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Shoot-Out at Medicine Bend (1957)
How much further to
your brother's place, Captain? My mouth's been watering a week for a home-cooked meal. According to this, just another mile or two. Hey, Captain. Look-it! David. Close the windows in the bedroom. David! Get your sister in that cot. Sarah, load the other rifle. Oh, no. Something's wrong with the ammunition. Here! Oh, Dan. Dan! No! No! Oh, Buck! Dan's dead! I'm sorry about your brother, Captain. We'd have all been killed if you didn't come. I'm voting we move outta here. Next time, they'll get us, like they murdered Dan. Indians didn't murder my brother. - It was this. - What do you mean? Sarah said Dan had the jump on that Indian. Ammunition like this, a man'd be better off throwing rocks. Yeah. I never saw no powder that wouldn't burn. You would if you used kindling. That's coal dust. Anybody who'd sell powder like this oughta be shot. Where'd you buy these shells, rifles and tin ploughs in back? Why uh... in Medicine Bend. That's where your murderers are. Tomorrow, that's where we're heading. - What'll happen to us? - We'll leave you our rifles. We'll bring back new supplies. Good supplies. My brother was always writing about this place, so... when me and my friends got mustered out, we said it'd be good enough for us. - We'll be back. - It won't be easy getting back. You might run into trouble. That's what we're counting on. - Mr. Rittenhouse? - Here's $20 and my watch. - That oughta get us a gun that'll work - and some gunpowder. Won't get much more. This'll buy the rest. It's solid gold. All right. What else do you need? Seed corn... gopher poison. And a couple of ploughshares. That about it, Amy? - That's about it. - You got it, Will? - Right. - I'd like a new rifle. Besides these supplies, maybe you can get some more folks to come out and join us, Captain. There's room in this valley for a thousand. I'll do all I can. The main thing is, you get back with the goods. Don't turn your back on those thieves in Medicine Bend. If you're done, we'd better move. Buck? Take this. It was your mother's. Dan would want you to use it. What do you want me to buy with it? - Whatever you think we need. - Some rock candy, Uncle Buck? Put it down, Will. Household goods for Mrs. Dan Devlin. 50 cents of rock candy for David Devlin. And $180 towards the general fund from ex-Captain Buck Devlin. If you want a home, you gotta pay for it. Well, Sergeant? $107 mustering outpay, ex-Sergeant John Maitland. Well, Private? $72 and 86 cents. From ex-Private Wilbur Clegg. - Be careful, Buck. - Good luck, Captain Devlin! - We'll be waiting for you! - God bless you, Captain. Whoa! We might as well camp here. That'll put us in Medicine Bend tomorrow. You know what I'm gonna do the minute we get in? No. What are you gonna do? I'm gonna walk down the main street so some of the girls can take a look at me. - Some of 'em? - Well, make it all of 'em. I oughta be fair about it. Hey! Stop it! Come back! They're stealing our clothes! What was it you said you were gonna do when we hit town, Johnny? He was gonna walk up and down Main St. and let all the girls look at him! It's gonna come as quite a surprise to 'em! 'King Nebuchadnezzar came near the mouth of the burning, fiery furnace and spake and said... Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego... ye servants of the great, high God, come forth... come hither. ' Come forth, come hither. 'And these three men... ' Brothers? This might be one of the most fruitful sermons I've ever preached. Good day, brothers. Good day. And peace be unto thou, brothers. Sorry to break up your meeting. Thee hath been set upon by thieves? Took everything we had. It is an affliction of the times. We too have been robbed. Only an hour ago. By three soldiers. We're the soldiers, brother. They were wearing our uniforms. - Did you lose much? - Several horses, our small savings. - Then you're going back to Medicine Bend. - No. We have put ourselves in the Lord's hands, and decided to continue west. I'm afraid we'll need a little more than the Lord's help. Thou art welcome to what we have. Prudence. Yes, Brother. Be thou the Samaritan woman. Find garments for our friends. This way, friends. Hey. This is quite a place. What do we do now, Captain? Look up the sheriff and try to get our money back. Hello, boys. Come on in and have a drink on the house. - That's for mel - Me, too! - We thank thee. But we must refuse thy kind offer. We haven't a dime between us and you turn down a free drink? Those are orders, Sergeant. Pardon me. Could you tell us where the sheriff's office is? - In there. - Thank you. But the sheriff, uh... he's in there. - In the saloon. - Oh. Have a look, boys. - That's your horse, Captain. - Yeah. But there's nothing we can do till we find out who's riding it. Let's go inside. But remember - no drinking. - Just a little one? - Not in these clothes. Nobody knows we're not Brethren. Keep it that way till we look around. Do we have to talk like 'em? That thee and thou stuff. Yes. Thee has to talk like them - and don't forget it. If I'd known about this, I'd have re-enlisted. Well, if it isn't High, Wide and Handsome again? - Back for the free drinks? - Yes, ma'am, if the offer's still open. - It's open. - Would thee care to join us in a glass of buttermilk? - Buttermilk? - Buttermilk. Why not? - Three buttermilks, Dutchy. - Buttermilks? - That's what I said. - I thought thee were joining us. I'll wait. Maybe your tastes will change. Well, come on. You know I don't keep buttermilk in here, Nell. Well, then, go out and get some. And keep it on tap. They might be back. - Front and centre, Sergeant. - Hey. You'd better buy a cow, Dutchyl Yeah. And don't forget the churn! When does the preaching start? - I wanna be sure I leave beforehand. - Yeah. Before they pass the plate. A little religion might be good for thee. Is the sheriff in here? I'm the sheriff. Open for ten. What's your trouble? - I've been robbed. - Looks more like you were fighting. - All right. Who did it? - Three fellas in army uniforms. We were heading west and they took our horses and our money. They had masks on. I couldn't see their faces. - Now, that ain't much help, is it? - Aren't you gonna look for them? - Where did you say this happened? - About three miles east of town. Well, that's kinda out of my jurisdiction. - How many? - Two. - Three. - Now, who'd wanna do a thing like that? Probably some Texas men. They're all rough cubs. One to the dealer. Kings up. Three sixes. You're a Jonah, mister. - Get outta here with your hard luck. - Now, just wait a minute. - You're supposed to be sheriff here... - And you want me to arrest somebody? I want my money back. All right. Hold up your right hand. Go on. Hold it up. I hereby swear you in as a deputy sheriff. Now go out and find your own bandits. Ain't gonna do us any good to talk to that sheriff. Looks that way. Well, Sergeant? Well, Private? I've had enough. Thanks for the game, boys. Well, thanks for the donation, Mr. Clark! - What time are we having dinner, Ep? - I'll let you know. Hey, Joe. Take care of those. But Ep, I get tired of waiting night after night. - I get hungry. - I'll try to be on time. Ed? Take my horse to the stable. I won't be needing him any more today. - Thee has a fine looking horse. - He'll do. Would thee consider selling him? He's not for sale. Pioneer Emporium. The last store between here and Montana Territory. Quality goods, low prices. Oh, morning, Mr. Clark. Keep this sign clean. And sing out We've got a lot of merchandise to move. - Nice and loud. - Yes, sir. Buy your supplies here, folks! The Pioneer Emporium! The last store between here and Montana Territory! Quality goods at low pricesl Buy your... Right in there, Brothers. You can't go wrong at the emporium. Buy your supplies here, folks! The Pioneer Emporium! - What's this for? - You're going to work. Why me? Because you're big-hearted and you wanna work to support your friends. Why is it I always get the short end of the deal? Go on in - and watch your thees and thous. Thee may be a civilian now, but thou sure sounds like my old captain. Go with him, Johnny. Maybe they can use two men. - What are you gonna do? - Help you spend your wages when you get paid. Get your supplies! Last chance, if you're headed west! Ah. Here you are. Have one. Buy your supplies here, folks! This Mr. Clark seems to be a very important man in this town. Important? He sure is. See them signs? Pioneer Saloon... Ep Clark, proprietor. Pioneer Hotel... Ep Clark, proprietor. Pioneer restaurant... Ep Clark, proprietor. Anything says Pioneer, that's Ep Clark. Staying in town long? We plan to. Doing a little missionary work. Missionary? Well, you came to the right place for it, Brother. Buy your supplies here, folks! The Pioneer! The home of contented customers! Last chance to spend your money, if you're headed west. - You want something, mister? - Yeah. I want my money back! - For what? - This harness is no darn good! Must've been made out of paper. That's your bad luck, mister. What's the trouble, Clyde? He wants his money back on a set of harness. Let me see that. - I didn't sell you this. - Well, you sure did. The Pioneer sells nothing but top quality merchandise. You must've bought this stuff over at Harold Jones's. I couldn't have. You ran him out of business six months ago! Give him another set of harness, Clyde. - I guess you'll do. - What does thee want us to do first? - What do you mean, 'us'? - Oh, we always work together. He's not very bright. I do the thinking and he does the lifting. We don't need two men. Besides, on this job, you don't have to be bright. Oh, it won't cost thee any more. The two of you are willing to work for the price of one? Yes, sir. It's my mission in life to watch over my brother. Who watches over you? The Lord watcheth over us all. Well, he's gonna have some help from me. Get these empty crates out back and uh... start sweeping up. - Something I can do to help you ladies? - Yes. I'd like to see some bleached muslin, please. Well, bleached muslin's right here, ma'am. - Oh. - 60 cents a yard. 60 cents a yard for muslin? You won't find any cheaper this side of St Louis. I'd have got a better grade at Elam King's for 40 cents a yard. Elam King's never undersold us yet, ma'am. Well, he has now! Come, Dora. - Clyde! - Yeah? Let's you and I take a little walk over to Elam King's. Opi? - Opi, keep an eye on the front. - All right. Afternoon, Miss Priscilla, Mr. King. Mr. Sanders. Heard you folks have a real fine grade of muslin for sale here. I'd like to see some of it. Clyde, what do you think of this muslin, huh? - Do you think it's as good as our muslin? - No. - This stuff's dirty. - Yeah. It sure is. How come you're trying to sell dirty muslin, King? If you wanna stay in business, you're gonna have to change your methods. You might lose all your customers. You haven't got too many, as it is. Hey, Rafe. This can's got a hole in it. It has. Looks like there's something wrong with everything around here. That's funny. Sugar's got a coal oil smell to it. What kind of a store are you running, King? I'm gonna bill you for everything you've spoiled. And you'll pay it, too. Even if I have to take you to court. - You are going to pay! - Yeah? You add that crate of eggs to the bill, hm? Now, listen, King. We sell muslin too. Clean muslin for 60 cents a yard. I'd advise you to charge 70 cents. 70 cents, Mr. King. If I were thee, I'd pay the bill right now. If I were thee, I'd get outta my way. I said, get outta my... What are you trying to do? I beg your pardon! Get off. Leave me alone, will you? Let's go, Clyde. Remember what I said about that muslin, Mr. King. Mr. King? I hope this takes care of the damage. You're sure a welcome sight. The Lord taketh away and the Lord giveth. You don't know how grateful we are, Brother. Do they visit thee like this often? The second time this month. He's trying to drive us clear out of business, the way he's done to the others. Why isn't something done about it? - Well, nothing can be done. Clark's got the sheriff, the mayor and half the folk in town scared to death. Tell me. Why do people patronise Clark? Oh, he undersells everybody because he handles shoddy goods. - You just get in town? - A short time ago. - You heading west? - As soon as possible. Then I ought to warn you about the robberies that have been taking place. - Have there been many? - Plenty of 'em. Settlers on their way to Montana. And they're still here. They borrowed money from back east and... pawned their valuables and gave it to me to invest in a wagon train load of supplies I've got coming in from St Louis. - Uncle Elam, it's a secret. - Oh, that's all right. I think we can trust the Brother. We don't want it known. The shipment might be stopped before it gets to Medicine Bend. Might not the thieves rob it when it leaves town? It's not likely. By then, everybody'll have good guns, and plenty of 'em. Does thee think I could share in this worthy enterprise? Uncle Elam? Excuse me. Wouldn't it be a good idea if... I mean, don't you think it might be possible to... That is, couldn't we use somebody else... Sure was nice of Mr. King to give you a job and let us all sleep up in this nice, warm hayloft. He didn't say anything about you fellas. - He didn't say we couldn't. - Well, just don't start redoing the place. Say, those two dollars that Mr. King advanced you. Are we gonna let 'em get mildewed? Or are we going down to the Pioneer Saloon for a night of wine, women and song? - You're staying right here. - Aw! An hour or so wouldn't hurt. Maybe we could convert somebody. - Convert 'em to what? - I've got a couple of ideas on the subject. All right. Let's take a stroll. Maybe it won't hurt to get acquainted with Medicine Bend. - Yee-hoo! - Yippee! Wait a minute, wait a minute! Remember who you're supposed to be. No smoking, no drinking. - And no nothing. - No nothing? You heard me. # The other night, while I was walking # Underneath the moon # I overheard two lovers talking # About their honeymoon # Honeymoon Honeymoon # He said, oh, my darling, we'll be married soon # If you will # Kiss me quick # And leave me never # Never let me go # Quickly, darling, say you love me # For I love you so # She said, will you love me always # If I kiss you so? # And never roam and love another - # How am I to know? # - Gee, she can sing, too! - What do you mean, too? - Well, stands to reason she can do other things. Like sewing or knitting. Thee is not finding out! # Well, he said... # Kiss me quick and you'll discover - # Why I'll never roam... # - Don't tell me. I know. # I could never love another # Darlin', don't you know? # She kissed him and the moon exploded # Like a big balloon # Before they knew it, they were married # And on their honeymoon - # Honeymoon - Honeymoon - # Honeymoon - Honeymoon # They were married and upon their honeymoon # Now she says # Kiss me quick # And leave me never # Never let me go # Quickly, darling, say you love me # For I love you so # Come on. Come on! Do you like it that way, Brother? Oh, yes, sir. The milk removes the evil fire from the spirits. Yeah? Well, have some more. I thought thee didn't like buttermilk. Must be getting used to it. Well, I see you're catching on fast. You earn your wages at the Pioneer Emporium, - spend 'em here at the Pioneer Saloon. - Yes, sir! Have a good time. Do you think we got him fooled in these get-ups, Captain? Not sure. Well, hello. You boys enjoying yourselves? Would you... I mean... Would thee join us? I don't get a cut on anything weaker than sarsaparilla. - Something wrong? - Hm? Oh, no. I... I was just admiring thy attire. That's a little surprising, coming from you, Brother. You'd better take it easy on that buttermilk! Give us a couple of shots, Dutchy. I'm buying. My wallet. - What happened to my wallet? - That's OK. I'll get the drinks. What are you doing with my wallet, Clyde?! I had $200 in this! I don't know now it got there, honest, Rafe! Very funny! # Kiss me quick and never leave me # Never let me go Let me smell this. - #... on my honeymoon # - Let's get him out of here. # Honeymoon! # Honeymoon! # Kiss me slow and hold me tender... # - Get him back to the hayloft. - Ain't you coming with us? Not yet. I got a little business to take care of. - I'll take him home and come back. - You'll take him home and stay there. - Yes, sir. - # Honeymoon, honeymoon... # Shut up! - No need to be afraid, ma'am. - Get outta here! Before I start screaming. And I can scream real loud. - You wouldn't do that. - Oh, wouldn't - - Morning, Mr. Clark. - Morning. Walters! What's the meaning of this? If I knew, I'd tell you. Sheriff! Well, don't stand there! Cut me down! Hurry up! What happened, Rafe? Yoo-hoo! You up yet, honey? Land of Goshen! My land! What are you doing this way? I always sleep like this! I don't get it. There I was, walking peaceful-like down the street and somebody grabs me round the neck- This big guy hits me over the head and I'm out $85! Shut up and let me finish. I'm out $200. Shut up, both of you! I don't mind him taking the locket you gave me, but he tied me up like a stuffed turkey! Calm down! Now, calm down, all of you. Bob Massey'll take care of this. - Won't you, Bob? - Hm? Oh, you leave it to me, Ep. I'll question every man, woman and child in this town. May as well start with these two. Hey, you! Where were you two last night? - Sleeping. - Where? - King's hayloft. - King's hayloft! These two work for you, yet they're sleeping in King's hayloft. That doesn't prove anything, Bob. What do you boys know about a couple of robberies last night to the tune of almost $300? Why, sir, we know nothing of such foul deeds. Thee can search us. We ain't got a cent on us. Good morning, gentlemen. Just heard about last night. This is a terrible thing. Terrible. Now, if you ask me, the thing to do - Nobody's asking you, Sam. - Morning, Ep. Did either of you boys get a good look at him? Well, if they did, we wouldn't all be standing around. I saw him. - That is, I... - Were you robbed too? - You could call it that. - Oh, well, that's interesting. What did he look like, Miss Garrison? Well, he was tall... and well dressed. He had a black shirt... I can tell you about the clothes he was wearing. He got 'em right here. A $40 dollar hat, a black beaver... Rafe! The mayor ain't interested in details. The most important thing is to post a reward, isn't it, Sam? Uh, yes. Well, all right. As mayor of Medicine Bend, I hereby proclaim to offer a reward of... of... - $500. - Five hun- Better make it a thousand. $1,000 for the arrest and conviction of the bandit, or bandits, responsible for the outrages committed against the peace That's enough, Sam. We all got the idea. Now, you fellas go back to work. - Can you see anything? - Nah. It's as black in there as the inside of a buffalo. Gimme a knife. I'm gonna whittle this crack a little wider. Where'd that come from? Out of my pocket. You sure you ain't wearing somebody else's pants? You know I'm wearing somebody else's pants. Uh-oh. Where'd that come from? And you said, 'They can search us. ' Yeah. Well, if they had, we'd both be looking up a rope. - You don't think the captain - - Shh! Gimme that hammer. I'm gonna bust this lock. Go on in. I'll keep watch. - You find something? - We just hit pay dirt. All our uniforms are here. Maitland? Clegg? Where are you? Was you calling me, Mr. Sanders? Yeah. I want you to... How come you said, 'Was YOU calling me?' Well, it was you, wasn't it? I thought all you Brethren said 'thee' for you. Oh, thee is right. Sometimes we forget. - How long have you been in the Brethren? - Not very long. Sack up four 50lb bags of brown sugar and get them on the loading platform. Yes, sir. Have you had any word about that wagon train yet, Miss King? - Our money arrived today. - Nothing definite. - But it should be here soon. - I sure hope so. Our party's getting jumpy, just sitting around waiting. - We oughta be in Montana by now. - We'll let you know, just as soon as the new supplies arrive. Thank you, Miss King. - Sounds like you got robbed too, mister. - Yeah, that's right. How much did they take you for? Every cent we had. Over $4,000. We had to send back east for more money to go on. Same thing happened to my outfit. Oh, I'd like to leave this list of things we need, Miss. When our money comes, I'll... By the way, my name's Grainger. We'll do our best to fill your order, Mr. Grainger. Thank you. You can help me check these lists against the things we have on order. Yes, ma'am. Four barrels of hard wheat bolted flour. What's bolted flour? Flour that's sifted through fine mesh cloth. Oh. Fifty flitches of bacon, lean. Bacon, lean. 50 plates of sow bosom. Sow bosom? You mean sow belly. I prefer sow bosom. It's more refined. 50 plates of sow bosom. Priscilla! Is something wrong, Uncle? No. I think that something might be right, for a change. I don't understand. Somebody broke into Ep Clark's store and stole a lot of stuff. But that ain't all. He tied up Clyde Walters in a whole bolt of muslin. Wrapped him up like an Egyptian mummy. And then he hung Rafe Sanders to a pole like a side of beef. Serves him right, if you ask me. Did anyone see the man? No. Not his face. But that Garrison woman said he was a big, tall man with dark clothes and a light handkerchief to his face. - Said he came in by the window. - Nell Garrison? Yep. He robbed her too. He just took her jewellery. At least, that's what she says. You don't know what it means to this town to have somebody with enough nerve to stand up to Ep Clark. Thievery and violence are against our creed. Well, ordinarily, it's against mine too. But in this case, it seems like poetic justice. But I'd sure hate to be that thief if Clark ever gets his hands on him. Let me see. 50 plates of sow bosom. What sort of work did you do before you came here? - I was a soldier. - A soldier? Mm-hm. I thought you just said that violence was against your creed. Sometimes you uh... have to make an exception. - 50 plates of sow... - Did you belong to the brotherhood before you joined the army? - No. - Well, what made you join afterward? - Several people. - Friends of yours? Not exactly. - 50 plates... - I'm very curious about your religion, Mr. Devlin. I don't understand it very well myself. - 50 plates of... - Would you take me to the meeting tonight? - What meeting? - Your brotherhood has a church here. - Oh. - Well, didn't you know? - Oh, yes. Of course. - You may call for me at seven. I'll have my friends call for thee. I won't be going tonight. This is my... my evening for meditation. - What's the matter? - Captain, we discovered something. Our uniforms. We found 'em in a back room in Clark's store. Yeah. What do we do about it? - Nothing now. Can you get 'em out? - Sure. We could put 'em on the loading platform and come back at night. You know what I think, Captain? They've been using our uniforms as a disguise to hold up these wagon trains. - Don't you think he's thought of that? - It's giving the army a bad name. Company, halt. Hold the formation, but let me do the talking. Peace go with thee. Peace go with thee. Thee must be strangers in the town. I've not seen thee in the church. Can a man only worship in a church? Can a church exist without worshippers? My name is Brother Abraham. If thee have need of help, call upon me. I am Brother Devlin. My friends and I thank thee. Good day. Didn't thee think them rather strange, Brother Abraham? Question not a man until thee has examined his actions and found them sinful. Ah. Welcome back! For doing two men's work. You don't do one man's work between the both of you! - Maybe that'll keep you busy for a while. - Hey, wait a min... From now on, don't leave the store unless I tell you to. Understand? Yes, sir. Comes the day I shed these peace-loving clothes. Oh, no, you don't. I saw him first. Tell you what. I'll flip you for him. Heads, I get him. - Ep, I've been doing some thinking. - About what? Those two Brothers we hired. And that friend of theirs - the big fella. I don't think they're what they say they are. - What makes you think so? - Oh, little things. Like forgetting to say 'thee' once in a while. Oh, and their manners. Never seen Brothers act the way they do. If they're not Brothers, who do you think they are? Well, that's just it. I don't know. Hey. We was never robbed before the three of 'em hit town. Could be they've got something to do with that bandit. Could be, Clyde. Want me to get rid of 'em? No. Just keep an eye on 'em until you're sure. Ep... Maybe we could set a little trap for 'em. Right here in the store. Well... all right. Never hurts to find out a thing or two. Go ahead and see what you can come up with. If you need me... I'll be across the street. Now what are you thinking? Do you remember when Ep bought this place? There was an old well here. Sure. It's where he keeps his chest, ain't it? That's right. Gimme a hand. It's heavy. What you doing that for? Well, I'll show you, Clyde. You uh... you through with your apple? That's 30 feet, straight down. A man could drown real easy in there. - I don't get it, Rafe. - Simple, when you think about it. You wanna catch a rat, you... you gotta bait the trap. Oh, I get it. Now, get that rug back in place. Maitland? Clegg? - Thee want something? - Yeah. Get these buckets away from the door. By the way, Clyde. Don't forget the lock on that money box is broken. - Be sure to fix it first thing in the morning. - Right. Now, what about that money chest? It's sitting there to be grabbed, broken lock 'n' all. That outfit doesn't impress me as a bunch who would like to get robbed. - What do you mean by that? - From what you say, they've gone to a lot of trouble to make stealing it easy and let word get out - You figure it's some sort of a trap? - Maybe. Well, then, Johnny and I had better go with you. Uh-uh. You and Johnny gonna be in church. - In church! - Yeah, you know. One of those places with a steeple on it. - What are we doing there? - Sitting with a pretty girl. - Well, that helps a little. - And listening to a sermon. It'll do you both good. Brothers and sisters. It heartens my soul to stand before thee tonight and see new faces in the congregation. Happy faces. My text for this evening is taken from... Timothy 5.23. 'Drink no longer water, but take a little wine for thy stomach's sake. ' Amen! Ep! It must be Walters. Get over to King's and see if any of those Brothers are missing. I want somebody hung for this. Or you're not gonna be sheriff any longer. Mr. Devlin. - You're hurt. - Oh, it doesn't amount to much. Come in the kitchen, where there's warm water. Come on. I don't suppose I should ask what happened to you. You can, but I won't guarantee an answer. A man wearing clothes like yours has been quite busy around town lately. So I've heard. Siddown. I'll see what we can do about that bruise. Who are you... when you're not masquerading as a brother? I've been working for Uncle Sam's army the past four years. Mustered out a month ago. Why the disguise? Somebody stole everything we had, including the money of our entire community. The Brothers helped us out When I came to town and found Clark riding my horse, I figured it would be just as well to pass as a Brother for the time being. The way things are going, I'd say you'd better keep on passing as one. This community you mention. What's is like? Like any other western settlement. The land's good. It's gonna be a town someday, perhaps a city. If we can get the right sort of people. I've always wanted to go farther west. But I'm afraid Uncle Elam wouldn't let me go alone. Of course, if I had a job, like teaching school, or something... and... somebody to look out for me... Who is it? Sheriff Massey. Just a minute. In there. - What do you want? - A man was murdered tonight. And I'm kinda interested in who's sleeping in your barn, if anybody. - Where does that door lead? - My uncle's bedroom. Oh? - You can't go in there. - Why can't I? My uncle's asleep. I don't want him disturbed. - Get out of my house. - Get out of my way. If you don't mind, Miss King, I will take a look in your barn. Our money's back, everybody! It happened some time last night. It had to. How much is there, Vance? Did you count it? $3600, my watch, and most of the jewellery we were robbed of. It's a miracle. That's what it is. A miracle! You know what's happened? Why, you too? Did you find your cash box full this morning too? Yep. $4,000 and a lot of jewellery. Some of it must belong to you folks. Well, we've got some that must belong to your outfit. Come on. I'll show you. - Thank you for helping me with these. - It's a pleasure, ma'am. Sure beats sweeping floors. Oh. Put those on the table. No. Put 'em on the bed. Seems to me, thee are out of place, singing in a saloon. What do you know about saloon singers? I've spent quite a lot of time and money looking into the subject. Before I was converted, that is. Have a drink with me? Well, I... - No. I... No, thanks. - You don't mind if I have one? No. Thee go right ahead. I'll watch. Well, here's to Medicine Bend. It's quite a place. It'll do for now. Thee aren't planning on staying? Not one minute longer than I have to. Where would thee go if thee left? It all depends on who I left with. Guess I'd like to get married and have a home, like anybody else. Except, those aren't the kind of proposals you get working in a place like The Pioneer Saloon. - You married? - Not yet. You look like a good bet for somebody. Quiet, dependable, handy around the house. Are thee making fun of me? Sure I am. Well. I'm gonna have to run you out of here now. I have to get ready and go to work. Well, I could stay and help. Oh, thee had better watch thyself, Brother! I think you're beginning to backslide. Thanks again for helping with the bundles. Any time. I'm telling you, they was all three sound asleep. I can't arrest 'em without no evidence at all. - Ep! - Now what do you want? Those soldier uniforms are gone. I thought I told you to keep that storeroom locked. I did. Somebody broke the lock. I just noticed it. Aw, who'd be interested in a bunch of old military uniforms? The military! Who else? Especially the men who owned them. Might just be a perfect fit for those three Brothers. Now, wait a minute. If they are in the army, we'd better lay off. Yeah. Only trouble is, how are we gonna know? Well, I've got just a dandy way to find out. Mr. Clark said I should wait for an answer from thee. Come in. So, Mr. Clark wants an answer. Yes'm. He said I should wait. It's too early in the morning to think right. I just got up. - Well, maybe I'd better come back later. - Oh, no! No. I'll be able to collect my thoughts in a moment. Won't you sit down? Oh, excuse me! - No, I... - Go ahead. I won't tell on you. Well... maybe just one won't hurt me. I always say, drink no longer water, but take a little wine for they stomach's sake. Happy days. Somehow... you're just not the type... to become a Brother. Oh, well, I didn't use to be. What did you used to be? Oh, lots of things. - What's your name? - Clegg... Priv... Er... I mean, that is, Wilbur Clegg. Mind if I call you Will? Oh, no, ma'am. All my friends do. Here's to friendship... Willie. And there we were, 1,600 Sioux, ride in the drawer to the right of us. And old Spotted Dog with 2,000 Apapahoes on that hill. And here we were. With a river behind us and that cliff in front of us. - What happened? - You won't believe this. The general... the general, he turned to me and he looked worried. He turned to me and he says, 'Willie... ' Always called me Willie. He says, 'Willie? What can we do?' - And you know what I told him? - What? Charge! Charge! Charge! She's thinking up an answer to your note, Mr. Clark. - Takes time this early in the morning. - Well? 5th Cavalry, Troop C, 1st Brigade. - Troop E! - Anything else? They were robbed. They've been trying to get back what was taken. - To buy supplies from Elam King. - Elam King? He's got a shipment due in any day. Mostly arms. - Everyone's waiting for it. - Thanks, Nell. Get his partners. Give 'em a fair trial. - Then hang 'em! - Ep, wait! You can't hang 'em. - Don't go soft, Nell. These men are dangerous. They killed Clyde Walters. - Take him in! - Come on. - Oh, now, just a minute here. - Come on! Do your talking at the trial. - Where's the tall one that works here? - You mean Brother Devlin? He's no Brother, and you know it. Where is he? - I'm sure he wouldn't be interested. - He'll be interested. Unless he wants to hang. - Hang? - They already have his friends, and they're coming here. - So he'd better start moving. - I don't believe you. I believe her. - But why this sudden change of heart? - That's a long story. The important thing is, Johnny and Will'll both be hung by morning unless they get some help. Thanks. Mr. Devlin. How can you help them? One man against a whole town. - I don't know yet. - Well, where can I get in touch with you? Brother Abraham. We can trust him. I'll wait for you at the church. I suppose I should apologise. - Forget it. - I'm sorry. You see... - I thought... - What everybody else in town thinks? I don't. I only work for him. Or, used to. I've gone along with a lot of things, but not murder. You'd better go out the back way. Yes, Mr. Massey? I'm looking for that so-called Brother that works for you. Brother Devlin? He's not here right now. - I sent him on an errand. - Don't try to cover for him, Miss. He's wanted for murder. Slade? Go search the hayloft. I'll take a look in back. Well, guess you was telling the truth. Ain't nobody back there. Where does that staircase lead? Why don't you find out? Oh, no. So as you can get rid of me while Devlin makes his escape from the barn? Hey! Hey, you! Hey, you! Stop! Stop him, somebody! All right, all right. He got away. We'll either catch him or he won't come back. Either way, we're rid of him. I'd like to gamble he won't be back. What about the other two? Well, get the mayor, give 'em a trial. You can't hang 'em without a trial. Ep, I don't like it. I've seen 'em, Mr. Clark. The wagons. That soldier was right. Elam King has got a shipment coming in. Thanks, Briggs. Come on, boys. We got a little business east of here. Sheriff? When I get back, I wanna find this town restored to law and order. But Ep! Hanging soldiers! It ain't legal. Can't we just keep 'em in jail? You look after your prisoners. And you look after the sheriff. Stands to reason they didn't get the captain, or he'd be here. I've been pondering on things so hard, I ain't had a chance to think. Why couldn't you stick with buttermilk? - Ready for the trial. - Trial? - We ain't even seen a lawyer! - Looking at one now. That's him. All right, Mayor. Court'll come to order. Guilty or not guilty? - Wait a minute! - Not guilty. - What does the prosecution say? - Got witnesses. Saw them and their friend rob Clark's store and kill Walters. That so? - That's right. - You call this a trial?! It's the only one you're gonna get. What does the defence say? On behalf of my clients, I withdraw the plea of not guilty ...and throw 'em on the mercy of the court. - You what?! Sergeant Maitland, Private Clegg, I hereby sentence you to hang by your necks until you're dead. Same goes for Captain Devlin... soon as we catch him. Court's adjourned. Oh, but Sheriff. You've gotta listen to reason! - They can't do this. - They already done it. Maybe they'll let that Nell Garrison tie the knot. I thought you were kinda sweet on her. I could've been. Johnny? Johnny! What do you want? - I've got to talk to you. - Don't listen to her, Johnny. - Go away, will you? - You've talked enough already. - No, please, Johnny. Listen to me. Why don't you talk to your friends, get a good seat for the hanging? Mr. Massey? Hi, Nell. You can't hang those soldiers! Got to. Clark said that I do. Anyway, you're the one to blame. You informed on 'em. But I didn't know what I was doing. I didn't realise Ep would hang 'em. - Oh, it's all wrong. - Sure it's wrong. - It's also too late to do anything about it. - No, it isn't. We both have been afraid of Ep too long. Oh, you've got the keys. Let them go. I don't wanna be no dead hero, Nell. You don't have to be. You can get out of this town. You could come with us. - Ep would find us. - He doesn't own the whole country. Why do you wanna do this all of a sudden? - Conscience? - Maybe that. Maybe it's about time something decent happened in this town. Nell? I'm with you. I'll back your play. You know, it's a big chance to be taking for me. I'm not doing it for you. I'm doing it for me. Now, listen, I'm letting you out So you can shoot us in the back for trying to escape. Is that it? I'm doing one right thing in my life, and this is it. That's far enough. Unless you wanna join him. Come in, Brother. We've been expecting thee. Whoa! - You heading in to Elam King's? - What's it to you? Well, if these are his supply wagons, he asked us to ride you in. We don't need company. Just offering to help. Giddup! All right. Hide the wagons in Blackfoot Canyon and wait till dark. Then take 'em into town. - How do you feel, Will? - I'm hungry. I thought they gave a condemned man a last meal. In this jail, they charge you for it. - Well, I ain't got any money. - You ain't got time to earn any, either. Everything ready? All you gotta do is pull the handle. Wait! What are you doing here? Look, we don't want any witnesses. Don't be a fool, Rafe. You know how Ep likes everything proper. I think he'd want the boys to have a preacher. So I brought one. Brother Abraham. He'd like to say a word for the men before they go. What good's it gonna do 'em? It won't do 'em any good, but it'll make the whole thing look better. Well, maybe they don't want a... a holy Willie. I don't think they wanna get hung, either. You men wanna say something to the preacher? No! Get it over with. I'd appreciate a last word before we go. All right. But make it quick. Have faith, sayeth the Lord. And all things will come to thee. For with faith, thou canst move mountains. Or sever the cords of adversity that have bound thee to set thee free. The Lord also sayeth, have patience. And the reward thou dost deserve shall come to thee. If righteousness be on thy side, So, go thee on thy journey, comforted by his presence. And be prepared for what may come. Amen! Brothers, as a minister of the gospel, I've done all that I can. From now on, thou art on thine own. Well, Parson. If you're through now, we'll get on with the hanging. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth. Let us all kneel in prayer. Let us prayl Pull the trap! - If thee is struck on one cheek... - Turn then the other. Lift not thy hand in violence! I can't remember a mention of feet. Let's move, let's move. Go on! You lay back. Lay back. You're going to be all right. I feel all right. I've had this for a long time, but... ...never did any good by it. You have now. That's why I feel all right. Just let me rest a mlnute and I'll... help you go get Clark. Might save some lives, if we get there in time. - Where? - He's gone out to stop King's wagon train. He'll be surprised when he sees me come riding in with - All these people are depending on me, Captain. I took their money, and now I haven't got the supplies. I've got to find those wagons. I've got an idea those wagons might find you. You were right, Captain. They're coming in to town now. - Johnny's keeping an eye on 'em. - Let's go. - I'm going with you. - No. You're staying here, where you belong. Priscilla! You heard what the captain said. - Did you find the mayor? - Looks like he left town. Got scared with the sheriff and Sanders dead and the soldiers loose. Ah. We won't see them any more. Tomorrow, I'll get a new mayor. And a sheriff. - There are the wagons. - Well, get 'em unloaded. Start unloading. Make it fast. - We'll come back after the other one. - You won't have to. I can drive it. This is no place for you. Go on home. You can't order me around. Come on! Giddup! Where are the wagons? I'd better get Clark. Who fired that shot? Devlin. He's back. Clark! It won't work. Like the way it didn't work for my brother. Too bad you didn't buy a better grade of powder, Clark. Well, this time we'll get through without any more trouble! Good driving, Grainger. Race you to Montana. - You got a race. - So long, folks! Everything packed, Sergeant? - We're all set, Captain. - Including 50 cents of rock candy? Including a dollar and 50 cents worth of rock candy. - Take good care of her, Captain. - I'll try to make it a full time job. - Well, Sergeant? - Well, Private? - Now where is he? - Right here. Come on, Will. Let's get aboard. Well, I've been thinking about getting saved from hanging. And... and Brother Abraham could use some help. The fact is, I've signed up to do a hitch with the Brothers. I hope you can give him a promotion some day, Brother. He never got one under me. I've already promoted him. Brother first class. I'm gonna miss you fellas. Sure. Good luck, Will. When you get out west, Will, look us up. |
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