All language subtitles for The Virginian - 8x03 - Halfway Back from Hell

[ Gunshots In Distance ]

[ Gunshots Continue ]

[ Gunshots Continue ]

[ Gunshot ]

Now where'd you
get that gun, huh?

You know you ain't
supposed to have firearms!

[ Horse Whinnies ]

- [ Rifle Cocks ]
- Easy, friend!

Hold it!

Uh, just passing through,
heading for Wyoming.

Sorry. We just beat off
an Indian raid. I guess
we're a little bit jumpy.

Indian raid?

Mescaleros?

They come across
the Mexican border
to hunt sometimes,

but I-- I haven't
heard of any--

He's not wearing
war paint.

If you were raided, mister,
it's by a hunting party,
not a war party.

- Now, who started it?
- He did.

- This ain't the end of it,
Cardine.
- You bet it ain't, Dalton.

We're gonna find out how
you got that gun and what
you's fixin' to do with it...

before you started taking
potshots at stray redskins
and starting a battle.

I'll be glad to tell you,
Cardine.

I was gonna wait till
it looked like a good time.

Then I was gonna take care
of you and head for the border.

[ Trampas ]
Well,

I sure like to see
a bunch of good friends
riding cross-country together.

Dalton,
you take Will Steinbach...

and you go out there
and dig a couple of graves,
you hear?

Rest of you men, fan out!

See if you can find some wood
in this godforsaken
piece of desert.

At least we can mark 'em.

Mister?

I'm not one to give
unwanted advice.

But Mescaleros'
middle name is "revenge."

Well, I'm much obliged to you,
friend. I don't mean to stay
here any longer than I have to.

Cardine's the name.

Trampas.

Wyoming's kind of a far piece
from the Arizona territory,
ain't it?

Well, I wouldn't
say it wasn't.

If these Mescaleros come
back lookin' for that revenge
you's talkin' about,

how much good is this Winchester
and a couple of six-guns
gonna do us?

Don't they carry guns?

Ain't but two of us
in this party allowed
to carry weapons, mister.

Me and Connors here.

And Connors is dead.

We sure could use what you're
packin' there, if you'd care
to ride along a ways with us.

- You staying in Perido?
- No. A couple of miles
the other side.

Place calledEl Rancho
a la Encrucijada.

Ranch at the Crossroads.

- You ranchers?
- No, we ain't ranchers.

What we are is six days out
of Dyersville Territorial
Prison in Tucson.

You're out legal?

It's what it says here.
Something called "probation."

Probation?

I reckon that word hasn't
gotten out this far yet.

I expect they've heard
of it in Perido by now.

Reckon that's them,
Garth?

I don't know.
But we'll find out
in a couple of minutes.

You figure that
for Perido?Yeah.

[ Trampas ]
You figure that to be
a welcoming committee?

Well, they're sporting
an awful lot of hardware
for a welcoming committee.

Yeah, that's
what I was thinkin'.

Now, listen,
I'll do the talking.

You do the listenin'
and the shuttin' up.
You got it?

[ Horses Blustering ]

- Is the name of
this town Perido?
- Depends on who's askin'.

- No, it don't, mister.
- Are you the men
from Dyersville?

That depends
on who's asking.

We don't want any thieves,
any swindlers,

any murderers
coming through this town.

Mister, I've got papers
in my pocket, and they say--

I don't care what
you got in your pocket!

We got guns in our hands!
You want to know what
they say? They--

[ Man ]
You want to know what
I say, Garth Meadows?

I say clear this street
and put up them guns...

and get on back to whatever
it was you was doin'...

before you forgot
who's United States marshal
in this town,

and it's him who's sayin'
who's comin' through here
and who ain't.

Cardine, is it?
Jus Cardine.

That's right.
You must be Eleazar Teague.

That is them,
ain't it, Marshal?

And just what are you
aimin' to do on account
of that, Meadows?

I'm aimin' to make sure
that none of 'em set foot
or horse's hoof in this town.

You're aimin' to do that,
are you, Meadows?

We're all aimin'
to do that, Teague.

You said "all"?

That's right.

All?

Then you're all goin' to jail
on the charge of interferin'
with the laws of this land.

These men are comin' through
this town on direct orders
of the territorial governor,

and nobody's gonna
stop them or hinder them
or stand in their way.

Now clear this street
and get on back
to your homes.

Now you just wait a minute,
Marshal--You hear me, Meadows?

- Now move!
- [ Crowd Muttering ]

Much obliged to you,
Marshal.

You figurin' I done
something for you?

I'm supposed to see
that this packet
gets to your hands.

I know what
you're supposed to do.

It's got in it
the names of these men,
their parole records...

and some other papers
having to do--I know what it's got in it.

I was also told that
if I needed assistance,

I could turn to
the United States marshal.I know what you've been told.

And I know about you,
Cardine.

And about Jared Blaize.

Now they give you
guns to carry.

And they tell me
it's some new kind of justice.

Well, let me tell you.

To me, there's only
one kind of justice,

and I'm saying to you, Cardine,
I ain't forgettin' Jared Blaize.

And don't you ever forget
Eleazar Teague.

Now get riding, all of you,
straight through town.

Your papers say you ain't
to be on the streets
after nightfall.

Who's Jared Blaize?

He was
a United States marshal.

Was?

I killed him.

That's why I'm serving
a life sentence.

Let's go.
Giddap! Hyah!

Who were they, Father?

They are the beginning
of trouble, girl.

Big trouble.

Bad trouble.

Ranch at the Crossroads.

- Where are the crossroads?
- Where's the ranch?

It's a lot better than
where you come from.
Giddap.

[ Man ]
Whoa!

I'll kill you if you
come one step closer!

You are on private property.

You're wrong, ma'am.
This property belongs to
the United States government.

This is the land
belonging to the family
of Jesus Alfredo Ortiz.

Is that your name?
Ortiz?

I am his daughter--
Maria Isabella.
I know what I say.

-You received documents from the
Department of the Interior--
-We reject the documents!

- Well, you received
a fair payment that you--
- We reject the payment!

Señorita, you may
reject the payment,

but you cannot reject
the annexation
of this property.

Now, you got a fair price,

and you were expected
to be out of here by
the first of the month.

But we did not leave,
as you can see.
We are both still here!

Perhaps I'd better
speak with your father.
He may have--

You wish to speak
to my father, señor?

Very well.
He's there!

Speak to him
if you can!

And with him
are your documents...

and your money!

How did that happen,
señorita?

How do broken hearts
happen, señor?

A man that has lived
all his life on the land
that was his father's...

and his father's
before him...

and is informed
that it is no longer his.

Get out!
Clear out in 30 days
for a little gold!

That is how broken hearts
happen, señor.

That is what drives a man
to hang himself.

- I warned you, señor.
- Por favor, señorita.

Now, uh, what you're doing
won't help your father.
It won't help you.

Now, it won't help anybody.

All it'll do is maybe
make some more burying
for somebody to do.

Now, you can't kill us all,
and even if you could,

you can't kill the whole
United States government.

Now, I-I think
you got a good cause.

But-- but dead, you got
no cause at all, ma'am.

[ Cardine ]
All right, men, tie up over
on that side of the house.

What about her?

Well, she can't stay here
with five men just out
of Dyersville.

Some of them been there
almost 10 years.

Señor,

when I discovered my father
hanging from that tree,

I wept a long time.

I cut him down
with these hands.

I buried him myself
with these hands.

I put a cross together
and set it at the grave...

with these hands!

Do you think that I would
let any of you touch me?

Do you think me incapable
of protecting myself?

Señorita, I'd say you were
capable of doing anything
you set your mind to,

but this ranch belongs
to the Bureau of Prisons.

It is government property.
Now you're gonna have to go,
and that's all there is to it.

Cardine, two things.
First of all, the Mescaleros.

What are you gonna do-- send
this lady off all by herself
with them maybe on the warpath?

You said two things.

Well, yeah, uh--
Who's gonna do the cooking?

Well, if you want a day's
work out of your hands,

you gotta give them three
decent meals to make that day.

You think
I will do the cooking?

Only if you think it's a better
idea than riding into Perido,
uh, this time of the day...

and maybe run into
a Meskie war party.

Look, now, come here.
Now, I know, uh, this probably
means a lot to you,

so I want to give you
something else to think about--
just something to think about.

Now, if you want
the United States government
to do something for you,

you can't hold a gun to 'em
or turn your back on 'em.

And if this property means
anything, you'll keep
a foot on it. Both feet.

Because the minute you
turn your back and say adios,
you got no claim whatsoever.

- Is this true?
- Just as true
as I'm standing here.

Now, uh, this fella back here,
Cardine, he, uh--

he sort of represents
the United States government.

He's gonna be here for a while,
and, uh, he'll be making out
reports and passing them along.

Now, if you want to write
some real strong letters
to Tucson or Washington,

uh, which they call
a, uh, petition for
a redress of grievances,

he's the man to see,
'cause he'll pass 'em
right along to 'em.

[ Chuckles ] Of course,
you're gonna have to swallow
a little pride, and, uh--

But if you do, I think you
got a good chance of getting
your property back.

You are very persuasive.

Well, uh, the señor
is also a mite hungry.

You want me
to talk to Cardine now?

Very well.
Talk to him.

But I will accept no wages.

These men will remain
in the quarters in the back
as my guests...

until I have made
my petitions...

and my grievances
have been redressed.

Señorita, so long as you deal
five cards around the table,
you can call the game poker...

or, uh, horseshoes
or hog rassling.

Cardine?

[ Footsteps Approaching ]

Anything?Nothing.

Not even a campfire.

If they're gonna attack at all,
it won't be until dawn.

I'll take over then.
Why don't you
get some sleep?

I'm sure not gonna complain.

But I think I'll have
a cup of that coffee first.

Somethin' on your mind?

No.

Oh, yeah. Uh--

How come you are walkin'
around packin' a gun?

I mean, killing
a U.S. marshal and all--
[ Whistles ]

How come they just didn't
hang you to begin with?

I was up for hangin'.

But Judge Quincy Partridge
had my sentence commuted to
life imprisonment at Dyersville.

That's like tellin' a man
that instead of hangin' him,

which would be over
in couple of minutes,

you're gonna
kill him real slow--
slow and hard.

You're gonna whip him
and starve him.

You're gonna make him
stand naked for two hours
without moving a muscle...

when it wasn't but a couple
of degrees above freezing.

Hmm.

But then, uh,

Ben Schofield came in
from the East to be
the new warden at Dyersville.

"Trouble with prisons,"
he said,

is they don't do nothin'
to get a man ready
to come out of there."

That's why so many of us
end up back in prison.

It took him over two years,

but he finally got
the Bureau of Prisons...

talked into persuadin'
the Department of the Interior
to ask Congress...

to put up the money
to buy this place.

Then he looked us all over,
checked the records,

and then he picked me.

To do what?

To take charge of this place
and get it workin',

earning its own way...

so that-- so that prisoners
could be sent here...

where they could learn something
besides cattle rustling
or bank robbing.

Where they could
earn a little money...

so that, when their sentence
is over, they can go on out...

where the good folks are
and not back to a place
like Dyersville.

Hmm. And you reckon
you can make that work?

My probation hangs
on that one, mister.

Schofield has promised me
a pardon if I can make it work.

If I can't, I go back
to Dyersville for good.

You know I'm gonna make it work.

Well, best of luck to you.

What was the name of that, uh--
that ranch you were
talkin' about?

Shiloh?Pretty big spread, huh?

Well, you take it away, and
Wyoming would be the size of,
uh, Rhode Island nearabouts.

You been ranching a long time?

Ever since I first
got kicked by a horse.
I was about, uh, 15.

Maybe that's why.
Kicked right in the head.
[ Chuckles ]

You must know
all about it then.

Oh, I picked up a few things
here and there. Why?

You ever think of ranching
anyplace else?

Besides Shiloh?
[ Scoffs ] No.

You getting at something,
Cardine?

All they know about ranching
is stealing sheep.

Now if this place is gonna work,
I've got to have somebody
to teach them how to work it.

Well, you're in charge.

I have never been on a ranch
before in my life.

You mean, this Warden Schofield
put a man in charge of a ranch
that's never--

I was put in charge of the men.
Connors was to have been
in charge of the ranchin'.

He's a foreman for some
big spread east end
of the territory.

Got himself
in some kind of trouble.
Gamblin'-- I don't know.

Broke into the owner's safe
to pay it off.

Anyway,
he was to be the foreman
and teach us all the ropes.

Hmm.

But now Connors
is six feet underground,
and here we are.

Yeah. I don't know what they're
paying you at Shiloh, but...

I'm authorized to hire hands
if I need 'em.

Now, suppose I was
to hire you as foreman?

Oh, no.
[ Chuckles ]

Oh, I'm much obliged to you,
but, no. No thanks.

I'll, uh-- I'll do
my ranching at Shiloh.

I got to get back there
for the fall roundup.

Why, it ain't even
midsummer yet.

Yeah, but it's 700 miles
from here to Medicine Bow,
so-- No.

[ Clears Throat ]

Well, uh, no harm in, uh--
in asking, huh?

No. No, there wasn't.
Or in answering, but--

Well, if you don't mind,
I think I'll stretch out
for a while.

I'll go on guard then.

- Good night.
- Night.

[ Footsteps Departing ]

So long, Cardine.Bye.

♪♪ [ Whistling ]

Just don't move.[ Hammer Cocks ]

Stand up, Connors.
Stand up.Connors?

Oh, yeah. Uh, my name's
not Connors. It's Trampas.Shut up.

Wait a minute. Here, I got--
I got a pay book from Shiloh.

It says "Thomas Connors,

Dyersville Territorial Prison,
Tucson."

Got my prisoner,
Marshal?

Anybody in my jail's
my prisoner.

Telegraph from Tucson.

Says Connors is released
in my custody...

pending trial
for jumping parole.

You don't waste time,
do you?

Great invention,
the telegraph.

You got the bail money?
It says here $300.

Would you like
to count it?

All right, Cardine,
but you just remember this.

Next time it happens, I'm
bringing back whoever tries it
dead over his saddle,

and then I'm sending
all of you back to Dyersville
where you belong.

You're out on bail,
Connors.

Only you take one step,
one step off that ranch
or out of this town,

and I'm shooting you
on sight, you understand?

Yeah, I understand.

How did you get Connors's
prison paper in my pocket?

You sleep hard, mister.

Where's my pay book
from Shiloh?Someplace safe.

You'll get it later.When?

When we don't
need you anymore.

Cardine, you don't expect
to get away with this,
do you?

You ever been in Dyersville?
You ever been in any prison?

Yeah, I expect
to get away with it.

Then you better be good
at staying awake.

'Cause the first time
I catch you sleeping--I don't have to stay awake.

I got something
that'll let me sleep better
than half a barrel of beer.

What's that? Marshal Teague.

Remember what he said,
don't ya?

He'll shoot you on sight
if he catches you
out-of-bounds once more.

Now, you want to live the rest
of your life, don't ya?

Do what I ask,
and you'll be back in Shiloh...

with your pay book
in time for fall roundup.

You want to die
and be buried before
you need another shave,

go ahead, ride on off.

Choice is up to you,
Connors.

Cardine.What?

Get off your horse.
Come on.What for?

Just get off.

Now come on.

- All right, get up!
- [ Sighs ]
Proving what?

Proving you're not gonna
get what you want without
a busted nose. Now get up.

And after you bust my nose,
then do I get what I want, huh?

Go ahead. Start swingin'.
I ain't gonna stop ya.

I'm picking between
a full pardon and the rest
of a life sentence.

What's a busted nose to a man
with a choice like that?

Go ahead.

Get on your horse.

All right, Mr. Foreman, let's
get to ranching, huh? Giddap!

[ Hammering ]

[ Clanging ]

[ Laughing ]

[ All Laughing ]

Uh, Will Steinbach said
you wanted to see us.

Him. It is from
the telegraph office.

I had hoped it was in reply
to my letters,

but, unfortunately, it seems
to concern something else.

Well, I'm much obliged
to you, señorita.

"Department of Agriculture,
Washington, D.C.

"Thirty-five head of beef
arriving at Willcox railhead...

on or about
the 22nd of this month."

Willcox railhead?

Well, that's-- that's
50 or 60 miles from here.

That means we gotta drive
those cattle halfway
across the country.

Do you know what that
means with them?I know.

[ Sighs ]
Oh.

Well, if the wind's right
and our luck holds...

and God is on our side...

and they remember half of what
I've been trying to teach 'em
for the last six weeks,

maybe, just maybe
we might get back here
with half of 'em!

[ Cattle Mooing ]One of you get in front of 'em!
Turn 'em over here!

- Hah! Come on! Hah!
- [ Mooing ]

Come on, little doggies.
Hyah!

- Hyah!
- [ Mooing ]

[ Whistling ]
Hah! Hah! Hah! Hah!

[ Whistling, Shouting ]

[ Man ]
Turn it over there!

[ Whistling ] [ Calf Bawling ]

[ No Audible Dialogue ]

Hey, I said move! Hah!
Come on! Keep those critters
moving!

Come on!
[ Whistles ]
Hah! Hah!

Ride drag!
Ho! Dust-eaters!

Come on!
Keep it in there!

Yo, cattle! Hyah!
[ Whistles ]
Get up there!

Go, cattle!
One, two, three, four, five,
six, seven, eight, nine,

10, 11, 12, 13, 14,

15, 16, 17, 18,
19, 20, 21--

Come on, cattle-- 21, 22--

Come on! Get in there!
Twenty-two, twenty--

Close it?Twenty-two out of 35?
Is that all?

Yeah, close it.

Twenty-two out of 35.

[ Cattle Mooing ]

Cardine, explain it
to me again.

If this ranch don't work,
you go back to Dyersville
for life. Is that right?

You got it.

Well, I'm not, uh-- I'm just
asking. I'm not suggesting.
Just asking.

The Mexican border is one
canteen's ride from here.

This ranch is not gonna work.
It's just not gonna work.

I tried the Mexican border
right after I killed
Jared Blaize.

Then I come back
and turned myself in.

Living the rest of your life
as a fugitive...

is just as bad as rotting
in a hellhole like Dyersville.

I want that pardon, you hear?
That pardon. Nothin' else!

Well, you shanghaied the wrong
man to get it for you.

[ Coughs ]

The drive was a disaster.

[ Chuckles ]
That's the mildest thing you
could say about today, señorita.

But with men not trained
in this work--

I had over six weeks
to train 'em!

You ought to be able to train
your grandmother in six weeks,

let alone a bunch of
birdbrained, pigeon-toed,

12-fingered greenhorns.

I have watched you, señor,
and I believe you will succeed.

I also believe that my father
would not have disapproved
of what is going on here.

[ Sighs ]

Señor.Señorita Ortiz.

You and your men
have worked very hard,

and you have been
very disappointed.

You must wash
and eat and sleep.

You will feel much better.

I am going to cook dinner.

Now, what's come over her?

Well, even the señorita
has her soft spot.

She can't stand to see
grown men cry.

Washing, eating,
sleeping is fine.

But when can a man get drunk
in this dumb place?

Tomorrow.Tomorrow. Tomorrow?

Six weeks will be up tomorrow.
We can all go into Perido,

just so long as we get back
on the ranch by sundown.

Is that what it said--That's what it says
in the pouch.

Well, hallelujah
for that pouch.
[ Chuckles ]

Yes, sir.
Gives a man a good reason
to take a bath.

They're coming, Farnum.
Let's get this door closed.

They're coming.

Lock up that door, Lester.Right.

Get those doors closed
over there.

[ Horse Blusters ]

Well, same old Perido,
huh, Cardine?

Well, startin' now,
it's gonna be different.
Get over there.

Bill, get that door closed.

[ Door Opens ]

This place a saloon
or the waxworks?

We're closed, mister.

You don't look
closed to me.

Well, this here's
a private party.

That a fact?
What's the occasion?

[ Trampas ]
By the looks of 'em,
I'd say some kind of funeral.

Well, it's, uh--
It's his birthday.

Many happy returns
of the day.

Yeah. Happy birthday.
I'm buyin' the drinks.

Now, just a minute,
gentlemen--What's this?

- Mister--
- Mister!

Answer up.
What are these?

They, uh-- They money? [ Coins Jingling ]

Are they U.S. currency?

[ Jingling Continues ] They specie, legal tender?

They dollars, huh?

[ Taps Bar ]
Well, I'm waitin'.

Mister, they're just whatever
you want to say they are.

Right.

Now, you scare up a bottle
and some glasses,

and you pour out--
[ Taps Coin Three Times ]

three simoleons' worth
of that rotten, red-eyed
rot-gut of yours,

and you pour it out
real careful.

'Cause if you spill any of it
on this dirty old bar,

I'm gonna make you lick it up
with that dirty old tongue
of yours.

- Well, I'm waitin'.
- [ Footsteps ]

Cardine.

- What are you doin' in town?
- Best check your calendar,
Marshal.

We got privileges
on Saturday now.

Is that a fact?

All right. Just see you behave
yourselves while you're here.

Not so fast, Marshal.

How come this town
is closed up tighter than a drum
on a Saturday afternoon?

What is this--
a national holiday
or something? Is that it?

No, only a free country.

A man has a place
of business,

he has every right
to open it or close it
whenever he feels like it.

Perido is the only place
of entertainment...

these men can go to
during their probation.

- You know that, Teague.
- I know that, Cardine.

Like I say, as long
as you don't make no trouble,
entertain yourselves.

- How?
- I ain't got
the slightest idea, Cardine.

I just ain't got
the slightest idea.

[ Slams Glass On Bar ]

What are you
doin' here, girl?

Well, I was just
introducing myself
to these gentlemen.

You know
who these men are?

I do indeed,
and I also know what's
being done to them.

Well, now, Becky,
that's none
of your affair.

Well, of course it's my affair.

I happen to want
to do some shopping,

and Mr. Farnum's store
is locked up
tight as a drum.

You done your shopping
yesterday.

I wanted to bake a cake
for supper tonight.
I need a sack of flour.

I don't want no cake tonight,
Becky.

Then you needn't eat any.

Would you kindly ask Mr. Farnum
to open up his shop?

I will do no such
of a thing, girl.

In that case, I'll just
have to do it myself.

- Becky.
- Young man?

Becky, no, you--
You just wait a minute.

You keep out of this.
Becky, do you hear me?

I hear you, Father,

but I've made up my mind
to bake that cake.

Seems there's
more than one Teague
in this town.

Yeah.

Only one's
a whole lot prettier
than the other.

Mr. Farnum?

[ Knocking ]
Mr. Farnum?

[ Lock Turns ]

Miss Teague?Mr. Farnum, are you
doing business today?

Yes, Miss Teague.

Thank you.

Mr. Farnum's store
is open now, gentlemen.

I recommend his goods
very highly.

Besides, it's
the only store in town.

Maybe this is
the beginning.

Maybe. Hmm.

Too bad Miss Teague
doesn't have some business
back here in the saloon.

I still feel like
having a drink.

Thank you. Has that bolt
of red plaid come in yet?

Yes, it's outside,
Miss Teague.Thank you.

You'd never make it.

Make it where, mister?

To the Mexican border.

Teague would be letting wind
through your shoulder blades
before you got halfway there.

Well, there ain't
a full moon every night.

No, but there's me
watching you.

For what? My business
ain't any of your business.

- No, it's Cardine's business.
- Then let him worry about it.

He is. I'm just helping him
worry about it.

Besides, you only
got a year left...

and then you're out
free and clear.

Then back in Dyersville
a year later.

What do I know
besides holding up banks?

I've been watching you
on the drive.

I think you savvy
more about ranching
than you're letting on.

- Ranching?
- Mm-hmm.

[ Laughing ]
Cowboying?

That's the way to spend
the rest of your life--

bindle-stiffing
across the country,

picking up odd jobs
at round-up time,

sleeping in a rat-ridden
bunkhouse...

with 20 other sweating,
snoring mutton heads.

Standing in line an hour
with your tin plate held out...

so someone can slap a piece
of burned beef on it...

and a ladle
of six-day-old beans.

Mm-hmm, you see?
You do know more
than you're lettin' on.

How come you're keeping it
such a secret?

How come
you're getting so nosy?

Mr. Cardine?

Miss Teague.

Mr. Cardine, I want
to apologize to you.

I don't know no harm
you've done me,
Miss Teague.

I'm apologizing
for Perido
and for my father.

I read
Warden Schofield's book
in college back East.

I've known
what's been going on...

between the town
and all of you, and I
haven't done anything...

until now.

I don't see there's much
you can do, Miss Teague,

seein' as how dead set
the town is against us.

There's quite a lot I can do,
and that's why I'm here.

I'd like you
and all of the others
at the ranch...

to come into town tomorrow night
to have supper with us.

A-At your home, Miss Teague?

At my father's home,
Marshal Teague's home.

Well, uh, I'm most obliged
to you, Miss Teague--

You're not declining
my invitation?

Ma'am, we ain't allowed
off ranch property...

between sundown and sunup.

You are when
you're in the company
of a United States marshal.

My father
will be there, too,

so you see
it's perfectly legal
for you to come.

Does your father
know about this?

He will as soon as you tell me
if you're coming or not.

Well, then?
6:00 tomorrow.

[ Exhales ]
We'll be there.

Good. I'm looking
forward to it.

You'll find that
I'm a very good cook.

Mr. Cardine.Ma'am.

Would you carry this
out to my carriage,
please?

Could you help me,
please?

Well,

what do you know?

All I know is, uh--

I'd give six months' pay to see
the look on Teague's face...

when she tells him
we're all invited for dinner.

Hmm.
[ Chortles, Laughs ]

[ Laughing ]

[ Laughing ]

[ Both Laughing ]

Marshal Teague.Well, Judge Pitt. Pleasure
to have you back in Perido, sir.

I'm honored to be here,
as always, Eleazar.
Honored to be here.

How's your own health
holding up, and how's that
beautiful daughter of yours?

Oh, she's fine, I guess.
Nobody's getting any younger,
I know that.

I see no evidence
to prove that contention,
Eleazar, none whatsoever.

Wha-- Your cupboard
is bare.

Have I ridden
these many leagues
in vain?

No, I've got
a trying matter
for you, Jeremiah.

There's a parole violator
from that rehabilitation camp
just outside of town.

$300 bail,

remanded in the custody
of the ranch
superintendent.

Oh, yes,
that rehabilitation ranch.

How's it affecting you,
Eleazar? How's the town
taking to it?

Like a cat
takes to bathing.
That's how.

I been 30 years
getting Perido first to unload,
then to hang up its guns.

And then inside
of six weeks, we're like
a frontier town again--

everybody running around
armed to the teeth,
ready to shoot on sight...

just because some
crackpot from the East
decides to unload...

a whole bunch
of murderers and thieves
in the middle of us.

I see.

Then the adjustment
has not been made...

without a certain agony,
I take it, huh?

They ain't wanted around here,
never will be.

Not by me.
Not by anyone else.

Well, now, Eleazar,
the theory of rehabilitation
of prisoners before release...

has met with a good deal
of approbation...

among jurists and penologists
throughout the eastern part
of this country.

Jeremiah, if they think
they can turn a killer
into an honest man...

by teaching him
how to punch cattle,

they can have my badge
and my guns and I'm
gonna go off someplace,

I don't know where,
and hunt jackrabbit
until my time has come.

Time and tide, my friend.
Time and tide.

They move on,
and we move with them,

or else we find
ourselves alone,

defending
solitary battlements...

that have been deserted
not only by our enemies,
but by our friends as well.

I'd like to meet
some of those men--

those parolees--

if it can be arranged without
undue unease on your part.

Jeremiah, how many years
you been riding into Perido
on your circuit?

Well, ever since there's been
a circuit court
in this territory.

I'd put it at 10 years,
give or take a quarter.
Why do you ask?

And you've always
accepted my invitation
for a drink and a good meal...

and a bed at night
whenever you've come
to town, haven't you?

Yes, it's become a precedent--

as unshakable as the mountains
that rim this valley.

Well, the invitation
stands, as usual.

If you accept it
this time,

you'll be gettin'
all you ask for
and more.

Because my girl has invited
the whole kit and caboodle
of them parolees...

to come into my home
to eat their meal
in my dining room tonight.

- Has she indeed?
- She has.

I don't know
when it was the last time
you sat down to supper...

with a cattle thief
on one side of you
and a murderer on the other...

and a couple of bank bandits
and stage robbers
across from you.

But if you've never
done it before,
you'll be doin' it now.

Eleazar,

only when I have taken my supper
with no one across me
or beside me but you,

could I, without
risking perjury, swear
that I was breaking bread...

with a completely honest man.

And I include all those times
that I have dined
absolutely alone.

[ Chuckling ]

[ Rebecca ]
Judge Pitt, would you
say the blessing, please?

Why, yes,
I'd be delighted.

May the good Lord bless
the food upon this table...

and those who are
about to eat.

May he make honest men
of all of those
who might be rogues...

and may he keep from roguery
all of those who might
just possibly be free of it.

And above all else,
may he cause us to remember...

that when he is reputed
to have said,
"Go and sin no more,"

he left it up
to us lowly mortals...

to make it possible
for those instructions
to be carried out.

Amen.

Thank you, Your Honor.

Father, would you start
the potatoes around, please?

Mr. Cardine.

After you, ma'am.Thank you.

[ Pitt ]
Oh, Rebecca,

if I may interrupt once more
for just a moment, please?

Yes, Judge.

Tonight I am dining
with someone...

whom I must judge tomorrow...

on a charge
of parole violation.

Therefore, in order that it
will not be necessary for me...

to disqualify myself
on this case,

I must elicit a solemn promise
from all of you...

that there will be no discussion
at this table this evening...

whatsoever of this matter.

Miss Teague and gentlemen,
can we all agree upon that?

Yes.Well, thank you.

Mr. Connors, help yourself
to the chops.

- Smells good.
- Oh, thank you.

Will, those beets
in front of you.

Do you like beets?

- Yes, ma'am, very much.
- Have some
and pass them along.

Thank you.

[ Clears Throat ]

Thank you.

[ Trampas ]
Here you go, Will.Thank you.

[ Rebecca ]
Are you getting
everything you need?

Potatoes. I haven't
had potatoes
in a long time.

I only got one question then.

When you're sittin' down
at table with a pack
of criminals...

who in all their lives
haven't been anything
but criminals,

what do you talk about
besides their crimes?

[ Chuckles ]
Well, Eleazar,
if we must discuss crime,

then let it be
the ramifications thereof.

You know, for many years
before I was elevated
to the bench,

and to the saddle as well,
so to speak,

I was Professor of Law
at Colonel Rutger's College
in the state of New Jersey.

One of my students
was young Ben Schofield.Warden Schofield?

The same.

Ah, he was a firebrand,
my friends,
a veritable firebrand.

Had he not become enamored
and immersed in the then almost
unheard of science of penology,

he would have become
one of the most tenacious
prosecutors...

in these United States
and territories.

So now,
instead of prosecuting 'em,
he's protecting 'em.

Letting 'em
ride around the country
with guns on their hips,

settin' up camps
and ranches for them,

paying them money and makin'
the people of a town...

scared to leave their
doors unlocked at night.

Father, there's no one in Perido
who has any cause...

to be afraid of going to bed
with an unlocked door.

That's right. Me and my men
are on that ranch at sundown
every night, Marshal.

And you know it.I know you're supposed--

Eleazar, forbidden ground,
forbidden ground.

Well, I see
that we don't agree...

on the merits of Ben Schofield's
experiment in rehabilitation.

Eleazar,
it's strange to me...

that peace officers are always
the first to protest any move...

to bring offenders back
into the peaceful community.

When the citizens
of that community...

are afraid of being murdered
by those offenders? Not at all.

- Father.
- Murdered by whom,
may I ask?

By the one
who done the murders...

and who should have been
hanged for it...

and who's now walkin'
practically free to do it again
if ever the mood strikes him.

That's who I'm talkin' about.

The United States marshal
that I killed...

was with my wife
when I killed him,

And the court knew that.
The court--

I ain't talking about you,
Cardine.

What's your name,
boy?

- Father.
- You be still, girl.

Well, boy.
What's your name?

Answer up.
You're being questioned
by a U.S. marshal.

Eleazar,
in your own home.

He ain't
in my own home
of my own askin'.

- Well, boy?
- Steinbach, sir.
Will Steinbach.

Now, tell us
where you lived
a couple years back.

Red Rock Junction.
It's just the other side
of Tucson.

Along with who?Father--

You just be quiet, girl.
You've got guests at table.

See if they be wanting
anything to eat.

Along with who,
I'm askin' you.

With the man
I worked for--
Mr. Samsoe.

- Anyone else?
- His wife.

- Who else?
- A little girl.

They still livin' there,
are they?

- No, sir.
- On account of why?

- On account of, uh--
- Father, this is terrible.

I'm afraid
that I must side
with Rebecca, Eleazar.

If this were in my court,
I would have
no alternative...

but to reprimand you
for browbeating and
intimidating a witness.

This ain't
no courtroom.

This is my own
dining room.

I can say
what I want in it,

ask what I want
in it.

Anybody doesn't like it
can get up and leave.

On account of why?

On account of I killed 'em.

You killed 'em.

- How did you do it, boy?
- It was an accident.

An accident?
That's what you told the jury.

But now you tell us
what really happened
to those good people...

who took you in out of charity
and treated you as a member
of the family.

They treated me
like dirt underfoot!

And fed you
and put clothes on your back
and gave you a bed to sleep in.

- I slept in the woodshed!
- They gave you a home.

With them sharing
whatever they had
in return for chores.

Now, how did you
repay that kindness, hmm?

With fire maybe?

He beat me! Mr. Samsoe.

He beat me in front of his wife
and his little girl.

And he was callin' me
stupid and clumsy.

Sayin' I was no good for nothin'
and not right in the head.

And the little girl
was lookin' on
and laughin'...

and sayin' them same words
right after her pa said 'em--

"stupid" and "clumsy"
and "crazy."

So I grabbed up a chair
and I hit Mr. Samsoe
with the chair.

And I ran!
I ran, and I didn't look back!

Your story. You didn't know
about that lantern
being knocked over?

You didn't know
the house was afire?

You didn't look back and see
the flames lickin' the sky or
try to save them in the house?

I hit him, and I ran!

You hit him and burned
the house to the ground
to kill 'em all--

the whole family.No!

The truth, boy. You killed
with fire and flame.

I wished 'em dead! That's all!
I wished it on 'em!

I'm cursin' you, Marshal.

Cursin' you for goadin' me
into sayin' what I done.

Sayin' it--
Sayin' it in-- in front of her.

Makin' her hate me now...

and not wantin'
to have nothin' more
to do with me.

You're evil, Marshal.
You're evil.

You're evil as them I killed,
and I hate you!

I'm cursin' you, Marshal!
Curse you!

Curse you! Curse you!

Will, wait.

[ Rebecca ]
Will, wait, please.

No, not after--
after you knowin'.

I can't, Miss Teague.Will!

Father,

are you ashamed
of yourself?

Are you as ashamed
as you ought to be?

I ain't ashamed of nothin'.

Then you're a hateful man.

Old and hateful
and vindictive,

and you have no more right
upholding the law
in this territory...

than some crazed animal
up in the hills.

You hear that, Jeremiah?
Do you hear the daughter
of my poor dead wife...

talkin' to her pa that way
just because I was tryin'
to show you...

why the good folks of Perido
are scared to go to bed
with their doors unlocked?

It's on account of him,
a murderer,
loose among 'em,

free to come and go
as he pleases.

That's what comes
of this new kinda justice.

Maybe now
you all see.Yeah, we see.

Come on, men.
Let's go.
Dinner's over.

Mr. Cardine.Ma'am.

Well, what can I say?

Well,
it weren't your fault.

But we'd better
get on back
to the ranch,

pick up Will on the way
'fore he does himself
some harm.

Let's go.Mr. Cardine.
The ranch?

Uh, he wasn't riding
that way.

Wait a minute.
What was that?

He was heading
the other way.

Away from the ranch.Was he?

Where you going,
Marshal?

That man is headed out
for open country after sundown,

and that's in violation
of his probation.That is your doing, Marshal.

That makes no difference.It surely does, Marshal.

That boy is scared
and half out of his mind
and unarmed.

I ain't askin' for your
assistance this time.

I'm going
after him myself.

Unarmed, is he?

So where's your gun?
You came here with it.

You ain't goin' nowhere,
you hear? Nowhere.

I'm bringin' him in--
dead or alive.

Judge? Judge, can't you
do nothing?

No more, sir,
than King Canute
could control the tides.

I can convene a court
and try a man,

but the man has to be
in that court to be tried.

Well, if the man's already dead,
can you try him then,
Your Honor?

No, sir, you cannot.

Then you must try
his killer.

[ Horse Departing ]

He'll kill him.

I know.

Bring it up there, boy.

I said bring it up there,

or I'll start shootin'
before I say it again.

Come on!

[ Panting ]

[ Horse Approaching ]

Ain't no rock
gonna save you, boy.

Just throw out
your weapon
and come out yourself.

Hold your hands
where I can see them.

You better not come at me,
Marshal. I'll have to shoot you.

I'm givin' you the count, boy.
Startin' now.

You get up to three.
One-- [ Horse Approaching ]

[ Trampas ]
Marshal, hold it.

Connors, what are you
doin' here?That doesn't matter now.

A parole violator,
and now you're runnin' out
on your bail money?

What do you mean
it doesn't matter?

Marshal, listen to me.

Will, don't!

Marshall, now listen.
Will you just
hold on a second?

Will?
Will, don't shoot.

You shoot at a United States
marshal, doesn't matter
if you miss him by six miles.

You'll go to jail for it,
unless the marshal here
shoots you dead for tryin'.

You don't want to go back
to Dyersville, do you, Will?

Well, that ranch is better
than Dyersville any day.

What do you know
about Dyersville?
You ain't never been there.

Will. Will, listen to me.
Think about that ranch.

You got a lot
of freedom out there.

The air is fresh and clean,
and you're doin' good things,
Will. You're being useful.

Well, you can say that.

There ain't no one
keeping you there.

Anytime you feel like it,
you can ride on out.
And who's gonna stop you?

What's that boy
talkin' about,
mister?

Never been to Dyersville?

Ride on out
anytime it suits you?

- Is he loco?
- That's something we can
talk about later, Marshal.

Right now, I'd like to stick
to gettin' that boy out
from behind those rocks...

without somebody shootin'
or getting killed for it.

You think you can do it?

If you put down that gun,
I'd sure like to try.

[ Crowd Chattering ]

[ Meadows ]
I told you, George,
he wouldn't show up.

Yeah, you been right
all along, Garth.

No, no,
he'll never make it.

This court is now in session.
Will you all please
come to order?

Your Honor.Mr. Cardine.

Your particular position
is a difficult one
to determine.

One of your men, to wit,
Thomas Connors,

is charged
with violation of parole.

He is free under bail of $300
and remanded
into your custody...

as superintendent
of the rehabilitation ranch,

Yet he is the precise one
you permit to ride off,

which is in direct opposition
to the terms...

under which this bail
was granted him.

Now, that not only constitutes
forfeiture of this bail,

but that could also constitute
derogation of your duties...

as superintendent of that ranch,

a situation which could
legally require revocation
of your own parole.

- [ Teague ] Your Honor--
- [ Trampas ] Mr. Cardine.

What's happened to Will?It's all right. Nobody's hurt.
Everything's fine.

This court is in session,
gentlemen.
This court is in session.

Eleazar, the young fellow?He's in jail.
He's all in one piece.

Well, then oughtn't he
to be here in court?

No, I ain't charging him
with nothing.

I guess I just...
pushed him too far
last night.

Every man
has his breaking point,

and you can't hold
a man responsible when
someone else drives him to it.

So, when court's adjourned,
Mr. Cardine can take him
back to the ranch,

keep him where he won't
be doin' himself no harm.

Very well, Marshal.

Which brings us
to the case in hand,

the charges against Thomas
Connors for violation of-- Yeah, now, about that--

Your Honor, with regard
to Tom Connors--Guilty, Your Honor.

[ Crowd Murmuring ]

Guilty.Your Honor--

Now wait a minute. Jeremiah,
this man ain't Tom Connors.

How do you know that?

This morning, this young
Will Steinbach said--

Will Steinbach said?
[ Scoffing ]

Oh, Your Honor, that kid
doesn't know what he's
saying half the time.

I'm Tom Connors.
Would you like to see
my identification?

Now, see here.

Why would a man claim
an identity that, if verifiable,

could result in his being
returned to Dyersville for-- Your Honor.

Um, I'm asking--

I'm asking now that I be put
back in the custody
of Mr. Cardine...

for the rest of my time.

[ Crowd Murmuring ]

Marshal, you're the only one
who can make a judgment...

based upon his actions
during the space
of the last few hours.

In view of them,
do you recommend--

You better deal me
out of this hand, Jeremiah.

It's like they say,
I'm behind them rocks shootin',

and there ain't anyone beside me
and there ain't anyone out there
gettin' shot at neither.

So... no.

I see.

Then am I to understand,
Marshal,

that the charges
against the defendant
are being withdrawn?

- That's right.
- Very well.

So ordered.

The defendant is returned
to the custody of Mr. Cardine.

Thank you, Your Honor.[ Crowd Chattering ]

There being no other cases
on the docket,

this court
now stands adjourned.

Well, Eleazar,
I guess the jackrabbits...

won't have to worry
for a while at least, huh?

[ Chattering Continues ]

[ Man ]
Marshal?

Telegraph arrived
for you.Ah.

Marshal, look,
I, uh--Meadows, I am reading.

Cardine,
a telegraph from Tucson.

They're sending you
25 new parolees.

They'll be arriving
at Willcox railhead
the seventh of the month.

The town won't
put up with that.

The town won't stand for
25 more of those killers
and thieves out at that ranch.

Meadows, how many people
we got in Perido now?

How many?
Well, I don't know.

Maybe 200. Why?

That's exactly how many
more of you are gonna
be out at that ranch...

if there's a finger--
one finger--
lifted against them...

which ain't
in strict accordance
with the law.

And you're gonna
take their part, huh?

You're gonna take
their part against us,
your own people.

I'm taking the part
of the law--

against anyone
who's fixin' to break it.

I been takin' the part
of the law for 30 years...

and when you been
doing it that long,

you don't have no people.

You keep 'em in line,
Cardine.

Oh, I'll keep 'em
in line, Teague.

You better.

Now.Hmm?

How come?

Well, like I said
to señorita,

you got a long ways
to go, Cardine.

And I never quit a job
that I hadn't finished.

Connors still has
eight months to go.

Hmm, yeah.
[ Clicks Tongue ]

Well, you see him
over there?

Dalton?

Mm-hmm.
First-rate rancher.

Got the makings
of a real fine foreman.

Trouble is, he, uh,
just won't admit it to himself.

You give me a couple weeks
with him, he'll be ready
to take over the job.

Then I can just sort of
ease my way out of here.

With 25 more hands
coming in, uh,

who's gonna know that
Tom Connors ain't around,
right?

Right. Let's go home.
You've got work to do.Yo.

[ No Audible Dialogue ]