Original subtitles

Sleep!

Sleep.

Let your mind float in the waiting darkness

and sleep.

Sleep.

Let the blackness enfold you.

Let it wash over you,

engulf you in a great silent wave.

Let yourself sink into it.

Sink down, down

to the darkest depths and sleep.

Ladies and gentlemen, my wife is now in the hypnotic trance state.

The next few moments can be crucial.

I must ask your complete cooperation

lest great harm befall her.

Now please, ladies and gentlemen,

absolute silence.

Her spirit is struggling to free itself

from the confines of her body.

The moment of separation inflicts great pain.

If she were to be roused from her trance at this stage,

the pain would destroy her.

It's all right!

She's all right!

Look!

Observing ego has left her body

and is now moving, moving among you.

Elizabeth Jennings.

I am in contact with the thoughts of Elizabeth Jennings.

You are worried, Elizabeth.

You're worried about your son, Robert.

He's far away and you have not heard from him.

Where is Robert?

Can you seek him out?

Far away.

So far.

I see a letter.

He has written a letter.

It's traveling now.

Coming closer to Elizabeth.

It says he's thinking of her and that he is well.

He sends a picture of himself.

He wears a dark coat with brass buttons.

A uniform.

How could she know?

It's a miracle. It's a miracle!

Thank you very much ladies and gentlemen

and goodnight.

A miracle, a miracle!

That was a good show tonight.

They liked it.

They always do.

There's just one thing though.

Now, I'll keep on snooping around the towns and feeding you information

but I gotta stop steaming over that Wells Fargo mail.

If I ever got caught...

Charlie, we're through with the petty life.

We're just about ready to start cultivating

our own money tree.

You mean?

You know my wife and I have been asked to perform

at the Wells Fargo celebration in Gloribee.

Sure, big 15th anniversary of Wells Fargo offices

all over the country are giving parties.

What do you got in mind?

A man named Denning

and let's say $10,000

and the neatest little swindle Gloribee has ever seen.

I keep wondering if I should've let her know I was here.

I hope she won't mind being surprised.

I'm betting she'll be just as happy to see you

as you are to see her.

Now, you're right on time, Charlie.

Well, that's the way we like it, Jim.

- Mrs. Reardon. - Yes.

Well, I'm Jim Hardie, special agent for Wells Fargo.

Oh, good. It's the man who invited us.

I was delighted to accept.

Thank you.

Actually, it was the young lady's suggestion over there.

Tina!

Oh, Ruthie you look wonderful.

Are you surprised to see me?

Oh, I can't believe it's you!

You haven't changed a bit.

Arthur, this is Tina. I've told you about her.

We went to school together.

Yes, of course.

How do you do?

Well, you're even more beautiful than Ruth described you.

Thank you.

Excuse me, dear. I'll see to the stage.

My, he is charming, isn't he?

Well, I think so.

Tina, I can't believe you're here.

I'm living with my mother

in a place not far from town

and we'd love to have you and your husband

come stay with us while you're here.

My sister's going to be away for several days

and you can use her room.

Now, I won't take no for an answer.

Well, I'm sure we'd love it.

Jebediah Gaine,

this is Mr. Reardon and Mrs. Reardon.

- Glad to know you. - How are you?

How'd you do?

Your wagons arrived this morning.

They're right across the street.

Now I've picked a location

down around the corner there so you can put up your tent.

Why don't you go show him where it is, Jeb?

Thank you.

Be right back here.

Can I talk to you a minute, Jim?

Sure, go ahead.

I wonder if you could scare up

a relief driver for, say, oh maybe a month?

A month?

You just had your vacation, Charlie.

Now look Jim, I'm onto something big.

You know the old Denning mine out south of town?

Yes.

Played out about two years ago.

That's what everybody thinks but I know better.

Now I'm going out there and I'll bet you dollars to donuts

that in a week I'll strike it big...

Charlie.

You're due to retire at the end of this year.

Company's gonna pay you a nice pension

that you should be able to live on

rather nicely for a long time.

If you go running off on a wild goose chase like this,

you're liable to lose your job and your pension.

Well if I hit it big enough,

I won't need the pension.

And if you're bound and determined

you're gonna try it,

I might be able to get you a day or two off,

maybe even three.

No longer.

All right. I'll just have to hit it quick.

Thank you, Jim.

Hello Jim Hardie!

Hi Paul.

Mary-Sue.

Sure am looking forward to this.

Oh, me too.

This is the most exciting thing

that's happened to Wells Fargo

in a long time! I just can't wait.

Well, glad you could come.

Have a nice time.

Rather a colorful character.

That's Mr. Paul Denning.

He's one of the nicest rich men I've ever known.

Oh, that's Paul Denning.

Yeah.

Well, I better get backstage.

We'll be starting soon.

- Good luck. - Thank you.

Yes, yes Ruth.

Mary Denning.

I am in contact with the thoughts of Mary Denning.

Look!

Mary Denning, you are concerned.

You've sent for a dress.

A dress to wear at the wedding of your friend.

Well, that's right, honey!

That's right!

Where is the dress, Ruth?

Can you find it for us?

It's far away.

So far.

I see a package wrapped in green paper.

Green paper!

It's traveling.

Coming closer to Mary.

It will arrive in two days.

What do you know? And me so worried.

Thank you very much ladies and gentlemen.

I'm sure you join with us in thanking Wells Fargo

for making our visit with you tonight possible.

Thank you.

We're gonna clean the chairs out of here now

and we'd like to have all of you stay

and meet the Reardons in person

and join us for a little refreshment.

Thank you.

Night.

- Goodnight. - Goodnight Mrs. Denning.

Reardon, a good show.

I sure wish I knew how your wife knew all that stuff

about Mary-Sue's dress.

I just never heard anything like it.

Why, I ordered that dress from Goudie's in St. Louis

and of course they always wrap them in blue paper

but she was close.

Well now, if I told you how she did it,

you wouldn't believe me anyway, would you?

Well, I don't know.

A trick like that could come in mighty handy.

A fellow might forget it's impossible

if it works all the time.

- Goodnight. - Goodnight.

- Goodnight. - Goodnight.

- Thank you. - Goodnight.

I just hate taking home dirty dishes

but it's easier washing them there.

Jeb, will you take this out to the wagon?

Mm-hmm.

Come on, you had enough of that.

Come on.

You've been awfully quiet this evening, Tina.

Didn't you like the act?

I thought it was very interesting.

But you didn't like it?

I don't know.

It wasn't what I thought it was going to be.

I think it scared me a little.

Oh now, it's really not that spooky.

I don't mean that. I mean what it does to you.

You mean all that business about danger and terrible pain?

Oh no, I realize that's just stage dressing but...

But what?

You've changed, Ruth.

You're not the same girl I went to school with.

Of course I'm not.

I'm older now, I'm married.

And you used to be the most honest person I knew.

Oh... I see. And now I'm a fake, is that it?

Oh Ruth, that's a little strong.

Does he really hypnotize you?

Well I'm afraid that's a professional secret.

But even if he didn't, is it really so terrible?

There's a little charlatan in all of us, you know.

And if we pretend a little and fool people,

why, as long as it entertains them,

does it really matter?

Nobody's getting hurt.

I'm not so sure about that.

I think maybe somehow you're the one who's being hurt.

Hi Jim.

How are you, Sheriff?

Kind of unusual seeing you in town on a Sunday afternoon.

All these celebrations have got me

a little behind on my bookwork.

Thought I'd come in and catch up a little bit.

Yeah, I meant to tell you

I sure enjoyed that show last night.

Thank you, I did too.

It was different, wasn't it?

Good to see Wells Fargo ain't so straight-laced

they can't try something new once in a while.

I'll let you go on in and get to your work.

Hey, hey Charlie. What's the matter with you?

You drunk or something?

No, sir. I'm not drunk yet but I'm sure gonna be.

What's the matter? Now take it easy.

I think you've had too much sun.

Oh, is that right?

Well what do you think this looks like, huh?

Oh, now ain't this the prettiest fistful of sunshine

you ever did see, huh?

Oh, look at the color of it.

That's the richest ore I ever saw.

Where'd you get that, Charlie?

Oh, no, no. I ain't giving away the richest strike since '49.

Not in your tintype.

Now come on everybody. I'm gonna buy the saloon.

Everybody gets drunk on Charlie.

Looks like Charlie's discovered the secret of popularity.

All you have to do is strike it rich.

Yeah.

Yeah and came pretty easy too.

Charlie this a very good sample

but doesn't mean that the vein is...

Oh no, no, Mr. Denning.

I got a whole bag full, believe me.

I'll show it to you when the right time comes.

All right.

But 30% of the operation profits, that's my offer.

Now this is my mine, I own it,

and I'm willing to pay for you to relocate that vein

but I'm not gonna be held up.

Honest Mr. Denning, I don't wanna hold you up.

It's just that Mrs. Reardon told me

where to look for that vein

and since I found it right where she said,

I gotta ask her what to do next.

You believe all that Mrs. Reardon told you?

Gold was there, wasn't it?

And you said you spent thousands

looking for it yourself and never found a thing.

All right, Charlie.

30%, that's my top offer.

- Morning, Jim. - Hey Jim, come on over.

Let me buy you a drink. I'm buying for everybody.

I'll pass a drink for right now but I would like to talk to you.

Sure, sure thing. What's on your mind?

Your sudden talent for finding gold.

What's it all about?

Well I just started poking around

in a section of Denning's mine

and there she was, big as light.

Just like that, huh?

Guess you might find it real luck.

Or a miracle.

Denning poked around in that mine for months.

Couldn't find the lost vein.

But you, not even a miner,

walk right in, walk right up to it.

Oh now Jim, I know it's kinda hard to believe but...

You're right, Charlie.

It is hard to believe.

It ain't that you're not good company.

It's just that you're all a bunch of drunks.

Oh, now hold it.

I'm not buying no more drinks for nobody.

I wanna talk to you, Charlie.

Well I don't wanna talk to you.

Now I'm gonna give you one more chance

to tell me, Charlie.

Let's go over to town hall.

Tina oughta be about ready to go home.

It's Charlie!

Looks like he bought drinks for the wrong people.

Let's get him over to the Sheriff's office.

All right, Charlie.

I guess you're gonna live.

The Lord sure must love a man with a big mouth.

You got any idea who it was?

Yep. Ed Garrett.

He was at me and at me all afternoon

trying to get me to tell him where I found my gold.

I guess he just got a little impatient.

Well if he'd have gotten any more impatient,

he'd have beat you to death.

You didn't tell him anything, did you Charlie?

About where the gold is and all?

What do you think?

Well, I guess I'll go out and pick up Garrett.

Doubt if he's still in town.

I know but I still gotta try.

Maybe you should lock Charlie here up until morning

just in case anyone takes the notion

to pick up where Garrett left off.

Lock me up? Oh, come on now, I don't wanna spend the night in jail.

Now look here, I don't have to spend the night

- in jail do I? - All right. Come on.

I'll walk you over to your shack

to see you get there in one piece.

See you later, fellas.

I don't think Charlie would want me

to buy him a drink tonight.

No, I don't think he would.

Well, can I buy you a beer?

Don't you think we oughta pick up Tina

and see that she gets home all right?

Oh, by golly, I plum forgot.

Let's go.

Go away and let me sleep!

Charlie, it's Reardon. Let me in.

I'm glad you came.

I've got some things I wanna talk to you about.

Is this the way you live?

Place is not fit for rats.

It does me fine. A man like me don't need much.

The only time I get trouble

is when I let somebody tell me I need more than I got.

What does that mean?

I got hauled into an alley

and beat up pretty good tonight

playing that silly gold mine game of yours.

I don't know why I let you talk me into it.

Don't you?

What do you figure to get out of it anyhow?

I told you.

Money.

Who from?

Denning may be too smart to be took in by a salted mine.

And there's something else you better start thinking about.

Denning's a nice guy but he can get pretty tough if you cross him.

You sure are fixing to cross him.

Denning will be no problem.

He better not be for his own sake.

Well what about your wife?

If she finds out you're aiming to swindle Denning,

she's liable to kick the whole thing to blazes.

My wife will cooperate.

If she doesn't,

well, I was thinking a change of partners

might be good for the act.

Nobody is going to interfere, my friend.

If anybody tries, even my wife,

they'll find themselves in very grave danger.

The whole thing's crazy.

You know, if you ask me, the only way you're gonna make any money out of this

is somebody beats my head in

trying to figure out where I struck gold

and then you can take up a collection for my funeral.

You talk about quite a lot of things,

don't you, Charlie?

What did you say tonight?

Did you tell them where the gold really came from?

Of course not.

I did just like you told me.

Where's the gold ore you brought into town?

Sure.

I figured you'd want that back.

There it is.

Now when do I get some money?

I ran up a big bill at the saloon tonight.

Who pays for that?

What did you say?

Maybe they'll take up a collection?

What?

I'm sorry it has to end this way.

You've been very useful to me in the past.

But regrettably, now I'm afraid

you're more useful dead than alive.

- Well, hi, Jim. - Hal.

I came as soon as I heard about it.

Yeah, Charlie should've listened to you last night.

Turned out he wound up in jail after all.

Any idea what happened?

Well, his gold was gone.

Unless he hid it around the cabin somewhere.

I didn't look real good.

Nobody heard or saw a thing.

Must have happened real late last night.

Does it look like they'd worked him over any more?

Well, not so's you could notice it.

I had that same thought though.

Maybe Garrett hung around town after all.

He's gone now, of course.

Any idea of where he went?

Yeah, Garrett was real friendly

with the bartender over at the saloon.

He told me he's gonna be up around Pine Flats for a while.

Pine Flats.

They got a telegraph up there?

No, but I've got a pretty good idea

where Garrett is.

There's a little gypsy camp just outside the town there.

Garrett was chasing around with one of the girls.

It's outside of my jurisdiction but,

well I've gotta get word to the law up there.

Never mind.

I'll take care of it myself.

You can do me a favor though, if you would.

Get a hold of Jeb and Ovie.

Tell them I'll be back in two or three days.

Good day.

Yee-haw!

Yee-haw!

Come on, honey!

Yee-haw!

Come on, yeah!

Woo!

Come on, baby.

Yee-haw!

Yeah, cone on honey, come on!

Woo-hoo!

Yee-haw!

Yee-haw!

Yee-haw!

Come on, honey, yeah!

Oh no. No, no.

- Well, what do you want? - Let go.

You act like a man with a guilty conscience.

Where's the gold?

Gold?

You think I'd be drinking this gypsy wine

if I had some gold to spend?

All right, let's go.

Where?

Back to Gloribee.

For slapping around an old man?

That old man's dead.

He's dead?

He couldn't be dead. I didn't hit him that hard.

What time did you leave Gloribee last night?

What time?

Well, I don't know. It seems like I just kept running.

It's about a 10 hour ride from Gloribee to here.

What time did he show up in this camp?

Soon after daybreak this morning.

First I think your coming is a good thing.

Now, you kill him.

No matter how unfriendly you are right now,

you just gave me an alibi.

Get your stuff together and we'll go on back to Gloribee.

On the way, we're gonna stop by Charlie's shack.

Right now I might be a little bit convinced

that you didn't kill him.

But when we get to the shack, if I see anything in there

that even halfway smells like you,

you're gonna be better off if you'd have never stopped running.

Come in, Mr. Denning. I saw you drive up.

Mrs. Ovie here?

No, she isn't but would you care to wait?

Oh, to tell you the truth, Mr. Reardon,

I came here to see you and your wife.

Ruth's away too but if I can help you.

Well, you remember that show that you put on,

and the fact that your wife mentioned a dress

that my Mary-Sue had sent away for?

Oh, yes, yes.

She predicted it was going to arrive...

Today.

Which it did.

And it came wrapped in green paper.

Exactly what your wife said.

How does she do it, Reardon?

Well, if I could tell you that,

I'd be a much wiser man than I am.

I don't understand how Ruth can perform these things.

All I know is that she can perform them

and in some small way,

my abilities help to bring her power

to full realization.

I won't pretend to put a lot of stock

in this sort of stuff but, well,

Mary-Sue has been into San Francisco a few times

and she did go to a table thumper there.

Now he claims that he got a message from her dead brother.

Before you say another word,

Ruth is no spiritualistic medium.

I'm afraid I have very little patience

with the so-called practitioners of the art.

Most of them are outright fakes.

But you and your wife,

you aren't fakes?

You saw us. You heard her.

How could she, a stranger to this town,

know so much about the people who live here

unless she actually read their minds?

I don't know.

However, mind reading isn't

what I'm interested in right now.

Then what?

Well, you know about that man in town,

the man that found the gold?

Yes, I heard he was killed. It's terrible.

And unless his murderer found out

the secret before he killed him,

that vein of gold is lost again,

maybe for good this time.

Now Reardon, that was my mine

that he was working in and I'll bet you

I've dug 10 miles of tunnel

trying to relocate that vein myself.

Would you care to sit down?

Thank you.

I didn't realize you had such a personal interest.

Oh, that's just what I have got.

A real personal interest.

Charlie told me that your wife

put him on to where to look for that vein.

Now like I said, I take this all with a pinch of salt.

But if she did what he claims she did,

I don't care how she does it.

Reardon, if she can make that mine start paying again,

I'll make it worth your while

and that's a promise.

I'm sure you don't realize what you're asking.

The difficulties.

Well, but she found it once before.

It oughta be easier this time.

Not at all.

Observing ego has no memory.

Ruth found that body of ore by sheer accident.

Charlie paid for a private seance.

When I realized where his thoughts

were to directing her observing ego,

I tell you I was furious.

I was terrified for her safety.

Well, what's this got to do with her safety?

A great deal.

You recall our performance last Saturday evening?

Yes.

Most of Ruth's revelations

concern the simple thoughts and fears

of the people right in the audience.

Only once did I ask her to project

her observing ego beyond that audience

and that was when she was searching

for your wife's package.

Yes, that's right.

Mr. Denning, the searching process

is the most taxing, hazardous demonstration of Ruth's power.

To seek out a letter or a parcel,

her observing ego can follow along

the man-made landmarks, the telegraph poles,

the roads, the normal commercial routes.

But to look into the bowels of the earth.

All right.

How much?

$10,000.

You know, if this is on the level,

that's dirt cheap.

But if this isn't on the level,

let me tell you this Reardon,

I may look soft with a little too much money,

but I've been a hard rock miner all my life.

I'd be hard man to fool.

Now this seance, is that what you call it?

I figure we'll do that right down inside the mine.

That way I'll be able to see what I'm paying for

and your wife won't have such a long haul

pulling herself back together.

Inside the mine?

That's perfectly agreeable.

I was gonna suggest it myself.

Shall we say midnight?

Her observing ego functions best after dark.

Suit yourself.

I'll be waiting outside the mine.

Oh, Mr. Denning.

Bring the money.

Sure.

The money on delivery

and a .45 just to keep the game honest.

I was hoping you'd come to bed earlier tonight.

I don't think you've been getting enough rest lately.

Oh?

Why do you say that?

You seem tired and tense.

You didn't come to bed until all hours last night.

I didn't realize you were awake.

Well, I wasn't really.

Just for a few minutes.

Must have been nearly 3:00.

I fell asleep over my book by the fire.

Yes, yes, I am tired.

I'm tired of waiting for the world to discover us.

Tired of small success, small towns, small people.

I've never heard you talk this way before.

A man begins to wonder, Ruth,

when he gets closer to the end than he is to the beginning,

whether he hasn't missed something on the way.

You're happy in what you're doing, aren't you?

Ruth, think what it would mean

if we could take our act

to the largest cities in the world

instead of a tent, 50 or 60 people in the audience.

A real theater.

Hundreds of people watching.

How could we ever have an act like that?

Mr. Denning was here today. You remember him?

Yes.

It appears he needs help

to try and locate something quite valuable.

A vein of gold-bearing ore in an abandoned mine.

And he wants us to find it?

He wants you to find it.

But how?

It's impossible, you know it is.

Perhaps not.

You remember that Wells Fargo stage driver, Charlie?

Yes. I heard he'd been killed.

Unfortunately, yes.

But in a way, it was a stroke of good luck for us.

An act of providence.

I talked to that man before he died.

From what he told me,

I think we can find what Denning wants

or at least take him close enough

so he can find it himself.

And if we don't?

Well if we don't, there's no harm done.

He's not going to advertise the fact

that he hired us to find gold.

He'd be laughed out of town.

But if we do find it or help him find it,

we'll be famous, Ruth.

The greatest hypnotist act in the world.

Arthur, are you sure that's all

you expect to get out of it?

Of course.

What else could we want?

Not money?

You wouldn't take any money from Mr. Denning?

Ruth, have I ever asked you

to do anything really dishonest?

And I'm not talking about the pleasant little fraud of our act,

anything really dishonest?

No.

Of course not.

And I never will.

Ruth, believe in me.

Together we can do anything.

Please.

Trust me.

Well, brought him back for the skinning, huh?

I brought him back.

All we're gonna be able to hold him for is assault.

I don't think he's the one that killed Charlie.

Now what's all this?

I found those in some old clothes

hidden out in Charlie's shack.

Read 'em.

Evie Pritchard, got bad back, also Mariful.

Sam Binky.

Kid brother in jail in Sacramento.

That's gossip about the people in the towns

along Charlie's route.

See if this one sounds familiar to you.

Mary Denning.

Dress arriving in green box.

Stage delayed until Monday.

Well that's the stuff that mind reader uses.

Charlie's been working with the Reardons.

Probably working for them.

Matter of fact, he might have even died for them.

You lock him up.

I'm coming.

Just a minute.

Jim, come on in.

Are the Reardons home?

No, they went to see Mr. Denning.

They say what about?

Well they didn't tell me anything

but Mrs. Denning came by to visit

with Mother a little while ago

and she said that Mr. Denning

had gone to meet the Reardons at the mine

and he was carrying a large sum of money.

Is anything wrong, Jim?

I'm not sure, Tina.

The Reardons may be a part of a swindle

that involves murder.

Oh no.

See you later, Tina.

This looks like the place you described, dear.

Well?

Yes.

Yes, this is it.

We'll start here.

I'll put her in a trance state.

Look Reardon, if it's all the same to you,

let's skip the trappings, huh?

Now you were obviously there

when she told the old stage driver where the gold was.

You've been leading the way ever since we got here.

Now just tell me where to dig, I'll dig.

No offense, ma'am, but why waste time?

Very well, Mr. Denning.

Gold is gold after all, isn't it?

No matter how you come by it.

Just so we do come by it.

Then I suggest you start there.

Like somebody's already been working in here.

I told you I wasn't going to be easy to fool, Reardon.

This rock is the wrong kind of ore for this section of the mine.

Doesn't even come close to what this shaft was drilled through.

And I'm not gonna pay $10,000 for a salted mine.

10,000.

I'm afraid you're going to have to pay, Denning.

I've gone too far to let it stop here.

It won't take much to bring down this whole rotting section.

Knock away a few supports.

Lots of accidents happen in mines.

You saw, he was reaching for his gun.

I had to hit him.

And the other man?

The stage driver.

You killed him, didn't you?

That's what you meant when you said you were going too far.

All right.

But it was for us, Ruth.

Understand? For us.

No matter what you say, you're in this with me.

I'd rather go to jail.

I'd rather see us both in jail.

No, Ruth.

I won't go to jail.

You won't either.

Arthur, there was once something wonderful between us.

It's over, Ruth.

Arthur, remember the day we were married?

Remember how hard it rained and you wore your new white spats

and had holes in your shoes

and we were afraid you'd have

pneumonia on our honeymoon. Remember, Arthur?

In Omaha... we played our first debut in Omaha

and I'd forgot all the lines you taught me

and I ruined our debut.

I was sure you'd never speak to me again

but you just held me in your arms and, remember?

You just held me in your arms

and you said it wasn't important

because you said that our debut was only an act

while I was real.

Enough!

It's too late!

Mrs. Reardon. What's going on in there?

Oh, Mr. Hardie.

It's my husband.

He's hurt Mr. Denning and he's trying to kill me.

Ruth!

You go on and get out of here.

Reardon, don't shoot anymore

or this whole tunnel's gonna come in on top of us.

Mrs. Reardon, stop.

Your husband ducked into one of the other tunnels

that collapsed completely.

I'm sorry.

We could've been so happy.

We had everything we needed.

Why wasn't it enough?

What will you do, Ruth?

Have you thought about it?

A little.

Maybe someday I'll go back to school.

Finish learning to be a teacher.

- That's what I'd really like. - Will you write to us?

Maybe after a while.

Somehow I think I'll always hate this place.

You've been very kind though.

We've got you cleared through to St. Louis, Mrs. Reardon.

I don't think you'll have any trouble.

Thank you.

Both of you.

Goodbye.

Goodbye.

Pull up, now.