Original subtitles

(suspenseful music)

- [Narrator] San Francisco, 1855.

As gold fever ended, the city turned its face to the sea

and fortunes to be made in trade.

A principal import was furs

from the sealing grounds of Russian America.

Russian factories on the San Francisco waterfront handled

the bulk of the fur trade

and the Russians were driving Americans out of the business

by consistently underselling them.

- Now I ask you Mr. Crane,

how do these Russians undersell

and beat out native American fur dealers

on their own home grounds?

Now you answer me that.

- I haven't any idea, Mr. Griggsby.

- Well, I have.

And I'll tell you right now they couldn't do it

if they were paying full duty on these skins.

- We pay full duty on those skins, Mr. Griggsby.

- You're free to examine the custom house books

at any time, Mr. Griggsby.

Good day, sir.

Oh, Dwayne.

- I'm looking for you, commissioner.

One of your port collectors was murdered.

- Who?

- Wiggins.

- How?

- Knifed. I'm holding a Russian.

Mikhail Rozkov.

- Well, that's the second one of your men got killed.

Ain't it, Crane?

- Yes. First George Cobbe. Now Wiggins.

- Got to get these Russians out of San Francisco

before you run out of port collectors.

- What are you getting at?

- I say that the Russians did both killings.

- Why?

- Because they're smuggling pelts, that's why.

It's the only way they can undersell the market

the way they are doing.

- Can you prove it?

- No.

- Then shut up.

- Don't tell me to shut up.

I've got a right to my say.

And I say the sooner we hang a few of these Russians,

the sooner we'll teach them a little respect

for rules and regulations.

- Oh, just hang 'em?

Take 'em out and hang 'em.

No trial, no evidence.

Just, just a rope.

Is that it?

- Why not?

- There'll be no lynchings in San Francisco, Griggsby.

Those days are gone forever.

(suspenseful music)

- You want to bet on that, Mr. Wayne?

* Californi-ay Californi-ay

* There's gold in them - [Narrator] The Californians.

* There hills in Californi-ay

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

* In the golden West

* I'm going to strike it rich in Californi-ay *

- [Narrator] One witness put Rozkov, the Russian,

at the scene of the crime.

The witness was James McFadden, another port collector.

- You say Rozkov was holding a knife. Is this the knife?

- That's it alright.

- What about it, Rozkov?

- (speaks Russian)

- No, no, no. Wait, wait a minute.

You speak English.

Why did you kill this man?

- I kill? No.

He scream. I run. Find him dead.

- Is this your knife?

- Da.

- Then you killed Wiggins.

It's as simple as that. Isn't it, Marshal?

- Maybe.

Rozkov, I'm locking you up.

The charge is suspicion of murder.

(suspenseful music)

(Rozkov speaks animatedly in Russian)

- Hello Matt, how are you?

What are you gonna have?

- Monongahela.

A boy gave me a note to meet you here.

Why the formality?

- I wanted it to look like an accidental meeting.

You heard about the second vigilance committee, I imagine?

- I've heard.

Griggsby is making a lot of trouble.

Complained to the city council.

He says that the police department is riddled with graft

and that you are letting the Russians get away with murder.

And he's asked the vigilance committee to take action.

- What kind of action?

- Hang Rozkov and pitch the Russians out of town.

Griggsby also pointed out

that this is the second customs officer to be killed

and that both of them had had dealings

with the Russian trade.

- What kind of dealings?

- Oh, official business, you know.

Checking furs, examining them, setting the duties.

Things like that.

- Is that all?

- What, isn't that enough?

- No.

I'm going to treat these like any other murders.

Get the evidence first.

And if it's sufficient, turn it over to the prosecutor

and let him take action against Rozkov.

- It would help if you'd work fast.

- I won't be pressured by Griggsby

or any vigilance committee.

- I don't think you quite appreciate the serious-

- I appreciate it alright.

Every time anybody with an ax to grind takes it

to the vigilantes.

It's an incitement of riot by a lot of self-appointed saints

and guardians of public morality.

I'm sick of it, Jack.

You tell your committee.

If they start anything,

I'll be waiting with a shotgun loaded with buck.

(ominous music)

- Wayne, I'll have your badge for this.

I'll have you thrown out so hard, you'll bounce.

- Mr. Griggsby, what's wrong?

- What's wrong?

Didn't you send this badged toad and thug

to haul me out of a public place?

And drag me through the streets like a common felon?

- I sent a plainclothes officers to invite you to come here.

- You what?

- I think you and I have a few things

that we might talk over in a nice, friendly way.

- Like what?

- This Russian business.

- I thought so.

Well, I'll tell you right now,

I've got nothing I want to talk about to you.

- Mr. Griggsby, you walk out that door

and you'll be arrested and charged, sir.

Charged with inciting to riot,

with conspiring to overthrow city authorities,

with conducting unlawful assemblies

and a few more things we'll dig out of the

city ordinances if we need them.

Now why don't you sit down, sir?

- All right. What do you want to know?

- What have you got against these Russians?

- They're murdering devils, that's what they are.

Ruin a decent American citizen's business

with their graft and cheating and murdering.

- We're holding a Russian for one murder.

There's nothing proven in that case.

- What about George Cobbe?

Murdered, wasn't he?

Less than a week ago?

Port collector, wasn't he?

Just like Wiggins?

- You're saying the Russians have an open season

on port collectors?

- Well, they got reason to.

They're underselling me.

And they're smuggling pelts, that's what.

And killing port collectors that got on to 'em.

- Why do you say that?

- The government protects us hide dealers

by putting a heavy duty on imported hides.

- What's that got to do with these murders?

- Well, these Russians are bringing in hides.

They've got the local market flooded with prices

that they couldn't afford to sell at.

If they were paying the import duty.

They've got to be smuggling in order to show a profit.

That's why Cobbe and Wiggins were killed.

They knew about the smuggling.

- I'll look into it, Mr. Griggsby.

Thanks for coming in.

- You better come up with some answers pretty soon, Wayne.

There's a lot of us would just as soon

burn these Russians out of San Francisco.

(suspenseful music)

- Barnes?

Pick up McFadden.

I want to talk to him tonight.

(whistling)

- What was all the trouble uptown?

- Wiggins was murdered.

- No.

- It's a fact. The Marshal had me in for questioning.

- But they don't suspect you, do-

- Oh, no I was a witness. Waiter!

What do you have?

- The usual.

Poor Wiggins!

- Well, he asked for it.

- What do you mean?

- Well, anyone that takes a job

as a port collector asks for trouble.

The big man sits up on Nob Hill and gets all the gravy.

It's poor devils like, like Wiggins,

and me, that do all the dirty work for crumbs.

- Dirty work?

- Well, never mind that.

I am getting out of it now.

- Oh, you mean you're finally quitting?

- That's right.

- What will you use for money?

- I've got money.

Enough to get married on.

How soon can you get ready?

- Me?

- That's right, you.

- Oh Jimmy, you wouldn't kid a girl, would you?

You know what I've been.

- I'm no angel meself.

Peggy, I'm crazy about you.

- Oh, then why didn't you say something before.

- I was busted.

- You have money now?

- It's practically in me hand.

- How much money, Jimmy?

- $5,000.

- $5,000? Where did you get it?

- Never mind about that.

It's mine and I earned it.

I'm going to set us up, Peg.

Me like a nabob and you like a lady.

- I'm happy, Jimmy.

For the first time in my life I'm happy.

Don't let anything happen to us.

- Oh now, what can happen to us?

I have a call uptown, but I'll be back.

- It's about the money, isn't it?

- Now, don't you worry about the money, darling.

It's our stake.

- But we don't need that kind of a stake.

Not if it's danger-

- Ah!

Don't worry about the danger.

(whistling)

(suspenseful music)

(dramatic music)

(coachman hollering)

- Help! Somebody!

(tense music)

- What's up?

- Another killing, Mr. Griggsby. Jimmy McFadden.

McFadden? Let me see that knife.

Russian.

It's about time something was done about these people.

- Well, he ain't dead. He just moved a little.

- Get him off the street.

I've got to find Marshal Wayne.

(ominous music)

- There was no smuggling.

- Then how are you able to get so many seal hides

into the country?

- We pay.

- You mean you pay duty.

- We pay.

- Who? Who did you pay?

- No talk. They kill me.

- Who will kill you?

- No talk. They kill me like the others.

- What others?

Mikhail, if you don't talk to me, they'll see that you hang.

And that's not an easy way to die,

with a rope around your neck.

That's not a man's way of dying.

Think about it.

(taps bars) Going out.

- Please.

There were three others.

Aleksei Aleksandritch, Dimitri Kaukov, Peti Ivanov.

Murdered.

No murders by these names were ever reported.

- Nyet. We are afraid.

We send their bodies home in ship.

- Why were they killed?

- They say, we no more pay.

- Who were they paying?

- We pay to Cobbe.

We pay to Wiggins.

We pay to McFadden.

- That's why your people killed Cobbe and Wiggins?

- No, no. Nyet.

(speaks Russian)

No kill anybody.

- When Barnes comes back,

tell him I'll be at the port commissioner's office.

(suspenseful music)

- Well.

You're making yourself mighty free

with government documents, Mr. Wayne.

- Public documents, Mr. Crane, and open to examination.

- But hardly at such an unconventional hour.

Russian fur imports.

- Any objection to my reading them?

- Oh, you got a right to read any document

in this office, Mr. Wayne.

But under proper conditions.

- Well, then open your file. It's locked.

- I said under proper conditions, Mr. Wayne.

Come back during office hours

and the file will be open.

- Tomorrow those records might be gone.

- I resent that implication.

- That's too bad.

- Need you uptown, Marshal.

Jimmy McFadden. He was knifed.

- McFadden? That's one of your port collectors.

Isn't it, Mr. Crane?

- Yes, and a very good one, too.

- You seem to be awfully upset about it.

- I'm not an emotional man, Mr. Wayne,

but I feel very badly about McFadden.

He was a good customs officer.

- When did it happen?

- About half an hour ago.

- For the sake of formality,

where were you half an hour ago?

- At the Bell Union Bar.

- Anybody see you there?

- Now, Mr. Wayne, do I need an alibi?

- Perhaps.

- I spent the last hour and a half

talking to Frank Griggsby, trying to cool him down.

He was angry at you, Mr. Wayne.

Said you're not taking proper action against the Russians.

Oh, he was making threats, talking about vigilante action.

And as a good citizen

I was trying to persuade him against violence.

- And then you came straight here?

- Yes.

- Why?

- I had some work to finish.

- Getting your records all in order, I hope.

(suspenseful music)

(door shuts)

- Mr. Crane.

- Where have you been?

- I waited on the stair landing

till Wayne and his friend left.

Job's over, Mr. Crane. Payday.

Let's see. Three Russians, Cobbe, Wiggins, McFadden.

That's six. $50 a head, $300.

(coins rattling)

- Thanks a lot.

Anytime you want another job done just,

you know where I hang out.

- Wait.

What's your price for a city marshal?

- Well, that's a big job, Mr. Crane.

That's a very big job.

- I asked a price.

- Well, I couldn't do it for less than 500.

- Kill him.

It's worth 500.

- I like working for you, Mr. Crane.

You're always trying to hide something.

Want to kill somebody to keep it hidden.

First the Russians and the port collectors.

Now the Marshal.

I make a good living off you.

Night, Mr. Crane.

- Well, doctor?

- Barely alive.

- Can he talk?

- Excuse me, please.

- Matt.

Best straight on down to the docks.

Griggsby is organizing a mob

to burn out that Russian factory.

- Barnes. Get a detail of men down there right away.

- Yes, sir.

- You can't stop Griggsby with a show of force like that.

- Well, maybe a little bloodshed will convince

people like Griggsby that I mean it.

I won't have vigilante mobs.

- What do you want?

- Jimmy, Jimmy McFadden.

- Afraid you can't go in there now, Peggy. Sit down.

- You know, Matt, it would help

if you could come up with a solution.

You got anyone tagged as the murderer yet?

- I've got two men at the head of my list.

Crane and Griggsby.

- Crane and Griggsby? Why them?

- I think Crane is using the killings to cover up his graft.

The trouble is he has a perfect alibi for where he was

at the time of the killings.

- And Griggsby?

- He's been trying to drum up public action against people

he thinks are wrecking his business.

- Well?

(mournful music)

- He ain't dead.

He can't be dead.

We were going to be married. Married.

It's true, Mr. Wayne.

I told him to be careful.

I told him the money doesn't mean that much.

- What money?

- $5,000 he was going to get.

- $5,000?

Jimmy McFadden was going to get $5,000?

Where?

- I don't know.

He said he had it coming to him.

He said it was as good as in his hand.

Who done it, Mr. Wayne?

Who killed my Jimmy?

- Peggy, would you like to help me find his killer?

- Just try me.

- Jack. Find Commissioner Crane.

Tell him he's needed to stop trouble

down at the Russian factory.

Meet me down there.

(suspenseful music)

- You're going to get your chance, Peggy.

- I wish I knew what you had in mind, Matt.

- It's like a poker game.

If I win this hand, I'll stop the riot without bloodshed.

- Mr. Wayne. You wanted to see me?

- There's a mob on the way down here

to burn out this Russian warehouse.

You understand their language.

Just talk to them, keep them calm.

I don't want them doing any shooting on their own behalf.

- Is that all you wanted of me?

- That's all for now, yes.

- I'll do my best.

- Here they come, Matt.

(ominous music)

- That's all, Griggsby.

Break it up.

- You can't stop us, Wayne.

We're gettin' them Russians for murder.

- Murderers!

Dirty, murdering devils!

- Who are you?

What are you doing here?

- I'm Jimmy McFadden's girl.

- McFadden's girl?

Get her out of here, Jack.

- No! I've got to tell you something.

- Later.

- Easy, girl. Easy, easy. That's the girl.

- You came here for a murderer?

I'll give you a murderer, but it won't be a Russian.

Three port collectors were killed to shut their mouths.

They were thieves and grafters.

They were only little thieves, little grafters.

Griggsby, you've been crying at the Russians

for taking your business away.

Well, you were right.

They were flooding the American market where their furs

and undercutting you.

But what you don't know is

that the Russians were paying lump sums monthly

to get their furs into the country.

But whoever they were paying got greedy.

Raised the payments sky high.

Well, when three Russians objected, they were killed.

Just like the port collectors were.

With a knife in the back.

- Yeah, but who did the killings?

- You want to tell him, Mr. Crane, or shall I?

- Your desire to break up a mob is most commendable,

but not when you accuse innocent men of crimes to do it.

- Yeah, why would Crane kill his own collectors?

- Three port collectors couldn't get away

with that kind of graft if Mr. Crane wasn't in on it.

It's my theory that he started taking the biggest share.

When the port collectors objected, they got that knife, too.

Just like the Russians.

- Theory, sir?

- It ain't no theory.

- In order to keep him from getting the $5,000

you promised him you killed my Jimmy.

And that's the truth.

Jimmy told me, and he wouldn't lie.

Not dying the way he was.

It's just like Marshal Wayne says.

Crane had him killed.

- Hart, shut her up.

(urgent music crescendos)

(gun fires)

- That look familiar?

- Russian knife. Same kind that killed the other fellows.

I guess I made a mistake.

That's the kind that will kill you, Griggsby.

The business you're in.

You know I had four rifles trained on you?

If you'd moved into that factory to burn it down,

you never would've made it.

We'll go down to the jail and finish our talk.

When your hired knife is through talking,

I'll book you both for murder.

Take him away.

The rest of you people go home.

Thanks for helping me, Peggy.

- Now who's going to help me?

(dramatic music)

- Rozkov, it's all over.

You can go.

- I now free?

- Crane and his hired killer made full confessions.

There's no charge against you.

(Rozkov speaks Russian)

Oh, no, stop it.

Come on now. Barnes, get him out of here.

(Jack starts laughing)

Gee. What a way for a full-grown man to act.

- You know, they're an entirely strange

and peculiar lot, those Russians.

They make people suspicious of them.

And their ways, too.

- They may not be around too much longer.

What are you going to do, run them all out of town?

- They'll probably run themselves there.

- You know, you're right, Matt.

It's the same old story.

Greed and avarice wiping out entire herds.

Killing every bull, pup and cow on the sealing grounds.

- Isn't that the way

with most of the nice things on this earth?

Greed and avarice wiped them out.

Well, start of a new day.

What do you say we take a look at it?

(dramatic music)

* 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 Californi-ay

* Californi-ay

* There's gold in them there hills in Californi-ay *

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

* In the golden West

* I'm going to strike it rich in Californi-ay *

* Californi-ay Californi-ay

* There's gold in them there hills in Californi-ay *

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