...

hold you and...

love you.

Curt, you've gotta stop thinking that way!

Now, you just tell me how I'm supposed to think any other way

when my life has been nothing but one dirty deal after another?

Darling, we're together again.

We always will be. Always.

Together.

You're still here.

You waited for me. Why?

Why?

Why? I'm your wife.

You could have gone away, you--

Oh, no!

But you waited for me.

Why me?

I loveyou!

Man: ♪ I'll eat when I'm hungry

♪ And I'll drink when I'm dry

♪ If the moonshine don't kill me ♪

♪ I never will die

♪ Rye whiskey, rye whiskey... ♪

Sheriff.

What do you say, Lathrop?

I want you to meet my boss, Mr. Sanders.

Sheriff Ryker.Sheriff.

I'm Charles Sanders. Chief security officer for the railroad.

Yeah, I know all about you, Mr. Sanders.

I know quite a bit about you,sir.

Something I can do for you?

[ clatter ]

Let me take care of this first, will you?

Sure.Thank you.

Hey, Sheriff!

All right, all right.

What's the matter with you, Chase?

When do we get something to eat around here?

What's that over there on your table?

That's what they feed pigs in Texas.

I know, that's why we had it imported special just for you.

[ mugs clanking on bars ]Couple of drifters.

Broke up one of our better saloons last night

trying to lick the whole town.

They lost.Hmm.

I imagine you get a lot of experience handling drunks.

Yeah, we get enough.

Come in on the train?Just passing through.

Thought I'd take the opportunity to meet you.

This is a social call, huh?

I put Curt Westley in prison.

I helped get him out.

How about a drink?

Dusty ride up here from Denver.Yes, thank you.

No?

There's some water back there if you want any.

No, thank you.

Well, glad you stopped by, Mr. Sanders.

Pleased to have--I want you to keep an eye on Westley.

You want? You trying to tell me how to run my office?

Sorry.

I was merely suggesting that you--Suggesting?

What are you like when you give an order?

What do you got against Westley?

The railroad knows he's guilty.

No, I mean you. What have you got against him?

You want to keep him locked up, not the railroad.

Hmm.

I don't expect you to understand this.

To me, the criminal is... is a jackal.

He's a parasite who preys on his betters.

Attacks them when they're off-guard and helpless. Feeds on them.

He is an animal who must be hunted,

taken, caged, or destroyed.

That's my job.

I believe in it. I'm good at it.

I take it seriously. I give it my life.

I didn't expect you to understand it.

No, I understand it.Do you?

Yeah, you're a dedicated man.Yes, I am.

Only a man like you, Sanders, dead-set on getting a jackal

has to be careful he doesn't shoot first, check his sights later.

Just might find it wasn't a jackal you destroyed.

Westley was convicted of armed robbery.

For assault with intent to kill, Sheriff.

The court made a mistake.

No. No mistake.

What about O'Banion's confession?

What about Westley's confession?

I'm partial to that one. I got it out of him.

How'd you get it? Voluntarily?

Just a minute, Kip.

Sheriff Ryker, how many confessions have you had volunteered?

Now, Kip may have used persuasion,

arguments, facts--

the point is that Westley did confess.

Under pressure, Sanders. You used pressure!

And something else-- something called instinct.

You either have it, or you don't have it.

Westley and I grew up in Medicine Bow.

Kids together, took our first drink together.

I don't know when it first happened, but he began to change.

He seemed to think the whole world was against him.

Right after the robbery,

Kip trailed the bandit, and he brought him back.

He brought back Westley!

You don't know Westley, Sheriff.

But ask around. People here can tell you.

He's trouble.

All right. You're right, I don't know him.

But I know his wife, and you know her, too.

Now, there must be something decent about Westley

for a woman like Joan to get hitched up to him!

Unless there's some dark secret you want to tell me about her.

No... no, she's a good woman.

Forgive my skepticism, gentlemen.

Lathrop, you should know better.

Throughout history, your so-called "good women"

have been fascinated with the criminal type.

They have a perverse streak

which feeds on the excitement of being with a man who breaks the law.

No. Not in this case.

What I mean is, uh, some people are different.

She doesn't seem like that kind of a girl.

Kip, someday you and I will sit down

and discuss women and criminology.

Not right now.Sorry, sir.

Facts are facts.

This wasn't Westley's first offense. He had a record.

No man with a record ever changes, eh?

Well, it's too premature for me to speculate, Sheriff.

You said you knew quite a bit about me.

Yes, quite a bit.

For example, I know that not too long ago

you were on the other side of the law.

And it it also strikes me that for a man

who was no particular friend,

you've gone to a great deal of trouble for Westley.

Isn't it about time for you to catch your train?

I must admit that my curiosity was aroused

when I learned that you were the law here in Medicine Bow.

Be an interesting experiment. We'll see how it works out.

Your clock is three minutes fast, Sheriff.

That's how I like it. This is my office.

I'm leaving.

Oh, by the way, you know, of course

that there's still $10,000 missing from that job.

You're leaving, Sanders.

CHASE: ♪ If I...

♪ Was the sheriff

♪ And I had me a key

♪ I'd open the door

♪ And I'd let old Chase go free ♪

Shut up!

Come on in.

Yeah?Good morning.

Good morning.

You're the Virginian.

You're Sanders. Railroad.

Takes care of the formalities.

Sit down.

Oh, thank you.

The reason I'm here--

I didn't know you were in Medicine Bow.Just got in.

The reason I've come to see you...

Curt Westley?

No, not quite.

The reason I'm here,

I was hoping you could tell me something about Sheriff Ryker.

Ryker?I had planned to talk to Judge Garth,

but I understand he's away.

And apparently after Garth, you're considered...

ah, well, I hear you're an honest man.

What do you want to know?

Is Ryker an honest man?

[ chuckles ] You don't like the question.

I don't like the question,

I don't think I'm gonna like your reason for asking it.

I suppose you know he has a record.

As sheriff? Sure.

We've got law andorder in Medicine Bow.

That's not what I meant.

I know what you meant, Sanders.

Take my word for it: I did you a favor by ignoring it.

I'm gonna do you another one.

If you're worried about Ryker, forget it. Right now.

I take it you're a friend of his, too.

I hope so.

But friend or not, if I had a few too many on Saturday night

and decided to use the church steeple for target practice,

Sunday morning I'd wake up in Ryker's jail.

Um-hmm.

All right. Thank you.

Sanders.Yes?

Are youan honest man?

I don't mean do you obey the law...

but are you an honest man?

Good dinner.

What'd I eat?

You're a big help.

I was counting on you to tell me what I cooked.

[ dogs barking, hoofbeats outside ]

How dare you come to my house like this?!

Gently does it, Mrs. Westley, gently.

Just thought I'd drop by.

Well, you just get out!

And you! Haven't you done enough?!Easy, honey.

Mr. Sanders, Kip.

Is there something I can do for you?

Feeling all warm and friendly, are you, Westley?

Freedom must have hit you like laughing gas.

It's over now. Bygones are bygones.

I'm home now.

Simple as all that.

You forget easily.

I can try.

It cost me two years of my life,

but there's still a lot of years left yet.

Home is the hero.

Almost makes one well up, doesn't it, Kip?

Back in the arms of a loving wife...

the classic situation.

Worst part of prison, isn't it, Westley,

those long nights alone.

You'd better go.

Tell me, Mrs. Westley,

did you miss your husband as much as he missed you?

Nice little place you have here.

In a month or two you'll start thinking about a few improvements.

And why not, with all that cash so readily available?

Get out!

You're going back to prison, Westley.

Curt--Why can't they let me be?

Why can't they leave me alone?

Darling, they can't do anything to you.

When's it gonna stop? When can I breatheagain?

We won't let them. Let them say what they like,

we won't listen, we don't haveto listen.

I could kill him. I could actually kill him.

It doesn't matter.

All that matters is that we're together!

And we're gonna staytogether.

I must say, he gave a good performance last night.

Well, I better be getting aboard.

Keep watching him, Kip.

It may take many months before he makes his move,

but we'll get him.

Uh, Mr. Sanders, uh...

what if he decides not to go for the money?

I mean, to forget about it, not take the chance.

Well, then we will have a problem.

But I wouldn't worry about it.

Goodbye, Kip.Goodbye, Mr. Sanders.

[ train whistle blows ]

Can you beat three queens?

'Fraid I can.

Full house.

You gentlemen care to continue?

I've had it.

Sit down, Porter. Let me buy you a drink.

You had a streak of bad luck tonight, didn't you?

When it comes to luck, it's the only kind I know.

I heard you were working a claim up near the south ridge.

You got more gold in front of you

than I found the past two months.

I, uh...got somethin' you might be interested in.

If there's money in it I'd be interested.

Evening, Sheriff.

Boss get off all right?

Left on the afternoon train.

I think you know Hoby here.Yeah, I know him.

Hoby was just asking me about getting a job with the railroad.

I thought I heard something about you making a strike.

Oh, that... didn't work out.

But something will turn up.

It always does.

Yeah. I know what you mean.

From what I know about your boss,

I don't think he'd be interested in giving Mr. Porter here a job.

You know, Sheriff, if all of us that had records couldn't get a job,

a lot of us would be out of work.

Now, about that job...

We'll let it wait a while.

Say, two, three weeks from now.

And you say there's money in it?

A whole payroll.

We split down the middle.

Nope.

You can keep it all, Porter.

Every cent.

Don't turn around. I got a gun on you.

Now, act like nothing's wrong, and nothing will be.

Now turn.

Suppose you open that box?

All right, take it out like it was a snake about to bite you.

Easy.

Easy.

Now throw it over by your chair.

What do you want me to do with this?

Fill the pockets with money.

You know, except for being a little dishonest,

I wouldn't be surprised if you came through this without a scratch.

That's about all there is. There isn't any more.

I shouldn't take your word for anything, but I will.

All right, turn around.

Turn around.

How'd it go?Like clockwork.

The little man was so scared I thought he'd pass out

before he got the safe open.How much you get?

Didn't stop to count. Looks like 6,000, easy.

Let me see.Forget about our deal?

I told you, the money's yours.

You said it. Don't forget it.

You're a rich man, Porter.Yeah.

Lathrop, I still can't figure what's in this for you.

Something money can't buy.

There are a couple of things left to do, then we're quits.

What's that?

A man named Westley.

He's riding the range up near Lynwood Lake.

You ride up and tell him about the robbery.

Tell him there's a railroad detective

looking for the man who did it.

And then what?

Then you just sit back and...

watch him run.

You know, Kip, we're in this together.

If anything goes wrong, I ain't going to prison all by myself.

Nobody's going to prison. Just do what I told you.

I'll meet you on the back road from Medicine Bow

and we'll get rid of that jacket.

Then I never want to see you again.

Westley, huh?

Make sure he runs.

What can I do for you?

Well, I was rather hoping to find someone.

I thought you might have Westley in here by this time.

Oh, yeah? Why should I have him in here?

Haven't you heard about the Wells Fargo payroll robbery in Bradenville yesterday?

Didn't take you long to get up here, did it?

Well, I was in Laramie when the report came through.

My contact at Wells Fargo Denver said I'd handle this for them.

And you promised 'em Westley?

They'll get Westley. I promise you that.

Sanders, why are you so fired up to put Westley back in jail?

He broke the law. He mustbe punished.

But do you feel this strongly about everyone you think is guilty?

Did your father ever beat you, Ryker?

My father died when I was two years old.

Oh. Well, mine didn't.

And when I needed it, he gave me scarson my back. More than a few.

That must have been rough.

Rough? Ha! He was right.

He didn't teach me right from wrong out of a book!

He etched it on my back.

Maybe... that's why I don't bend easy.

I, uh...

I read the robbery report

made by the Wells Fargo agent.

The description of the bank robber...

could fit a dozen men I could see on Main Street right now.

Well, it could also fit Westley.

Any of those men out there have the initials the agent saw on the jacket?

That's in the report, too. "C.W." Curt Westley.

It's too easy, Sanders.

You want proof? Let's take a ride.

All right.

I'll get my deputy to watch the office while we're gone.

Oh, you're a real lawman-- deputies and everything.

[ chuckles ]

[ barking ]

Hello, Emmett, I--Mrs. Westley.

We want to talk to your husband.

Something's wrong?

No, there's nothing wrong, Joan,

we just want to ask Curt a couple of questions.

Is he home?

He's doing some extra work at Shiloh.

We needed the money.

When did he leave here?

When was the last time you saw him?

Two days ago. Be back sometime today.

Leave him alone. Leave him be!

Haven't you done enough to him?!

What do you wantfrom him?

He's trying to start over, trying to build something,

trying just-- just to live!

Why? Why are you doing this?

What's he done to you?

What did you tell Lathrop? Women are "perverse"?

That what you call it?

Never met a criminal's wife yet

didn't think her husband was a saint.

She doesn't think Curt's a saint.

Just a man, not a jackal.

Maybe we can prove it to her this time.

[ hoofbeats recede ]

[ clatter ]

CURT: Joan, come here!

Curt?

Why are you here?

What's the matter?

It's Sanders again.

Joan, I've got to go away.

And I got to go away alone.

Well, where will you go?

I don't know.

But there's one thing I want youto know:

I did not rob that Wells Fargo office in Bradenville.

But someone sure is spending a lot of time

trying to prove that I did.

Were you in Bradenville?

No, I wasn't.

That doesn't mean much. I can't prove where I was.

Why can't I go with you?

Sanders would like that. He'd send you to prison, too.

Why don't you just tell them the truth?

Where were you when the robbery took place?

Lynwood Lake.

My foreman had sent me up there to round up a few strays.

Next day this man rode by--

a stranger, I'd never seen him before--

and he said the railroad had sent a detective out

with a reward for an ex-convict named Curt Westley.

That's why I got to go.

Bye, Joan.

I'll get Westley.

You, uh...

take care of his jacket.

[ laughs ]

What's so funny?

I was just thinkin',

the poor galoot doesn't stand a chance.

[ laughs ]

This is where he camped.

Still think he's out here hunting strays?

If he'd finished and started in,

we would have come across him on the way out.

Would you like an educated guess why we didn't?

Emmett, I want to talk to you. Please.

Joan, do you know what's happened to him?

Look at her. She knows. She's seen her husband, or she wouldn't be here.

You might advise her that she's in danger of breaking the law, Ryker.

At least I expect you to ask her where and when she saw Wesley.

Shut up, Sanders. I'm not one of your railroad cops.

What is it, Joan?

I came to tell you what Curt told me, where he's been.

He was working around here, rounding up strays,

and a man came through, a man he had never seen before.

Never seen before and won't see again. Try telling the truth.

Where is your husband now?!

You raise your voice to her once more, Sanders,

and you'll have more to worry about than her husband.

The man said there'd been a payroll robbery...

that a railroad detective was offering a reward

for an ex-convict named Curt Westley.

Sheriff, uh, may I ask her just one question?

Mrs. Westley, did your husband say he believed the story?

Have you given him any reason notto believe it?

Now, please, Mrs. Westley, I'm not trying to anger you.

I simply want to know why your husband would think I'd offer a reward for him.

He wasn't missing.

He was out here hunting strays.

That's what you told us.

He said nobody would believe it.

We'd better see that she gets home all right.

She could probably lead us to Westley.

Whoa.

VIRGINIAN: Look out for the mare, Joan.

LATHROP: Sanders. Sanders.

Sanders.

Lathrop!

Sanders...

Kip, what happened to you?

Wes-- Westley.

Did Westley do this to you?

Not directly.Horse fall with you?

Yeah. I had-- had Westley in sight, too.

I better get you into the house.

I'll give you a hand.I can handle him without your help!

Mrs. Westley, I hesitate to ask a favor,

but Lathrop here is hurt.Bring him inside.

I'll go on inside.

Hurt?Some.

Couple of miles down the road, I saw Westley.

We might need some hot water, Mrs. Westley.

I'll get it.

He crossed just ahead of me.

I would have had him if that horse would have stayed on his feet.

Knocked the wind out of me, and when I came to, he was gone.

Your horse?

And Westley.

You didn't think he was gonna come back and pick you up, did you?

Well...

what do we have here, Mrs. Westley?

How would I know?

Looks like what's left of a man's jacket.

Would that you be your guess?Might be.

Funny, never heard of cooking with a cloth fire before,

but I'm not too old to learn.

Do you find one kind of cloth better for baking than another?

I didn't put that there. I don't know how it got there.

You didn't?That's what she said.

Well, someone did.

What a wasteful thing to do to a perfectly good jacket.

Wouldn't you say, Mrs. Westley?

Now, who would do a thing like that?

Well...

...what do you know?

Mrs. Westley, just for the record,

this was found in your house, in your cook stove.

Now, in the eyes of the law, you can be an accomplice--

just as involved as your husband, just as guilty.

Joan...

would you leave us alone for a minute, please?

I'm not through with her.

Joan.

You're taking a lot on yourself, Ryker.

If Westley gets away--

I made a mistake.

Well, that's an interesting admission.

The jacket change your mind?

I don't know about that, but I do know this:

I can get more information out of here than you can.

Well, maybe I underestimated you.

I do my job. Differently than the way you do yours maybe, but the job gets done.

That's what I heard. Well, good.

Go ahead and see what she can tell you.

Not yet. Let her worry a while.

You, uh, you goin' after Westley?

Soon as I get Kip set here.

Huh. All right.

Well, see you outside.

Hmm.

Well, we'll get you all patched up,

and then we'll really make ourselves unpopular around here.

I never said it wasn't possible for a man to change.

He's pretty chummy with Westley.

The law is the law.

A man believes in it, nothing else matters...

friendship, love.

Hmm.

What happened in there?

Enough. Look, they'll be riding after Westley.

On one horse?Lathrop can take mine.

You're very accommodating all of a sudden.

Well, that's what I want 'em to think.

You on to something?

I hope so.

Look, somebody has to go with 'em.

If they catch Westley, I don't want 'em to have him all to themselves.

You're not going, huh?

I'd like for you to go.

I've got something else to do.

[ door opens, closes ]

Kip, we'll mount you one of Westley's horses.

He'd want that, I'm sure.

Why don't you take mine?

Westley might call you a horse thief.

You better let me hang on to that.

This is my new deputy.

He's gonna go with you. He knows this country pretty well.

I'll look for him to be a big help to you.

They've left?

Emmett, what's going to happen?

I wish I had a--

I wish I had a quick, happy answer, but...

Joan, that jacket belongs to Curt, doesn't it?

Joan?

But I haven't seen it in months. I thought it was gone.

Why would you see it? Curt's been in prison.

I put all his things away in the closet. That jacket--

If they were put away, how is it that you happened to notice

that it was gone?

Once in a while, when I couldn't stand being apart from him,

I'd open it up and look at his things.

Sometime at night.

I'd touch his sleeve,

I'd try and pretend--

And now they're going to take him away from me again!

No, no, they're not gonna take him away.

You don't believe he did it, do you?

Joan, you thought that jacket was gone, right?

Now, I have to have a straight answer.

Yes, I'm almost sure. I--

I thought it was there, and then I'd think that he'd taken it to prison,

but he didn't bring it back.

Sanders hates Curt.

Maybe Sanders got ahold of it somehow

and he's using it to send Curt back to prison.

Yes!

The night he was here he said, "You're going back to prison."

Well, that's it, Emmett!

I've had to wonder the same thing a couple of times, Joan.

But you see, I--

I just can't fit it with Sanders.

Now, I don't like him,

and there's something wrong with him, you know that,

but I just can't see him breaking his own rules,

you know what I mean? For anything.

Then how--Yeah, I know, how did he get it out of the closet,

and how did it get into the fire?

It has to be Sanders! You don't know what he did!

He came here and he made nasty, dirty remarks about me to Curt.

He wanted Curt to hit him and break his parole.

It hasto be Sanders!

Joan, the night that Sanders came here

and tried to push Curt into breaking his parole,

made those remarks about you--

was Lathrop with him?

Yes.

Well, did he do anything when Sanders said whatever it was?

No, why?

I don't know, it's just that once before Sanders made some remarks about you

and Lathrop defended you.

It was pretty clear he admires you.

Look, this isn't an easy thing for me to say...

but I know how it must have been for you alone.

Two years is a long time to be without a--

without your man.

Well, I'm sorry, but it-- it happens.

I mean, you're alone here, you're scared,

you don't even know for certain

if your own man is coming back to you,

and then somebody else comes along,

somebody who's--

well, who thinks you're just about the finest woman alive,

somebody who never got married,

who sees you're alone, sees his chance.

Joan?

All right.

You and Lathrop?

Yes. Kip used to come here.

Helped me, did things around here, and--

Say it, Joan.

And he tried to make love to me. Yes!

And?

And nothing happened!

You didn't see him again?

I let him come back. I felt sorry for him.

He loved me. He never tried anything again.

That's all that happened, Emmett, nothing more.

All right.

Nothing more as far as you're concerned, but what about Lathrop?

As long as Curt was in prison, he still had a chance, right?

And then we got O'Banion's confession.

And then there was a chance that Curt would be released from prison,

so he took the jacket, just in case.

Yeah.

Lathrop was in a position to know when the payroll

was going to be in the Wells Fargo office.

Only he couldn't do the job himself.

He had to get someone he could trust, someone who needed money pretty badly.

Yeah.

Where are you going?

I'm gonna do some prospecting.

[ horse approaches ]

Hello, Porter.

You have to be careful out here.

There's bushwhackers and such.

Yeah. That's a nice weapon.

You mind if I take a look?

Looks brand new.

Must have set you back quite a bit.

Guess you made a strike, huh?

Nah, just a few dollars.

Oh, yeah? I'd say quitea few.

Like... like a whole payroll?

Drop your belt, Porter.

Nice and easy.

You...

you really do things the hard way, Porter.

Reach, mister.

Keep your hands where I can see 'em.

Now turn around.

It's you.

It's you. You come back.

You sure this is the man, Caldwell?

Well, looks like Westley, all right.

It does, huh?

'Course, I could be wrong.

Yeah, you could be wrong.

Come on, Porter.

I run a high-class jail over in Medicine Bow.

I want you to try it on for size.

Whoa!

Well, glad to see you.

We found Curt out at the old Dakoven homestead.

I talked him out. No trouble.

What happened to Sanders and Lathrop?

They're both inside with Curt.

Find what you were looking for?

Yeah. Yessiree.

But, uh...

I'll have to do some more convincing.

You want to do me one more favor?Name it.

Could you keep him out here till I call for him?

Sure.All right.

Here he is. He's all yours.

No, stay where you are.

You taught me a lot, Sanders.

Maybe...maybe that chair fits you better than it does me.

You taught me never to trust anybody.

Look, Emmett, I didn't--You're a liar.

We've offered a deal to Westley.

He signs a full confession,

we bury the physical evidence that implicates his wife.

That sounds fair enough.

That's what we've been trying to get across to him.

What's the matter with you, Westley?

Don't you know a good deal when you see one?

I didn't rob the office, Emmett.

I'm not Emmett.

Not after I went all the way to the governor for you.

Not after I believed in you.I didn't do it--

Aw, come on! How long do you expect to keep this up?!

What, you gonna make Sanders send Joan to prison too? Haven't you hurt her enough?

Well, she knows I didn't do it.

She can change her mind.

There's nobody else who could have pulled that robbery.

Westley, you're it.

Yeah, I'm it.

The man that never has an answer.

The born loser.

You're a born liar, Westley,

that's all you are.

You're no good to yourself and you're no good to your wife.

I'm sorry I ever met you.

What do you want from me?

I want the truth. I want a full confession.

A full confession, Westley.

Or so help me...

so help me I'm gonna see to it that your wife

winds up in jail with you.

An accessory. That's what she is, an accessory.

Among other things.

You're it, Westley.

A full confession...

or Joan goes too.

You too?

Just like all the rest.

I did it.

And you'll sign a confession?

Yeah...that's right.

Well...

Congratulations, Sheriff.

It's possible that you will make a good lawman after all.

You mean like you, Sanders?

Well, you could do worse.

I doubt it.

You call yourself a lawman,

and yet you just sat there and watched me force a confession

from a man under pressure.

Just like you watched Lathrop do it two years ago.

Come on, now, Ryker.

The man's a criminal-- does it matter how you get the confession out of him?

Yes, it matters when a man is innocent!

Westley is innocent! Innocent two years ago, innocent now!

You betit matters!

I must say you had me fooled, Ryker.

I thought that maybe you were beginning to see the light.

I had no idea you'd go to such elaborate lengths to prove a point.

Unfortunately, the only thing you proved

was that my original instincts about you were valid.

That's the second time you've mentioned instincts to me, Sanders.

You put a great deal of faith in instinct, don't you?Yes, I do, Sheriff.

Well, then tell me, Sanders...

what do your instincts tell you about Lathrop here?

Does he have the same dedication to law and order as you do?

I can speak for myself, Ryker.

I learned a good deal from Mr. Sanders.

He taught me a man should have a purpose to his life.

Well, mine is chasing criminals

and seeing that they're punished.

Curt Westley is guilty, it's as simple as that.

The law is the law.

A man believes in it, nothing else matters--

not friendship, not love, nothing.

Not friendship, not love.

Not love. Nothing.

[ snorts ]

Sanders...

suppose I told you that Lathrop here

has not only pulled the wool over your eyes,

he's made you out a complete fool?

He's made you chase a man who's no more guilty of any crime than you are.

[ laughing ]

You notice Lathrop here is not laughing, don't you?

And you know why? Because he's in love with another man's wife.

Because in his twisted mind,

he thinks if he gets Curt out of the way here,

he can have her.

And you helped him, Sanders.

You couldn't have helped him more

if you'd wanted it for yourself.

Huh. Oh, I don't believe you.

You don't believe me.

Give me your gun, Lathrop.

Give it to me.

You want your proof? Open that door.

Go on, open it.

RYKER: This is Hoby Porter.

Lathrop planned the whole job

and got Porter to do it with him.

It's a lie.

No, it ain't.

You made a fool of me.

What's even worse... you made a fool of the law.

[ sighs ]

The law is right, Westley.

But the men who enforce it...

they...well, they sometimes make mistakes.

And sometimes, ironically, in the name of the law,

they commit even worse crimes than...

than the men they pursue.

That wasn't easy for him to say.

I know.

Curt, my horse is across the street at the livery stable.

Why don't you go on home? I'll pick him up later.

Emmett.

Deputy...

lock these two up?

Sure.

Open the door.

[ keys jangling ]

♪ [ theme music playing ]