Original subtitles

Bat, v/o: there's a reason they Called it the wild west.

[warning gunshot]

Bill: this is open range...

You put up more fence, We'll keep cutting it down.

- those cutters broke the law. - I'm working on it.

Mabel day: no, you're working For the enemy.

Bill harris: If they want a war...

Ira aten: The law will sort them out.

Bill harris: ...Then dang it We'll give 'em a war!

[men cheering]

[gunshot]

[train whistle]

Bat, v/o: I was just a young Man when I first headed west.

In the years that followed, I became

A cowboy... A gunslinger...

And even served as sheriff of Dodge city,

One of the most lawless towns In the country.

My name is bat masterson.

Now I'm a reporter and I've come West again to chronicle

The world that I know best...

The american west.

The lure of gold, land, Destiny flooded the frontier

With men both good and bad.

These are the incredible True tales of the wild west.

The promise of the west

Was the open range.

Land enough for any man to make A living raising cattle.

That all changed with the coming Of the big ranchers,

And the invention of The devil's rope...

What we call barbed wire.

♪♪

Butler: this way, sir. You are expected.

[footsteps]

[blowing]

♪ ♪

[footsteps]

Bat masterson...

In my very own parlor; Now this is a treat!

Mabel day.

Maybelline now but uh, Close enough.

Sit, stay awhile.

♪ ♪

Quite a beautiful Home you've got.

Thank you.

Now as I mentioned In my letter...

I'm interested in The fence cutting wars.

You figured prominently.

Oh, I was up to my Eyeballs in it,

But not by choice I can assure you.

Am I right that you owned the First fenced-in ranch

In the state of texas?

85,000 acres.

75 under fence When the wars broke out,

But who's counting?

That's quite a spread.

It's your husband's land, Correct?

William, a fine man and a good Husband...

But a lousy horseman.

He fell off his saddle in the Middle of a stampede and left me

With a 6 month old baby And a whole mess of debt.

But I rose to the challenge, Mr. Masterson...

And I was doing just fine Until those cutters came.

[running, mumbling]

Bill harris: come here, hold The wire; hold it tight!

I got it, You just hurry up.

[gunshot nearby]

Mabel: evening boys!

What brings you out Here today?

I could ask you the Same thing lady.

Well I believe the one pointing The gun gets to

Ask all the questions.

[cocks rifle]

Now may I offer A word of advice?

If I catch you On my land again,

I won't be shooting over Your heads.

This is open range.

If you put up more fence, We'll keep cutting it down.

Not without those Cutters you won't,

Now drop 'em.

I said drop 'em! [drops cutters]

Now get.

♪ [tense music] ♪

Are these the same ones?

Yep.

You didn't think much of the Free rangers, did you mabel?

Call them what you like but they Were no more

Than a pack of criminals.

Even if they called themselves Small farmers trying

To eke out a living?

Big ranchers started Putting up wire,

That was the end of the Open range...

And of the west some say.

Borders, mr. Masterson, Are the foundation

Of civilization.

They bring order, They bring peace,

But only if they Are maintained.

Is that when the texas Rangers showed up?

The governor finally decided To do his job

And sent a ranger To meet with us.

But not just any ranger Mind you.

Ira aten.

I don't know why you didn't Shoot him twice, mabel.

Yeah! - dead to rights.

Them other cutters Might think twice

Seeing their friends getting Picked over by buzzards!

Ira: Hey, listen here...

I'm the only man in this Room with a badge.

Those cutters broke the law...

The law will sort them out.

The law has done Diddly so far.

Excuse me, miss...?

Mabel day.

Sergeant, I personally lobbied To get that bill

Passed through the State house and I thought making

Fence cutting a felony Would stop 'em but it hasn't.

Not one bit.

Well, I never met a criminal who Thought he'd get caught.

And what exactly do you rangers Intend to do about it?

We don't need all-out war, We just need to cut the

Head off the snake; Find the ringleader.

I have an idea Who that might be.

♪ [tense music] ♪

Come on, get low. Get low.

He's fine, He was gonna get it.

I think we may have found Who we're looking for.

That there is bill harris.

He owns a couple dozen acres West of here.

I had a hunch he might be In the middle of this.

I didn't think there'd be so Many of them, ira.

Maybe we should bring back A few more men

In case this gets ugly.

No, they're just a couple Of ranch hands.

They won't be too much trouble.

Texas rangers!

Nobody move, You're under arrest.

♪ [tense music] ♪

[gunshots]

What was that about not Giving us much trouble?

[gunshots continue]

♪ ♪

[gunshots]

Alright, jim; head that way, you Go flank 'em around this side.

Yeah, go. I'll cover you.

[gunshots continue]

We have you boys surrounded!

And there are another dozen Rangers right behind us!

And they ain't nearly as Nice as we are.

Let's get to the horses, boys! Let's go!

[gunshots continue]

So arresting them didn't go Exactly as planned.

If I know ira, he had another Trick up his sleeve.

Well he figured that if he Couldn't take bill harris

Head on then he'd have to find Another way.

Bill harris... I remember that name.

That man was lower than a Snake's belly in a wagon rut.

You know I thought ira was crazy To do what he did next.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Problem mister?

Well... Yeah...

My horse stepped in a gopher Hole a few miles

Back, broke his leg; Had to put him down.

Looks like I'm walking To el paso.

Say, that your ranch Over yonder?

Yep.

You wouldn't happen to need an Extra set of hands, would you?

I work hard. I work cheap.

What's your name, mister?

Isaac... Isaac houston. No relation to sam.

[chuckles]

I can maybe put you to work For a couple of weeks.

Oh I sure would appreciate That mister...

Harris... Bill harris.

[hoofbeats]

I'll follow you back.

[footsteps, horse neighs]

Gentlemen...

We got a decision To make here.

Are we gonna lay down and let The likes of mabel day

And her rich rancher friends

Fence off this whole state?

As long as they keep Putting them up,

We're gonna keep cutting them Down, isn't that right boys?

[men cheering]

And if that means people Start getting hurt

Or getting dead, Well so be it.

[men cheering]

That land don't all Belong to them.

They're cutting us off From pasture and

Water that belongs to Everyone.

That's right.

Are we supposed to stand by and Watch as our cattle

Die of thirst and starvation Because they're too

Greedy to share the range?

We ain't backing down from them,

Nor from No texas rangers neither.

[men agreeing]

If they want a war,

Then dang it, We'll give 'em a war!

[men cheering]

[clanking sound]

Well hello yourself miss day.

You have been here For weeks, sergeant,

And what have you got To show for it?

They're only growing bolder!

I'm working on it.

No, you're working For the enemy.

[footsteps]

- you gotta learn to trust me. - [laughs]

I have a plan.

Do you know what this endless Fence repair is costin' me?

I work just as hard as Them to make ends meet.

All the while you're sitting Here playing with trinkets?

Whoa no, no-no!

- miss day, do not move. - what, why not?

Do not move.

This is not lit, but if you drop It, it wouldn't matter.

- well, what is it? - it's a bomb.

A dynamite bomb.

Now, I can run a trip wire The length of your fence

And if they cut it... [snap]

I underestimated These boys.

Bill harris is ready to Die for this cause and

So are the rest of them.

Bullets ain't gonna Do anything.

We need to put the fear Of god in them.

Is that good enough For you, miss day?

Okay.

I'm gonna need a little Space while I work.

♪ ♪

♪ [theme] ♪

Howdy, isaac.

Somethin' I want To talk to you about.

Yeah, what's uh-

What's on your mind, Mr. Harris?

I told ya, isaac, Call me bill.

I like what I've seen Of your work.

I'd like you to stay on If you care to.

Oh, thank you bill.

Oh, one more thing...

Get you a new horse, You earned him.

Oh, that's much Too generous bill.

We take care Of our own.

Hey bill...

That uh, that speech you Gave a few weeks back...

It wasn't your first, Was it?

No.

Likely won't be The last, either.

I was wondering how You got to be so...

Angry?!

Well, weren't too long ago made A good living raising cattle.

Then these fences Started going up.

My steer couldn't get To grazing land or water.

Then what happened To your herd?

Lost most of it.

Some died, tangled up In the barbed wire.

The rest nearly Starved to death.

Had to shoot them, One by one.

Put them out of Their misery.

That's when I started thinking, This just ain't right.

I went out and started cutting Down those fences.

To save your cattle.

We tamed this land, isaac.

We did it.

With our blood, and our sweat.

It's them or us.

You understand?

♪ ♪

Just to play devil's Advocate a moment...

Don't you think those cutters Had good reason to be angry?

Wasn't it only fair their Herds got to water, too?

Was it fair that I was widowed With an infant child up to

My neck in debt and expected To run this place by myself?

You know, If life ever gets fair...

Let me know what That feels like.

I remember hearing about Ira's bombs.

A lot of folks felt like He crossed the line.

Bill: we're done being Pushed around, hear me?

- jake: that's right. - bill: there's five of us,

We're headin' out there tonight.

We're gonna finish cuttin' that Length along the northwest

Border of the day ranch.

We'll ride there After dark.

Got those cutters? - jake: yes sir,

I'm gonna go get them.

Gonna go get them right now. - bill: alright jake.

♪ [ominous] ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

[wolves howl in distance]

♪ ♪

Bill, where's your boy isaac?

[horse neighs]

Ira: bill?!

I told you boys He'd show up.

Bill, don't.

Bill, I'm begging you, Don't do it.

What's wrong with you, isaac?

That fence is wired.

What you mean, wired?

With explosives.

Heard a couple guys in town Talking about it.

They said this thing's wired With dynamite, they go off

If any of this stretch Of fence gets cut.

Bill, you cut that fence you and Your men will die tonight.

[gun cocks]

♪ [suspense] ♪

♪ [theme] ♪

So, you're telling me they Buried bombs underneath

These fences?

You don't really believe That do you, bill?

That's crazy.

Gimme them things, I'll cut it.

Bud, I'm warning you.

Whatever, isaac.

Bill...

You better stop him.

Bill, he cuts that fence He's a dead man.

Bill, I'm telling you The truth!

[gunshot, small explosion]

I guess you wasn't Bluffing, isaac.

Or whoever you are.

I'm a ranger, bill.

Name's ira aten.

[chuckling]

Well, what do you know?

The great ira aten.

And here I thought you Was loyal to our cause.

What were you planning?

Arrest me and my boys, ira?

That was the plan, yeah.

Well, we don't like that Plan, do we boys?

What now?

Bill...

Shooting me ain't gonna Solve anything.

They've already got dozens of These all over the county.

They're putting dozens up Every day all across the state.

Put them guns down, boys.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

If I were you, ranger, I'd ride on out of here

Before we change our mind.

You're a good man, bill.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Sergeant...

I thought I might Find you here.

So... You're Leaving us.

Afraid so, gotta report Back to the governor.

And what do you Plan to say?

There's no end In sight.

I came here to enforce The law and I failed.

You mean, you Haven't heard?

Heard what?

Well, it seems your Little plan sufficiently

Spooked bill harris.

He asked for a sit down.

[laughs]

Well, I'll be.

What did you say?

Oh, I had a great Deal to say

When I met with him.

So, what happened?

We cut a deal.

Thank you, ira.

♪ ♪

It was my pleasure.

♪ ♪

Alright, get up outta here.

Mabel day lea worked to pay off Her debt and expand her ranch.

She was inducted into the texas Women's hall of fame.

After retiring from the texas Rangers, ira aten oversaw

The six hundred thousand-acre Xit ranch.

Must've taken a lot sitting Down with bill harris.

It was time for someone to Swallow her pride.

And being pragmatic is A good trait in a rancher.

What was the compromise?

Gates.

Gates?

Yep, the gates allowed them to Bring cattle to an open

Range and good water.

And in the end, it was a small Price to pay for peace.

And a far sight better than Getting blown up.

Well, sergeant was convinced That he'd failed.

But, by planting those Bombs he drove the

Cutters straight to The bargaining table.

Never underestimate A texas ranger.