Original subtitles

(gentle music)

(clock chimes)

- Not another minute do we wait, Dion,

or the roast will be leather.

He promised, crossed his heart,

he'd be home on time tonight.

He knew you were coming.

You'd think he was editor of that paper

and not just a reporter the way he works at it.

- Yeah, he's conscientious, all right.

- Conscientious?

He's a crusader, Dion.

Yes, sir, Otis Sloan is going to save

San Francisco all by himself.

"The pen is mightier than the sword, Ann."

I wish he'd been a tailor.

- So, do a few other people like Wilkerson and Morton.

He really went after them today.

(knocking)

- Oh, at last.

Well, it's about time...

Mr. Brennan.

- Otis is dead, Ann.

Your husband was murdered.

(melancholy music)

(crying)

♪ California, California ♪

- [Announcer] "The Californians."

♪ There's gold in them there hills in California ♪

♪ I've come to live where life is best ♪

♪ In the golden west ♪

♪ I'm going to strike it rich in California ♪

♪ California ♪

- Not many men in San Francisco were

good or friendly in 1851.

The biggest business in town was crime.

The police force was small

and, well, not too honest.

Prominent men like Mr. Wilkerson and his partner Morton,

well-known ship owners,

they were openly smuggling and handling stolen goods.

They were making a fortune every day.

A little thing like murder wasn't going to stop them.

Crooks, cheats, and murderers,

but in San Francisco, they were respectable citizens.

I know it can only be a small comfort to you, Ann,

but, well, you must remember one thing.

Otis was a brave man.

- No, Dion.

Otis was a foolish man.

- He tried to help San Francisco.

- San Francisco doesn't want help.

It wants just what it's got.

Upheaval and lawlessness.

You haven't been here long.

You're too new from Boston.

I mean, everybody knows that

Morton and Wilkerson killed my husband,

but nobody is going to do anything about it.

And I can't say that I blame them.

They'd only get what he got.

- Oh look, Ann.

- Let me be, please!

Dion.

I miss him so.

- What are the vigilantes going to do about this, Jack?

- Don't worry, Dion.

We'll get Wilkerson and Morton yet.

But with evidence.

The kind of evidence that Otis Sloan was

trying to get for us when he was murdered.

- For us?

I didn't know Otis was a vigilante.

- Nobody did.

That's what made him so valuable.

As a newspaper reporter he could go any place,

talk to anyone,

but we couldn't give him any protection

because it would have aroused suspicion.

- Look, Jack, could I take Otis's place?

I mean, I'm already a vigilante,

Brennan hasn't found anyone to take the job,

and I'll bet I could put my Irish gift of gab on paper.

- I don't know whether you know this or not,

but an Irish temper goes with an Irish gift of gab.

Now, an undercover agent is worthless, if he's a hothead.

- Oh, I can control my temper.

- I doubt that very much.

- Well, I don't.

- Oh, don't be a fool.

You're a liar.

- Who's a liar?

- You are!

All Irish me are liars!

- That's a lie!

(Jack chuckles)

- Sure it is.

See, Irish temper.

- Come on, get me the chance, Jack.

- No protection.

- No complaints.

- All right.

- [Dion] So, there I was a newspaper man.

A writer, if you please, ready to write.

But I soon discovered there's a long stretch of road

between the stroke of the pen

and the clank of the press.

There were jobs to be learned around the office,

and sometimes the ink was more on my hands

than on the paper.

You don't sit down and write just like that.

A reporter's got to have things to report.

He's got to be where things happen when they happen,

and sometimes he's got to be there before.

And that's why I kept after Wilkerson and Morton.

Something was going to happen to them.

Even if I had to make it happen myself.

- He stays closer than Sloan did.

Yesterday, when I went aboard the Northern Star,

he was standing at the gangplank watching me.

How does he know who we're doing business with?

- Perhaps, it's because you're not very skillful

about the way you do business.

- Or maybe it's because I'm doing too much of it.

Or my partner does too little.

- If you're displeased with your partner,

why don't you look for a new one?

- You'd like that, wouldn't you?

- Aren't we a little silly to be fighting between ourselves?

I'd say Dion Patrick deserved our attention.

- Yeah, first.

- Sir, an accident, sir, at a carriage shop.

A gentleman told me to tell you about it.

- Well, what's the address?

- Mr. Otis Sloan always gave me a penny

for information, sir.

- Well, what is it?

- Number 28, Market Street.

- Thanks.

Hello, is anybody here?!

(wood creaking)

(dramatic music)

- No, Dion, I won't help you.

The more you know about them,

the less your life is worth.

- Well, I'm going to keep after them, Ann,

with or without your help.

- Otis told me very little.

- Well, didn't he tell you where

they conduct their business?

Where they hid what they've smuggled?

Where can I find Morton, right now?

Look, Ann, Morton tried to kill with this today.

This is probably the same knife he killed Otis with.

- The day before Otis died,

while we were in the carriage,

he pointed to a warehouse on Water Street.

He said he thought that Morton and Wilkerson

did their business there.

He wasn't sure.

I think I can point it out to you.

- Oh, it's wrong, Dion.

- What?

Finding a man who tried to murder me

before he has a chance to do it again?

- The important thing thing is to catch

them at what they're doing so that

the police need to arrest them.

- What police?

The police are working for Wilkerson and Morton.

Get up!

- That door that's their shipping area.

- Here.

Ann, you'd better go home.

This is no place for a woman.

- [Ann] Be careful, Dion.

- Good afternoon, Mrs. Sloan.

It's unusual to see a lady in this part of town,

and a pleasure.

(dramatic music)

(dramatic music)

- This is for what you tried to do to me.

You still owe for what you did to Otis Sloan.

(Morton groans)

- Go to the police.

Tell them Dion Patrick has just murdered a man.

- I did not kill Morton.

Fought with him, yes.

Murdered him, no.

- You know, Patrick, I've only been in office two weeks.

You might say I have yet to prove myself to the people.

A confession will help both of us.

- Then arrest Wilkerson.

He killed him, I didn't.

- You did!

You lost your temper.

Beat him senseless.

- I didn't kill him!

I did not lose my temper.

I did not kill Morton.

- Patrick, if you admit the murder now

you can plead self-defense.

Lock him up!

- Dion, can they convict you of this murder?

- Unless I can prove, some way, that Wilkerson did it.

- Oh, I know he did it, as if I'd seen it with...

With my own eyes.

Dion, what if I had seen it with my own eyes?

- Seen Wilkerson do it?

Kill Morton?

- Yes, what could I do about it?

- You could tell the police, the vigilantes.

- Or?

- Or you could go to him and threatened him.

Is that what you're getting at?

Well, then he'd either have to pay you off or kill you.

- Either way, if he was guilty,

he agreed to a meeting with me

which would be an admission of his guilt.

- Then, we could have the police inspector there

in hiding with the rest of us,

Brennan, McGivern, myself.

And we could...

Nah, I must be out of my mind.

- What is it?

- Well, the risk for you.

The whole idea is impossible.

It's blackmail.

- I don't care what it is.

Now, listen to me, Dion.

Otis was my life.

I was his.

I allowed him to go out,

and I could have stopped him, but I didn't.

I'm nothing without him.

I don't care what the risk is.

- You're very young, Ann.

In time, life will start for you again.

- Nothing's going to start for me again.

At least not until this business

with Morton and Wilkerson is settled.

- Well, maybe somebody else could do it.

- I was there.

Wilkerson saw me.

He talked to me.

I know Wilkerson killed Morton.

- All right, all right.

Now, your plan is to get a price for your information.

Now, you'll be on the New York Steamer tomorrow,

and he'll never hear anything more from you

if he does what you say.

- The inspector, will he agree to come along?

- I'll insist.

- From jail?

- I got an idea.

Oh look, Ann, you and Wilkerson,

wouldn't he think it strange that you, Otis's widow,

that you want blackmail instead of justice?

- No.

- [Dion] Why not?

- I have an idea, too.

- Good afternoon, Mrs. Sloan.

- Mr. Wilkerson.

- Needless to say, I received your note.

- I regretted writing it.

Blackmail is such a distasteful business.

- Note made no mention of blackmail.

- Messengers aren't to be trusted

in delicate matters, are they?

Thank you.

Lovely day, isn't it?

- Delightful.

- Mr. Wilkerson.

- Yes, Mrs. Sloan.

- I saw you kill Mr. Morton.

I was in the carriage, remember?

Spring is an exciting time of the year, isn't it?

- Yes, it is, isn't it?

- Quickens my interest in travel.

New York, for example.

Do you imagine such a trip would be very expensive?

- $5,000 should cover all costs, I would imagine.

- I would say that was a fair estimate.

- One thing puzzles me, Mrs. Sloan,

about your trip to New York.

- Yes, Mr. Wilkerson?

- Well, it seems to come so hard on the heels

of, if I may, your husband's untimely death.

- May I speak frankly, Mr. Wilkerson?

- Please do, Mrs. Sloan.

- My life with Otis Sloan was not very pleasant.

The journalist can live on dreams,

and promises, on wishes, on will-bes, and maybes,

But those are meager rations

for the one living with the journalist.

Eventually, Mr. Wilkerson, meager rations

lead to starvation.

Need I say more?

- When shall we meet again, Mrs. Sloan?

- I've already booked passage for New York.

I sail tomorrow.

- Then tonight?

- As you will.

- I suggest a public place where each can feel,

shall I say, free to come and go as he pleases.

Perhaps a street corner?

That one.

- What time?

- Nine o'clock.

Alone.

- Of course.

- Mrs. Sloan .

May I speak frankly now?

- Please do.

- There's one thing wrong about paying

money to blackmailers,

there's never any end to his or her demands.

- But I already told you, Mr. Wilkerson,

I'm leaving for New York tomorrow.

- So you did.

Good afternoon, Mrs. Sloan.

- Mr. Wilkerson.

- Yes, sir.

- I want to find out if a friend of mine

as booked passage for New York, sailing tomorrow.

- The name, sir?

- Mrs. Otis Sloan.

- No, sir, we show no Mrs. Sloan.

- Thank you.

(dramatic music)

- Jailer?

Jailer?

- What do you want?

- I want you to take me at the inspector.

- What for?

- I want to confess to the murder of Elliott Morton.

(knocking)

(knocking)

- Come in.

- Prisoner wants to make a confession.

- How much does he know?

- The whole plan,

but he doesn't agree to any of it.

- You will, Inspector, when you hear

Wilkerson admit to murder.

- He'd better.

- He will.

How much time we got?

- About three hours.

- We'd better get going.

We want to be in hiding long before

Wilkerson thinks of going near the place.

- Now look, Inspector, either you come

along with us willingly,

as an official witness to Wilkerson's confession,

or, well, we'll have to take you along.

Which is it?

(clock chimes)

(door creaks)

- Good evening, Mrs. Sloan.

- I thought we were supposed to meet

at the street corner, Mr. Wilkerson.

- I changed my mind.

- Oh, do you think it's wise Mr. Wilkerson,

your coming here?

I wouldn't call it being very discreet, would you?

- Oh, I'm very discreet, Mrs. Sloan.

I haven't let a soul see me

since I left that steamship office this afternoon.

- Well, I decided to take next week's sailing instead.

- One lie made me wary, Mrs. Sloan,

then I began to look for others.

Dion Patrick is no longer in jail.

I wonder where he is.

- Why, I have no idea.

- I have.

He's at the corner where we were supposed to meet.

He's there with the police inspector

and a few of the vigilantes.

- What are they doing there?

- To witness my paying you blackmail money, Mrs. Sloan.

To hear me admit that I killed Morton,

that Morton killed your husband.

Mrs. Sloan, you're working with Dion Patrick

and the vigilantes, I know that.

I have my way of finding things out.

- Money is all that I want.

- I believed that for a while.

Till I went to that steamship office.

Those people are working for me.

(gun fires)

- We planned the steamship office, Wilkerson,

knowing you'd check it.

We also knew they worked for you.

- [Jack] We knew that you'd think as you did.

That if Mrs. Sloan was lying,

there'd be other lies.

That a trap was waiting for you.

- We knew you had no choice

that you'd have to try and kill Mrs. Sloan.

But we were ready for you, Wilkerson,

at the corner and all the way along the line.

- Mr. Wilkerson, I did not see you kill Mr. Morton.

(dramatic music)

- Are you all right, Ann?

- I'll be fine.

- That's the funny thing about being a reporter, Dion,

after everything's over your job just begins.

You still have a story to write.

- Well, I'll be glad to.

I wasn't sure I had the job after

the way I went after Morton in the first place.

- Why, you did fine, Dion.

You found a story, but what's more important

you stuck with it.

I think Otis Sloan would've approved.

♪ California ♪

♪ Oh, I've traveled here, I've traveled there ♪

♪ I guess I've been most everywhere ♪

♪ But I like where I am today ♪

♪ And here is where I'll stay ♪

♪ Now, one thing I just can't endure ♪

♪ Is being broke and being poor ♪

♪ So, I come west to take the cure ♪

♪ And here is where I'll stay ♪

♪ I've come to California, California ♪

♪ There's gold in them there hills in California ♪

♪ I've come to live where life is best ♪

♪ In the golden west ♪

♪ I'm going to strike it rich in California ♪

♪ California, California ♪

♪ There's gold in them there hills in California ♪

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