01x09 - The Ghost of Jean Battoo

[bunniefuu]

[knife thudding] ♪ Jim Bowie, Jim Bowie

♪ He was a bold adventurin' 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 adventurin' man ♪

[dramatic vocal music]

[g*n clicking]

- Hiya, Jim.

- Howdy, Sheriff.

What brings you down here?

- You.

Came down to warn you.

- Oh, what about?

- Curly Lambert, this fella here who used to run this place.

We turned him loose a couple of days ago and.

- Why'd you do that?

- Well 'cause he served his time.

Anyway, all the while he was in the calaboose

he kept making threats against you.

Said you closed him up and ran him

out of town and he's gonna get you for it.

- [Jim] Curly said that, did he?

- [Sheriff] He's a bad man, Jim.

- Well, I got something more important on my mind,

my sugarcane crop.

All the field hands are missing.

- Curly Lambert's important too.

- I appreciate you coming down here.

Real decent of you.

- Well I thought you oughta know.

I'll be getting along.

Gotta serve a paper down the line.

[dramatic vocal music]

- That's that sheriff.

Why don't he mind his own business?

I had Bowie dead in my sights until he rode up.

- That's where I want him, dead in my sights.

But I don't want no sheriffs k*lled.

We'll get him some way.

I'm gonna open up this place again, Red,

and Jim Bowie ain't gonna stop me.

[knocking]

- Oh.

Madame Lundi, I wanted to speak to Louis.

- Louis is sick, Monsieur Bowie.

- Then he'll need a doctor, let me see him.

- Oh, no!

Oh, no, no, no, he can see no one!

Go away, he's sick.

- Sick?

Hello, Louis.

What's the matter?

Look, if I don't get my sugarcane cut,

you won't have enough money to buy food,

and neither will I.

What's the matter with you, man?

You're scared.

What are you scared of?

What's wrong with him?

- The ghost.

- Ghost, what ghost?

- The ghost of Jean Battoo!

- [laughs] Have you seen the ghost?

- No.

- Of course you haven't.

Louis.

You're one of my best men.

Give you a knife and you'd fight a bear.

Some story about a ghost that doesn't exist

and ya hide in bed like a baby.

- He does exist.

- Yeah?

What makes you think so?

- I saw him.

- You saw Jean Battoo, the pirate, the buccaneer?

How could you see him, he's been dead about 20 years?

- I saw him.

- Where?

Now come on, man, tell me!

You know if my sugarcane's not cut it'll rot in the fields!

Now tell me where you saw him?

- By the bayou.

- When?

- Night before last.

Oh, he's a big man, Monsieur.

He has a ring in his ear

with the big boots and a pirate hat,

and on his belt he has two pistols with a big sword.

Oh, I saw him.

- Well, anyone else see him?

- Sean, Pierre, Batiste,

they see him.

- So that's why no one's come to work.

What's that you got there?

What is it?

It's an amulet, charm, isn't it?

To protect you from the ghost, I suppose.

Where'd you get it?

Now listen to me, both of you.

There's no such thing as a ghost,

and even if there was, this wouldn't protect you.

- You mustn't talk like that, Monsieur.

- Who told you all this rot?

- Ask Pierre.

Go to him.

Ask him why he is not in the field!

- My foreman?

- Yes, your foreman.

Tell him if he dares to go back to work, the others will!

- Who started this story?

Come on tell me, it just didn't come out of thin air,

somebody started it.

You tell me who started it, and I'll prove it's a lie.

You there.

Wait a minute!

So you're the ones been scaring all my field hands

with stories of Jean Battoo

just so as you could sell some fake charms!

- They keep away the evil spirits!

- I remember you.

You're the widow Tante and you're her son.

My father ran you two out of town more than 10 years ago.

Now get out and stay out.

Leave the folks here alone!

- That's mine, you can't take it!

Raimo!

Teach him a lesson, Raimo!

Teach him a lesson, Raimo!

Hit him, Raimo!

Kick him, Raimo, kick him!

- [Sheriff] Hey, stop this!

- You leave him alone!

- Stop it, I said!

What's this all about, Jim?

- Well, the widow Tante and Raimo here

have been spreading crazy stories about a ghost.

- A ghost?

- Yeah, the ghost of Jean Battoo.

They've been scaring all my field hands,

then selling them amulets for protection.

They even got my foreman frightened.

- We haven't broken any law!

- You sure have.

- What law?

- Well, uh, scaring people, selling fake charms,

that's against the law, isn't it, Sheriff?

- Well I don't know if there's

any law against it exactly, but.

- Well who's gonna cut my cane exactly with them around?

- They ain't gonna be around, law or no law.

Now you take your boy and get back

to the bayous where you belong.

Caused enough trouble as it is.

- You hurt me.

You saw him.

I'm gonna get even.

I'm gonna k*ll you!

- Yeah, some other time, smiley.

- No, Raimo, we'll leave him to the ghost of Jean Battoo!

- Get 'em in here.

- Get who in here?

- That old crone and her son.

The one that just fought with Bowie, get 'em in here.

- What if they don't wanna come in here?

- Get 'em in here!

- Alright, Curly.

[g*nsh*t firing]

[dramatic vocal music]

[Pierre shouting]

- Pierre, what's the matter with you?

Have you gone crazy?

- Monsieur Bowie.

It is you.

- Well who did you think it was, Jean Battoo?

- That is why I sh**t at you.

- What made you think he was coming?

- A note was here, it was pinned to my door.

- You and your friends must put $100 in big oak tree,

or two days from now I come at midnight to k*ll you.

Jean Battoo.

- That is tonight, Monsieur.

- Did you show this to the others, to the Lundis?

- They were here when I found it.

- So that's how it all started.

- What shall we do, Monsieur Bowie?

We cannot raise $100.

- You don't have to raise it.

Who ever heard of a ghost needing money?

What would a ghost buy with money, corn pone and grits?

Pierre, look you must believe me, no ghost wrote this.

Look, it was written by someone trying

to make an easy hundred dollars.

- No, no, no, it is signed, look!

- Well anyone could sign a name.

Jean Battoo wouldn't object, he's been dead for 20 years.

Now, come on, back to work, huh?

Come on! - No.

No, unless the money is paid,

Jean Battoo will be here tonight.

We must put the money in the hole in the big oak.

Monsieur, lend us the money, please!

- Hmm.

So if you don't put the money in the oak tree,

the ghost is coming here, huh?

- Yes, at midnight.

- Good.

- [mumbles] Why would you leave me alone?

- No, I'll be back before midnight.

When the ghost of Jean Battoo shows up

I'd kinda like to meet him.

And, Pierre, don't put any money in the oak tree, huh?

- Here they are, Curly.

I found 'em sneakin' around

outside of Pierre Jobert's place.

- Sit down.

- He said you'd give us money.

- Go ahead, sit down.

- Come on, sit down.

- Who's this Pierre Jobert?

- He's Jim Bowie's foreman.

- Oh.

Up to your old tricks again, ain't you?

- We haven't done anything.

- Oh, no, you're just doing the same thing

you did in Lake Heron about six or seven years ago,

only there you got caught.

- I just sold some charms, we gotta make a living.

- Oh you did more than sell charms.

You got $100 out of somebody,

and they ran you out of the parish.

Now who did you send a note to this time?

That's what I thought.

This old witch is clever.

What was the name of Bowie's foreman?

- Jobert, Pierre Jobert.

- That's it, Pierre.

You sent the note to Pierre,

and you told him if he didn't

come up with $100 you'd have

the ghost after him, now didn't ya?

When?

- None of your business!

- When?

Tonight, tomorrow night, when?

You better tell me!

- Tonight at midnight.

It's not your $100!

- That's right.

It ain't costing me anything.

I just thought it was a good idea.

Give 'em a drink, Red.

Now get outta here, both of you!

- Give me my stuff!

- That's mine!

- Here, I'll buy it from you.

Now get out!

Or maybe you want me to take it out

and show it to the Cajuns in the village.

Open the door, Red.

- Go on, get out!

- Now we're getting somewhere.

- What are you talking about, Curly?

- Sit down, Red.

We want to get Bowie, don't we?

- Well sure we do, but how and where?

- Well Bowie went to see Pierre,

and Pierre showed him the note.

The note said if you don't come up with $100

a ghost will come and get you, right?

- How do you know Pierre showed Jim Bowie that note?

- Well Pierre hasn't got $100 has he?

- No.

- Well then he has to ask Bowie

to put it up for him, don't he?

- Yeah, I guess so.

- Now if you were Bowie, what would you do?

Would you give it to him?

- $100? [laughs]

Not very likely.

I'd be more apt to tell him that there weren't no ghosts.

- What then?

- I guess I'd tell him that I'd be there with him

at midnight when the ghost came.

- [laughs] You're not as thick-headed

as I thought you were, Red.

Yeah, Bowie 'll be there,

the ghost of Jean Battoo will be there, and I'll be there.

Who ever heard of a ghost being accused of m*rder?

I told you I'd get even with Bowie, didn't I?

- I beg of you, give me the money to put in the oak.

- Why, if the ghost doesn't find the money by midnight,

he's coming here, isn't that right?

- Yes, yes, that is the point!

I do not want Jean Battoo to come here.

I do not wish to die.

- But if he doesn't come here,

how are we gonna find out who's been

writing those notes and frightening people, hmm?

Now don't you worry, Pierre,

everything's gonna be all right.

You try and calm yourself.

You're not gonna die.

Here, you want to borrow one of these?

- No, [stammers] thank you.

[eerie vocal music] [clock ticking]

[clock dinging]

[eerie vocal music]

- It's past midnight.

He's not coming with the money.

Bowie has talked him out of it.

- I do not like that man Bowie.

- Come, it will be worth something to see him k*lled.

And after that the Cajuns will pay.

- Listen to me, all you Cajuns!

No man faces Jean Battoo in this world

and lives to tell of it!

[eerie vocal music]

Hello!

Hello, Pierre!

This is Jean Battoo.

- Jean Battoo, look, look!

- You did not leave the money, Pierre!

[g*nshots firing]

[Curly grunting]

[horse galloping]

[knife thudding]

- Come on, Pierre, you're coming with me.

- The ghost, Monsieur, he wounded you.

- That was no ghost.

It was a pretty solid flesh and blood man.

Didn't you hear him scream when he got hit?

Now come on.

- No, no, no, I'm not leaving here.

- You're coming if I have to drag you.

- But where is the ghost of Jean Battoo?

- He's on a pretty solid horse heading for Opelousas,

and that's just where we're going, come on.

[horse galloping] [gentle vocal music]

[knocking]

- Who is it?

- Curly.

- [Red] Just a minute.

- You gotta get rid of these clothes.

- What happened?

What happened to Bowie?

- He's dead.

- Did you k*ll him?

- The ghost of Jean Battoo k*lled him.

Tomorrow we take the boards off these doors

and open up this place again.

Get me some water and a rag.

- Well, he rode into town, but he didn't ride out.

He must be in some of these buildings.

- But which one, Monsieur?

- Yeah, you ride up and down

the street and attract attention.

I'll look in the sheds.

[horse galloping]

- Curly. - Yeah?

- Somebody just rode into town.

- Nobody knows we're here,

so they must be looking for the ghost of Jean Battoo.

Go in the other room, stand by the window,

and watch the street.

If anybody does come in, we'll get 'em in a crossfire.

[dramatic vocal music]

[patting]

- Well now look at this.

[knife thudding]

[metal clanking]

Real obliging of you, Curly, to keep those clothes on.

[chair crashing]

[g*nsh*t firing]

[sword thudding] [grunting]

[clattering]

[knives clanging] [grunting]

Alright, pirate, drop your cutlass.

Go on!

Outside.

I want the folks to meet you.

[door clattering]

Pierre, tell everybody to come

and meet the ghost of Jean Battoo.

- Louis, Mrs. Lundi, come quickly, we found the ghost!

This is him right there!

Come quick!

Madame Cooly, come quick.

- Come here, everybody.

- Francois, Rene, come!

- There's no ghost.

There's only this man who wanted to k*ll me

so he could open up his gambling hall again.

- Now wait a minute, it wasn't my idea.

- No, then whose was it?

- It was the widow Tante's.

These are her sons clothes.

He carried 'em around in that big sack of his.

He was the ghost all the time, not me.

- That doesn't matter.

You were the ghost tonight.

Now that you all know the truth,

I want you men to be in the field early tomorrow,

we got cane to cut!

[men chattering]

[gentle vocal music]

- We got them, we got them, look.

Look, we find them in the bayou.

[people chattering]

- Yeah, what shall we do with them?

- Well, I guess lock 'em up with Curly

till the sheriff gets here.

- Good!

To the lockup, go!

[people chattering]

- Now, Louis.

I thought you were convinced that ghosts don't exist?

- Oh, but, Monsieur, I am convinced.

But what if the ghost, she is not convinced?

- Oh, yeah.

[gentle vocal music]

Oh, Pete, at least you don't believe in ghosts do you, huh?

[Pete neighing]

Oh, you do?

♪ Jim Bowie, Jim Bowie

♪ He was a fighter, a fearless and mighty adventurin' man ♪