Original subtitles

JIM: Butch Cassidy was probably the best example the West had ever known

of a cowboy gone wrong.

He was a product of his background.

A criminal by circumstance.

He occasionally rode with killers but there's no record that he ever shot a man.

Everybody who knew Butch liked him,

that included some of the men he'd robbed

and some officers of the law.

Well,

that goes for me too.

I'm Jim Hardie,

an investigator for Wells Fargo.

This is my ranch, my home,

which I see far too seldom.

My work with Wells Fargo keeps me away most of the time,

but now and then there's a lull, and...

I get to spend a few days around home here,

putting down roots,

watching things grow.

A man's character has a lot to do with his background.

It's the same way with an animal.

Give them a good background, train them properly,

and they'll come out of it all right.

This little fellow isn't going to like what's about to happen to him,

but it's necessary.

He giving you trouble, Jim?

Not a whole lot. How are you? Fine, Jim.

Thought I'd pay you a visit.

Yeah, I'll bet you did.

That's enough for today, Art. Put him away.

Must be something pretty special to bring you all the way out here.

Butch Cassidy.

What about him?

You helped to send him to prison.

Yes, I did. It was over two years ago.

Pardoned by the governor.

That report you made on Cassidy,

I read it.

Man of great potentialities at the wrong road.

Yeah. Yeah, that's the way I felt.

Still feel the same?

I've had no reason to change,

unless two years imprisonment changed him.

Wells Fargo could use a man like that up in the Hole In The Wall country.

Then I suppose I'm elected to carry the good tidings to him.

That's right. You are.

All right, Sam.

I'll get my stuff and be with you in a minute.

Rise and shine. What the...

Well, Idaho!

Say, I thought you'll be shot or thrown in jail by now.

Sure is good to see you, Butch.

All the boys been missing you.

Oh, sure!

I noticed none of them ever came up to visit me.

Well, we figured you had lots of company.

Well, the company was fine. I never liked the scenery though.

Say, Idaho, what are you doing on this train?

Oh, a sheriff east of here thought I oughta travel for my health.

Offered to pay your fare, huh?

No, no. Local bank took care of that.

Oh. Here.

Will Carver said to give you this.

Was afraid the warden might forget to give you back your gun when he turned you loose.

Come to think about it, he did.

Uh, which door do you want when she stops? Front or back?

You plan on taking this train?

Gotta make my fare back, ain't I?

Well, where do you plan on hittin' it?

Wilcox. Kid Curry's there.

Will Carver and the Tall Texan.

Wilcox, huh?

Say, that's still in Wyoming, ain't it?

Yeah.

Well, Idaho, I think maybe you better deal me out of this one.

Now, you ain't turned honest, have you, Butch?

No, it's just that I'm sorta out of practice.

You know, I ain't had a chance to hold up a train all the time I was in the pen.

Well, we figured you sort of might

like to pick up a little ready cash when you got out.

Now, that's another thing. I didn't get a chance

to spend a dime for two years, either.

She's whistling for Wilcox now. Where you heading, Butch?

Well, I'll be in Lander for about a week or so.

Well...

if we don't get rode down, I'll see you there.

Oh, Boxcar. You sure do look beautiful.

How long did you say you were penned up?

Two years.

No wonder I look beautiful.

What're you going to do now, kid?

I don't know.

You've had a long time to think.

Boxcar, if I was a real good thinker,

I'd left my rope on my saddle

and I wouldn't have made the pen for stealing cattle.

You wanna know what I'm gonna do?

I'll tell ya. Right now, I'm gonna have a good drink.

Boxcar, I still say you look beautiful.

Look who just walked in. Over in that corner.

You got to get out of here.

You know who he is?

Sure, Boxcar, that's a friend of mine.

Hello, Jim. How are you, Butch?

Mind if I sit down?

No. Was just going to ask you to.

Hey, you're looking good, Butch.

Buy you a drink? Oh, no. This party's on me.

Duckfoot, bring over a bottle of whiskey, will you?

Wells Fargo losing much money these days?

We've been doing pretty good the last couple of years while you've been away.

You seem to have a lot of nice friends here, Butch.

Yeah, these are all good peoples. Small ranchers mostly.

Just like how I used to be when I first came to this country.

You've also got a new start in life.

I was wondering what you're going to do with it.

Oh, I don't know, Jim.

There was a train held up...

a few days ago, just outside Wilcox.

I know. You know?

What? You read in the papers?

No, I didn't have to. I was on it.

Well, I was wondering if there was anybody else on it that a man ought to know about.

Jim, I was asleep most of the way.

You know, this place got tame all of a sudden.

Duckfoot, buy everybody a drink

and spread the word that I'm in no kind of trouble.

Jim, You've known me for a long time.

And you know I'm many things, but I'm not a liar.

So I wanna tell you, the governor and me had a talk

before the state turned me loose.

He offered to pardon me if I promised to reform.

And I've never had much respect for anybody who wouldn't keep a promise.

You know that.

What'd you tell him?

Well, I told him that I didn't think I can go any different, but I sure would try.

But I gave him my word

that I wouldn't worry the state of Wyoming in any event.

Well, I didn't come here looking for you

in connection with the robbery at Wilcox.

There's somebody else, they're assigned to that case.

What're you doing here then, Jim?

Came here to offer you a job.

You're offering me a job?

Wells Fargo is.

What do they want me to do? Pay them back out of my salary?

No, they figured it'd be better to have you working with them rather than against them.

Oh, I couldn't be trusted inside one of those express cars with all that money.

As a matter of fact, I can't even be trusted outside of one.

It wasn't exactly that they had in mind.

What do they want me to do then?

You're a good long rider, Butch.

You've ridden every back trail from Mexico to the Canadian border.

Well, you've ridden quite a few yourself, Jim.

Yes, I have. And I've ridden up a lot of blind trails.

That's what we want you for. We want you to take a trip with a map maker.

You know, any map that I make is liable to look like

some cowhand got drunk and tried to coil his rope.

And none of it would be right. Maybe not.

But it'd be an honest mistake if you give me your word and you accept the job.

Wells Fargo wants to run a stage line down South.

They need a trail for it.

One that's fast and economical

and still be safe.

Jim, this is like going against all my friends.

We're not asking you to inform on anybody.

But a trail can tell an awful lot of story, if it's read right.

I know.

You didn't really expect me to take a job like that, did you?

No. I suppose not.

But I was asked to try, and I did.

Hang around a while.

The party ain't even got started yet.

And it's all free.

Free?

Had an idea Wells Fargo was paying for it.

Come on up to the bar. I want you to meet some friends of mine.

Oh, ain't he a pistol.

The governor gives him a pardon and the mayor gives him the keys to the town.

I wonder if they gave him the keys to the bank.

Well... Stay outside, boys.

There's a Wells Fargo man in there.

Who's he looking for? I didn't ask him.

Every express car carries a Wells Fargo shipment...

Just in case that means anything to you gents.

What's happened to Butch?

Oh, Butch is all right. The law isn't after him.

Just as long as you stay outside.

That ain't what I call a real hospitable attitude, Boxcar.

This is a real refined party.

Besides, I just spent $200 for that mirror over my back bar,

And I'm not having you break up my joint.

All right, Boxcar.

We were getting sorta thirsty after a long ride, but...

I reckon we can wait till he's gone.

By the way, Boxcar, what does this gent look like?

Just so we can be sure when he's gone.

Well, he's wearing his gun on his left-hand side.

Thank you.

Thank you, Boxcar.

If you change your mind and you wanna look me up,

I'll be in Cheyenne for a few days.

And if you want o get in touch with me again,

you might have a real long ride.

I believe you. Take it easy, Butch.

Hardie!

All right, get back inside, all of you.

Idaho! Idaho!

Idaho!

Idaho?

Will Carver. Come here.

You ain't changed any, have you, Idaho?

You're still too handy with a gun.

What would you have me do? He's a Wells Fargo man. He's also a friend of mine.

That's sort of peculiar, too.

You run out on holding up a train, and...

then the law shows up, a friend of yours.

Maybe he knew that we were going to meet you here.

One of 'em quit the bunch here.

The other three are riding out together.

I'd say let's turn back.

We're not getting any closer to them.

That express messenger they killed was a friend of mine.

I aim to see somebody hang for it! Come on!

I don't know who tried to bushwhack me back there in Lander,

but it seemed reasonable to think they'd try again.

Keep your hands away from your gun, Cassidy.

And don't turn around.

If there's anybody else with you, call 'em out.

I'm traveling alone, Jim.

You had a lot of friends last night.

Maybe you just have a lot of enemies.

Keep turned around.

In my business, you don't make many friends.

I've run into the same trouble, Jim.

What are you doing here?

Well, this is my territory.

Maybe all the friends I've got hang out around here.

Anyhow, I figured you'd be safer going home if I rode along with you.

All right.

I'll believe that.

Throw some wood on the fire.

Getting a little chilly.

Who tried to kill me last night, Butch?

Somebody in the street.

You think they might try it again, is that it?

Not as long as I'm with you.

You can get us both killed just being here.

Jim, I could get you shot real easy.

Well...

I don't know bout you, but I've just gotta bed down.

They put me into some bad habits down there in that pen.

You gonna sit here and tend the fire all night? Or you gonna get some sleep?

You know I've worked with a lot of your kind of people.

Met old John Wesley Hardin once.

Billy the Kid.

Sam Bass.

And a lot of others.

This is the first time ever I had one of 'em ride along with me

to keep me from getting shot.

Well, come to think of it, I don't remember

ever volunteering to be anybody's bodyguard before.

Maybe you ought to go on back.

Jim, don't you like my company?

No, it isn't that. I appreciate it a good deal.

It'd be kinda nice, as a matter of fact, to have

somebody to ride along with, talk to.

But your crowd might not understand you

taking up with somebody on the other side of the fence.

Well, Jim, you can worry about it if you want to.

But it doesn't bother me at all.

Well, I suppose it'd bothered me a good deal if I wasn't so handy with the gun.

You think I'm not?

Come to think of it, I don't know.

Never heard about you being any great shakes with a gun.

Well, I'll tell you something, Jim.

I don't know either.

I never had to draw on anybody yet.

Hope you never have to.

There's two of them camped in a patch of timber.

How far?

Quarter of a mile. Maybe a little more.

We'll leave the horses here.

You got a rope, Virgie. Get it.

What are you aiming to do, Judd?

I'm aiming to hang 'em.

It's up to the law, ain't it, Judd?

We're all swore in as deputies, ain't we?

Then that makes us the law.

Get the rope, Virgie.

All right, gents.

Just stand right where you are.

Get their guns.

Are these friends of yours or friends of mine?

I got a hunch that they don't belong to either one of us.

All right, you two.

Uhh...

You mind if I finish putting my jacket on?

Why bother? You ain't going to be cold very long.

There's some of us might be a whole lot colder in a few minutes.

You ever seen any of these citizens before? No.

That's him. That's Butch Cassidy.

I seen a picture of him once.

That's right, ain't it? You're Butch Cassidy?

Why don't you ask him again? He saw a picture of me once.

I reckon there's no doubt. You're the people we want.

You haven't asked me who I am yet.

Doesn't matter, mister. You're riding with Cassidy

and that's good enough for me. And who are you?

I happen to be deputy sheriff Judd Taver out of Wilcox.

What do you want Cassidy for? Train robbery and murder.

What makes you think he did it? He was riding on the train.

Well, I've ridden on a lot of trains too, but I never held one up yet.

Go ahead and talk, mister. I ain't listening.

Maybe you'll wish you had when we get to town.

Oh, we ain't gonna bother with that.

Virgie, give me that rope.

That express messenger that was killed was my best friend.

I'm gonna give you the same chance you gave him.

He was a friend of mine, too.

My name is Jim Hardie, a special investigator for Wells Fargo.

I intend to see that the man that killed him is hung.

But it'll be legal. Now, if you still intend to hang me, you go ahead.

It didn't look like you were taking him in.

I wasn't. He hadn't done anything.

He's riding with me because he's a friend of mine.

You and your two friends,

you should be ashamed to call yourselves law officers.

You're worse than the outlaws that you're supposed to be after.

They could hang you for just thinking what you were.

They can't do nothing. We're all deputies.

When I get to town I'll find out who deputized you.

Maybe he'll have some questions to answer.

Well, maybe we made a mistake as far as you're concerned, Mr. Hardie.

We'll just take this Cassidy and call the whole thing square.

You will, huh?

What have you got to say to that, Butch?

Well, I don't mind being hung,

but I sure am particular about the class of people that do it.

There's your answer. Look,

I offered you a deal, mister. Now take it or leave it!

You're still looking into the barrel of this gun.

Thanks, Jim.

My pleasure.

Want a drink of this, Jim? No, thank you.

Guess it's time we got started.

Well, this is probably good for kindling fires.

You want me to give you a hand with 'em, Jim, all the rest of the way?

No. They won't give me any trouble.

Oh, I wasn't worried about that.

I was thinking about how funny it would look,

me riding into town, herding a bunch of deputies.

It sure would.

That job I offered you...

it's still open.

There sits three good reasons why it wouldn't work.

Now, they wanted to hang me for something I didn't do.

You know, Jim, you get the name of being wild,

nobody ever figures you'll get tame again.

No, I took my stand once, there's no way to change it.

I suppose not.

But I've still got my job, Butch.

I hope I never have to go out and try to bring you in.

That's not likely.

This country is closing in on me and my kind.

Oh, and I hear there's a lot of wide open space in South America.

I hope you make it.

I'll make it. Good luck to you.

That's the last time I ever saw Butch Cassidy,

the boss of the Wild Bunch.

He made his dream come true, though.

The last I heard of him, he had made it to Argentina.

What happened to him there, nobody knows.

As for the real train robbers,

they were caught and punished.

It's a part of Wells Fargo tradition that no shipper ever lost a dollar

and no man who killed a Wells Fargo agent

ever got away with it.