Original subtitles

Now where'd you get that gun, huh?

You know you ain't supposed to have firearms!

Easy, friend!

Hold it!

Uh, just passing through, heading for Wyoming.

Sorry. We just beat off an Indian raid. I guess we're a little bit jumpy.

Indian raid?

Mescaleros?

They come across the Mexican border to hunt sometimes,

but I... I haven't heard of any...

He's not wearing war paint.

If you were raided, mister, it's by a hunting party, not a war party.

- Now, who started it? - He did.

- This ain't the end of it, Cardine. - You bet it ain't, Dalton.

We're gonna find out how you got that gun and what you's fixin' to do with it...

before you started taking potshots at stray redskins and starting a battle.

I'll be glad to tell you, Cardine.

I was gonna wait till it looked like a good time.

Then I was gonna take care of you and head for the border.

Well,

I sure like to see a bunch of good friends riding cross-country together.

Dalton, you take Will Steinbach...

and you go out there and dig a couple of graves, you hear?

Rest of you men, fan out!

See if you can find some wood in this godforsaken piece of desert.

At least we can mark 'em.

Mister?

I'm not one to give unwanted advice.

But Mescaleros' middle name is "revenge."

Well, I'm much obliged to you, friend. I don't

mean to stay here any longer than I have to.

Cardine's the name.

Trampas.

Wyoming's kind of a far piece from the Arizona territory, ain't it?

Well, I wouldn't say it wasn't.

If these Mescaleros come back lookin' for that revenge you's talkin' about,

how much good is this Winchester and a couple of six-guns gonna do us?

Don't they carry guns?

Ain't but two of us in this party allowed to carry weapons, mister.

Me and Connors here.

And Connors is dead.

We sure could use what you're packin' there,

if you'd care to ride along a ways with us.

- You staying in Perido? - No. A couple of miles the other side.

Place called El Rancho a la Encrucijada.

Ranch at the Crossroads.

- You ranchers? - No, we ain't ranchers.

What we are is six days out of Dyersville Territorial Prison in Tucson.

You're out legal?

It's what it says here. Something called "probation."

Probation?

I reckon that word hasn't gotten out this far yet.

I expect they've heard of it in Perido by now.

Reckon that's them, Garth?

I don't know. But we'll find out in a couple of minutes.

You figure that for Perido? Yeah.

You figure that to be a welcoming committee?

Well, they're sporting an awful lot of hardware for a welcoming committee.

Yeah, that's what I was thinkin'.

Now, listen, I'll do the talking.

You do the listenin' and the shuttin' up. You got it?

- Is the name of this town Perido? - Depends on who's askin'.

- No, it don't, mister. - Are you the men from Dyersville?

That depends on who's asking.

We don't want any thieves, any swindlers,

any murderers coming through this town.

Mister, I've got papers in my pocket, and they say...

I don't care what you got in your pocket!

We got guns in our hands! You want to know what they say? They...

You want to know what I say, Garth Meadows?

I say clear this street and put up them guns...

and get on back to whatever it was you was doin'...

before you forgot who's United States marshal in this town,

and it's him who's sayin' who's comin' through here and who ain't.

Cardine, is it? Jus Cardine.

That's right. You must be Eleazar Teague.

That is them, ain't it, Marshal?

And just what are you aimin' to do on account of that, Meadows?

I'm aimin' to make sure that none of 'em set foot or horse's hoof in this town.

You're aimin' to do that, are you, Meadows?

We're all aimin' to do that, Teague.

You said "all"?

That's right.

All?

Then you're all goin' to jail on the charge of interferin' with the laws of this land.

These men are comin' through this town on direct orders of the territorial governor,

and nobody's gonna stop them or hinder them or stand in their way.

Now clear this street and get on back to your homes.

Now you just wait a minute, Marshal... You hear me, Meadows?

Now move!

Much obliged to you, Marshal.

You figurin' I done something for you?

I'm supposed to see that this packet gets to your hands.

I know what you're supposed to do.

It's got in it the names of these men, their parole records...

and some other papers having to do... I know what it's got in it.

I was also told that if I needed assistance,

I could turn to the United States marshal. I know what you've been told.

And I know about you, Cardine.

And about Jared Blaize.

Now they give you guns to carry.

And they tell me it's some new kind of justice.

Well, let me tell you.

To me, there's only one kind of justice,

and I'm saying to you, Cardine, I ain't forgettin' Jared Blaize.

And don't you ever forget Eleazar Teague.

Now get riding, all of you, straight through town.

Your papers say you ain't to be on the streets after nightfall.

Who's Jared Blaize?

He was a United States marshal.

Was?

I killed him.

That's why I'm serving a life sentence.

Let's go. Giddap! Hyah!

Who were they, Father?

They are the beginning of trouble, girl.

Big trouble.

Bad trouble.

Ranch at the Crossroads.

- Where are the crossroads? - Where's the ranch?

It's a lot better than where you come from. Giddap.

Whoa!

I'll kill you if you come one step closer!

You are on private property.

You're wrong, ma'am. This property belongs to the United States government.

This is the land belonging to the family of Jesus Alfredo Ortiz.

Is that your name? Ortiz?

I am his daughter... Maria Isabella. I know what I say.

You received documents from the Department of the Interior...

We reject the documents!

Well, you received a fair payment that you...

We reject the payment!

Señorita, you may reject the payment,

but you cannot reject the annexation of this property.

Now, you got a fair price,

and you were expected to be out of here by the first of the month.

But we did not leave, as you can see. We are both still here!

Perhaps I'd better speak with your father. He may have...

You wish to speak to my father, señor?

Very well. He's there!

Speak to him if you can!

And with him are your documents...

and your money!

How did that happen, señorita?

How do broken hearts happen, señor?

A man that has lived all his life on the land that was his father's...

and his father's before him...

and is informed that it is no longer his.

Get out! Clear out in 30 days for a little gold!

That is how broken hearts happen, señor.

That is what drives a man to hang himself.

- I warned you, señor. - Por favor, señorita.

Now, uh, what you're doing won't help your father. It won't help you.

Now, it won't help anybody.

All it'll do is maybe make some more burying for somebody to do.

Now, you can't kill us all, and even if you could,

you can't kill the whole United States government.

Now, I-I think you got a good cause.

But... but dead, you got no cause at all, ma'am.

All right, men, tie up over on that side of the house.

What about her?

Well, she can't stay here with five men just out of Dyersville.

Some of them been there almost 10 years.

Señor,

when I discovered my father hanging from that tree,

I wept a long time.

I cut him down with these hands.

I buried him myself with these hands.

I put a cross together and set it at the grave...

with these hands!

Do you think that I would let any of you touch me?

Do you think me incapable of protecting myself?

Señorita, I'd say you were capable of doing anything you set your mind to,

but this ranch belongs to the Bureau of Prisons.

It is government property. Now you're gonna have to go, and that's all there is to it.

Cardine, two things. First of all, the Mescaleros.

What are you gonna do... send this lady off

all by herself with them maybe on the warpath?

You said two things.

Well, yeah, uh... Who's gonna do the cooking?

Well, if you want a day's work out of your hands,

you gotta give them three decent meals to make that day.

You think I will do the cooking?

Only if you think it's a better idea than

riding into Perido, uh, this time of the day...

and maybe run into a Meskie war party.

Look, now, come here. Now, I know, uh, this probably means a lot to you,

so I want to give you something else to

think about... just something to think about.

Now, if you want the United States government to do something for you,

you can't hold a gun to 'em or turn your back on 'em.

And if this property means anything, you'll keep a foot on it. Both feet.

Because the minute you turn your back and say adios, you got no claim whatsoever.

- Is this true? - Just as true as I'm standing here.

Now, uh, this fella back here, Cardine, he, uh...

He sort of represents the United States government.

He's gonna be here for a while, and, uh, he'll

be making out reports and passing them along.

Now, if you want to write some real strong letters to Tucson or Washington,

uh, which they call a, uh, petition for a redress of grievances,

he's the man to see, 'cause he'll pass 'em right along to 'em.

Of course, you're gonna have to swallow a little pride, and, uh...

But if you do, I think you got a good chance of getting your property back.

You are very persuasive.

Well, uh, the señor is also a mite hungry.

You want me to talk to Cardine now?

Very well. Talk to him.

But I will accept no wages.

These men will remain in the quarters in the back as my guests...

until I have made my petitions...

and my grievances have been redressed.

Señorita, so long as you deal five cards around

the table, you can call the game poker...

or, uh, horseshoes or hog rassling.

Cardine?

Anything? Nothing.

Not even a campfire.

If they're gonna attack at all, it won't be until dawn.

I'll take over then. Why don't you get some sleep?

I'm sure not gonna complain.

But I think I'll have a cup of that coffee first.

Somethin' on your mind?

No.

Oh, yeah. Uh...

How come you are walkin' around packin' a gun?

I mean, killing a U.S. marshal and all...

How come they just didn't hang you to begin with?

I was up for hangin'.

But Judge Quincy Partridge had my sentence

commuted to life imprisonment at Dyersville.

That's like tellin' a man that instead of hangin' him,

which would be over in couple of minutes,

you're gonna kill him real slow... slow and hard.

You're gonna whip him and starve him.

You're gonna make him stand naked for two hours without moving a muscle...

when it wasn't but a couple of degrees above freezing.

Hmm.

But then, uh,

Ben Schofield came in from the East to be the new warden at Dyersville.

"Trouble with prisons," he said,

is they don't do nothin' to get a man ready to come out of there."

That's why so many of us end up back in prison.

It took him over two years,

but he finally got the Bureau of Prisons...

talked into persuadin' the Department of the Interior to ask Congress...

to put up the money to buy this place.

Then he looked us all over, checked the records,

and then he picked me.

To do what?

To take charge of this place and get it workin',

earning its own way...

so that... so that prisoners could be sent here...

where they could learn something besides cattle rustling or bank robbing.

Where they could earn a little money...

so that, when their sentence is over, they can go on out...

where the good folks are and not back to a place like Dyersville.

Hmm. And you reckon you can make that work?

My probation hangs on that one, mister.

Schofield has promised me a pardon if I can make it work.

If I can't, I go back to Dyersville for good.

You know I'm gonna make it work.

Well, best of luck to you.

What was the name of that, uh... that ranch you were talkin' about?

Shiloh? Pretty big spread, huh?

Well, you take it away, and Wyoming would

be the size of, uh, Rhode Island nearabouts.

You been ranching a long time?

Ever since I first got kicked by a horse. I was about, uh, 15.

Maybe that's why. Kicked right in the head.

You must know all about it then.

Oh, I picked up a few things here and there. Why?

You ever think of ranching anyplace else?

- Besides Shiloh? - No.

You getting at something, Cardine?

All they know about ranching is stealing sheep.

Now if this place is gonna work, I've got to

have somebody to teach them how to work it.

Well, you're in charge.

I have never been on a ranch before in my life.

You mean, this Warden Schofield put a man in charge of a ranch that's never...

I was put in charge of the men. Connors was to have been in charge of the ranchin'.

He's a foreman for some big spread east end of the territory.

Got himself in some kind of trouble. Gamblin'... I don't know.

Broke into the owner's safe to pay it off.

Anyway, he was to be the foreman and teach us all the ropes.

Hmm.

But now Connors is six feet underground, and here we are.

Yeah. I don't know what they're paying you at Shiloh, but...

I'm authorized to hire hands if I need 'em.

Now, suppose I was to hire you as foreman?

Oh, no.

Oh, I'm much obliged to you, but, no. No thanks.

I'll, uh... I'll do my ranching at Shiloh.

I got to get back there for the fall roundup.

Why, it ain't even midsummer yet.

Yeah, but it's 700 miles from here to Medicine Bow, so... No.

Well, uh, no harm in, uh... In asking, huh?

No. No, there wasn't. Or in answering, but...

Well, if you don't mind, I think I'll stretch out for a while.

I'll go on guard then.

- Good night. - Night.

So long, Cardine. Bye.

♪♪

Just don't move.

Stand up, Connors. Stand up. Connors?

Oh, yeah. Uh, my name's not Connors. It's Trampas. Shut up.

Wait a minute. Here, I got... I got a pay book from Shiloh.

It says "Thomas Connors,

Dyersville Territorial Prison, Tucson."

Got my prisoner, Marshal?

Anybody in my jail's my prisoner.

Telegraph from Tucson.

Says Connors is released in my custody...

pending trial for jumping parole.

You don't waste time, do you?

Great invention, the telegraph.

You got the bail money? It says here $300.

Would you like to count it?

All right, Cardine, but you just remember this.

Next time it happens, I'm bringing back whoever tries it dead over his saddle,

and then I'm sending all of you back to Dyersville where you belong.

You're out on bail, Connors.

Only you take one step, one step off that ranch or out of this town,

and I'm shooting you on sight, you understand?

Yeah, I understand.

How did you get Connors's prison paper in my pocket?

You sleep hard, mister.

Where's my pay book from Shiloh? Someplace safe.

You'll get it later. When?

When we don't need you anymore.

Cardine, you don't expect to get away with this, do you?

You ever been in Dyersville? You ever been in any prison?

Yeah, I expect to get away with it.

Then you better be good at staying awake.

'Cause the first time I catch you sleeping... I don't have to stay awake.

I got something that'll let me sleep better than half a barrel of beer.

What's that? Marshal Teague.

Remember what he said, don't ya?

He'll shoot you on sight if he catches you out-of-bounds once more.

Now, you want to live the rest of your life, don't ya?

Do what I ask, and you'll be back in Shiloh...

with your pay book in time for fall roundup.

You want to die and be buried before you need another shave,

go ahead, ride on off.

Choice is up to you, Connors.

Cardine. What?

Get off your horse. Come on. What for?

Just get off.

Now come on.

- All right, get up! - Proving what?

Proving you're not gonna get what you want without a busted nose. Now get up.

And after you bust my nose, then do I get what I want, huh?

Go ahead. Start swingin'. I ain't gonna stop ya.

I'm picking between a full pardon and the rest of a life sentence.

What's a busted nose to a man with a choice like that?

Go ahead.

Get on your horse.

All right, Mr. Foreman, let's get to ranching, huh? Giddap!

Uh, Will Steinbach said you wanted to see us.

Him. It is from the telegraph office.

I had hoped it was in reply to my letters,

but, unfortunately, it seems to concern something else.

Well, I'm much obliged to you, señorita.

"Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.

"Thirty-five head of beef arriving at Wilcox railhead...

on or about the 22nd of this month."

Wilcox railhead?

Well, that's... that's 50 or 60 miles from here.

That means we gotta drive those cattle halfway across the country.

Do you know what that means with them? I know.

Oh.

Well, if the wind's right and our luck holds...

and God is on our side...

and they remember half of what I've been trying to teach 'em for the last six weeks,

maybe, just maybe we might get back here with half of 'em!

One of you get in front of 'em! Turn 'em over here!

Hah! Come on! Hah!

Come on, little doggies. Hyah!

Hyah!

Hah! Hah! Hah! Hah!

Turn it over there!

Hey, I said move! Hah! Come on! Keep those critters moving!

Come on! Hah! Hah!

Ride drag! Ho! Dust-eaters!

Come on! Keep it in there!

Yo, cattle! Hyah! Get up there!

Go, cattle! One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine,

10, 11, 12, 13, 14,

15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21...

Come on, cattle... 21, 22...

Come on! Get in there! Twenty-two, twenty...

Close it? Twenty-two out of 35? Is that all?

Yeah, close it.

Twenty-two out of 35.

Cardine, explain it to me again.

If this ranch don't work, you go back to Dyersville for life. Is that right?

You got it.

Well, I'm not, uh... I'm just asking. I'm not suggesting. Just asking.

The Mexican border is one canteen's ride from here.

This ranch is not gonna work. It's just not gonna work.

I tried the Mexican border right after I killed Jared Blaize.

Then I come back and turned myself in.

Living the rest of your life as a fugitive...

is just as bad as rotting in a hellhole like Dyersville.

I want that pardon, you hear? That pardon. Nothin' else!

Well, you shanghaied the wrong man to get it for you.

The drive was a disaster.

That's the mildest thing you could say about today, señorita.

But with men not trained in this work...

I had over six weeks to train 'em!

You ought to be able to train your grandmother in six weeks,

let alone a bunch of birdbrained, pigeon-toed,

12-fingered greenhorns.

I have watched you, señor, and I believe you will succeed.

I also believe that my father would not have disapproved of what is going on here.

Señor. Señorita Ortiz.

You and your men have worked very hard,

and you have been very disappointed.

You must wash and eat and sleep.

You will feel much better.

I am going to cook dinner.

Now, what's come over her?

Well, even the señorita has her soft spot.

She can't stand to see grown men cry.

Washing, eating, sleeping is fine.

But when can a man get drunk in this dumb place?

Tomorrow. Tomorrow. Tomorrow?

Six weeks will be up tomorrow. We can all go into Perido,

just so long as we get back on the ranch by sundown.

Is that what it said... That's what it says in the pouch.

Well, hallelujah for that pouch.

Yes, sir. Gives a man a good reason to take a bath.

They're coming, Farnum. Let's get this door closed.

They're coming.

Lock up that door, Lester. Right.

Get those doors closed over there.

Well, same old Perido, huh, Cardine?

Well, startin' now, it's gonna be different. Get over there.

Bill, get that door closed.

This place a saloon or the waxworks?

We're closed, mister.

You don't look closed to me.

Well, this here's a private party.

That a fact? What's the occasion?

By the looks of 'em, I'd say some kind of funeral.

Well, it's, uh... It's his birthday.

Many happy returns of the day.

Yeah. Happy birthday. I'm buyin' the drinks.

Now, just a minute, gentlemen... What's this?

- Mister... - Mister!

Answer up. What are these?

They, uh... They money?

Are they U.S. currency?

They specie, legal tender?

They dollars, huh?

Well, I'm waitin'.

Mister, they're just whatever you want to say they are.

Right.

Now, you scare up a bottle and some glasses,

and you pour out...

Three simoleons' worth of that rotten, red-eyed rot-gut of yours,

and you pour it out real careful.

'Cause if you spill any of it on this dirty old bar,

I'm gonna make you lick it up with that dirty old tongue of yours.

Well, I'm waitin'.

Cardine.

- What are you doin' in town? - Best check your calendar, Marshal.

We got privileges on Saturday now.

Is that a fact?

All right. Just see you behave yourselves while you're here.

Not so fast, Marshal.

How come this town is closed up tighter than a drum on a Saturday afternoon?

What is this... a national holiday or something? Is that it?

No, only a free country.

A man has a place of business,

he has every right to open it or close it whenever he feels like it.

Perido is the only place of entertainment...

these men can go to during their probation.

- You know that, Teague. - I know that, Cardine.

Like I say, as long as you don't make no trouble, entertain yourselves.

- How? - I ain't got the slightest idea, Cardine.

I just ain't got the slightest idea.

What are you doin' here, girl?

Well, I was just introducing myself to these gentlemen.

You know who these men are?

I do indeed, and I also know what's being done to them.

Well, now, Becky, that's none of your affair.

Well, of course it's my affair.

I happen to want to do some shopping,

and Mr. Farnum's store is locked up tight as a drum.

You done your shopping yesterday.

I wanted to bake a cake for supper tonight. I need a sack of flour.

I don't want no cake tonight, Becky.

Then you needn't eat any.

Would you kindly ask Mr. Farnum to open up his shop?

I will do no such of a thing, girl.

In that case, I'll just have to do it myself.

- Becky. - Young man?

Becky, no, you... You just wait a minute.

You keep out of this. Becky, do you hear me?

I hear you, Father,

but I've made up my mind to bake that cake.

Seems there's more than one Teague in this town.

Yeah.

Only one's a whole lot prettier than the other.

Mr. Farnum?

Mr. Farnum?

Miss Teague? Mr. Farnum, are you doing business today?

Yes, Miss Teague.

Thank you.

Mr. Farnum's store is open now, gentlemen.

I recommend his goods very highly.

Besides, it's the only store in town.

Maybe this is the beginning.

Maybe. Hmm.

Too bad Miss Teague doesn't have some business back here in the saloon.

I still feel like having a drink.

Thank you. Has that bolt of red plaid come in yet?

Yes, it's outside, Miss Teague. Thank you.

You'd never make it.

Make it where, mister?

To the Mexican border.

Teague would be letting wind through your

shoulder blades before you got halfway there.

Well, there ain't a full moon every night.

No, but there's me watching you.

For what? My business ain't any of your business.

- No, it's Cardine's business. - Then let him worry about it.

He is. I'm just helping him worry about it.

Besides, you only got a year left...

and then you're out free and clear.

Then back in Dyersville a year later.

What do I know besides holding up banks?

I've been watching you on the drive.

I think you savvy more about ranching than you're letting on.

- Ranching? - Mm-hmm.

Cowboying?

That's the way to spend the rest of your life...

Bindle-stiffing across the country,

picking up odd jobs at round-up time,

sleeping in a rat-ridden bunkhouse...

with 20 other sweating, snoring mutton heads.

Standing in line an hour with your tin plate held out...

so someone can slap a piece of burned beef on it...

and a ladle of six-day-old beans.

Mm-hmm, you see? You do know more than you're lettin' on.

How come you're keeping it such a secret?

How come you're getting so nosy?

Mr. Cardine?

Miss Teague.

Mr. Cardine, I want to apologize to you.

I don't know no harm you've done me, Miss Teague.

I'm apologizing for Perido and for my father.

I read Warden Schofield's book in college back East.

I've known what's been going on...

between the town and all of you, and I haven't done anything...

until now.

I don't see there's much you can do, Miss Teague,

seein' as how dead set the town is against us.

There's quite a lot I can do, and that's why I'm here.

I'd like you and all of the others at the ranch...

to come into town tomorrow night to have supper with us.

A-At your home, Miss Teague?

At my father's home, Marshal Teague's home.

Well, uh, I'm most obliged to you, Miss Teague...

You're not declining my invitation?

Ma'am, we ain't allowed off ranch property...

between sundown and sunup.

You are when you're in the company of a United States marshal.

My father will be there, too,

so you see it's perfectly legal for you to come.

Does your father know about this?

He will as soon as you tell me if you're coming or not.

Well, then? 6:00 tomorrow.

We'll be there.

Good. I'm looking forward to it.

You'll find that I'm a very good cook.

Mr. Cardine. Ma'am.

Would you carry this out to my carriage, please?

Could you help me, please?

Well,

what do you know?

All I know is, uh...

I'd give six months' pay to see the look on Teague's face...

when she tells him we're all invited for dinner.

Hmm.

Marshal Teague. Well, Judge Pitt. Pleasure to have you back in Perido, sir.

I'm honored to be here, as always, Eleazar. Honored to be here.

How's your own health holding up, and how's that beautiful daughter of yours?

Oh, she's fine, I guess. Nobody's getting any younger, I know that.

I see no evidence to prove that contention, Eleazar, none whatsoever.

Wha... Your cupboard is bare.

Have I ridden these many leagues in vain?

No, I've got a trying matter for you, Jeremiah.

There's a parole violator from that rehabilitation camp just outside of town.

$300 bail,

remanded in the custody of the ranch superintendent.

Oh, yes, that rehabilitation ranch.

How's it affecting you, Eleazar? How's the town taking to it?

Like a cat takes to bathing. That's how.

I been 30 years getting Perido first to unload, then to hang up its guns.

And then inside of six weeks, we're like a frontier town again...

Everybody running around armed to the teeth, ready to shoot on sight...

just because some crackpot from the East decides to unload...

a whole bunch of murderers and thieves in the middle of us.

I see.

Then the adjustment has not been made...

without a certain agony, I take it, huh?

They ain't wanted around here, never will be.

Not by me. Not by anyone else.

Well, now, Eleazar, the theory of

rehabilitation of prisoners before release...

has met with a good deal of approbation...

among jurists and penologists throughout the eastern part of this country.

Jeremiah, if they think they can turn a killer into an honest man...

by teaching him how to punch cattle,

they can have my badge and my guns and I'm gonna go off someplace,

I don't know where, and hunt jackrabbit until my time has come.

Time and tide, my friend. Time and tide.

They move on, and we move with them,

or else we find ourselves alone,

defending solitary battlements...

that have been deserted not only by our enemies, but by our friends as well.

I'd like to meet some of those men...

Those parolees...

If it can be arranged without undue unease on your part.

Jeremiah, how many years you been riding into Perido on your circuit?

Well, ever since there's been a circuit court in this territory.

I'd put it at 10 years, give or take a quarter. Why do you ask?

And you've always accepted my invitation for a drink and a good meal...

and a bed at night whenever you've come to town, haven't you?

Yes, it's become a precedent...

As unshakable as the mountains that rim this valley.

Well, the invitation stands, as usual.

If you accept it this time,

you'll be gettin' all you ask for and more.

Because my girl has invited the whole kit and caboodle of them parolees...

to come into my home to eat their meal in my dining room tonight.

- Has she indeed? - She has.

I don't know when it was the last time you sat down to supper...

with a cattle thief on one side of you and a murderer on the other...

and a couple of bank bandits and stage robbers across from you.

But if you've never done it before, you'll be doin' it now.

Eleazar,

only when I have taken my supper with no one across me or beside me but you,

could I, without risking perjury, swear that I was breaking bread...

with a completely honest man.

And I include all those times that I have dined absolutely alone.

Judge Pitt, would you say the blessing, please?

Why, yes, I'd be delighted.

May the good Lord bless the food upon this table...

and those who are about to eat.

May he make honest men of all of those who might be rogues...

and may he keep from roguery all of those who might just possibly be free of it.

And above all else, may he cause us to remember...

that when he is reputed to have said, "Go and sin no more,"

he left it up to us lowly mortals...

to make it possible for those instructions to be carried out.

Amen.

Thank you, Your Honor.

Father, would you start the potatoes around, please?

Mr. Cardine.

After you, ma'am. Thank you.

Oh, Rebecca,

if I may interrupt once more for just a moment, please?

Yes, Judge.

Tonight I am dining with someone...

whom I must judge tomorrow...

on a charge of parole violation.

Therefore, in order that it will not be necessary for me...

to disqualify myself on this case,

I must elicit a solemn promise from all of you...

that there will be no discussion at this table this evening...

whatsoever of this matter.

Miss Teague and gentlemen, can we all agree upon that?

Yes. Well, thank you.

Mr. Connors, help yourself to the chops.

- Smells good. - Oh, thank you.

Will, those beets in front of you.

Do you like beets?

- Yes, ma'am, very much. - Have some and pass them along.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Here you go, Will. Thank you.

Are you getting everything you need?

Potatoes. I haven't had potatoes in a long time.

I only got one question then.

When you're sittin' down at table with a pack of criminals...

who in all their lives haven't been anything but criminals,

what do you talk about besides their crimes?

Well, Eleazar, if we must discuss crime,

then let it be the ramifications thereof.

You know, for many years before I was elevated to the bench,

and to the saddle as well, so to speak,

I was Professor of Law at Colonel Rutger's College in the state of New Jersey.

One of my students was young Ben Schofield. Warden Schofield?

The same.

Ah, he was a firebrand, my friends, a veritable firebrand.

Had he not become enamored and immersed in the

then almost unheard of science of penology,

he would have become one of the most tenacious prosecutors...

in these United States and territories.

So now, instead of prosecuting 'em, he's protecting 'em.

Letting 'em ride around the country with guns on their hips,

settin' up camps and ranches for them,

paying them money and makin' the people of a town...

scared to leave their doors unlocked at night.

Father, there's no one in Perido who has any cause...

to be afraid of going to bed with an unlocked door.

That's right. Me and my men are on that ranch at sundown every night, Marshal.

And you know it. I know you're supposed...

Eleazar, forbidden ground, forbidden ground.

Well, I see that we don't agree...

on the merits of Ben Schofield's experiment in rehabilitation.

Eleazar, it's strange to me...

that peace officers are always the first to protest any move...

to bring offenders back into the peaceful community.

When the citizens of that community...

are afraid of being murdered by those offenders? Not at all.

- Father. - Murdered by whom, may I ask?

By the one who done the murders...

and who should have been hanged for it...

and who's now walkin' practically free to do it again if ever the mood strikes him.

That's who I'm talkin' about.

The United States marshal that I killed...

was with my wife when I killed him,

And the court knew that. The court...

I ain't talking about you, Cardine.

What's your name, boy?

- Father. - You be still, girl.

Well, boy. What's your name?

Answer up. You're being questioned by a U.S. marshal.

Eleazar, in your own home.

He ain't in my own home of my own askin'.

- Well, boy? - Steinbach, sir. Will Steinbach.

Now, tell us where you lived a couple years back.

Red Rock Junction. It's just the other side of Tucson.

Along with who? Father...

You just be quiet, girl. You've got guests at table.

See if they be wanting anything to eat.

Along with who, I'm askin' you.

With the man I worked for... Mr. Samsoe.

- Anyone else? - His wife.

- Who else? - A little girl.

They still livin' there, are they?

- No, sir. - On account of why?

- On account of, uh... - Father, this is terrible.

I'm afraid that I must side with Rebecca, Eleazar.

If this were in my court, I would have no alternative...

but to reprimand you for browbeating and intimidating a witness.

This ain't no courtroom.

This is my own dining room.

I can say what I want in it,

ask what I want in it.

Anybody doesn't like it can get up and leave.

On account of why?

On account of I killed 'em.

You killed 'em.

- How did you do it, boy? - It was an accident.

An accident? That's what you told the jury.

But now you tell us what really happened to those good people...

who took you in out of charity and treated you as a member of the family.

They treated me like dirt underfoot!

And fed you and put clothes on your back and gave you a bed to sleep in.

- I slept in the woodshed! - They gave you a home.

With them sharing whatever they had in return for chores.

Now, how did you repay that kindness, hmm?

With fire maybe?

He beat me! Mr. Samsoe.

He beat me in front of his wife and his little girl.

And he was callin' me stupid and clumsy.

Sayin' I was no good for nothin' and not right in the head.

And the little girl was lookin' on and laughin'...

and sayin' them same words right after her pa said 'em...

"stupid" and "clumsy" and "crazy."

So I grabbed up a chair and I hit Mr. Samsoe with the chair.

And I ran! I ran, and I didn't look back!

Your story. You didn't know about that lantern being knocked over?

You didn't know the house was afire?

You didn't look back and see the flames lickin'

the sky or try to save them in the house?

I hit him, and I ran!

You hit him and burned the house to the ground to kill 'em all...

The whole family. No!

The truth, boy. You killed with fire and flame.

I wished 'em dead! That's all! I wished it on 'em!

I'm cursin' you, Marshal.

Cursin' you for goadin' me into sayin' what I done.

Sayin' it... Sayin' it in... in front of her.

Makin' her hate me now...

and not wantin' to have nothin' more to do with me.

You're evil, Marshal. You're evil.

You're evil as them I killed, and I hate you!

I'm cursin' you, Marshal! Curse you!

Curse you! Curse you!

Will, wait.

Will, wait, please.

No, not after... After you knowin'.

I can't, Miss Teague. Will!

Father,

are you ashamed of yourself?

Are you as ashamed as you ought to be?

I ain't ashamed of nothin'.

Then you're a hateful man.

Old and hateful and vindictive,

and you have no more right upholding the law in this territory...

than some crazed animal up in the hills.

You hear that, Jeremiah? Do you hear the daughter of my poor dead wife...

talkin' to her pa that way just because I was tryin' to show you...

why the good folks of Perido are scared to go to bed with their doors unlocked?

It's on account of him, a murderer, loose among 'em,

free to come and go as he pleases.

That's what comes of this new kinda justice.

Maybe now you all see. Yeah, we see.

Come on, men. Let's go. Dinner's over.

Mr. Cardine. Ma'am.

Well, what can I say?

Well, it weren't your fault.

But we'd better get on back to the ranch,

pick up Will on the way 'fore he does himself some harm.

Let's go. Mr. Cardine. The ranch?

Uh, he wasn't riding that way.

Wait a minute. What was that?

He was heading the other way.

Away from the ranch. Was he?

Where you going, Marshal?

That man is headed out for open country after sundown,

and that's in violation of his probation. That is your doing, Marshal.

That makes no difference. It surely does, Marshal.

That boy is scared and half out of his mind and unarmed.

I ain't askin' for your assistance this time.

I'm going after him myself.

Unarmed, is he?

So where's your gun? You came here with it.

You ain't goin' nowhere, you hear? Nowhere.

I'm bringin' him in... Dead or alive.

Judge? Judge, can't you do nothing?

No more, sir, than King Canute could control the tides.

I can convene a court and try a man,

but the man has to be in that court to be tried.

Well, if the man's already dead, can you try him then, Your Honor?

No, sir, you cannot.

Then you must try his killer.

He'll kill him.

I know.

Bring it up there, boy.

I said bring it up there,

or I'll start shootin' before I say it again.

Come on!

Ain't no rock gonna save you, boy.

Just throw out your weapon and come out yourself.

Hold your hands where I can see them.

You better not come at me, Marshal. I'll have to shoot you.

I'm givin' you the count, boy. Startin' now.

You get up to three. One...

Marshal, hold it.

Connors, what are you doin' here? That doesn't matter now.

A parole violator, and now you're runnin' out on your bail money?

What do you mean it doesn't matter?

Marshal, listen to me.

Will, don't!

Marshall, now listen. Will you just hold on a second?

Will? Will, don't shoot.

You shoot at a United States marshal,

doesn't matter if you miss him by six miles.

You'll go to jail for it, unless the marshal here shoots you dead for tryin'.

You don't want to go back to Dyersville, do you, Will?

Well, that ranch is better than Dyersville any day.

What do you know about Dyersville? You ain't never been there.

Will. Will, listen to me. Think about that ranch.

You got a lot of freedom out there.

The air is fresh and clean, and you're doin'

good things, Will. You're being useful.

Well, you can say that.

There ain't no one keeping you there.

Anytime you feel like it, you can ride on out. And who's gonna stop you?

What's that boy talkin' about, mister?

Never been to Dyersville?

Ride on out anytime it suits you?

Is he loco?

That's something we can talk about later, Marshal.

Right now, I'd like to stick to gettin' that boy out from behind those rocks...

without somebody shootin' or getting killed for it.

You think you can do it?

If you put down that gun, I'd sure like to try.

I told you, George, he wouldn't show up.

Yeah, you been right all along, Garth.

No, no, he'll never make it.

This court is now in session. Will you all please come to order?

Your Honor. Mr. Cardine.

Your particular position is a difficult one to determine.

One of your men, to wit, Thomas Connors,

is charged with violation of parole.

He is free under bail of $300 and remanded into your custody...

as superintendent of the rehabilitation ranch,

Yet he is the precise one you permit to ride off,

which is in direct opposition to the terms...

under which this bail was granted him.

Now, that not only constitutes forfeiture of this bail,

but that could also constitute derogation of your duties...

as superintendent of that ranch,

a situation which could legally require revocation of your own parole.

- Your Honor... - Mr. Cardine.

What's happened to Will? It's all right. Nobody's hurt. Everything's fine.

This court is in session, gentlemen. This court is in session.

Eleazar, the young fellow? He's in jail. He's all in one piece.

Well, then oughtn't he to be here in court?

No, I ain't charging him with nothing.

I guess I just... pushed him too far last night.

Every man has his breaking point,

and you can't hold a man responsible when someone else drives him to it.

So, when court's adjourned, Mr. Cardine can take him back to the ranch,

keep him where he won't be doin' himself no harm.

Very well, Marshal.

Which brings us to the case in hand,

the charges against Thomas Connors for violation of... Yeah, now, about that...

Your Honor, with regard to Tom Connors... Guilty, Your Honor.

Guilty. Your Honor...

Now wait a minute. Jeremiah, this man ain't Tom Connors.

How do you know that?

This morning, this young Will Steinbach said...

Will Steinbach said?

Oh, Your Honor, that kid doesn't know what he's saying half the time.

I'm Tom Connors. Would you like to see my identification?

Now, see here.

Why would a man claim an identity that, if verifiable,

could result in his being returned to Dyersville for... Your Honor.

Um, I'm asking...

I'm asking now that I be put back in the custody of Mr. Cardine...

for the rest of my time.

Marshal, you're the only one who can make a judgment...

based upon his actions during the space of the last few hours.

In view of them, do you recommend...

You better deal me out of this hand, Jeremiah.

It's like they say, I'm behind them rocks shootin',

and there ain't anyone beside me and there

ain't anyone out there gettin' shot at neither.

So... no.

I see.

Then am I to understand, Marshal,

that the charges against the defendant are being withdrawn?

- That's right. - Very well.

So ordered.

The defendant is returned to the custody of Mr. Cardine.

Thank you, Your Honor.

There being no other cases on the docket,

this court now stands adjourned.

Well, Eleazar, I guess the jackrabbits...

won't have to worry for a while at least, huh?

Marshal?

Telegraph arrived for you. Ah.

Marshal, look, I, uh... Meadows, I am reading.

Cardine, a telegraph from Tucson.

They're sending you 25 new parolees.

They'll be arriving at Wilcox railhead the seventh of the month.

The town won't put up with that.

The town won't stand for 25 more of those killers and thieves out at that ranch.

Meadows, how many people we got in Perido now?

How many? Well, I don't know.

Maybe 200. Why?

That's exactly how many more of you are gonna be out at that ranch...

if there's a finger... one finger... lifted against them...

which ain't in strict accordance with the law.

And you're gonna take their part, huh?

You're gonna take their part against us, your own people.

I'm taking the part of the law...

Against anyone who's fixin' to break it.

I been takin' the part of the law for 30 years...

and when you been doing it that long,

you don't have no people.

You keep 'em in line, Cardine.

Oh, I'll keep 'em in line, Teague.

You better.

Now. Hmm?

How come?

Well, like I said to señorita,

you got a long ways to go, Cardine.

And I never quit a job that I hadn't finished.

Connors still has eight months to go.

Hmm, yeah.

Well, you see him over there?

Dalton?

Mm-hmm. First-rate rancher.

Got the makings of a real fine foreman.

Trouble is, he, uh, just won't admit it to himself.

You give me a couple weeks with him, he'll be ready to take over the job.

Then I can just sort of ease my way out of here.

With 25 more hands coming in, uh,

who's gonna know that Tom Connors ain't around, right?

Right. Let's go home. You've got work to do. Yo.