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I wonder where they're at. I'm getting hungry.

I don't know. They're usually here by now.

Here comes old Tom.

Sean.

- Hi, Mr. Evans. - Hi to you, Sean.

Think you can fetch a mug of coffee to me at the bank?

Sure thing.

Tom, ain't you just a little bit late?

- Morning, Sheriff. Henry. - Howdy.

One thing I don't understand about money, Mr. Evans.

- What’s that, Henry? - Why are new bills always so heavy?

Henry, old or new, 121,000 is a full sock.

Cully Maco, still hanging around. Four days now.

That's his right, he served his time.

But he swore to kill Mr. Bragan and Ben Cartwright.

He's got Mr. Bragan so jumpy now he...

I think you ought to run him out of town, Sheriff.

Oh, come now, Tom, he made them threats a long time ago.

He's had five years in jail to simmer down.

How's about getting that money inside the bank

so I and the boys can go get some breakfast?

Oh, oh.

- Thank you for your trouble, Sheriff. - Don't mention it.

All right, boys, let's go and get them vittles before they get cold.

Is that you, Sean?

Henry from Wells Fargo.

Get up.

- What... What are you doing? - Shut up.

Open the vault.

No. No!

Mr. Evans?

Help! Help, somebody! Help! Help!

Inside!

- Help! Help! Help! - Son, son. Easy, easy.

- Easy, son, what's the matter? - Mr. Evans is dead.

Well, go find out!

We wanna know what's going on in there too!

What do you think you're doing?

- Leave him alone. - What’s going on?

I can't believe it.

Where were you when this happened?

I was over at the hotel having my breakfast.

But I was here when the Wells Fargo shipment arrived.

- And I stayed with Tom until he... - Wells Fargo?

The pouch is gone. We already looked for it.

Well, that’s just fine.

My cashier murdered, $121,000 stolen.

- You know, this is your fault, Roy. - Mine?

There isn't any doubt about who did it, is there?

You remember what I said when Cully Maco rode into town?

- If I told you once, I told you... - Sam, you told me, that's right,

several times that you wanted Cully Maco locked up, but he'd broken no law.

What do you call this?!

And he swore to kill me and Ben!

What are you gonna do, wait until he does that, too,

before you catch him and hang him?

- Now, listen, Roy... - Easy.

Sean, think clearly now.

Did you see anybody around the bank when you came in here with the coffee?

No, sir. Nobody.

And was the door... was it open?

Kind of, it opened when I tried it.

- Did Mr. Evans say anything? - No, sir.

He just was all still and scary.

- Then you just ran for help? - As fast as I could.

Thanks, boy, you done the right thing. Now, it's time you be getting home,

'cause your ma is gonna be worried about you.

Wasting time. He should be out looking for Cully Maco.

Roy's got deputies out looking for him.

Deputies? What we need is a posse.

Sam, I'm going to organize two posses.

I'll lead one, and I'm counting on Ben here to lead the other.

Oh. Yeah, sure. Well... Well, Joe's in San Francisco.

- I'll have Hoss and Candy ride with us. - Good.

Hey, there's the sheriff! Sheriff, what's going on?

- He won't tell nobody nothing. - I'll tell you, boys. I'll tell you.

The bank was robbed and a man that we all respected, Tom Evans, was murdered.

The first time in months I haven't met the Wells Fargo coach.

It could have been me.

- Murdered? - You see, I told you

- something was going on. - Look, that's terrible.

He was a good old boy.

Hey, Sheriff. Sheriff, who done it?

We don’t know for sure. But I want Cully Maco brought in for questioning.

Cully Maco? I just seen him! He's been hanging around town for the last week.

Now, men, I'm going to need 15 to 20 good posse men armed and ready to ride.

You bring bed rolls, my office will furnish the grub and the cooking gear.

How soon, Roy?

Just as soon as I can get these men sworn in.

And you do solemnly swear, as authorized posse men,

to uphold the laws of the State of Nevada and Story County?

- Yes. - Pick up your packages, men.

Now, we're going to split up.

I'll ride south to stop Maco in case he's headed for the state line.

And Ben Cartwright here will lead the rest of you men

in a sweep over toward Sierra Pass. Any questions?

- No. - Now, let's get going.

Get your rifles, men.

- Hi, Pa. - You got here just in time, boys.

You boys raise your right hands, I'll swear you in.

You do solemnly swear, as authorized posse men,

to uphold the laws of the State of Nevada and Story County?

- I do. - Let's ride.

Giddap.

Spread out. Search that whole slope, and the flat beyond.

Anybody sights Maco, fire three shots.

Hey, look yonder!

Looks like they got lost, huh?

- Nothing? - Covered the flats

and the tules west of the river. Not a sign of Maco.

Mr. Cartwright, want to wet your whistle a bit? It'll warm you up.

Sam, these horses look spent.

We'd better backtrack about half a mile, camp by a spring there.

- Cully. - Now, that ain't what I'd call

a real glad welcome.

Kevin.

Ain't you going to ask me in?

Thank you.

Your wife don't seem none too happy to see me.

She holds with the law, Cully. We both do.

Even against your own brother?

You know, there was a time when I used to hold with the law, too.

Well, I’m going to take care of the horses.

- Some more coffee? - Yeah.

Mr. Cartwright, do you really think Cully Maco intends to kill you?

I don't know. He said so.

- Why is he after you? - Goes back a ways.

Long before you came around.

Cully stood trial for a bank robbery.

Sam Bragan identified him as the robber.

I was the foreman of the jury that convicted him.

- How much time did he get? - Five years.

That's a big chunk out of any man's life.

Who is Cully? Does he come from around here?

Oh, somewhere up north. He was a trapper.

Well, I guess a trapper can hold up a bank as soon as anybody else.

Yeah, I guess so.

- Do I have to? - Go ahead! Test it! Give it a try!

Try it on. Test it for Maco.

Come on, go ahead. Test it. Test it for Maco!

- Go ahead. - Buzz.

Here we go now.

Buzz!

Oh, yeah, Mr. Cartwright.

Get that man off that horse.

We’re just practicing a little, Mr. Cartwright.

We’re getting ready for when we catch up with old Cully. Right, boys?

Buzz, this is not a lynch party.

Ben...

Cully is wanted for robbery and murder.

We may have trouble proving that in a court of law.

And if we can't, he's sure gonna kill one or both of us.

Easier to hang him and get it over.

Sam, that's not what we're here for.

Buzz, you heard Mr. Cartwright, turn him loose.

Sure.

I'll be out at the pump.

Sure took good care of it.

That's the least I could do.

Well, I’m gonna take this. You can have these.

I'm gonna need some shells, and I'm gonna need a carrying sack.

Thank you.

A six-gun and a rifle, now you got a shotgun.

I'm doing me a little hunting.

If it was just fur you was after,

Harriet and me wouldn't mind you staying.

Thanks.

A shotgun ain't much good except for a rabbit, or men.

Cully...

The past is best forgotten.

That's what you always said, Kevin.

Something the matter, Pa?

I was just thinking, Cully Maco's brother testified at his trial,

they worked the trap lines together.

Now, when a man's on the run, he usually heads for the country he knows best.

- And the people he knows best. - Yeah.

His brother's place is just south of the Double-Notch,

just over the crest.

Come on!

Ma'am.

- Mrs. Maco? - Yes.

Yes, I'm Ben Cartwright. Is your husband around?

I'd sure like to talk to him for a minute or two.

He's inside the house.

You... You can go in.

Thank you, ma'am.

Come in.

Howdy. I'm Ben Cartwright.

I remember.

You were the foreman on the jury.

Yeah.

There's been some trouble in Virginia City, Mr. Maco.

In fact, there's been a killing.

The sheriff would like to talk to your brother, ask him a few questions.

Has he been around here?

Nobody here except me and my wife.

I haven't seen Cully since the trial.

You're welcome to look around if you like.

No thank you, that... that won't be necessary.

Sorry to trouble you.

Excuse me, ma'am. Thank you.

Two people live here, three plates on the table.

He's been here and gone but he hasn't got too much of a head start.

All right, Cartwright.

You make one move and you're gonna be dead right now.

Now, get up. Slow.

Turn around and face me.

Come on.

Now, take your right hand and undo your belt buckle.

Drop it.

Now, you owe me, Cartwright. You know that?

There were 11 other men on that jury, Cully.

You're the one that gave the word, though.

You was the one that they listened to.

You took five years of my life, mister.

How old are you?

I reckon if I was to shoot you down right now and take your life,

we'd be just about even, except maybe me a little bit more.

Drop it, Maco.

Now what?

We've been deputized to take you back into town, Cully.

- For what? - Murder and robbery.

I didn't hear you name the person I was supposed to have killed.

Tom Evans.

The Tom Evans that works in Bragan's bank? Somebody shot him?

That's right. And robbed the bank.

- Where's your horse? - Over there.

Candy.

How much money was it I was supposed to have stole this time?

$121,000.

Well, that’s an important lot of money. That should make me an important man.

I tell you what let's do.

Why don't you all go in my saddle bag here and get it out

and let's divide it up and make us a deal.

You figuring on waiting around and meeting that posse tonight?

Uh, I guess we better ride straight into town.

Be faster that way, anyway.

You fellas trying to save time or trouble?

Go on, Cully, let's go.

- Candy, you ride point. - Yeah.

You fellas sure are being mighty careful.

I keep telling you, I didn't do anything.

Now, why are you taking me in?

Now, Cully, you were in town for four days,

and the moment something happens, the moment there's a murder,

the moment the bank is robbed, you disappear.

I threatened a man five years ago, Sam Bragan, five years ago,

and then I spent five years behind walls,

and I changed my mind about pulling the trigger.

But he didn't know that, Sam Bragan didn't know that.

So I come back to town and figure I'd sweat him a little bit.

Walk down the street, look in the window of his bank,

make him wonder a little bit, make him sweat.

Now, that's mighty small revenge for the five years he stole from my life.

You keep talking about Sam Bragan stealing five years of your life,

I stole five years of your life. Let me tell you something.

Sam Bragan testified under oath, in court,

that you were the fella in the bank.

Look, any man can put his hand on a book and still tell a lie!

Not Sam. He built that bank on a handshake.

He's your friend, so he can't tell a lie?

Now, come on, he can make one mistake. One mistake!

Ain't a man alive hasn't made a mistake.

- Who pays for yours? - I do!

And me! And me! Don't you forget that.

I spent five years of my life paying for his mistake! A lie!

They're up ahead resting their horses.

- Did they see you? - Afraid so.

Well, come on.

- Oh, I see you got him. - Yeah, that's right, Sam.

We'll, uh, we'll just take him back to town.

Wait a minute. What’s the rush?

We've got a few questions we want to ask Cully.

Yeah.

We got a few questions we want to ask him.

Yah!

- Hey! - Hold your fire, we'll get him!

Yah! Yah!

Yah! Yah!

Cully! Now, settle down! Settle down!

I'm just trying to help you. Trying to get you back safe

so you can have a fair trial.

He'll get a trial, but not the kind you mean.

What’s got into you, Sam?

This is not a court, we're not a judge, a jury.

- We're Maco's peers, Ben. - Now, listen.

We were deputized to do one thing:

to find him, arrest him and bring him into town. No more.

I'm sorry, Ben, that's the kind of thinking that got Tom Evans killed.

All right, get him up on the horse.

Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Hold it!

What’s the matter with you, all of you?

Weren't you all deputized, same as Hoss and Candy and me?

- Weren't you sworn to uphold the law? - We're hanging a guilty man.

That's upholding the law, right?

Who says he's guilty?

This is cold-blooded murder. That’s all it is, cold-blooded murder.

You'll all pay for it. Oh, yeah, much more than Maco ever did.

Ten, 15 years in jail. You may even hang for it.

Now, don't listen to him. He's just trying to scare you out of it.

You bet I'm trying to scare you out of doing something stupid.

I ain't gonna go to jail for nothing or nobody, I don't care what.

- I'm not going to jail! - Now, wait a minute!

We took a vote, we said we were gonna hang Cully,

- and that's what we're gonna do. - Quit the talk and get it done.

Now, get Cully up there! Get going!

All right, you want to hang him?

Fine. Go right ahead.

Sam, I think you ought to hear this.

Before you hang Cully here,

I think you ought to know that there's gonna be an awful lot of shooting.

You're gonna have to kill all three of us before you get to him.

So you better get your guns out, all of you.

Come on, get 'em up. Go ahead, pull the trigger.

You too, Sam.

All right.

We’ll leave it to the jury, like last time.

The crowd out there is getting bigger and uglier by the second.

You just brought in a man accused of murder and bank robbery.

Now, what do you expect?

I never lost a prisoner yet, and I ain't about to start.

Seems like most folks out there feel the same way we do:

- hang Cully quick, get it over. - Ain't that too bad?

Good night, Ben.

Ben, I'm sending a telegraph to the circuit judge.

- He'll be here in a day or two. - I'm in no hurry.

Cully.

I've decided to have my lawyer defend you.

He's in Carson City right now, but he'll be back in plenty of time.

And you'll have a fair trial, I can tell you that.

Will I?

The last time I stood trial in this town

I got five years for something I didn't even do.

And that was just robbery.

This time it's murder. You hear that crowd out there.

And you know what kind of trial I'm going to get too.

Thanks for saving my life so that they could hang me legal.

You feeling all right, Pa?

Yeah, I feel fine.

Well, you turned down the ham, the hotcakes, the biscuits.

That's the second time you sugared your coffee.

I figured maybe something was wrong.

Two robberies.

$40,000, $121,000.

And all that money just disappears.

You know what the folks around town are saying about Maco,

that he stashed that money off someplace.

Do you believe them?

- No. - Why not?

Well, it just don't make sense.

Now, if a man robbed a bank once, got off with $40,000,

stashed it away, got caught, went off to jail and did his time,

come back, he'd get that money and go off someplace where he could enjoy it.

But to come back and rob the same bank again

and make double trouble for himself just for some reason or other

- just don't make sense. - Yeah.

That's the third time you sugared that coffee, Pa.

It's not only the missing money that bothers me.

That... That theory about revenge, that doesn't hold water either.

Cully Maco had me dead in his sights,

he could have pulled the trigger any minute.

- And he didn't. - Yeah.

You know he hung around Virginia City for four days.

That give him plenty of opportunity to gun down Sam Bragan if he wanted to,

- didn't it? - Yeah, there's another thing.

Sam Bragan.

Now, why would a decent, law-abiding man like Sam Bragan

suddenly turn pure savage?

Well, Pa, he and Tom Evans were good friends.

I know, I know, but he was so anxious to see Cully hanged,

lynched, no trial, nothing, just...

Well...

- You think Cully's right? - About what?

About it being impossible for him to get a fair trial here in Virginia City?

Well, I wouldn't bet on that, would you?

- I sent the wire, Mr. Cartwright. - Oh, good. Good.

- Uh, have some breakfast, Candy. - Yeah, there's plenty left.

All Pa had was a little coffee with his cup of sugar.

Candy, did the sheriff say anything

about when the circuit judge might be arriving?

He'll be here tomorrow.

Well, they’re in a big rush, ain't they?

If you ask me, the verdict's in already anyway.

The town's in a hanging mood.

Bragan, Buzz, Grifty, the other men in that posse,

they're gonna do everything they can to keep it that way.

What are we gonna do, Pa?

Well, right now I'm gonna do this month's bookkeeping.

This afternoon I think I'll ride into Virginia City

and see if the answer to that telegram Candy sent is waiting for me.

I changed my mind, I think I'll have a cup of that sugar.

I hope there's some left.

All right, all right! We all know Cully's guilty, right?

There's no question about that. Is that right?

Only difference between here and out on the trail,

now we're going to do it all legal.

I wouldn't mind pulling on that rope myself.

- One other difference. - How's that?

- Even Mr. Cartwright can't object. - Oh, no!

Uh, Mr. Cartwright.

You spoke up a lot out there on the trail.

How come you ain't speaking up in here?

Out on the trail, Cully Maco's safety was my responsibility.

Right now his future is in the hands of the court.

And the jury. Let's not forget about the jury.

Our jury, and it's all nice and legal.

Future, huh? A real short future.

Oh, Cully's gonna dance himself a little old jig.

The only trouble is he ain't gonna have nothing to stand on but air.

Ben.

Roy.

Been waiting for you.

Boys are really talking it up.

These things are like grass fires.

They get real hot and then they go right out.

Not always in time.

This crowd's whiskey-fed.

I wonder who's buying the bottles.

I believe I could make a good guess.

Believe I could, too.

Carson stage.

Hey, they're more than an hour late.

Whoa.

- Mr. Snell? - Oh, yes, James Snell.

Yes, I'm Ben Cartwright. This is Sheriff Coffee.

- Snell, how do you do? - Oh, that's my bag.

This way.

Uh, I'm sorry, sir, we're closed.

Oh, I wanted to talk to Mr. Bragan.

That’s all right, Phillips. We've always got time for Ben Cartwright.

- Thank you. - Ben.

I'm glad you came in. I owe you an apology.

If you hadn't come in today, I was gonna ride out to the Ponderosa

and thank you for not letting me make a fool of myself.

- No thanks necessary. - On the contrary.

If it hadn't been for you, Cully Maco would be dead now.

And a large share of the blame would be mine.

Sit down, Ben, please.

You see, Tom Evans was my close friend.

Worked for me for many years.

The brutality, the way he was killed...

It shook me deeply.

But even that's no excuse, Ben.

I'm sincerely glad you stopped the lynching.

I'm glad that Cully's going to stand trial in a court of law.

Well, I’m happy to hear you say that, Sam.

I need your help making sure that it's really a fair trial.

Excuse me, Mr. Bragan, will there be anything else?

Uh, no, that'll be all, Wes. I'll take care of the vault.

Excuse me, Ben.

- See you in the morning. - Right. Take it easy.

Now, uh, how can I help, Ben?

Well, you can help by trying to quiet a lot of this wild talk

that's whipped this town into an uproar.

- Buzz and Grifty. - Yeah.

Yes, I've heard some of that. I'll do everything I can.

Thank you.

Well, murder trial or no murder trial, you know, life still goes on.

I've had a timber deal on the fire that came to a boil today.

- Buying or selling? - Buying. $20,000 track.

That's no problem. The Ponderosa account is certainly...

Oh, no, well, I appreciate that.

But the point is, the fella I'm buying it from,

well, he's an old gentleman and he wants to see the cash.

So I... I made out a check.

- If you could just cash that. - Sure. I'll be glad to.

- I'll just endorse it. - Yeah.

You know, I never will understand how some of these old codgers

still don't believe in banks.

Oh, thought I'd lost you.

Here we are.

I'll just look these over first.

- You mean count it? - I'm sure all the money is here.

I want to check something else.

What’s that list you have there?

These are the serial numbers of those bills

in that $121,000 Wells Fargo shipment.

That money was stolen.

I know.

Ben, you... you can't think that that money could be in my vault.

Unless you think that I...

Now, if it didn't hurt so much to know that you think

I could be a thief and a killer, this would be very funny indeed.

Those stolen bills were never found.

So you think they're in my vault.

You believe Cully and suspect me. Ben, I'm amazed.

My turn to apologize.

I'll give you back your own words: no apology necessary.

You only did what you thought you had to.

Yeah.

No compliment to me, but I understand.

At least you waited until after closing hours.

I thank you for that.

- Good afternoon, Mr. Bragan. - Good afternoon.

I think you know Mr. Snell, the chief bank examiner for the State of Nevada.

- Yes, of course, but... - I've asked Mr. Snell

to examine the money in the vault. And your books.

As one of this bank's chief depositors, I've asked for a special audit.

Well, I’ll say one thing for you, Ben...

When you get hold of an idea, you hang on like a bulldog.

- My pleasure, sir. Step this way. - Certainly.

Oh, Mr. Snell, I'm really going to enjoy this,

because when you're through, Ben Cartwright is going to have to buy me

the finest bottle of brandy in Virginia City.

I assume you'd like to check the cash first?

- If you please. - This way.

After you, sir.

You win, and you lose.

Now, Sam, you know you're not gonna get away with this.

Never mind that. Unbuckle your gun belt.

Come on, hurry up.

Give it to me right over here.

Now, take the money, put it on the counter.

Now, move away.

You need this $20,000.

All right, Ben, you're coming with me, into the street and out of town.

And if anybody should ask, we're going to the Ponderosa

for dinner and a little chess. Now, move.

Come on, move!

Unlock the door.

Now, out. Come on, Ben, move!

Hold it right there.

Close the door.

Turn left, up the street. Come on, move!

Hold it.

Get rid of him.

Wait for me inside, Hoss.

Inside.

Now, turn around, back up the street. Come on.

All right, cross the street. Come on, move!

I had to do it, Ben. I didn't know where to turn.

I'd... I had shares in all the wrong mines.

I kept losing, I... I didn't know how to cover up anymore.

And I had to protect the depositors.

You too, Ben.

Ben, please, I don't want to die.

Please, I don't want to die. Ben, please!

Mr. Maco, I believe the State will be glad to make restitution of some kind

for them five years, possibly in the form of a cash award.

Yes. I'm not without influence in the state capital,

and I shall do whatever I can to help.

Well, thank you. A man can always use money.

- Here's your shotgun. - Thank you.

- And your rifle. - Very good.

Well, Mr. Cartwright, I'll be seeing you.

You believed what Bragan said on the witness stand under oath,

I can't fault you for that.

You were sure there when I needed you.

Would you do me one favor, though?

Don't sit on any more juries.

Gentlemen.

This has been a color production

of the NBC television network.