01x28 - Jackson Assassination

[bunniefuu]

♪ Jim Bowie, Jim Bowie

♪ He was a bold adventuring man ♪

♪ Jim Bowie, Jim Bowie

♪ Battled for right with a powerful hand ♪

♪ His blade was tempered, and so was he ♪

♪ Indestructible steel was he

♪ Jim Bowie, Jim Bowie

♪ He was a fighter, a fearless and mighty adventuring man ♪

[Narrator] In 1828, gold was discovered

in the Cherokee lands in Georgia.

In the next couple of years I heard some vague talk about it

but I was busy in New Orleans.

And getting mixed up in a gold rush was the furthest

thing from the mind of yours truly, Jim Bowie.

As a matter of fact, the night I did get involved in it,

I was on the porch of my hotel waiting for a lady.

- Thank heaven you got my note.

- Why all the secrecy?

The police on your track again?

- No, it's worse than that.

Listen carefully and don't think I've gone loco.

- Alright, I'll listen.

- Several days ago, two men came to my place and reserved

one of my private rooms, said they wanted to have a quiet

little card game.

- Yeah?

- They stayed about an hour.

After they left, I went in.

They hadn't even broken the cards open.

Tonight they came back again.

I went into the next room and put my ear to the door.

- Well go on, what'd you hear?

- Jim, they're plotting to k*ll President Jackson!

You've just got to get to him and warn him.

- All the way to Washington?

- No, Tennessee.

A place like Herm, Hermie something.

- The Hermitage, that's Jackson's home just

outside of Nashville.

- Jim, they hate him.

They're leaving the day after tomorrow.

You've just got to get to him in time.

- If you me to ride clear to Nashville

in a c*ck and bull story like this, you must think I'm loco!

- Jim, it's true!

- Oh no Cherry, come on, you go back to the gambling room

and fix yourself a good stiff drink.

Come on now.

- Jim!

- Go on Cherry, be a good girl, I've got an appointment.

Goodnight.

- Alright gents, pay off.

- He's going? You're sure?

- At dawn.

- Then we leave tonight.

- Thousand dollars, Cherry.

- The price has gone up, gents.

I want five, or I do a little talking.

- You won't get anything, Cherry.

- What?

[somber music]

- It's Cherry Blondell.

She's dead.

You go get the police.

Looks like I'm on my way to Nashville.

- Why do we have to wait for Bowie?

What if he doesn't stop here?

- Where else can he stop on this part of the Natchez Trace?

- He'll be on his guard, he won't believe me.

- He'll believe you.

- Ugh. It's a waste of time.

I want to k*ll that Indian hater in the White House

in a hurry.

- You couldn't get past the gate!

But with Bowie to pave the way, you'll walk right in.

- Straight up to your great white father.

- Jethro, we hate Jackson just as much as you do.

You think we enjoy having our plantations taken away from us

by his tariffs?

- You talk about dollars and cents, I'm talking about what

he's doing to the whole Cherokee nation!

Moving them to Arkansas.

- Things will be different with Calhoun in the White House.

- Alright, he's coming!

Hey, it's Bowie.

- Alright, downstairs.

- Hit me hard and make it look good.

- It's all in your lap now.

Remember, Bowie's the only one can open the door

of the Hermitage to you.

- And when you get inside that door.

- Howdy landlord!

- Howdy.

- Ale.

- And draw one for me.

- No you don't!

That's Jethro Pumphrey!

The son of old Josiah Pumphrey.

Married himself a Cherokee Squaw.

Ain't no Indians gonna drink in the same place I do!

- Now hold it.

k*lling him not is not gonna do any good is it?

- There'll be one less of his kind.

- And one less of yours, now come on sit down and cool off.

Come on.

Sit down.

Landlord, bring Mr. Pumphrey another ale.

You better get him out of here.

- Yes sir.

- My name's Jim Bowie.

I'm from Opelousas.

- You wanna shake hands with a dirty half-breed?

- I got nothing against a clean one.

Well you sure get your dander off don't ya?

I reckon you do have a problem.

But k*lling isn't gonna solve anything is it?

- What will?

- Hmm, I dunno. Time? Patience maybe?

- Will patience get me back my uniform?

- Uniform?

- I was amid ship and at sea in the United States Navy,

til a drunken boatsman in Havana made me exactly 29 minutes

late returning from shore leave.

- How'd you get in the Navy in the first place?

- Well I made honors at college.

Admissions school for Indians at Cornwell, Connecticut.

I was gonna help my whole tribe.

And now, when they need me, I can't even face my own mother.

- Didn't you appeal a decision?

- Oh I even wrote to President Jackson.

Four times, he never answered.

- That's not like Andy Jackson.

Not like him at all.

- Well how do you know?

- Well I know him.

As a matter of fact, I'm on my way to see him right now.

- You are?

- Uh huh.

- I mean so am I, I mean,

I'm gonna try to see him if I can get in.

- Well maybe I can get you in.

- Do you know him that well?

- Well, I'm going there to do him a favor,

maybe I can persuade me to do him one.

- Yes?

- I've heard a rumor that there's

a plan afoot to assassinate him.

I'm on my way to warn him right now.

- Assassinate him? Who?

- I don't know who or why.

Would you be ready to leave right now?

- Any time you say.

- They're leaving.

- We saw them. Here's your money Slater.

And a little extra to help you forget all about it.

- Oh I'm very forgetful.

As a matter of fact, I forgot to tell you gentlemen,

I was down in Georgia myself last month,

a place called Dahlonega,

you know where them Cherokees struck gold?

- Gold?

- Yeah. And it sure got my hackles up, seeing them

red savages take all that money out of the ground.

You gentlemen from Georgia better do something about that

and run them Indians out and get them mines for yourself.

- Congress has already passed a law about it.

The Indian removal bill.

- Yeah but they got a treaty and they're plenty smart

them Cherokees, I hear they're hiring big lawyers,

may drag it out for years.

- It's possible.

- All that time, all that gold going out.

Seems to me there oughta be a faster way.

- For instance?

- Well, say a Cherokee was to assassinate the President

if that happened, them Injuns'll get moved out real fast.

That is, what's left of them.

- Just how does this concern us?

And you?

- Well I've got no use for Andy Jackson

and I kinda like you gentlemen.

And I dearly love gold mines.

And I was kinda hopin' that you'd

take me to Nashville with ya.

You are going to Nashville, ain't ya?

- Oh yes, we're going to Nashville.

We're leaving now.

- You're not, Slater!

[somber music]

- 14 for you Mr. Bowie.

And 16 for you Mr. Pumphrey.

- Has President Jackson arrived at the Hermitage yet?

- Yesterday sir. The whole town's excited.

- I bet it is. Thank you.

Jethro, you go on up to your room, get changed and washed,

I'll go see when we can get an appointment.

- Alright.

[knocking on door]

- How's it going Jethro?

- How do you think it's going?

Fine.

- He doesn't suspect anything, does he?

- No. It was even his idea to take me to see the President.

- Hmm. Just like we figured.

- Listen Marlow, I can get to Jackson by myself,

why do we have to use Bowie?

- Look, Jethro, when we found you, you were drunk

on the levee at New Orleans, was that helping your people?

- Alright. Alright, get out before he gets back here.

What if I don't get the chance to use it?

- Come back here, we'll start over.

- And one shot's all you're gonna get, don't forget that.

- One shot's all I'll need.

[somber music]

[lively music]

- That's the late Mrs. Jackson.

She died in this house, just before he took office.

- The President will see you gentlemen now.

- Thank you.

I'll go in first.

- Jim Bowie. I'm glad to see you again.

- Oh, thank you very much Mr. President, sir.

I'm afraid I've come with some very alarming news.

- You too? It'll have to wait.

This is more important.

- [laughs] Well now, look at this!

- Did you ever see a handsomer litter?

- No I didn't sir, they're fine. Real fine.

They're beautiful pups.

[somber music]

- They've been laughing.

- They mostly do, when Mr. Bowie comes.

It's awful good for the President's spirits.

You may go in now sir.

[somber music]

- Now this one looks kinda ornery.

Who are we gonna name him after?

- Well how about Sam Houston?

[laughter]

- Hello young man, sorry to keep you waiting,

I had some important decisions to make about my family here.

- I told Mr. President your story Jethro.

- You left out one thing, Jim.

This young man had to be twice as good as any other

mid-shipman in the Navy, just because he is half-Indian.

- That's right sir.

And he had to work twice as hard to get there too.

- You've had a tough row to hoe, son.

- Yes sir I did.

- Comfound it, you can't call a man a muntioneer

for overstaying shore leave by 29 minutes!

Trumped up charges, that captain ought to be skinned alive!

- I thought you'd get fired up sir!

- Fired up?

Jethro! If one of my 97 assistants miss laid your letters

on purpose, I'll have his scalp!

I might not remember somebody like Jones or Smith or Greene,

but who the sam-hill could forget

a name like Jethrom Pumphrey?

[g*nsh*t fire]

- I couldn't do it!

- You dirty polecat!

You'd k*ll the President would ya?

- I wanted to, but I couldn't do it.

- You were part of the plot!

That whole fight back there on the Trace was a raze,

wasn't it?

- Jim.

- You used me! You duped me into bringing you here

just so you could sh**t the President!

- I said let him go!

- Sir if he'd have...

I'd have been responsible for your death.

- But I'm not dead. And what I want to know is why?

Was it because I didn't answer your letters?

Letters I never got?

- Well?

- Jim, let him alone.

It wasn't I who kicked you out of the Navy, Jethro.

- No but you're kicking my people out of Georgia.

The whole Cherokee nation!

You're an Indian hater, Mr. Jackson.

That's why I wanted to k*ll you.

- What made you change your mind boy?

Why didn't you sh**t me?

- I saw you playing with those bird dog pups,

he wanted to buy me a horse,

things just weren't the way I thought they would be.

I just couldn't.

- This Indian hater business, because I sponsored

the Indian Removal bill?

Was that it?

- Yes. You broke your promise Mr. Jackson.

The Cherokee's had a treaty with the federal government.

You helped make it.

Now you wanna break it.

- [Jackson] I have to break it Jethro.

- Why sir?

- The Cherokee's made one mistake, Jim.

But it was a dandy. They struck gold.

- Gold? The Cherokee's struck gold?

- How long since you've been home?

- Three years. Where are the mines?

- Dahlonega. It's a million dollar strike.

The Cherokee's have to go boy like all the Eastern tribes.

Go or be wiped out.

- So that's what they were after!

Oh, I've been such a fool Mr. Jackson.

- That's what who was after?

- Those planters in New Orleans.

- Who are they?

- Marlow and Frost. From Georgia.

- Where are they now?

- Here. Here in Nashville.

I don't know.

- You must know where they are.

Come on if you don't tell us...

- Wait Jim I believe him.

If they're smart enough to hatch out a plan like this,

they'll stay out of sight.

Maybe we can smoke them out.

In the meantime, what's to be done with him?

- Send to town for the Sheriff, sir.

- Yes I suppose so.

Jethro.

- Sir?

- These men have an ultimate plan in case you fail today?

- Yes sir. I was supposed to go back to the hotel.

- Good. You do that.

- Well you can't mean that sir,

you're not gonna let him walk out of here.

- Is that for me to decide? I was the target.

- Yeah, but you can't trust him.

- Put yourself in his place.

He got an education to help his people.

Now when they're in trouble, he's in disgrace.

This is his chance to redeem himself.

Go back to town, Jethro, and if they come to you,

report to Jim Bowie at his hotel.

- You mean I'm to wait back at my hotel cooped up

with my hands tied behind...

- Always have to wait for big game!

Get along Jethro.

- Thank you sir.

- I'm telling you sir,

we'll never get sight nor smell of him again

or those two planters.

What happened?

- They came for me in a carriage.

We talked. They just brought me back.

- Well?

- There's a new plan.

They know he puts flowers on his wife's grave every morning.

- Hmm. That's the way they would do it.

- I'm the one who's suppose to do it.

Tomorrow morning.

- Why would they give you another chance?

- I told them I didn't get close enough today to risk a shot

- You're going alone?

- No, they're going with me.

But I'll make sure nothing happens to Mr. Jackson.

- I wish I could trust you.

- The President does, and you have no choice Mr. Bowie.

- Alright, you go to your room, and wait there.

[somber music]

I have a little errand to run.

[somber music]

- Now! Go ahead and sh**t!

- He's not close enough!

- sh**t, or I will!

[g*nsh*t]

- Ahold those two for the m*rder of Cherry Blondell

in New Orleans.

- Mr. Bowie!

- I had a hard time talking the President into this,

oh here he comes now.

- This fool pup tricked me when I was hunting my sword.

Anybody hurt?

- No sir.

- I'm mighty grateful to both of you.

But there is one more favor I'd like to ask.

They're starting to write books about me,

but this is one chapter I don't want in any of them,

understand?

- Yes sir.

- Yes sir.

You'll be pleased to hear mid-shipman Pumphrey that your

former captain has been suitably rewarded for his

prejudice and injustice.

- Yes sir.

- Now this is your first assignment,

go back to your people and tell your people why they

should go West.

You can go now, with your head high,

in your country's uniform,

and they'll listen to ya, as they should.

- Thank you, Mr. President.

- You heading back South, Jim?

- Oh yes sir, unless you think you're gonna need a bodyguard

- Oh quit pussin' over me!

I've got the best protection in the world, right here.

[laughter]

Jim Bowie, Jr.

♪Jim Bowie, Jim Bowie, he was a fighter and fearless ♪

♪ And mighty adventuring man