11x05 - Anatomy of a Lynching

Episode transcripts for the TV show "Bonanza". Aired: September 12, 1959 - January 16, 1973.*
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Set during and after the Civil w*r, "Bonanza" is the story of Ben and his 3 sons on the family's thousand-acre spread, known as the Ponderosa, near Virginia City.
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11x05 - Anatomy of a Lynching

Post by bunniefuu »

Not guilty.

Did you hear that?
He's not guilty.

Griner is guilty.

He sh*t and k*lled
an unarmed man.

The jury acquitted
him... But I didn't.

And I'm not about to.

Hey, John.

John!

Not guilty! They
say he's not guilty!

The jury says he's innocent!

- Not guilty!
- Griner's not guilty.

Hey, John. Where you going?

Hi, Mr. Deegan, where you going?

He's gonna get
himself a g*n, I'll bet ya.

I'll bet ya!

There's gonna be a lot of
people unhappy about that verdict.

Unhappy? More like wild.

- Have you seen Jim Fisher come out?
- No. No. We were looking for him.

Boys, you're blocking the
doorway. Please, spread out.

Go on home. Go on
about your business.

I'm bringing Will Griner out here and
I don't want any fuss or disturbance.

You understand? Please,
folks, move on. Go ahead.

Oh, Ben, I'd like to see you and Hoss
over in my office in about ten minutes.

And if you see Jim Fisher,
bring him along, will you?

I'll go see if we can find him.

Excuse me, people.

- You boys check in the Silver Dollar.
- Right, Pa.

There he is!

- m*rder*r! You m*rder*r!
- Please, we can't have that.

- Griner, step this way, please.
- What for?

I'm gonna put you
in protective custody.

Wait, wait, wait.

You can't put me in any cell,
not when you have no right.

That's where you're wrong,
Mr. Griner. I can and I will lock you up.

Roy, do you know what
the blazes you're doing?

Yes. I'm putting your
client in protective custody.

You're the lawyer, speak up. Tell
this old fool what he can and can't do.

I have to remind you that my client
has been tried by the court and acquitted,

and here's the order
stating you're to release him.

- But the circumstances...
- You heard him!

Now give me my g*n
and let me get outta here.

Griner, I'm doing you a favor by
holding you in protective custody.

- Now, you heard that crowd outside...
- Forget the crowd.

I can take care of myself.

My client appreciates your
offer, but he prefers to go home.

Not yet.

Come on.

Roy, you're buying more
trouble than you can handle.

- Do you know what you're doing?
- I think I know what I'm doing.

I'll get you for this. I'll see
that you get thrown out of office.

You get back to that judge,
you get a writ, you get something.

But you get me out of here. Now!

Not guilty?

John, I... I came straight over here
as soon as the judge turned us loose.

Well, well, well.

Good old George.

Good afternoon, Stut.

I'm real glad to see you got
the place opened up again.

That's what we all gotta do,

pick right up where we
left off, business as usual.

I just wanted to be sure you
didn't have no hard feelings.

Get out, George.

Now, look, John, do
you think it was easy?

There wasn't one of us
on that jury that liked it,

but there was nothing
else we could do.

Get out, now.

All right, if you're
gonna act that way.

- You, too, Stut. Out.
- I thought I might go...

No, you can earn your beer money
somewhere else. Now, get out.

Well, lookee here!

Hey, Stut, lookee
here what I found!

Now, I was only doing my duty.

You ain't never gonna see me
in your barbershop ever again.

Me and a lot of other people.
We'll cut our hair with sheep shears.

Run, you yeller
dog. Run. Yee-ha!

Roy, don't make me go get a writ.
It's just gonna make you look bad.

Never mind how it
makes him look. Get it.

All right. You
gotta release him.

Harry, I've asked these men
to come over and see me.

I want to talk to them privately.
Please sit down, gentlemen.

If it concerns my client, Roy, I'm
gonna have to stick around and listen.

I guess that's all right.

Ben, at any time
before or during the trial,

did anyone try to get either of
you to change your testimony?

- Not me.
- No, nor me.

Teague, they're
trying to frame me.

You let 'em and I'll have
your hide on a barn door.

If there was some hint
that you could remember,

some suggestion that maybe
didn't seem important at the time,

I could charge Griner
and continue to hold him.

Well, Roy, our testimony concerned
that fist fight two days before the m*rder.

- Yeah.
- Roy, I'm gonna have to protest.

- You got no grounds for any of this.
- I say I do.

Jim Fisher told one story in this
office. He told another in court.

Charlie Tettinger, key witness,
never even went to court.

Now, somebody
got to them for sure...

Roy, I've been patient with you.

Now, you gonna make me go get
that writ or are you gonna release him?

I think Griner should
stay in protective custody.

Well, you know,
there may be trouble.

Ben, the man is
being detained illegally.

He wants to go home.
You can't hold him here.

All right, you can take him.

But if anything happens to him, it's
gonna be on your head and not mine.

Ordinarily, I'd go after Jim and
Charlie and shake the truth out of them,

but my deputy's in Sacramento and I
just can't leave town the way things are.

Why, some of those people,
there's no telling what they'll do.

I tell you, the one that
worries me is Johnny Deegan.

Me, too, Ben. Say, isn't he
a... kind of a friend of yours?

A good friend.

Well, then, you'd better
get to him and talk to him

and maybe you can stop
trouble before it starts.

Yeah.

All right.

Hoss.

Please, let me talk to you.

Louise.

Oh, Ben.

Oh, now, come on, Louise.
There's nothing to cry about.

Everything's gonna
be all right, Louise.

Ben, I'm frightened. He's gonna
do something dreadful, I know it.

Is Johnny in there?

He must be, I've
looked everywhere else.

I've got to talk to him.

Louise, why don't you go on home?
I'll talk to Johnny and send him over.

- Ben, I'm worried.
- Come on, I'll... I'll walk you.

Go ahead.

Everything's gonna be
all right. That's a promise.

Johnny, it's Ben.

Go away, Ben.

You open up this
door or I'll kick it in.

Are you gonna k*ll Griner?

I've been studying on it. I
think that's what I've got to do.

I think you'll find
this is all in order.

- I can see you to the edge of town.
- No need.

Griner, you've been acquitted.

It ain't gonna hurt you
now to tell the truth.

Don't you say nothing.

You did a good job,
Counselor. Send me the bill.

I will, Griner.

And it's gonna be a big one.

- Are you standing up for Will Griner?
- No, I'm not.

I'm just trying to stop you
from making a bad mistake.

Oh, Ben, I can think for myself!

Can you? Then think about this.

Griner will have
men all around him.

And suppose you did cut him
down. The odds are they'd k*ll you.

And even if they didn't, you'd
still be charged with m*rder.

And Griner just isn't worth it.

No, but Frank was.

We grew up together, Ben. He
was the finest man I ever knew.

- Yes, he was.
- Yes!

And he believed
in law and order.

He believed he could hang
on to that quarter section

even when Will Griner
decided he wanted it.

- Now, that's what cost him his life.
- We don't know that Griner k*lled him.

I do, Ben.

The last thing that Frank ever said to
me, you heard me say it in the court,

"If anything happens to
me, look to Will Griner."

What about Louise? Have
you thought about her?

I've got to do
what I think is right.

That trial was wrong,
Harry. You know that.

Yeah, Roy, but the jury
found my client innocent.

There'll be others, and they're
gonna be a lot harder to convince.

Go fishing, Harry.

A week, ten days, till
the stink gets out of town.

Well, Roy, unfortunately,
like you, I got a living to make.

Hey, here he
comes, that old devil!

Will you stand clear, Ben?

John, the law isn't
through with him yet.

Give us a chance. I think we can prove
that he tampered with the witnesses.

You go on about
your own business.

Now, John, if I have to, I'll
knock you clear across this room.

Are we gonna fight about it?

Hey, Deegan!

Well, Cartwright.

You two tried to get me hanged.

You'll find I'm not
the forgiving sort.

The both of you.

I'll give the law
another chance.

I'll wait.

Thank you.

But not for long, Ben.

You know the Tettinger
place, don't you?

It's pretty far out, but
I think we can find it.

If he's not there, find out where he is
or what happened to him. Stick with it.

- Will do.
- What if he don't want to come back?

He jumped a subpoena. You bring him
back whether he wants to come or not.

All right.

Well, let's see if we
can find Jim Fisher.

Where do we start?

Let's start with
the stage office.

You heard me calling to
you, pounding on the door.

- Yes.
- I was half beside myself, John.

You must have known that.

I suppose.

But you shut me out. Why?

I'm sorry, Louise, believe me.

John, I want to know why.

I apologized. Can't
we leave it at that?

You can shut me out right here, just
as surely as closing a door in my face.

Is the only part of your
life I'm supposed to share

the parties, the
picnics, the frivolities?

That is not my idea of
a marriage to you, John.

Mine neither.

Is there some dark side of
you you don't want me to see?

Were you enjoying the
notion of k*lling Griner?

No.

It's just, I was thinking
all through the trial...

"What if they let him go?"

And they did.

If I didn't speak to you, Louise, I
suppose it's because I was afraid.

- Of what?
- That you'll make me turn from my duty.

What duty?

- To Frank!
- To Frank?

Oh, John.

Frank was a sweet,
wonderful man.

Beyond respecting his memory,
you have no other duty to him.

I do.

You did!

Or maybe you thought you did.

Ben Cartwright and the law will
take care of Will Griner properly.

Now, that's that.

Do you mean that
you were worried

that I could talk you out of
something as important as that?

Mm-hm.

All this time and I had no
idea of my power over you.

I should've kept my mouth shut.

Fair warning, my man.

After I have you safely married,
I'm gonna make you jump.

Oh! No hoops!

Place is a real shambles, clothes
and gear scattered over every place.

Yeah. Looks like Mr. Fisher
was in a hurry to leave.

- Yeah.
- Let's try the livery stable.

Howdy.

Well, listen, I ain't got
time to gab right now.

Lookee, you see, I'm
getting ready to go.

This isn't a social call, Mr. Fisher.
The sheriff would like to talk to you.

No. No. Like I said, I ain't
got time. I got to get outta here.

Something about perjury.

470, 480, 490.

$500!

Well, I, uh... I... I found it.

Jim, there's very few men in this
county that carry that kind of cash around.

- And if they lost it, I'd know it.
- I can't help that.

Now, Will Griner, he's
got this kind of money.

He paid you, didn't he?

No, no, no, you're
wrong. You're wrong.

All right. Then I'll just keep the
money and try to find the rightful owner.

- You can run along home.
- Now... Now, wait a minute, Sheriff.

No, that's all right. Go ahead.

Too bad you're gonna miss that
little trip you'd planned, though.

Sheriff... Mr. Cartwright,

they'll shut me up for good
and all if I don't get outta here.

Who will?

I can't tell you that,
Sheriff. I daresn't.

Look, level with me. I'll protect
you, providing you tell the truth.

Well, the other night this... this fella
he knocked on my window, you know.

- Who was it?
- I couldn't see, it was dark.

And that's the truth.

Anyways, they told me I'd better
change my story about, you know,

seeing Griner on the road just
before I found Frank Wheatner dead.

They said if I didn't, they'd k*ll
me. And if I did, they'd pay me $500.

Now, Roy, there's no identification.
You can't arrest Griner on that.

But there's more.

I told them I might
be willing to deal,

if I could get a sign from
the head man hisself.

Well, next day in court,
Griner, he kind of nodded at me,

and, you know, held
up his hand like this.

You know what I mean? So,
I nodded back at him and...

I just changed
the part of my story

to where I said I didn't recognize
him on the road but I did, and...

- It was Griner.
- Jim, one other thing.

- Huh?
- Who gave you the money?

- Will Griner.
- Griner?

After you turned him loose, he come
to my place and give me the money.

Roy, you're gonna
arrest Griner, aren't you?

- Just as quick as I can get out there.
- Want me to help you?

I sure do, Ben. If you get Hoss
to keep an eye on Jim here,

I'd appreciate it to have you
ride with me and back me up.

Roy, there's one other thing.

Griner will probably
ask you to send for me.

Well, this time, you tell
him to get another lawyer.

I'll get Hoss.

That'll be a pleasure!

You wanna do something?

Yeah, sure. What you want to do?

Well, I dunno.
Anything you want.

We coulda had a hanging,
right here in town, too.

If they'd been
any kind of a jury.

You wanna go over the barber shop and
hoorah old George Lassen some more?

He closed up.

He was some jury foreman.

He's probably
hiding under the bed.

Yeah.

It was a shame
about the hanging.

Yeah.

And Johnny Deegan.

I was counting on him
taking a sh*t at Griner.

I wonder what got into him.

I was counting on it!

Everything's just
kinda petered out.

Hey!

I know what we can do.

Directly after it gets dark,

we'll go over to old lady Curran's
dress store, bust in one of the windows.

- Well?
- We can still do it.

Makes it even better.

- Lets everybody know how we feel.
- Yeah.

Cartwright! You never
quit trying, do you?

It won't do you any good.

Cause I'll reach out and put my
mark on you wherever you are.

- What about now?
- No, not that one. Come on.

That's the one! Do it!

Go on!

It's gonna make
a fearsome racket.

- And it was your idea!
- Give me that!

Don't tickle it. Hit it.

Come on. Come on.

Get going.

- Subornation to perjury?
- Yes, it means...

I understand what it means, and I
understand it's not a hanging offense.

No.

Will Griner committed a hanging
offense. Now we have the proof.

Yes.

I believe that there are procedures
for getting a new trial sometimes.

Let's do that.

Well, it's not that
easy and it takes time.

And in the end, the whole
case would depend on a man

who's already proven that
he's capable of lying under oath,

and any half-decent defense
attorney would tear him apart.

I, uh... I don't think we
could get a conviction.

What's the penalty for
this subornation thing?

About five years.

Oh, that's wonderful.

Just dandy.

Well, I... I know
you're disappointed.

You've done everything you
could, Ben, and I appreciate that.

Well, I think it's the best we
could do under the circumstances.

Well, I... I'd best
be getting along.

- Yeah. Good night, Ben.
- Good night, John.

♪ We will hang Will
Griner from a sour apple tree

♪ We will hang Will
Griner from a sour apple tree

♪ We will hang Will
Griner from a sour apple tree

♪ And he won't go marching on ♪

♪ We will hang Will
Griner from a sour apple tree

♪ We will hang Will
Griner from a sour apple tree

♪ We will hang Will
Griner from a sour apple tree

♪ And he won't go marching on ♪

Ben, we got to break this up.

Men, you've had your fun now.
Come on, let's break this up.

Go on up the street,
please. Come on.

Let's go! Up to
the Silver Dollar.

Have fun! Let's
break this thing up.

John, I want to talk to
you over in my office.

John.

- Am I under arrest?
- No.

I've got a pretty fair idea of who's
responsible for that little prank

and I think you do, too.

So, if you'll just tell the boys
to settle up with Mrs. Curran,

- I'll forget about it.
- Is that all you want with me?

No, it isn't, John.

You've got lynching in mind.

I expect that's a pretty
common notion tonight.

You been speaking to him, Ben?

- No.
- He didn't have to.

Because I know if
there's any real trouble,

you're gonna be right in the
middle of it, maybe even start it.

But the thing that worries me is

that everybody knows
how I feel about Will Griner,

and that might just lead
to a bad misunderstanding.

Such as?

Thinking that I might
just put up a token fight

if somebody tried to take him.

But I'd sh**t, John.


I'd sh**t to k*ll anybody that tried
to take a prisoner from me illegally.

Is that all?

You can just spread that word
to anybody that thinks different,

and including yourself.

John.

I hope you and me don't end
up on the opposite sides of this.

Well, now, that's up to you.

We'll be on the side
we've always been.

The side of the law.

The law isn't perfect, but
where would we be without it?

Ben, the law only makes
sense when it's just.

Would there be any
justice without it?

John, go on home. Drop it.

That was going to
be my advice to you.

Ben, if it comes to the worst,
I can depend on you, can't I?

Of course.

When do you reckon Little Joe
and Candy will be back in town?

Soon as they find
Charlie Tettinger.

- Roy?
- Yeah.

I think maybe I'd better
round up Al Crane,

and see if he can round
up some of the boys.

Good idea.

Tettinger!

I found his horse. It
was grazing out back.

All his stuff's still in there.

Looks like he ran into some
kind of trouble along the way

and his horse came
wandering back in here.

Why don't we take him with
us, see what we can find out?

Crane, your daughter ran over to
my house, said you wanted to see me.

- Yes, Burt. You know Ben Cartwright.
- Sure, Ben. How are you?

Ben here has some disturbing
news. I wanted you to hear it.

The lynching talk, huh? I think
it's just talk. What do you think?

Well, I think there's
every possibility of trouble.

It's like choosing the lesser of
two evils, Griner or a lynching.

I... I'm sorry, bad joke. What
did you want from us, Ben?

Burt, you're the captain
of the volunteer brigade.

You're chairman
of the city fathers.

There's 50 men right
there. Round them up.

Bring them down to the jail.

And risk their necks
for Will Griner?

Well, with that many men
there wouldn't be much of a risk.

- Ben, can you guarantee that?
- Well, no, I can't guarantee it.

Even if you couldn't,

I don't think that my men would
lift one finger to help Griner.

Griner has nothing to do with it. We're
talking about a principle, not a man.

As a matter of fact, um... the town
would be better off without Griner.

Well, be that as it may,

the fact still remains,

do we want a lynching in
Virginia City or don't we?

If we don't, we've got
to do something about it.

Ben's got a point there, Burt.
We've got to uphold the law.

One man's life, a
guilty man at that,

against the lives of
innocent townspeople?

Now, look, if Griner is
lynched, they won't be innocent.

That's right.

And if something does happen
tonight, we'll throw the full weight

of the community and the
law against whoever does it.

That's proper and it's sensible,

but we can't go around carrying g*ns
half of the night, worrying our wives.

I'll go along with that.

All right.

Thank you, gentlemen.
Sorry to have troubled you.

Hey, lawyer!

Hey, Teague, come out
and meet your new client!

Come on out here, Teague.
We'll teach you what real law's like.

Go and get him, Pete.

Hey!

Teague!

Hey, Teague, I want you
to write some papers for me!

Teague, you got
some clients out here!

He ain't coming out.

This oughta get him out.

Come on. Let's go get him.

- Yeah!
- Yeah!

Get him!

Get away from there! Teague!

Get away from there! Come here!

What's the idea? Don't you
know this is private property?

You're attempting to break and
enter. I'm taking you in. Come on.

- Oh, no!
- What are you picking on him for, Roy?

You shut up or I'll
be taking you in, too.

Oh, come on, Roy, we're
just having a little fun.

That's right...

Break it up!

Break it up!

I said break it up!

Roy. Roy?

Hey, John.

Hey, John, you
know what we done?

We smashed in old
Teague's windows.

- Yeah!
- Wasn't it grand?

I don't think the sheriff will be
bothering us too much anymore, either.

Do you boys know that Griner's not going
to get more than five years in prison?

No?

It's a fact.

Well, that ain't fair.
That ain't fair at all.

I mean to see he gets hanged.

Atta boy, John.

With him in jail, I'm going
to need all the help I can get.

Are you game, boys?

Sure, we'll get you
all the help you need.

- Yeah, John!
- All right, but do it quietly.

Bring them down to the
store, I'll be waiting there.

- Can you spare me a minute, Johnny?
- Louise!

What are you doing out so late?

Is k*lling Will Griner
going to bring Frank back?

No, of course not.

Then all you're doing is
satisfying your own idea of revenge.

No, I am not a vengeful man.

What do you call it?

Justice.

Having a sense of what's
right and wrong and living by it.

I'm not going to argue with you,
Louise. This doesn't concern you.

Do you know that there are
men in this town, respectable men,

willing to stand by and let
you do their dirty work for them?

And Johnny, when it's
over, they'll punish you,

all self-righteous
and indignant.

- No, they won't.
- They are using you!

You'll be destroyed.
That does concern me.

- Ben Cartwright told you this?
- Yes, he did.

It can't be helped.

Oh, Johnny.

In mercy's name, we've been
planning a future together.

What happens to that?

Please, think... be practical.

I am being practical.

Will Griner's beaten one trial
already. It's likely he'll b*at another.

How can I show my face around
this town with him running free?

Then we will move!

I'll go anywhere with you.

Johnny, please.

Please.

It's all right, boys, come
on in. The lady's just leaving.

Thought it'd be safer here
than at the doctor's office.

Well, Roy, they sure
worked you over, didn't they?

Yeah. Afraid I ain't gonna
be much help to you.

But I am gonna have to deputize you
two, so if you raise your right hands...

Ben?

You solemnly swear to enforce and
uphold the laws of the state of Nevada

to the best of your
ability, so help you God?

- I do.
- You're deputized.

Cartwright, turn me loose.
Let me make a run for it.

Not on your life.

If they bust in here, make
sure they get the right man.

I mean, I hear jail, they'll make
mistakes in getting the wrong man.

Mr. Cartwright? Mr. Cartwright,
you need to take care of it, Cartwright.

Been a lot of excitement out there.
Maybe it's been enough to satisfy 'em.

- Maybe it's all over, huh?
- Maybe.

D'you have any
luck with Al Crane?

No. I don't think we're
gonna get any help from them.

All right, John, the rest of
them are gathering outside.

That ought to be more than
enough. Boys, listen to me. Listen.

What we're going to do
is only common justice.

Will Griner sh*t and
k*lled an unarmed man

because he wanted that
man's land and water.

Then he bribed the witnesses
to get himself an acquittal.

Well, Griner's got to pay for
that at the end of a rope tonight.

All right, now.

There may be a
little trouble at the jail.

- The sheriff's taken care of.
- That might help.

And I'll surely try to get
us in without any trouble.

But there's almost sure to be some
sort of difficulty after it's all over.

So I want us all to pledge your
solemn word that we'll stick together

and see this through
right to the end.

You got it.

Now... now listen.

After we've gotten Griner
out, nobody is to torment him.

Beyond tying him up, you're
not to raise a hand to him.

We've got a wagon. We'll take
him down to the freight depot.

There's a hoist. We'll
hang him there. Agreed?

Agreed.

Let's get on with it.

Hey, Pa. Pa?

You hear anything?

- Better take shotguns.
- Yeah.

What is it? What is it?

What's going on?

Mr. Cartwright!

What are you loaded with?

- Double ought.
- So am I.

Back me up.

Sheriff!

Mr. Cartwright!

That's far enough.

- Ben, I want to talk to you.
- That's a good idea.

We've come to get Will Griner.

I'm only asking you
to stand out of the way,

so that we can take him quietly.

You know I can't do that.

I know there's just you
and Hoss, so we'll get him.

The only question is,
must we spill blood to do it?

- Now, listen to me, John...
- No, no, no, no, no.

I've heard enough of talk
and threats and arguing.

We've been friends
for a long time.

And we can still be, if
you'll just get out of our way.

Can you sh**t me?

Because that's what it'll come
down to if you try to come in here.

I've already put aside
everything that matters to me.

I'll not let anything
stand in my way.

I'll be coming
first, right in front.

Can you k*ll me?

Study on it, Ben.

Most of those fellas out
there are friends of yours.

- I've been thinking on that.
- You're gonna have to decide what to do.

- I can't ask you to sh**t.
- You don't have to.

- Let's go.
- Yeah! Yeah!

The next one is
coming right at you.

John!

John!

C'mon! Let's get 'em!

Have you had enough? Have you?

Go on home.

Go on home.

- We need a doctor, Hoss.
- Yeah, right away, Pa.

John, I'm sorry. I didn't want to
sh**t. I didn't have any choice.

It changes nothing.
We'll get him another time.

We found Tettinger,
sh*t in the back.

Tettinger was a friend of mine.

Jim, that's why we're
asking you to help us.

You were both witnesses. You both
saw Griner right after Wheatner's death.

All I know is they...

they told Tettinger and me if we
didn't take the money they'd k*ll us.

So, I took it.

He didn't and he's dead.

It had to be one of
Griner's g*n hands.

They'll peach on each other and I'll
find out from them which one it was.

- Now, you can depend on that.
- What'll happen to Will Griner?

I don't believe he'll hang,
but I can guarantee you

that he'll spend the
rest of his life in prison.

You can go, Jim.
Thank you very much.

Thanks, Sheriff.

Mr. Cartwright.

I'm a little amused at my own
virtue. I found this in the street.

You happen to know any
careless girls with skinny fingers?

You know, Candy, I just might.

Ben, I don't suppose we
can put all the pieces together.

No, I suppose not, but
maybe some of them.

Why don't you start by putting
this one where it belongs?

- Roy.
- Thank you, boys.

Let's go.
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