01x20 - A Wise Calf

[bunniefuu]

♪ [humming]

♪ Wyatt Earp, Wyatt Earp

♪ Brave, courageous,

and bold ♪

♪ Long live his fame

and long live his glory ♪

♪ And long may his

story be told ♪

♪ [humming]

[Narrator]

One of the toughest problems

Wyatt Earp had to repeatedly

contend with

containing the wild

and lawless cow town

of Wichita was mob rule,

when otherwise

respectable citizens,

and some not so respectable,

tried to take the law

into their own hands.

♪ [humming]

[cows mooing]

[moo]

Where's that coffee, Tex?

Coming up.

Morning, Shorty.

Howdy, Duke.

How's things at

the Rainbow Ranch?

Coffee?

No, thanks.

Well, we're losing cattle

now and then.

You're not the only one.

Every ranch within

a hundred miles of Wichita

has been losing

cows lately.

Including us.

Well, maybe the rustling's

over with now

after what I've just seen.

What'd you see?

I've seen Bill Slocomb

in a gully

out between the Salt Flats

and Miller Creek.

That's our range.

He had a fire going

and a cow roped

on the ground.

Whose cow,

one of his?

No, Duke, one of yours.

What?

I seen the brand plain

on her hide.

I bet Bill Slocomb's

been doing all this hustling

all along, Duke.

Sure looks like it.

Using a running iron,

I reckon.

Now, I didn't exactly see

him using the running iron.

It might be that he had

that cow tied up for

some other reason.

Sure.

Sure.

Sure. Why else would

he have a fire going?

Unless to heat up an iron

to change the brand.

Yeah, why else?

You know, we ought to make

a call on Bill Slocomb,

teach him the error

of his ways, Duke.

Sit down,

Shorty.

No, thanks, Duke. I gotta

go back to the Rainbow.

So long, fellas.

Thanks for

the information, Shorty.

Now we get that

Riverbottom land

that Bill Slocomb claims

is his for nothing.

Uh-huh.

[chuckles]

You know, it's a good thing

we got Shorty for a witness.

Sure is.

No one would believe

that one of my riders

claimed he saw

Bill rustling.

Tex, you better

get the boys.

We're going to a party.

Where do I pick up Bill,

at his ranch?

No, he'll be at

the cattlemen's meeting

this afternoon in Wichita.

We'll take him

in hand there.

You think that's a good idea?

Wyatt Earp might

cause us some trouble.

This happened

out of town.

It isn't any of

Earp's business.

And if he's as smart

as people claim he is,

he'll be looking in

the other direction

when we pick up Bill.

You're the boss.

Is the meeting over?

Hi, Moss, Bill.

Wyatt.

Mr. Delany.

How'd the meeting

end up?

Like all meetings,

lot of talk, no action.

Me? I'm a man who wants

a little action.

Like what?

Well,

I'd rather not say.

But one thing

I do know.

If I lose many more

cattle to the rustlers,

I'm going

into bankruptcy.

Maybe you ought to hire

a couple of range

detectives yourself.

There you are, Moss.

No, I can do

my own detecting.

If I catch anyone

following my herds

around,

I'll string 'em up

to the tallest tree

in Kansas.

That wouldn't be

very wise, Mr. Delany.

You got a better idea?

You catch anybody rustling,

you ought to turn them over

to the proper authorities

and let them give them

a fair trial.

Fair trial?

Why, the courts would

let a man like that

go scot-free

nine times out of ten.

Well, if he's innocent,

naturally.

But you forget all of us are

innocent until proven guilty.

I'll see you.

Yeah.

Well, it's plain to see

he's got no cows to lose.

Earp or no Earp,

if I catch me a rustler,

I'm gonna see

just how far his

neck will stretch.

Well, so long, Bill.

Say hello to the wife

and the younguns.

Right.

Going somewhere, Bill?

Going into that saloon

if it's any of your business,

which it ain't.

He says he's going in

for a drink, Duke.

You haven't got time

for that drink, Bill.

There's your horse.

Get on it.

What's the idea

pulling a g*n on me?

Get on your horse

like Duke said.

Put him on his horse.

Where are we

taking him, Duke?

Cottonwood Grove

in Cowskin Camp.

Wyatt, Duke Wilson

and his boys just

buffaloed Bill Slocomb.

They're taking him

out of town.

I heard Duke say something

about the Cottonwood Grove

at Cowskin Camp.

Looks like they plan

to lynch Bill.

You all set, Tex?

All set, Duke.

Shorty Beckett

saw it all,

so we have proof,

if we need it.

No use my telling you

you got the wrong man.

You know who's been doing

the rustling around here.

Much obliged for

the Riverbottom

land, Bill.

After you slip

the noose over

his head,

I'll hit the horse.

Get the rope off that horse

and turn him loose.

You're sticking your

nose into something

that's none of your

business, Wyatt.

Well, I figure lynching's

every man's business, Duke.

Your authority don't

extend beyond the town

limits of Wichita.

You must be mistaken.

Seems to me I got

quite a lot of authority

right here in my hand.

You can't kidnap a man

on our main street

and bring him

out here to hang him,

or did somebody

forget to tell you that?

All right, Tex,

cut him loose.

I said cut him loose!

That's for past favors.

Man's a proven rustler,

you know that.

Yeah? Who proved it?

Shorty Pickett saw him

using a running iron

on one of my cows

this morning--

Why you--

Take it easy, Bill.

That's hard

on the knuckles.

Go on, climb on

your horse.

We'll start back to town.

Well, I guess we know

now how you feel

about rustlers,

Mr. Wyatt Earp.

Look, proof

of a man's guilt

is only decided

by a court of law.

If you got any charges

to bring against Mr. Slocomb,

you do it in

the proper manner.

We'll have a trial

by judge and jury.

They'll decide whether

your charges are true or not.

That's the way civilized

people do it, Duke,

just in case

you're interested.

You haven't heard

the last of this!

What are you gonna

do about it, Duke?

Tex, you hightail it

back to the ranch

with the boys

and get your g*ns.

Meet me

at Allen's Corner

about an hour

before sundown.

All right.

I've heard about things

like--like lynching parties,

but that was too close.

Wyatt...

you ever have anything

like that happen to you?

No.

I've never worn

a noose yet,

but I think a lot of boys

around Wichita

have got some

all picked out for me.

Mighty awful feeling.

You can't do anything

about it.

You can't reason

with anybody.

You can't convince them.

Well, I'll tell you, Bill.

Half the trouble

of being a marshal

is trying to protect

men from lynch mobs.

If it hadn't been

for you, I'd be dead

right now.

Sure.

And what would they

have done to those guys

if they had lynched me?

Well, they'd have been

arrested, tried.

Sure, and I'd have

been dead!

And the law

would have just

pointed their finger

and said

"You're bad, bad boys,"

isn't that right?

No, you're wrong.

They'd have been

found guilty.

Now come on,

get a hold of yourself.

Try to think of

something else.

All right. All right.

What do I do?

You stay here in jail

under my custody

until I can prove your case

one way or the other.

Stay? Stay here in jail?

You just got through

telling me

that one of your

biggest problems

is keeping away

lynch mobs.

If you keep me

in there,

they're bound

to try and get me.

Now look, cool off

and try and

forget about it.

You're gonna

stay here.

I'm getting out of here.

Look, if I'm gonna die,

I'm not gonna do it

like a sitting duck.

I'm gonna take

someone with me.

Wyatt, you saved my life.

I don't want it to be you.

Now get out of my way.

I didn't think you'd

fall for anything like that.

You know that g*n

isn't loaded.

I know that trick,

and I know it's loaded.

Well, if I were you,

I'd break it open

and make sure.

[chuckles]

I know that trick, too.

And I know it's loaded!

Are you sure,

Mr. Slocomb?

Don't make me

pull the trigger, Wyatt.

I keep that g*n unloaded

because it's a good

test on prisoners.

I've had a couple

of them pull

the trigger on me.

You're bluffing.

I'm sorry, Wyatt.

I could have k*lled you.

I'm sorry.

Well, I don't think

you wanted to really

pull that trigger.

No, no, I guess I didn't.

But doesn't that prove

to you I'm innocent?

No, it just proves

you're not a m*rder*r.

It's a long road

from rustling cattle

to sh**ting a man

in cold blood.

But I am innocent!

Then you ought to be

willing to stand trial.

A l*nch m*b, they don't

go by the law, and they

don't go by evidence,

but the judge

and jury will.

How do I know--

Settle it in court, Bill!

Otherwise you're gonna

have that thing

hanging over your head

the rest of your life,

and I can't keep you in

protective custody forever.

[sighs]

All right.

All right.

Put me on trial.

Good. I'll make

the arrangements

with Judge Jewett.

Oh, Wyatt...

I sure wanna thank you.

Come on, I'll put you

in a cell.

Well, thanks, boys.

I'll tell the Marshal.

Wyatt.

Duke Wilson and his men are in

the joints around Keno Corner

talking up a mob to

come after Bill Slocomb.

They have their schedule

timed pretty well.

That's why I'm eating

supper now.

I didn't think I'd have

time for it later.

He's gotta lot of

half-drunk troublemakers

ready to follow him.

Drunks usually make up

the major portion

of any mob.

You might need the townspeople

to back you up.

Shall I ring

the triangle, Wyatt?

No, don't ring

the triangle.

I think the best way

to handle a l*nch m*b

like this

is for me an my deputies

to try and reason with them.

If I had a mob

backing me up, too,

it's liable to bring on

a fight they're all

spoiling for,

cause wholesale

slaughter on both sides.

Here they come.

[mob mumbling]

That's far enough!

You're digging

your own grave, Wyatt.

We want Bill Slocomb.

Now get out of our way,

or we'll mow you down.

Duke, you take one more step

toward me and I'll k*ll ya.

Go on, Duke.

Don't let that

tin horn bluff you.

[c*ck g*n]

Now if any of you

think I'm bluffing

just take one step forward.

Now I got five slugs

in here

and two barrels loaded

with buckshot

to spray both sides

of the street.

Between them,

I don't think I can miss

more than half of you.

Well, Mr. Delany,

I'm surprised

to see you with this

irresponsible bunch.

Most of them half drunk.

All of them just itching

to string somebody up.

They don't care who

or what the reason is.

Yeah. I guess the opinion

I once had of you

being a fair man

was all wrong.

Well, I've been losing

a lot of cows lately, Wyatt,

and I sure feel

any man that's a rustler

should be strung up

to the highest tree

in all of Kansas.

Well, I'm not saying

a rustler shouldn't

be punished, Mr. Delany.

But why don't you let

the law decide

what punishment

should fit the crime?

Let them carry it out.

Law? With a rigged jury,

I reckon.

The jury will be

made up of cowmen.

Now who'd be better

qualified to decide

whether a man's a rustler

or not than men like yourself?

Then you figure

to give Bill a trial

and not let him go loose

like, uh-- like, uh,

Duke here claims?

Bill's going to trial

tomorrow afternoon at : .

The charge is rustling.

Judge Jewitt tells me

he's planning on having you

as foreman of the jury.

Well, uh,

maybe he's right.

Maybe-- Maybe that's

the right way to do it.

Oh, now he's just trying

to grease you up, Jeb.

You lied to me when

you said Wyatt figured

to let Bill go free.

What makes you think

he won't?

Because one thing about Wyatt,

he don't lie.

And if he says Bill Slocomb's

going on trial,

and with me

foreman of the jury,

well, then that's so.

Come on, break it up.

What are you hanging

around here for?

Come on.

[Wyatt]

Hold it!

All of you men

are carrying g*ns

in violation of

the city ordinance.

Before you start back

to your saloons,

you walk ahead of me

to Judge Jewett's office

and pay your fines.

g*ns are not to be worn

within the city limits

of Wichita.

In the future, I'd advise

you all to remember that.

It'll save you

a lot of money.

Now get walking.

Go on, move!

Well, good evening, Bill.

You had your dinner, huh?

Yeah, I didn't eat

very much.

Kinda lost

my appetite.

I got a word out

to your wife.

Told her you'd be staying

in town tonight on business.

Didn't want her

to worry about you.

Much obliged.

And thanks, too, Wyatt,

for stopping that

g*ng of drunks from

pulling me out of here.

Forget it.

You're gonna stand trial

at : tomorrow afternoon.

I think you're

innocent, Bill.

But thinking's not enough.

I gotta have proof.

Otherwise that jury just

might see fit to bring in

a verdict of guilty.

You know what that means.

I thought a man had

to be proven guilty,

not innocent.

Well, that's the usual way.

But everyone's a little touchy

about losing cattle.

They're just liable to let

the circumstantial evidence

carry enough weight

to prove your guilt.

You better give me

some idea where I can

locate most of your herd,

and I'll take a ride out there

first thing in the morning

and have a look-see.

Maybe we can

figure out something.

Morning, Mr. Earp.

Good morning, Mr. Grimmick.

What are you doing up

so early?

Oh, I came to get

my horse, but my key

doesn't work.

Oh, I forgot to tell you.

I changed the lock.

I'm gonna have to

give you a new key.

Well, I'm glad you finally

told me about it.

You want your horse, huh?

Yeah, I'm gonna

take a little ride

in the country.

Well, it's kind of a funny day

to be taking a ride.

I heard there's gonna be

a big time over in town today

what with Bill Slocomb

standing trial and all.

Yeah, well, I'll be back

in plenty of time for that.

[cows mooing]

[pounds gavel]

Court's in session.

Quiet in the courtroom.

We have the case

against Bill Slocomb,

accused of rustling.

Stand up, Bill.

How do you plead,

guilty or not guilty?

Not guilty, of course.

You don't need that

"of course" in there.

Simmer down, Paul.

If Bill wants to emphasize

the fact that he thinks

he's innocent, let him.

I don't see the counsel

for the defense.

Any of you gents know

where Wyatt Earp is?

What's Wyatt Earp got to do

with the trial, Judge?

He's gonna act

as defense counsel.

Ain't that a little

irregular, Judge?

Well, it would be ordinarily,

but Wyatt asked me

if he could.

I said yes...

which makes it regular.

[laughter]

[pounds gavel]

Well, I guess it

don't matter much,

seeing as how we got

enough evidence to

hang Bill anyway.

I only hope Wyatt ain't

as fast as his tongue

as he is with his g*n.

Let's get on with the case.

Wyatt will show up

at any time.

Bill, you better step

over here at the stand

and give us your

side of the story.

Raise your right hand.

Place your left on the Bible.

Do you swear to tell

the truth, the whole truth,

and nothing but the truth,

so help you God?

I do.

Sit down.

And you'll never get

a cowman to believe

that you had that

fire burning

for any reason but to

heat up a running iron.

Like I said, I roped

that cow before dawn.

I had to wait for it

to get light.

What were you doing

putting your rope

on a Duke cow?

She ain't your property.

While I was waiting for it

to get light enough to see

that Duke brand plain,

I started the fire

to fix my breakfast.

[laughter]

[pounds gavel]

Why were you so curious

about the brand on

the Duke cow?

To see if you could

blot it out some way?

They're losing a lot

of stock lately,

both cows and calves,

and I thought that cow

was mine. I'm certain of it.

Excuse me,

Your Honor.

[whispers, indistinct]

In my courtroom, Wyatt?

Nothing will go wrong,

I assure, Your Honor.

Proceed.

Are you trying to say

that you think

Duke Wilson's been

stealing your cows?

I am, and I was

trying to prove it.

It ain't bad enough that

you rustled from a man,

but you gotta turn

around and accuse him

of doing it to you.

I'd like to say

a few words to all of you.

I object, Judge.

I got the floor here,

and I intend to keep it.

Let Wyatt speak his piece.

He's gone out

and gotten some evidence.

Maybe it'll

settle this case.

Thank you,

Your Honor.

Mr. Murdock,

would you give me a hand?

Glad to.

[coughs]

Now, one of the things

you cowmen should have

taken into consideration

before taking for granted

that Mr. Slocomb here

was the rustler

was the almost impossible

task for Bill to change

a brand like Duke,

which has got

four letters in it--

...into his own brand,

the Bar-D,

which has only

got one letter...

with a small bar

running through it.

Now if for no other reason,

I figured Bill was innocent

because of this.

[chattering]

[Judge pounds gavel]

But now take a look

how easy it is

to change Bill's Bar-D brand

into the Duke brand.

Simply by blotting out

the small bar

that runs through the D

on the branding iron

and adding

the three letters U-K-E.

[chatting, indistinct]

[Judge pounds gavel]

Now if you'll excuse me,

I have a witness

I'd like to bring in.

Now, whose cow

would you say this was?

Why, that's one of

Bill Slocomb's cows.

It's got his brand,

Bar-D.

All right.

We know it's Bill's cow.

Now, Mr. Delany,

it's pretty easy, isn't it,

to tell which calf

belongs to which cow?

Easiest thing

in the world.

If the calf ain't hers,

the cow won't have

nothing to do with her.

All right. Now,

if this cow had a calf,

what brand would

be on the calf?

Same brand as the cow,

of course.

The Bar-D brand,

in other words.

Yeah.

Well, now what if the calf

had a different brand

than the Bar-D?

Well, that'd be rustling,

plain and simple.

Mr. Delany, how would you

indentify the rustler?

The rustler'd be him

that's got their brand

on the calf.

Thank you.

Mr. Grimmick?

Well, look at that.

It's Duke

that's the rustler.

It ain't Bill Slocomb.

You two stay there!

Let us have them two,

Wyatt.

We'll give them what

they figured to give

to Bill Slocomb.

Only we'll give it

to 'em proper!

Order!

That's a fine way

for a jury to behave.

Your Honor, I'll put

these two men under arrest.

Good.

And I'm dismissing the case

against Bill Slocomb.

I'd like to say a few

more words, if you don't mind.

Go ahead, Wyatt.

You men gotta get it

thorough your thick skulls

that the days of lynching

are over on this frontier.

If you continue

ignoring the law,

you can bet

your bottom dollar

we'll never get out

of the woods at all.

Ollie, you wanna

take 'em to jail?

We got a nice cell

and two bunks waiting for them.

[pounds gavel]

Court is adjourned.

Well, just saying thanks

doesn't sound like much,

but thanks a lot.

Gotta be getting

on my way.

My family will

start worrying.

See you soon, Wyatt.

See you, Bill.

Come on.

Come on.

You did

a fine job, Wyatt.

You saved Bill's life.

Well, I'll tell you,

Mr. Murdoch,

you gotta kinda give credit

where credit's due.

I had quite a bit of help

from that calf and its mother.

[both laugh]

♪ [vocalizing]

♪ Well, he cleaned up

the country ♪

♪ The old wild West country

♪ He made law

and order prevail ♪

♪ And none can deny it

♪ The legend of Wyatt

♪ Forever will live

on the trail ♪

♪ Wyatt Earp,

Wyatt Earp ♪

♪ Brave, courageous

and bold ♪

♪ Long live his fame

and long live his glory ♪

♪ And long may

his story be told ♪

♪ Long may his story

♪ Be

♪ Told

♪ [humming]