Original subtitles

Yeah.

Don't burn that steer.

Mark is Ellie.

Changing a bar of E brand into a box W.

No, I've fallen out here.

Look, you can ask Archolumbeck.

He'll tell you who I am.

Oh, I know who you are.

You're a thieving cataruss.

No, I ain't.

Look, just as I got in,

somebody rode out fast.

Honest.

That's too bad.

Now there ain't anybody here to back up your story.

Hollampeck is gonna be a little argument, Mr. Ellie.

You can ask him.

He'll tell you who I am.

Or Ben Cartwright.

You ask him.

I don't have to ask anybody anything.

That run and ironed this hog-tied steer tells me everything I have to know.

You see, the cattleman's association doesn't pay me to ask questions.

The cattleman's association pays me to stop wrestling.

That's exactly what I'm gonna do.

My old way.

Now you can go for your gun.

I don't want to go for my gun.

You don't understand, Mr.

You don't have a choice.

You don't have a choice.

You don't have a choice.

You don't have a choice.

You don't have a choice.

You don't have a choice.

You don't have a choice.

A bar of e-steer, a run and iron and a fire.

Well, a combination like this got to head up to Russell.

No, wait a minute.

Wells was one of my hands.

He had every right to be here.

Was it a run and iron?

Well, I admit that looks bad, but...

Maybe there's some explanation.

Oh, he had an explanation.

He said he came across the fire, the running iron and the steer by accident.

I didn't want to kill him. He went for his gun.

Mr. Hollenbeck, I know how you feel.

You said you surprised him.

Why didn't you just hold your gun on him and take his away from him?

He should have brought him in, Ellie.

He would have talked to me, Ellie.

Gentlemen, I didn't have no choice.

Unless you figure that I should have let him get off the first shot.

Gentlemen, what I'm saying is that I believe that the man that you hired as range detective

and the man that I deputized is telling the truth.

Now, if the Wells story is correct, there'd be another set of tracks coming into the fire

and going out. And there wasn't any.

To show you how wrong it can be, I'd have sworn Wells was an honest man.

It seems to have put up Roy.

But much obliged.

All right, Ben. The other one.

All right, Ellie is waiting outside. He asked me to step in.

I show up. Thank you.

Why don't we have to see Ellie again, Ben? He's not on trial and we're no jury.

Well, there's been some question about the way he's been doing the job.

Since we're here some lawyers, I think we should tell him our investigation proves that his report is completely accurate.

Well, I'm going on record as being dead set against everything that he's done in this case.

Oh, Mr. Ellie, would you stop this?

No.

We, uh, we wanted you to know, Mr. Ellie.

That the sheriff has corroborated the report that you made to us.

Ellie, the association has satisfied that you shot in self-defense.

The association also wants to impress on you, Mr. Ellie.

But the next wrestler you catch, you bring in alive.

Well, I'll agree to that if the association can guarantee that the man won't draw on me.

Nobody's expecting you to let yourself get shot.

We just want to be sure that there's no more surprises.

What's that supposed to mean?

Like finding out I was really stealing you cattle?

I think perhaps you better explain that remark.

I'll be glad to.

The men that are stealing your cattle are on your payroll.

That's right.

On your payroll, Mr. Cartwright, Mr. Hollenbeck, Mr. Johansson, Mr. Paulie,

and he spread with steers to steal.

You see, it's a pattern.

And it never changes whether you're in Arizona, Nevada, Texas.

They're quiet, decent ranch hands during the day, and they're thieves at night.

Well, just think about it now.

Who else knows the country, the herds, the back trails, even in the dark,

but the very men that work them day in day out?

I tell you, there's nothing worse and more dirty than the man that'll steal from his employer.

And I'm not going to lose a minute's sleep over some fool that gets killed trying to draw on me.

Any more questions?

No more questions?

Fine.

The man that I'll be getting on with the job you gentlemen are paying for.

Hey.

Hey.

Hey.

Hey.

Hey.

Hey.

Hey.

I'll be getting on with the job you gentlemen are paying for.

Hey.

Well, I've seen some nervy ones.

But that alley's got them all beat.

Man, I've got to get over to the bank before I leave town, gentlemen.

Yeah, we are finished, aren't we, Ben?

Mr. Chairman?

Well, there is one more thing.

Mrs. Wells.

I think someone ought to go see her.

See if there's anything we can do for her.

He worked for you, watch.

Yeah, that's the thing I'll have to do.

But I don't mind telling you I sure don't look forward to it.

Well, I, uh, I know her.

Her father worked for me in the Ponderosa.

If you like, I'll go along with you.

I'd be a bludged, Ben. I'd be much obliged.

All right.

I was wrong after all.

Mr. Hollenbeck did come.

Mr. Cartwright's with him.

Ben Cartwright?

Mr. Wells, I...

How am I?

Let's see her.

We, uh, we came to express her, uh...

As well as Mr. Hollenbeck and I came by to see if there's anything we could do.

Do? Thank you, no, gentlemen.

I don't think there is anything to do under the circumstances.

Mr. Cartwright, Prudence is going to come to live with you.

Fine idea, Lamar. Very fine.

We're deeply sorry, Mrs. Wells.

You weren't sorry when you hired the range detective.

Why be sorry now?

Prudence, I won't, Papa. That's the way I feel.

Nobody's sorry except you and me.

The cattlemen are getting what they want and hiring strangers to kill anyone they want.

Mrs. Wells?

Harlan was wrestling.

There was a hot running iron in his hand.

And that's good enough reason to hire a gunman from somewhere and murder him.

Mrs. Wells?

Mrs. Wells is, uh, what I'm, I'm sure you didn't know anything about it.

But there was a pretty large organization.

They were wrestling hundreds as a cattle.

Mr. Cartwright, I did not know about the organization.

But I did about Harlan.

He took that steer. I'm sure of it.

The last October when things were so bad for everyone,

he took one then to and sold it.

I don't know where, but he sold it.

He was going to sell the one he took last week too.

How much is steer now, Mr. Cartwright? $14?

$16, Mr. Harlan Beck?

Yes, he was wrong. I admit it.

He should have been sent to jail. With shame, I admit it.

But did you have to hire someone to shoot him from ten feet away?

How do you pay your Marcus Alley, Mr. Cartwright?

By the dollar value of the beef? Two steers, $30?

How do you pay your Mr. Alley?

A silver?

I'm going to have Mia real big time tonight.

I'm going to get all sheared and shaved and a new pair of pants and a clean shirt.

I'm going to buy me a great big white stet tonight, Cosworth.

Sounds like you were saving up.

I never had it this fine before.

I mean, I'm in the barments for you guys and the cattlemen.

Give me a party on every cougar pellet I bring in.

And they still leave me the first to sell.

Joe, full of that rich on that mother of drinks.

Oh, so I think you're absolutely right?

I'll tell you what I'll do.

This is a deposit. These are all Mr. Simpson. I'll come back and do that.

Good enough.

Well, well, well.

To desire heat.

Stally.

How long has it been?

I spent four years.

Four years and better.

You weren't carrying belts last time I saw you.

But there was an animal around if I remember.

To desire heat and how you're trapping.

I worked for the carte rights.

That's nice.

Nice as apple pie.

You know we got unfinished business.

I expect I'll be seeing you.

Come to think of it, I'm sure I'm going to be seeing you one last time.

What was that little about?

You heard him.

I'm a dead man.

Now he caught us cold.

Me and the two tassel boys have lived in that hard, scrabble place.

Right next to ours.

Running irons, changing brands?

No.

No running irons.

No fire.

Our time's in Texas then.

It was the early spring of the big blizzard winter of 64.

We lost every head we owned, so did taswells.

For three months we lived on shadow soup, rabbit tracks too.

And we happened on this little stray belly deep in the bog.

We got a rope around it and pulled a little critter out.

Little thing could scarcely stand.

It sure to die if we hadn't happened along.

But now that don't change the truth.

We were stealing beef that didn't belong to us.

And, Ali caught us.

You telling me to pull the steering on the bog that you were hungry?

Yeah, we told him.

But like I said, the why of it didn't matter.

Lease weighs not to him.

What did he do?

He told how he hated rustlers.

Scum.

Oh, worse than scum.

Fit to breathe the air and walk the face of the earth.

And all this time he was holding a gun on you, right?

Yeah, while he was talking.

And then he put the pistol back in his holster.

And he stood there grinning, daring us to draw.

What, three of you?

And he wasn't a draw?

Well, three to one's pretty big odds.

But not when gun fights your business.

And the three are scared.

But you got away?

Benji Tazwell drew on him first.

And then a hack.

And Ali gunned him down.

But he took a bullet in the leg and I got away.

Well, that was in Texas and a long time ago.

Yeah.

Four years.

Three and a half I've been working for you all.

I ain't ever been in any trouble since.

That don't make too much difference to Mr. Ali.

One of the e-eights worse than the rustlers.

The one that got away.

Come down and out, Hollenbeck, now listen.

I don't think that man's ever going to rest.

Well, I'm still alive.

I took his shoe, a worn thin.

A half moon chunk out of him.

There was people ask permission before they start fooling around

another man's horse.

Why, you're bristling like a porcupine, Mr. Cartwright.

You've been talking to your wrestler.

Either tell us what you want to move on.

There ain't a man alive, I believe, and an employee will steal from him.

Makes him look too much like a fool.

We fight it every time.

I think my little brother's right.

You better mount up and right.

What's going on?

I'm just trying to do my job, Mr. Cartwright.

Your boys are kind of getting in the way.

Look, all I wanted, Allie, to do was tell me what he wanted.

He wouldn't do it.

He was out hunting evidence.

He asked us to come along as witnesses.

Well, I've been looking for a horse wear in a crooked shoe with a half moon piece out of it.

See, the first time I saw the track was up by the ashes of a rustless fire

up on the high meadow near Twin Peaks.

The second time I saw the track was today, right in the street.

Mr. Cartwright.

It's my horse.

I figured that once I find the horse, I'm going to find the rustler.

That's exactly what I did.

I was up at Twin Peaks a couple of weeks ago when I got that cougar memory.

Is he someone moved 10 or 12 steers across that high meadow,

left one of them with a broken leg in rocks?

What kind of thing happens when you drift and cattle in the dark?

The steer.

I had a bar of E, more on it.

That's Mr. Allison's mark.

Somebody taking the running iron to it.

Changed it into a box W.

Not me.

Box W is Texas brand.

It's easy to sell in Arizona.

He, Thun, is falling for us.

He got that cougar at Twin Peaks.

I'm sure he said he did, but you see, hunting at the crooked shoe.

At the only evidence you've got.

That's right, Mr. Cartwright.

But I'm going to find some more.

You've got a rust line, your payroll.

He got away with it in Texas, but he ain't going to get away with it here.

You've had four years without any trouble?

Apparently the Texas authorities think that you've squared the mistake you made, too.

Well, Marcus, now he sure doesn't.

I'm sure he's not.

I'm sure he's not.

I'm sure he's not.

The Texas authorities think that you've squared the mistake you made, too.

Well, Marcus, now he sure doesn't.

Not, Thun.

Mr. Cartwright, here's that lumber list.

Oh, yeah.

Not, Thun.

Could you use another man in that, uh, crew building that monkey, Mr. Des...

Not sure, good, Mr. Cartwright.

Well, now, Thun.

He's on his crew, starting right now.

Well, look, Mr. Cartwright, I want to thank you, but no.

Don't you know better than to argue with a fellow who's paying you wages?

I know what you're trying to do.

You're trying to keep me around close out of Mr. Alley's way, but...

A man just can't hide out and feel much like a man.

Hey, I don't want you around any cattle. Not even ours.

All right. But it won't do any good.

The way Mr. Alley feels about me, you'll find some excuse to come out here.

And look, you say the Alley doesn't kill unless he's alone.

There's seven land on that bunk, ask her to stay close.

Yes, sir.

Marcus Alley's a killer, I say, get rid of him.

How?

Pay him off, send him down the road.

Yes, if he was hired by the board of directors of the Catlinons Association.

Oh, you're the pro of it. And chairman of the board.

But I still have only one vote, and there are six others.

At least we can keep him off the Ponderosa. That's one thing.

There are five ranches bordering the Ponderosa, Joseph.

Russell Catlin could be driven anywhere across it, even hidden somewhere.

Because in the Ponderosa Valley, I could do a lot of harm to a lot of people.

You're just not going to do anything about it, is that what you're saying?

Well, before I can try to change the board's mind about its decision,

I have to be approved was wrong. At this moment, I don't know what it was.

I'm going to doubt, ask questions.

Who's going to answer them?

The Catlinon, down in Texas, who hired him to stop the wrestling there.

Originally, request your telegraph collect immediately your opinion, Marcus Ali,

and the work he did in your area. Method used and results obtained.

Ben Cartwright, Bonderosa Ranch, Virginia City.

60 cents for each 10 words. That'll be a dollar 80.

It's going to be a little more. Paul wants the same telegram to send to every name on that list.

It's going to cost you a little more than a dollar.

It's going to cost you. There must be 20 names here.

24.

All of them different towns that take me well to figure it out.

A little wait.

Hey, hey. Looks like we're late already.

Hey, hey. Looks like we're late already.

Ali got himself another wrestler. Caught him in a waterhole.

Man tried to draw.

And Mr. Ali was alone and shot him in self-defense.

Ali was sure right about how blind we was as to what was going on.

We thought about it for even a minute.

We'd have known that this one was one of the gang.

And who was it?

Lamar Forbes, that's who. Prudence Wells, Paul.

You see many more telegrams?

Right, Paul.

You see many more telegrams?

I'm a good one, say. I don't know what to say.

How much is Ali getting for killing my Pa? How much are you giving him?

We didn't bargain in any killings.

You hired Ali. You turned him loose to kill.

That's on your head, Mr. Cartwright.

I object to then, Cartwright. Bring in hostile or close meeting.

We don't have closed meetings. Read the Constitution.

Any member of a good standing or guest of a member of a good standing can attend any meeting

as long as he does a creative service.

All right. Then I have to like it.

Mr. Chairman, let's get on with the work.

Do we fire Ali or do we keep him on the payroll?

Shawl hands, I say keep him. Time for that.

Gentlemen, gentlemen, please.

I believe discussion is an order.

Every board member has a right to state his opinion.

Gentlemen, I have launched a cow since he come here. I say keep him and pay him a bonus to boot.

And I say he's a killer and worse than a hydrophobic dog. I say fire him.

Fast. Sure. That's because you had two wrestlers on your payroll and you're afraid you'll find more.

You say they're wrestlers? Never been proven a court of law?

Just an eminent president. Please, both of you, sit down.

This is a discussion another shouting match.

Four of us had a meeting of our own before this one started. Where for Ali?

And talk, can't gonna change our minds.

Now you were the three got anything to say, say it and let's get this voting over with.

I had my say. I vote to fire him.

I have some telegrams here which I'd like to...

We heard about him. Good way to stack the deck.

Twenty... replies to my inquiries.

Fifteen of them say that Mr. Ali did a good job.

He stopped the wrestling.

Ten of them didn't like the way he did it.

In four years, Mr. Ali brought 28 men to trial.

He also shot and killed. Ten men.

There were no witnesses to any of the killings.

In every instance, Mr. Ali was alone.

He said the other man grew first.

The gentleman, the same thing is happening here.

Mr. Ali was alone when Holland Williams was killed.

Mr. Ali was alone when the Marport's was killed.

They drew first.

Since it's my heart, you're trying to nail to the barn door, I think I better say something.

Every man that I brought to trial was found guilty, except one.

And his uncle was one of the best lawyers in Texas.

That's 27 out of 28 men. I guess that proves I know my job.

And as for there being no witnesses to the killings, I'm afraid that Mr. Cartwright is just plain wrong.

He's got one working on his ranch.

What is it that Heath said about when I caught him in the Taj-Wells?

Were they guilty? Were they innocent?

The gentleman I was quoting the messages I got by telegraph.

And this one that Joe brought in as a further confirmation.

Joe D. Or innocent.

Heath told Hoss and Joe what happened. I got it second hand.

Well, they, uh, they roped us a little steer out of a bog. They were, they were hungry.

Was it their steer or was it someone else's steer?

Well, it was somebody else's bit.

They stole it? They were restless.

We're talking about one manger's steer and three hungry men.

One steer or a hundred steers. They were wrestlers.

I was the only man against three of them who drew first.

The thousands did, but you sort of squeezed them into it.

They drew first. I shot in self-defense.

You shot the kill. Ten times in Texas twice here.

Twelve men. Twelve criminals and they were trying to kill me.

A man breaks the law. He's got to expect to pay for it.

With his life? The law says one to fourteen years for stealing cattle.

One to fourteen years. That sounds pretty good.

But if Wells or Forbes or any of the others let me bring him in,

why people would be crying solely tears over him before the sheriff could lock the cell.

And the men that they stole from would be saying that they shouldn't get hit too hard for making one mistake.

They only get a year in prison.

And other wrestlers come drifting in because you see a year isn't that much to risk.

Those that are sent to prison, they'll come out and they do it all over again.

It happens every time. But I'll say this.

That the twelve men that drew against me, they stole their last cow.

All twelve were guilty. Right? How can you be sure?

I know Mr. Courtwright. I always know.

Show of hands Ben, let's take a vote.

Four votes to keep him. Count him Ben.

And three against.

All right, so be it. You're still employed, Mr. Alley.

But I must ask you to make every effort to bring in alive.

Any wrestler you may find, bring him in alive to stand trial.

Unless he tries to kill me first.

Alley, you have the confidence.

You're in the place.

I'm sorry.

You should have let Nick kill him.

Come in. Mr. Courtwright. He's gone.

Take it easy, now take it easy. Gone where?

He left for quite Greek breaks about an hour ago.

He went down the West Slope to Devil's Parlor. I tried to stop him but he pulled a gun.

What's true, Adam?

Well, he's been trying to stay clear out of not wanting any trouble.

But he figures the only way to save his life is to find those wrestlers before Alley comes here for him.

Well, he's one of our best trackers. If anybody can find anything up in that wild country he can.

He said he saw smoke over that way last week.

He better round up, House and June. Get my horse out of there.

Do you see anything up in thisy country?

Exactly.

The

It's been a long time coming.

Well worth waiting for.

Got away from me in Texas.

Finding you up here is the best thing that could have happened.

You led me right into the middle of it.

Like I knew you would.

Mr. Ali.

I never been in this camp before.

I got here two, maybe three minutes before you did it.

You're all a lie.

You just can't stop stealing.

Mr. Ali, I heard somebody write off just before I wrote in.

You know, if I had a dolla-th, every time I heard that lie,

I could buy the Ponderosa.

It's a trusser.

It's a lie.

Scum.

Dirty to the air, you breathe, the ground you walk on.

I'd like you to make you play.

No service, Dravi.

No, sir, I ain't gonna draw.

You're gonna have to take me in.

Four years I've waited for this minute.

I would like you to make your play.

You're gonna kill me anyhow, aren't you, Mr. Ali?

Even if I don't draw.

I'm not guilty.

You're gonna kill me, aren't you?

You're guilty, Heath.

I ain't gonna draw.

You're a couple minutes too late.

He didn't even try for his gun.

You just shot him in the back.

You murdered him.

Now, caught a rustler.

Tried to get away. I had to shoot him.

Running lions in the fire, stole him beef.

He found a Captain. You followed him here.

I killed a rustler.

He said he heard someone ride away when he came in,

but it's the oldest lie there is.

I think it's a truth, and I think you're gonna hang.

Maybe you'd like to try me first.

Go on, reach for it.

Yes, sir.

Get the horses in the cover.

All but one.

Come on.

All but one.

Us? Yes, sir.

Get a blanket and a link to him.

Heath is your boss, rustler.

He learned his trade in Texas, running the business up here.

The rustler's over.

The rest of them will scatter when they see him

bring his body into town.

Suppose Heath was telling the truth.

Suppose somebody did ride out when they heard him coming.

That same somebody is gonna be riding back in.

Then we'll have ourselves a real live prisoner.

Maybe we can get to this straight of this.

Aunt Joe,

we'll just do everything the way we figured it out.

Don't try to be here.

Right now, get over here.

Keep a sharp look out.

He was a rustler.

You ought to be glad he's dead.

He was a human being.

A man just like anybody else.

Scum.

Just like all the rest of them.

Dirty filthy murders.

You gotta stamp a mouth when you find them.

I don't draw.

I don't know.

I don't know.

I don't know.

I don't know.

There's a lot to do.

I know.

It's hard to find him.

They'll drive every decent man in one clear out of the country.

Burning, killing, stealing.

It's a gospel truth.

I know.

I've seen it happen.

They shut my paw, dragged my mom, my sister out of the house,

burned the house of the ground.

How old were you when this happened?

I was thirteen going on fourteen

Well, you see, that's the point.

I didn't have a gun.

They gotta be killed, Mr. Cartwright.

You think about it like I've thought about it.

You see, I'm right.

They poor, poor.

You can't pat them on the head and lock them up for a little while.

Let them loose to do it again.

They gotta pay for what they've done.

Come on.

Come on, honey.

You drunken bum.

You were supposed to have moved those steers two hours ago.

You haven't even changed the brands yet.

I pay all this money and what do you do?

You drink yourself stupid.

Don't move. Don't reach for it.

What is this, Joe?

You got no cars to hold a gun on me, Joe?

Looks like we got the big one, car.

You must be choking.

You thought I was his foreman Porter?

He started chewing me out for not changing the brands on the cattle.

I don't know anything about this camp.

I'll try to lie.

Sheriff Carpier will find Porter, and he'll talk to save his hide.

He'll aim all the others, and he'll name you.

End of the line, huh?

You ought to be proud of yourself.

A cattleman stealing from other cattlemen.

Spare me the sermons, boy.

You too, Cartwright.

You don't even know what it's like to lie awake nights

worrying about past due bills and loans.

I enjoyed stealing your beef, Cartwright.

Kind of made up for what was happening to me.

You ain't even sorry.

One question.

Josiah Heath.

Is he one of your men?

Cartwright, I'm not completely stupid.

I knew that Heath was the one man I didn't even dare approach.

He'd have told you before I was out of sight.

Could have used Heath, too.

If he'd been with me, he could have stolen you blind,

and you'd never have caught us.

You ain't even sorry.

As soon as they let you out, you'll do it all over again.

They're killing and burning.

They're stealing.

I ain't gonna let it happen.

I'm unarmed, and he was gonna murder me.

Kill him!

It's the only way to stamp out killing him, don't you see? Kill him!

Killing creates more problems.

You've created enough of them.

You're gonna trial for murder.