Original subtitles

- [Narrator] January 5th, 1856, Charles Cora,

a gambler, went on trial for the murder

of Attorney General William H. Richardson,

and thus began one of the most famous

true stories in California history.

The reason for the shooting was Richardson had insulted

Bella Ryan, Charles Cora's fiance.

After 41 hours deliberating a verdict,

The jury was unable to agree, the judge ordered a mistrial

and remanded the defendant to custody.

(judge banging the gavel)

(hushed crowd murmur)

- Darling, I was so frightened.

- I still am, it's not over yet.

- Oh, we have time Charlie, you have

a lot of friends to help you.

- What friends, and only postpone matters.

Marshall, would you take her out of here please?

- Come away, Ms. Ryan.

(handcuffs clicking)

- I warn you Wayne, if Cora escapes you'll answer to us.

- And just to who is us?

- Men interested in seeking justice done,

I've heard the judge and jury were bored

and an escape might be arranged for this murderer.

- Get out of the way King, I said get out of the way.

- I warn you Wayne, if Charles Cora doesn't hang,

we'll hang you and every thief and grafter in San Francisco

and the vigilante bell will toll again.

* California California

- [Narrator] The Californians.

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

* In the golden west

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

(dramatic orchestral music)

- King is spewing his venom all over town.

This morning he made an open appeal for mob rule,

the vigilantes are already drilling

behind the California engine house.

Openly Matt, in open defiance of the law,

what are you gonna do about it?

- Nothing.

- You're gonna let them take Charles Cora out and hang him?

- No, but in my job what would you do?

- Oh, I'd shut down King's paper,

I'd stop those rabble-rousing speeches,

then I'd raid the California engine house

and seize the arms the vigilantes have hidden there.

- All this to save one killer?

- Cora is innocent.

- Like all your clients.

- That's right, like all my clients,

until a jury finds them guilty.

- Jeremy, let me give you a piece of advice.

When you're sitting on an open powder keg,

don't strike sparks.

(dramatic orchestral music)

- Hello there Matt, how are you?

- Same, Mr. Wayne?

- Monongahela, yes, hard man to find these days, McGivern.

- Well, I've been rather busy, Matt.

- Found the California engine house.

- Yes, that's right.

- McGivern, tell the boys at the engine house

to leave a lot of widows behind if they try

to take Charlie Cora out of my jail.

- Matt, I like you, I always have I,

why don't you leave town for a little while,

it's due for a spring cleaning, you know?

- You mean, they're polishing up the vigilante bell?

- Well, they'd like to take Charlie Cora,

but they're not hot enough.

Now, King is trying to stir them up

but it isn't his words that'll set them off.

- Who's will?

- Who knows?

- You know something I don't know.

- Why don't you read Casey's Sunday Times,

the third paragraph there.

- James King of William, prints nothing but lies,

born in the diseased imagery of his own warped brain.

(Matt whistles)

- Now, it's things like that

that could trigger a murder, Matt.

(dramatic orchestral music)

- King is a bankrupt, seeking fresh credit

as a crusading newspaper publisher.

His lunatic hatred of gamblers fosters his attacks

on Charles Cora, whose only crime was avenging the good name

of the woman he loved.

If anyone deserves hanging, let it be

James King of William, who is hoisted

to Haman's gibbet, how do you like that?

- You write real fine, Bella.

- Thanks, Casey, that's only the beginning Marshall,

I'll have a lot more tomorrow.

- Casey, you're gonna print that?

- Why, sure.

- Why?

- What do you mean, the public official,

I'm acting for the public's good.

- Oh, stop it, I know you.

- All right, all right, so I'm doing it as a favor to Bella.

She says Charlie needs someone to defend him in public.

After all, killed for her in self-defense.

- Would you stop printing her stuff if she asked you to?

- Sure.

- I wanna have a talk with her.

(dramatic orchestral music)

- Hello,, would you ask Ms. Ryan,

if she'd see Marshall Wayne, please.

- My father, Mr. Wayne,

an eminent and righteous clergymen of Baltimore,

he cast me off when I ran away with Charlie Cora.

- It's cost you a lot to be

in love with Charles Cora, hasn't it?

- I've gained a good deal more than I've lost.

- Have you?

- Does the lack of a wedding ring disturb

your sense of what's right?

- No, I'm just wondering why a beautiful

and smart woman like yourself would settle

for that kind of an arrangement.

- What makes you think I have?

Charlie says he just hasn't enough money yet to get married

and to live the way he wants to,

I accept that, Mr. Wayne, because I love him very much.

And because he's honest, he'll marry me.

- You sound very certain.

- I am very certain.

- Then why are you doing your best to kill him?

- What a terrible thing to say.

- Bella, you're responsible for

Casey's articles in the Sunday Times.

- But someone has to defend Charlie

against James King's lies.

- But not Casey, he follows up Charles Cora's case

with his own odor of corruption.

Look, Bella, James King of William

is drumming up a second vigilance committee.

If he can make it look as though Charles Cora is part

of the grafting, corrupt Casey gang.

He'll have everybody in San Francisco

out wearing white arm bands and tying hangman's knots.

Bella, be a good girl, call Casey off,

let the law protect Charles Cora.

- I don't know, I don't know what to do.

Charlie is no murderer, Mr. Wayne,

that's my man that James King talks about hanging,

my man, I can't just sit around and do nothing,

I've got to do something.

- Then do it my way before it's too late.

(dramatic orchestral music)

- Let good men not condemn the memory of the vigilantes,

they brought order to this city,

where disorder reigned before.

And today, it might be well to call upon such men

to punish the evil doer, and restore order once again.

- "The Politan", Mr. Casey, there's a piece in it about you.

He brings up all about your jail record.

- He's a dirty, lying, blackmailing scoundrel,

I'll make eat every word of that.

(dramatic orchestral music)

- Mr. Casey is not here, Mr. Casey is gone

to pay a professional call on Mr. King.

- Why?

- Well, now, I reckon that Mr. Casey

is going to kill Mr. King.

(dramatic orchestral music)

- King, this time you printed lies about the wrong man.

(gun blasting)

- I've acted to avenge liable against

my character and good name, and I'll walk over

to the police station and surrender myself.

(dramatic orchestral music)

- What happened, Casey?

- Just shot King of William, out of my way.

(dramatic orchestral music)

- Is he dead?

- No, not yet, now, it's time the old bell tolled again,

to put an end to things like this.

(bell ringing)

- Mr. Pitts, sir, he's coming in.

- What do you want?

- You're holding a client of mine in jeopardy,

I'm here to defend him from mob violence.

- Would you mind telling me just why

you committed such an incredibly foolish murder?

- He printed lies about me, said I had a prison record.

- Well, did you?

- As long as your arm.

- He had no call to say those things,

I've made something out of myself, I'm a respectable man,

I've got position, they won't hang me, will they?

- Don't bet on it.

- Say, Matt, where are the rest of the men?

- Joined the vigilantes, it's time

for you to leave if you want.

- No, I'll stay, how about the militia?

- I sent a request to General Decamps Sherman

three hours ago, no answer.

- Well, what happens if the vigilantes move first?

- We'll kill most of them, they'll kill most of us too.

What's left of us they'll hang,

along with Mr. Casey and Charles Cora.

You can still leave if you'd like.

- No, I told you I'll stay, why don't

we get the prisoners out of town?

- The roads are guarded.

- Then we fight here.

- Nothing else to do.

- What's bothering you, Jack.

- Oh, I was just thinking what a sad end

this is to the fine plans we had

when we dissolved the first vigilance committee.

- Are you weakening?

- I don't like it Clerman, I don't like it.

Don't worry, I'll do my part when the time comes.

What's the word on James King?

- Still alive, but sinking fast, he was a fine man.

- I wonder, he said many things that were untrue,

and he had a way of lighting a fire

in men's brains until anger boiled away all good judgments.

I'm just wondering if James King of William

is worth all of this.

- I'll not hear another word against him, he was a martyr.

- A martyr, to what?

(dramatic orchestral music)

(horses trotting)

- We've come for Casey and Cora, Matt,

they'll get a fair trial.

- A vigilante trial, you can't have them.

- There are 3000 men under arms who've taken

the vigilante oath, we'll take 'em.

- You better come shooting if you come.

- All right, sir, I'll take this.

- All right, boys, bring them out.

- Will somebody be allowed to defend them?

- Yes, you can speak up for them if you want to.

- One false move and you're dead.

- I'll be dead and a whole lot of you

with me before these men hang.

(dramatic orchestral music)

(bell ringing)

- I tried Casey, no verdict yet.

- Charlie?

- Trying him now.

- What, I should be there, I could speak for him.

- They wouldn't let you.

- If only they knew Charlie, if they only knew

how kind he was, how gentle, you knew him, didn't you?

- I know he was an honest gambler.

- Oh, he was honest all right, he was always honest,

but he was a gambler, that's why James King hated him.

He hated every man who wouldn't fit his life

to James King of William standards.

Mr. Wayne, I hated king but I'd give my soul

to see him walk the streets again.

- If he dies two men will hang.

(dramatic orchestral music)

- Even though I hold these proceedings

to be outside the law, I cling to my faith

in the good sense and fair play of reasonable men among you.

It is to those qualities that I address myself,

asking not fair judgment, for this body has no right

to judge this man, I ask for mercy and understanding

of this man's right to be tried according to law,

to be judged innocent or guilty

by a jury of his peers and to be released

or sentenced to be punished

by an impartial and unprejudiced judge.

(crowd chattering)

(horse galloping)

- It was a fine speech you gave for me, counselor.

- Thanks.

- How do you think we stand?

- Well, if King lives we might pull it off,

at least there are--

(crowd chattering)

(gavel banging)

- James King of William is dead.

(bell ringing)

- That bell, why don't they stop ringing that bell?

- What was the verdict?

- Guilty.

- Penalty?

- Death.

- Bella.

- I know you've already appealed to the governor,

but you didn't appeal my way.

(dramatic orchestral music)

- So you see my dear, it's impossible, quite impossible.

- Two men facing death and all

you can say is, "quite impossible."

Do you know what I am, a saloon girl, the kind

of girl who learns a lot of secrets.

Men talk when they drink, and they tell all kinds

of secrets when they try to impress a pretty woman.

- Now, just a moment.

- I'm warning you Governor Johnson,

if Charlie Cora dies out there tomorrow,

I'll tell every secret I know.

And it's enough to ruin you

and your whole rotten state government.

- Sherman, speak to her Sherman.

- It's no use young woman, if I could I'd take Casey

and Cora from that mob, regardless of bloodshed.

But the militia has gone over to them,

I haven't enough men to stop a dog fight, I'm sorry.

- Oh, I'm sorry Mr. Wayne,

I didn't recognize you, it's dark in here.

What'll it be?

- Monongahela, Jeremy?

- Same, I had it won, I had a bet on that.

McGivern was holding up for not guilty

and persuading the others, then the messenger came to say

that king had died, that was when Casey and Cora died too.

All their breathing and walking around, well, their dead.

- When's it supposed to happen?

- Tomorrow morning, 11 o'clock, oh, those vigilantes,

they really have a fine sense of what's fitting.

You know what they're gonna do,

they're gonna swing Casey and Cora together just as

King's funeral procession is reaching the church,

how's that for a sense of humor?

How about you?

- I'm still a police force in this town.

- Seems to me, you've been disbanded by popular request.

- I'm still wearing the badge.

- Look, Matt, you try anything, you haven't got a chance,

they'll cut you down real fast.

But, I guess that doesn't bother you.

- Not much, the one I feel sorry for is Bella.

- Yeah.

- Charlie Cora should have married her a long time ago,

she might've kept him out of trouble.

- I want you to ring that bell slowly,

we want this to be an impressive ceremony, understand?

What do you want here?

- Charlie Cora, may I see him?

- Prisoners are allowed no visitors, you'll have to get out.

- In the name of pity, please, Mr. Clerman.

- Get this woman out of here.

- Hold on there there Clerman, hold on.

Now, I don't think it will do any harm

to let Ms. Ryan here spend some time with Charlie Cora.

After all, she is his fiance.

- The rules are that prisoners--

- Rules, William, rules, what rules, come on now, Ms. Ryan.

(slow orchestral music)

- Hello, Charlie.

- Bella, I've missed you.

- I missed you too, oh, Charlie.

- It's all right, it's gonna be all right.

- I tried, I tried so hard, but I did everything wrong.

- Don't talk about it, don't waste our time talking.

Let's try and make believe that

this is the beginning for both of us.

- Nobody can start over.

- Let's pretend, let's pretend that we're far away

from here, in Baltimore, and we're in the garden

behind your father's parsonage.

And you're wearing that white gown,

and you look beautiful in white,

like all young girls look beautiful in white.

If your father caught us, I'd be horsewhipped.

- What are we doing here in the garden?

- I'm proposing to you, and I've laid a handkerchief

on the ground to save my best trousers.

And I'm saying, Ms. Ryan, will you do me the honor--

- Oh, stop, I can't. (Bella crying)

- Why not?

- Because you never did say it.

- I'm saying it now,

Ms. Ryan, darling Bella,

will you do me the honor of becoming my wife.

- Yes, oh, yes.

(dramatic orchestral music)

- Thank you, sir.

(dramatic orchestral music)

- What time is it?

- About that time, King's funeral should

be at the church by now.

- What do you think you're doing?

- Same thing you are.

- This is my job, I'm the city marshal.

- As a lawyer, I'm a sworn officer of the court

and bound to uphold the law as much as you are.

- You're out of your head.

- I think we both are.

(bell ringing)

Time to go, party is beginning.

- Why don't you change your mind?

- After you Marshall Wayne.

(dramatic orchestral music)

Sorry Matt, but you're too good a man

to throw away on a useless gesture.

(bell ringing)

(dramatic orchestral music)

(dramatic orchestral music)

- My resignation is on the desk.

- Is there nothing that will keep you here, Matt?

- McGivern, you gave me a dirty city

and asked me to clean it up, I took the job,

then you took away my tools.

- That was politics.

- Who is responsible for politics

if it isn't the people who have the power to vote,

you didn't vote, you formed a mob.

You didn't support law and order,

you set up kangaroo courts and lynched two men.

- Matt, you know that those were guilty men.

- According to you.

McGivern you were running San Francisco by lynch law

when I came here, you're still running it by lynch law.

Well, I don't have to stay here and wallow in the mess,

it's your mess and I'm glad to be out of it.

- Matt, look, the vigilantes willingly disbanded once,

now, they're eager to do so again,

all we want is low and order.

- All right, you clean it up, maybe someday

I'll come back and help you keep it that way.

I forgot this.

(dramatic orchestral music)

* California

* Oh I've traveled here I've traveled there *

* I guess I've been almost everywhere *

* But I like where I am today and here is where I'll stay *

* Now one thing that 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 golden in their hills in California *

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

* In the golden west

* I'm gonna strike it rich in California *

* California California

* There's golden in their hills in California *

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