02x27 - Hang 'Em High

[bunniefuu]

( Male vocals

Humming melody )

♪ 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 melody )

Male narrator:

On the kansas frontier

In the late s,

What men called justice

Was often savage.

Alleged rustlers

And horse thieves

Were hanged by their

Captors without trial.

Judges like roy bean

And oklahoma parker

Ordered men to the gallows

For crimes which today

Would be punished

By imprisonment.

Wyatt earp, as marshal

Of dodge city,

Was one of many peace officers

Who stood against lynch law

And the severity

Of so-called legal justice.

When dal royal,

A texas cowhand,

Was sentenced

To be hanged for m*rder,

Marshal earp

And sheriff bat masterson

Staged a two-man fight

Against the cruel

Indifference of the public

And the bloodlust

Of the gallows.

All right,

There he is.

Throw your hats

In these bushes.

Get those masks on.

You two, take him

Alive if you can.

I don't think

He'll put up a fight.

If he does, we'll

Be ready for him.

Move on out.

- Come on!

- ( Grunts )

He got 'em both,

Judge.

My fault.

I should have

Ambushed him.

Take off their masks

And their g*ns.

We'll hang

That traitor legally

For m*rder.

Mr. Royal, this court

Has found you guilty

Of m*rder

In the first degree.

You offered no defense.

Have you anything

To say now?

Very well.

This court sentences

You to be hanged.

- Sheriff masterson.

- Yes, your honor?

You will escort

The prisoner to jail

In our county seat,

Dodge city,

From this court

In bucklin.

You will execute

The order of the court

Before sundown tomorrow.

- I gotta do the hangin'?

- You're the sheriff of

Ford county, aren't you?

- Yes, but--

- Part of your duty

Is to execute

Condemned murderers.

I just never thought--

I never took

That part of my job

Into consideration--

Sheriff, I happen to be

Chief magistrate

Of bucklin township,

Ford county.

- You'll carry

Out my orders.

- Yes, sir.

By sundown tomorrow?

I'll put it

In writing for you.

You've heard

Of malfeasance

In office?

- Well--

- Failure to comply

With a court order

Could result in immediate

Removal as sheriff.

Yes, sir.

Court is adjourned.

You'll wait here

For this order

To be written,

Then get on your way

To dodge city.

( Men chattering )

If it wasn't m*rder,

Why didn't you say so?

- Why didn't you

Say something?

- I couldn't.

Why?

Thanks just the same.

I'm not talking.

You better take

That order,

And let's go.

Thanks. All right,

You stand over there.

I'll help you

On your horse.

Then we ride to dodge.

Whoa!

Marshal earp?

- That's right, ma'am.

- Thank goodness.

I was afraid you

Might be out of town.

Have you heard

About dal?

I'm afraid I don't know

What you mean, ma'am.

Well... Could we talk

In your office

In private?

Certainly.

I'm alice hendricks.

My papa owns

The kt spread.

Dal royal,

The boy I mentioned,

Was our foreman.

We just got word

He's in awful trouble.

- Come on inside.

- Thank you.

That awful judge smith

At bucklin

Sentenced him

To death, marshal.

Sheriff masterson

Is bringing him here.

Dal wouldn't

m*rder anybody.

Even papa admits that.

And I want

To hire lawyers,

Do anything

To help dal.

But, most of all,

Will you help him?

I'll do what I can,

Miss alice.

But it happened

Out in the county,

And that's under

The jurisdiction

Of sheriff masterson.

Papa says bat

Is just a kid.

I need you, mr. Earp.

He's not a kid.

He's a very

Capable man--

Dal!

Oh, dal!

- Dal.

- ( Horse nickers )

Dal, why didn't

You send us word?

- Why didn't you--

- Now, alice, you

Keep out of this.

I will not.

Why did you let

That judge do such

A horrible thing?

( Gasps )

Oh, handcuffs!

- You take them right off.

Dal isn't a criminal.

- Alice.

Don't blame me, ma'am.

I begged him to talk up

For himself,

- But he wouldn't do it.

- I'm going inside.

I'm going in, too.

Don't you try

To stop me.

Marshal earp,

Could I talk to dal

Alone, please?

Certainly, ma'am.

You can go right in there.

When they're finished,

Book him and lock him up.

Kinda purty, that gal.

Maybe she can get

The truth out of him.

And look what

I gotta do.

When you talked me

Into running

For sheriff,

You didn't tell me

I was going to have

To hang people.

"Dal royal,

Sentenced to be hanged

For m*rder of

Hanby and tremont."

Well, is

Mr. Royal guilty?

Two unarmed cattlemen

Dead on the trail

Near bucklin.

A lot of horse marks.

One set led into town.

A friend of the men

Pointed out dal as

Having quarreled with him.

When I arrested him,

He'd thrown his six-g*n away.

One of my deputies

Found it in a ditch,

Two empty cartridges.

Dal wouldn't say

Anything.

There were a lot

Of horse tracks?

- More than three?

- Six or seven.

It looked like dal

Might have been riding

With a g*ng,

Had a fight,

And shot a couple.

What are you going to do

If a man won't talk?

Well, do you

Think he's guilty?

No, sir, I don't.

I think he shot 'em,

But he doesn't look

Like a fellow who would

Fire on unarmed men.

That's what we

Have courts for--

To decide that.

That boy's been eating

Locoweed or something.

He says he can't talk

Because they'll get me.

- Who is "they"?

- He won't tell.

You're a fine sheriff.

I bet you don't even know

The names of the hoodlums

Dal is supposed

To have m*rder*d.

- Hanby and tremont,

And they weren't hoodlums.

- They weren't?

No, they were

Cattle ranchers

From east texas.

You ever hear

Of them, miss alice?

No, but dal is

An east texas boy.

What do you aim

To do about it,

Mr. Earp?

Well, time is getting

Kind of short.

Judge tobin will be here.

I'll ask him for

A stay of execution.

You see?

Marshal earp

Wants to help us.

Well, sheriff masterson

Is handling

The case, ma'am.

Humph.

Do you advise me

Getting a lawyer?

No, ma'am, I advise you

To keep after mr. Royal.

You try and get him

To talk.

You can threaten him,

Or use persuasion,

Or whatever your

Female wisdom decides.

In the meantime,

You and I will

Shake out the town.

There ought to be somebody

In dodge who remembers

Hanby or tremont.

What if I can't

Persuade him?

Will ya...

Will ya give me a key

And let me turn him loose?

- No, we won't.

- I'm afraid we couldn't

Do that, miss alice.

And don't you waste

Your very considerable

Charm on us.

- You just work

On mr. Royal.

- I will.

Oh, I will!

Thank you.

I'll threaten that boy

Not ever to speak

To him again.

Girls.

She doesn't believe

That tomorrow

Before sundown

I'm going to have to...

Maybe it's kinder

If she doesn't.

Come on,

Let's go to work.

Why does she kiss you

And act sore at me?

Well, I think

That maybe deep down

She knows what you

May have to do.

( Overlapping dialogue )

- Come here.

- What for?

I want to talk

To you.

( All murmuring )

Look, I'm going

To ask you once more.

A man's life

Depends on this!

I'm thinking

About my life!

Now, you're not

Going to get hurt.

What about

Them white caps?

White caps?

What do you

Know about 'em?

Were hanby and tremont

White caps?

- Were they?!

- Yes!

- What about dal royal?

Was he one, too?

- I don't know.

I don't know nothin'.

Just let me outta here!

( Glasses clinking )

Now, mr. Royal,

We have reason

To believe

That hanby

And tremont belonged

To the white caps.

- What's that?

- You know the white caps.

Maybe you're one yourself.

Maybe that's why--

The white caps

Are an offshoot

Of the old klan.

I got a hunch

You belonged.

- Maybe you quit.

- And when they tried

To bushwhack you,

You shot hanby and tremont

And rode into bucklin.

Judge tobin will be here

In a few minutes.

If this is true,

Or any part

Of it's true,

You should tell

The judge.

He might grant you

A stay of execution.

- For how long?

- Long enough for us to dig

Into that white cap g*ng.

That would take

A long time.

Meanwhile, alice

And her father--

Thanks just the same.

You won't talk

To the judge?

Marshal, I know

The white caps.

You don't.

You're asking me

To buy a little time

At the risk of alice's life.

Would you do that

If you were in my spot?

- No.

- Of course

You wouldn't,

And neither would bat.

One thing you can do

For me, though--

Get alice out of town,

And let me swing tonight.

No. We're going

To try and break up

This white cap outfit

With your help,

Mr. Royal, or without it.

So, anyway, judge tobin,

Mr. Masterson and I

Think that it was

A white cap deal.

We think they

Framed mr. Royal

With that m*rder charge

After failing

To bushwhack him.

- Any evidence?

- No, sir, not yet.

They work in secret.

Yes. And I

Can understand

Young mr. Royal's

Fear of talking,

But I can't grant

The stay.

I'd be in immediate trouble

With judge smith at bucklin.

- Sir, you outrank him.

- It's not that simple,

Wyatt.

We'd have to go

To the supreme court

Or the governor,

And only on the basis

Of new evidence.

You haven't got new evidence,

Just a theory.

Well, sir, a man's life

Depends on it--

Man:

Marshal earp!

Marshal earp!

Check front street.

You know who he is?

Yeah, he's the man

That told me about

Hanby and tremont.

White caps, huh?

Let me talk to

Dal royal this time.

Whoever he was

Got away.

Take him on over

To the coroner's office.

Come on,

Give me a hand.

And you're a fine

Southern boy.

Why would you

Shield these hoodlums

At the cost of your life?

He's afraid

They'll k*ll me.

They k*lled a man

Right outside

This jail.

Marshal earp

Will give you both

Police protection.

But unless you make

A signed statement

Admitting former membership

In the white caps

And naming your associates,

I can do nothing

For you.

Alice and I can't hide

Behind marshal earp

Forever.

The way it has to be,

She'll live.

I don't want to live.

( Sobbing )

The boys really

Wrung the town out.

No luck at all.

You going into

The harness maker's trade?

I've been working at this

Most of the night.

You're just about

Mr. Royal's size.

- Come over here

And try this on.

- What's the idea?

Well, I got this trick

From tom meyer.

He's an old-time

Circus strongman.

He used to let them

Hang him in front

Of an audience

To prove how strong

His neck muscles were.

Now, he wore

This harness

To take up the shock.

The rope around his neck

Looked like it was

Rigged to be tight,

But it really wasn't.

- Feel this hook in the back?

- A fake hanging, huh?

- That's right.

- Great! I was afraid

I wasn't going to be able

To go through

With that other thing.

We want

This hanging to look good,

But not too good.

We want the white caps,

Whoever they are,

To be suspicious,

And this will help

Smoke 'em out.

If royal and the girl

Do their part.

I'm not worried about

Them doing their part.

I'm worried about the judges.

Judge smith's at bucklin.

Judge tobin will take

Your word.

- That's the trouble.

- Huh?

If judge tobin asks me

Any questions point blank,

I couldn't lie to him.

- Well, I will.

- Oh, no, no lying.

Just have to hope

That the white caps

Move fast.

Now, take that off.

This is your last

Chance, mr. Royal.

Do you have anything

You want to say?

No, sir.

You still deny

You had anything to do

With the white caps,

And you refuse

To name them, huh?

Let's get it

Over with.

Sheriff masterson.

( Gallows rattles )

( Screams )

No! No, stop!

No!

( Sobbing )

Carry her over

To the office.

That's good.

You and your men

Stake out over

There someplace.

I'm going to go back

To the office and see

What's happening.

Judge smith was

In the crowd.

Why'd he come

All the way

From bucklin?

Well, pete albright

Was in the crowd, too.

There are

A lot of buzzards

Hanging around.

You keep an eye

On that.

Why doesn't he

Just let us make

A run for it?

Once we're back

At the ranch,

Papa and the boys

Will take care

Of things.

No, mr. Earp's

Handling it right.

But how long

Will you have to

Hide out down here?

Not too long,

He says.

Now, calm down,

Honey.

We're alive.

Why don't you tell him

Who the white cap

Leaders are?

Telling wouldn't do

A lick of good.

Mr. Earp has to prove it.

We have to trust him.

It's our only chance.

- Oh, judge tobin.

- Good evening, mr. Albright.

There's been

A lot of ugly talk

Around town.

- I thought you ought

To know about it.

- Talk?

Yeah, they're saying

That earp and masterson

Didn't really hang

That fellow.

- What?

- The talk is, they

Faked it somehow.

I'm not saying

I believe it.

Nonsense!

The man's buried.

Well, a lot of folks

Aren't satisfied.

They wouldn't let anyone view

The remains up close.

They hustled the body

Into the coffin

And sealed it--

Masterson's deputies.

- Are you making

A formal charge?

- Not me.

Judge smith is

Fixing to, I hear.

Judge smith of bucklin

Is in town?

Yeah, over

At the texas house.

- Maybe you ought to have

A little talk with him.

- No.

It's a lot

Of foolishness.

I'll clear this up

With marshal earp.

- Well--

- Silly gossip!

And I advise you

Not to repeat it.

In all my time

On the bench,

I never heard

Such a story, wyatt.

You and masterson are

In contempt of court.

You're guilty of

Malfeasance in office.

You asked me for

A stay of execution,

And when I properly

Refused, you defied me.

Now, where's

The prisoner?

( Sighs )

I'm sorry, sir.

You sneaked him away,

And you refuse--

All I need is

A little time--

An hour,

Maybe three.

Preposterous!

I ought to suspend

You from office,

Arrest you.

Do you know anything

About the white caps?

Of course I know

The white caps.

They're an ill*gal crowd

Of th*gs and murderers.

But the point is--

The point is,

You can't get evidence

On the white caps

By ordinary

Police work.

Sir, they hide

Behind masks.

If a member quits them,

Like mr. Royal did,

They either try

To ambush him or frame

Him into a hanging.

If a cowhand tries

To tell on them,

They sh**t him down

In front of this jail.

You got to smoke them

Out of hiding,

Catch them red-handed.

And you think

You can?

Yes, sir.

Just give me until midnight.

If mr. Masterson

And I don't have

Any evidence by then,

I'll surrender mr. Royal

And you can fire us

And all our deputies.

Sir, there are peace

Officers and judges

All over this country

That are risking

Their lives

Trying to get rid

Of the white caps.

Now, all I'm asking you

To do is to risk

A few hours.

Well...

( Dog barking

In the distance )

All right!

- ( Groans )

- Never saw him before.

- How about him?

- No, he's a stranger to me.

They're just

A couple of nobodies.

We'll take 'em to wyatt.

Maybe they'll talk.

What's all this?

They started

To open the grave,

And we jumped 'em.

They were wearing

These masks.

Nine minutes to : .

That's cutting it

Pretty fine.

- I don't suppose

They'll talk.

- Masterson: no, sir.

Well, let them rest

In jail a while.

I'll continue

The stay of execution.

- Thank you, sir.

- Judge smith may object,

So I'll have to wire

Chief justice morgan.

But no more

ill*gal procedures.

This will give you time

To crack the case.

Right, sir.

Brick, put them

On bread and water.

Maybe they will talk.

( Low murmuring )

Miss alice went back

To the hotel.

You're not going

To turn dal loose.

- He's still a prisoner,

And we promised the judge--

- You promised.

- I didn't say a word.

- Look--

You're in the clear.

Whatever happens next,

The judge can hang me.

Bring mr. Royal up

From the cellar.

- I want to have

A little talk with him.

- All right.

All right.

Now, this is

The shortest trail

Between dodge

And the hendricks ranch.

As soon as the white caps

Find out that we're

Moving you out,

They'll guess

That we're heading

Towards the home

Of your future

Father-in-law.

Maybe. Maybe

They'll set a nice

Little ambush, too.

Well, that's our

One hope, mr. Royal.

Hope?

You take a prisoner

Out of jail,

Let the white caps

Know we didn't hang him,

And then ride into an ambush.

While sheriff masterson

Trails the bushwhackers

With his deputies.

- It's up to you, mr. Royal.

I can't ask you to--

- I don't like it.

Something might go

Wrong with the timing, they'd

Have both of you in a box.

No, he's right,

Sheriff.

Are you tired

Of livin'?

I ain't livin'

This way.

Either they hang me

For sure,

Or turn me loose

For a white cap

Party later on.

Let me go by myself.

You ride with bat

And the deputies.

No. Then they'd

Suspect a trap.

Anyway, mr. Masterson

Promised judge tobin

To be strictly legal.

What you want

To do is legal?

Sure, it is.

I'm not turning

Him loose.

He'll still be

In my custody.

You and the boys

Be careful how you sh**t.

I want to take

That g*ng alive.

Jigger...

Jigger, come on

In here.

- I want you to do

Me a little--

- I thought he--

He's not a ghost.

We had to fake

The hanging.

He's still got

An awful lot

Of enemies,

So we're taking him

To old man hendricks's ranch.

We're leaving

Tomorrow morning

At sunup, and, uh...

I'd like for you

To pass the word.

Yes, sir, I'll

Sure tell 'em.

( No audible dialogue )

Come on.

Come on!

- Are we going to wait

Till they jump wyatt?

- No.

Wyatt's too tenderhearted

About k*lling.

Come on,

Let's get out.

All right, hold it!

Drop 'em!

No!

Well, wyatt,

They're dead.

- Did you have to k*ll 'em?

- I couldn't see

Any other way.

Judge smith,

Pete albright.

I don't like

Hanging people.

Better to drop 'em

In an open fight.

- Anyway, they

Fired at me first.

- You made it too easy.

I could have

Got 'em for you.

All right,

Let's load 'em

On the horses.

A couple of you men

Get off there

And help 'em.

Dal!

Oh, dal!

Uh, your honor,

Sheriff masterson

And his deputies

Had a little fight

With the white caps.

Unfortunately, two

Of them were k*lled.

I think the rest of them

Will turn state's evidence

And clear mr. Royal.

Well done, sheriff.

And where were you while

All this was going on?

Well, I'll tell

You, sir.

I took mr. Royal out

For some fresh air.

I felt it was absolutely

Necessary to keep up

His vigor and strength.

You were very thoughtful,

Mr. Earp, as always.

Well, thank you, sir.

I appreciate that.

Come on,

Let's get these

Prisoners in jail.

♪ 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 ♪

♪ Oh, 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 melody )