Original subtitles

My name's Jim Hardie. Special investigator for Wells Fargo.

In my line of work, it's pretty usual to find

that larceny and murder go together.

And it's no surprise when the man you're seeking

fits the crime of which he stands accused.

Now, this was not one of those times.

The man I'd come to see was known as Soldier O'Malley.

He'd been a champion prize fighter once.

And according to the legend that followed his name,

he could've whipped his weight in angry wolves.

I'd known him, and I'd liked him

in the days of glory that were pretty well behind him, now.

We knew for certain that the Soldier had robbed a Wells Fargo stage coach

of fifteen thousand dollars.

Now, there wasn't any mystery there.

It was the murder charge against him that puzzled me.

The crime just didn't seem to fit the man.

Howdy.

I'm Jim Hardie. Special investigator for Wells Fargo.

I'd like to talk to the prisoner, if you don't mind.

I mind.

Nobody talks to this murderin' ox unless the marshal's here.

I understood the marshal was the man that got killed.

He got killed, all right.

We'll hang the man who murdered him.

Luther Delahandy's our new Marshal here, mister.

You'll have to talk to him.

Where do I find him?

You can't find him.

He rode over to Martinsville and won't be back until tonight.

Well, in that case, you can make an exception.

I don't think that's the most polite thing you could've done.

Maybe you'd like me to hit you across the mouth with it.

Shut up.

You're still in prison, Soldier.

I hope you don't forget that.

It's been a long time since I hit a man that hard, Jim.

I can't say it's the smartest thing you ever did.

Now, when was I ever supposed to be smart?

You certainly weren't when you held up that stage.

Why?

Why'd you do it, Soldier?

Well, I don't know, I...

I guess it'd been a long time since I'd been able to

walk into a saloon in style...

But, I didn't kill that marshal, Jim.

I never laid a hand on him.

Well, that's not what the report I read had to say.

It said when the marshal walked in to arrest you, that you resisted that arrest.

Broke his neck in the struggle.

And it's not gonna be a very hard thing to prove

that you could break a mule's back if you ever took a notion.

Were you drinkin'?

Well, it has a little bit of float, Jim, sure, but...

as God is my judge, I didn't kill him. Believe me.

I'd like to believe you.

But it's not easy.

I know.

And another thing. Why would you come back

to a town to where you were so well known?

Just two weeks after the holdup, and you a hunted man.

Oh, I had some unfinished business.

and besides, I thought this beard would...

Beard?

Is a beard gonna change the size of you?

The way you walk, the way you talk?

I always wanted to have a drink in the back room with...

With who?

Now, let's say an old friend, Jim.

What friend?

Well, that's the part we'll have to skip, but...

Well, that's when the marshal came in to arrest me.

Now, what's the use of talkin'?

Well, I can think of one pretty good reason.

My company's out fifteen thousand dollars.

They'd like to get the money back.

Fifteen thousand?

Where'd you hide it?

As a friend, Jim.

I wish I could let you know, but...

trouble is, I feel that

once they find out where that money is...

they'll hang me twice as fast as they would if they...

had to keep lookin' for it.

This way...

for a while, I-I even have Wells Fargo on my side.

So, if you don't mind, I-I'm tired, Jim.

I think I'll... I'll lie down for a time.

Fact is, well, I knew Soldier O'Malley

when he was growin' up around these parts.

Like a young bull buffalo.

Why, he'd fight a whole regiment just for the sport of it.

But he was always too soft to hate.

That's why I know he never killed John Landers.

Dolly, you knew young O'Malley, didn't you,

when you and him was growin' up?

I knew him, yes.

If you're tryin' to get me to admit my age.

You Jim Hardie?

Yes, I am.

Can't say as we haven't heard of you.

Some men's reputations ride ahead of 'em.

Well, I hope that can be taken as a compliment.

Thank you, sir.

Fact is, as a businessman, Mr. Hardie,

and as the marshal,

chosen to succeed John Landers,

I don't intend to damage this town's relations with the Wells Fargo company.

Well, I'll tell 'em that. I'm sure they'll be pleased.

That's why I'm willing to overlook the disturbance in my office this morning.

As well as your friendship for the man who murdered John Landers.

Well, I didn't know he'd been convicted yet.

He'll be convicted. And he'll be hung.

He'll be convicted just as sure as

John Landers was my friend and partner.

Well, that may be...

All I know about O'Malley is that he held up one of our stages

for fifteen thousand dollars about a hundred and fifty miles from here.

And this... murderer he used a shotgun

that not only wasn't loaded, but hadn't been fired in years.

You don't mind my bringing up these minor little details, do you?

No, don't mind at all.

As I said,

I mean to be real friendly with Wells Fargo.

That's why all I'm askin' is that you leave town.

Quietly.

Now.

I said now, Mr. Hardie.

Well, I'll leave town, all right.

When my work's finished. No sooner.

But then, you as a man who wants to be real friendly

with Wells Fargo will understand that, I'm sure.

Hold it, gentlemen.

This is a respectable saloon,

it's not supposed to be a shooting gallery every time an argument comes up.

What happened?

I saw O'Malley escape, Marshal.

A horse was waitin' for him, all saddled and ready.

Charlie, Ed, Joe. Go after him.

He's too big a man for any horse to carry fast or far.

But he knows these hills like a bear knows the way to his den.

And if you get a good shot at him, shoot to kill.

Hold it, Ben. I didn't mean you.

We got another prisoner to take O'Malley's place.

You're under arrest.

For what? For assisting a prisoner to escape.

Somebody had to get that dynamite to him.

Move.

How long do you two think you can hold me here?

Until you tell us where your friend O'Malley is.

I can't tell you where O'Malley is.

But I can tell you 'bout the dynamite.

My idea that you had him blasted out of jail yourself.

For reasons that I won't bother to explain.

Sit down.

I'd heard it mentioned more than once

that the Soldier knew every snake hole,

rock, and twig in Cripple Hill.

That's why I decided that instead of chasing him,

it might be better

just to let him come to me.

Don't move, Jim. Don't turn around.

SOLDIER: Now, stand up so I can take your gun.

You can't take what I haven't got, Soldier.

No need lookin' for a rifle.

Delahandy made sure he cleaned out the scabbard.

Sit down, Jim.

Delahandy... Are you havin' trouble with him, too?

That's right.

He figures I'm the one who furnished you with the dynamite

to blast your way out of jail? You?

Well, it makes sense.

Gives him someone else to put the blame on.

I made the mistake of tellin' him what I believed.

Now, I believe he had you blasted out of there himself.

Now, look, Jim, I...

I can give you two reasons why.

he could have you murdered legally as a fugitive if they caught you.

And two: anyone trailing you could have the fifteen thousand dollars for himself.

Well, you're wrong, Jim. It wasn't Delahandy.

And it wasn't any of his men, either.

There's no use askin' me who brought me the dynamite at the jail.

'Cause there ain't a chance I'd tell you.

All I can tell you is that I didn't kill John Landers.

Well, I know I was drunk, and...

I can't tell you how he died.

I told you all I remember.

John Landers knew I'd robbed the stage.

He came in with Delahandy and Doc Seeley to arrest me.

I tried to get away, and somebody hit me over the head.

The next thing I remember, I woke up in jail.

Why'd you come back to Cripple Hill?

Ah, there's no use talkin' about it, Jim.

Let's just say there's some things that talk won't cure.

Like what?

Well, like bein' born with the wrong set of brains, for instance.

Or makin' a livin' with your fists.

You know what I mean?

You're a famous man, Soldier.

You made a fortune with your fists.

I can remember the time when you could whip any man

west of the Mississippi in a fair fight.

Why'd you give up fightin'?

Why?

Oh, let's just say I...

I found out I couldn't have the one thing I was fightin' for.

A man can use his belly for standin' up in front of a crowd like a prized bear,

knockin' the sense out of other men.

Sure, I liked the money,

I liked the sound of people sayin, "There goes the champion,"

but the trouble is, Jim, to get older.

And, if you're a man like me,

you ask yourself,

"The champion of what?"

Other trouble is, with a clod like me without a trade,

he starts dreamin' dreams...

That aren't good for him.

And when that happens,

I know the whiskey isn't a help.

I was full of rum and a wild idea when that stagecoach came along.

Now, there's the fifteen thousand, Jim.

Less the hundred and fifty dollars I spent

tryin' to convince myself I was an important fella again.

That mean you're givin' yourself up?

The money, Jim. Not myself.

You see, a man my size doesn't fit a cell.

It's like puttin' a rooster in a cage built for a canary.

Oh, and... and there's one other reason you may have forgotten.

A man doesn't like to hang by the neck.

I know you didn't kill John Landers.

If you were a killer, I wouldn't be here now.

There's somethin' I can tell ya.

That as far as you run, as long as you run,

you're gonna be a hunted man.

Don't make a move for it, Jim.

Don't make a move until you hear what I have to say.

I'm listenin'.

Well, I'm trading you that gun for a fifteen-minute head start.

What I'm tryin' to say is that

with Delahandy and that deputy, you're gonna need it.

And the gun won't do me any good...

Guns make me nervous.

Besides, I couldn't hit a tree at twenty feet.

And after the fifteen minutes, what then?

Then...

Well, in this country you couldn't catch me

with seven bloodhounds and a troop of cavalry.

I kept my bargain with Soldier O'Malley.

But I didn't try to follow him.

That was the one thing that could wait.

I put the money where a squirrel might have a chance of findin' it,

but Mr. Delahandy certainly wouldn't.

Then I went back to Cripple Hill.

It was still early mornin', with most of the town not yet awake.

I was interested in learnin' more about this Dr. Seeley,

who had been in the room at the Wooder's Tavern the night John Landers was killed.

Ben...

What?

So he came back.

Buenos d�as, se�or. Buenos d�as.

Se�ora...

Good morning. Good morning.

Another cup, Pinto.

Si, se�ora.

Sit down.

I didn't expect to see you alive and breathing.

What happened to Soldier O'Malley?

Well, still alive and healthy.

How well did you know the Soldier?

Let's just say that I knew him.

We're a little stingy on information around here,

but the coffee's on the house.

Mrs. Stapes...

Call me Dolly.

I've been a widow for almost seven years,

and that "missus" stuff always sounds a little out of style.

Well, you own this place, I imagine you...

got a good yield of knowledge of what goes on around here most of the time.

Wonder if you could tell me what happened

the night John Landers was killed?

That was 2:00 in the mornin', and I wasn't here.

You weren't? No.

I was up the road a mile at the Olivero's place.

Rose Olivero was having a baby. They couldn't get Doc Seeley to come,

so I had my first job as a midwife.

The baby weighed seven pounds and six ounces on the grain scale.

Jim...

Ben Aaron is behind you, he's got you covered with a rifle,

and you don't have a chance.

Well...

Nice seein' you here, Hardie.

Stay where you are.

You know, you're gonna be sorry you came back.

What's he doin' here?

Three guesses.

My own is that he's fond of coffee.

How 'bout you, Ben? You would like some, wouldn't you?

Pinto. I can wait.

Another cup. I said I can wait!

What were you two talkin' about?

nothing much.

Old times, old places.

You know how it goes, Ben.

Pinto. Si, se�ora

Give him a hand. Better drag him out of sight.

Si.

You all right?

Yes, I'm all right.

Can't figure out how...

how the Soldier could put that guy away with one punch.

There's only one Soldier O'Malley, Jim, in case you have any doubts.

And if you're thinking what I think you're thinking,

you happen to be right.

I could've married O'Malley ten years ago instead of marryin' Harry Stapes.

He came to see me the night Landers died.

He came with a big beard like an unshaved buffalo.

Then he got himself drunk when he learned I wasn't here.

What happened then?

I'm still not sure.

Time I got back from Olivero's place,

they had him locked up in jail and charged with murder.

But there's one thing I'm certain of.

He wouldn't have killed Landers. Never in a thousand years.

I don't think he would've, either.

But you certainly kept quiet about it.

I know this town, and the hold Delahandy has over it.

I figured the best thing I could do for the Soldier

was get him out of jail before he got hung.

I see.

So it was you that got the dynamite to him, huh?

My place serves the prisoners their meals.

That's how I got it to him.

Stick by stick.

And Pinto there delivered it.

Is that right?

I'll let you figure that out.

In the meantime, don't expect me to mention names.

I'll settle for that.

Who else was in the room upstairs

the night Landers got killed

besides Delahandy, Seeley, and the Soldier?

No one, till they carried the body out, wrapped in three or four blankets.

Doctor Seeley signed the certificate

and said the cause of death was a broken neck.

Then they buried John Landers in the churchyard yesterday.

He had no family.

The chief mourner was Delahandy.

Pinto, tell mister Hardie what you saw that night.

The night they carried mister Landers in the private room.

Blood on the floor, se�or.

They had it washed it quick.

But it was there, in the crack of the wood.

No blood.

I thought to myself,

A man doesn't have to bleed over broken neck.

But I did not dare to speak.

When it was later,

I saw Dr. Seeley come back and go into the room.

After that, there was no blood at all.

Not even the crack of the wood.

Madre m�a.

Do not speak my name, please.

Don't worry about that.

On the way in to town, I passed Seeley's office.

Does he live there also?

No, he stays at the Metropolitan hotel.

What does he look like?

Well, he'll have bloodshot eyes,

he looks like a starved scarecrow,

and he will have had his last drink within 10 minutes of whatever time you find him.

Thank you, Dolly.

We'd better worry about him.

Dr. Seeley.

What do you want?

Whoever you are, you weren't invited.

My advice to you is to get out.

My name's Jim Hardie.

Marshal Delahandy must've mentioned my name.

I'm from Wells Fargo. Maybe he mentioned that.

Means nothing to me.

Well, it might when I tell you that there's a court order bein' drawn up

by a federal judge in Martinsville

demanding that the grave of John Landers be opened.

You're bluffin', Hardie.

Am I?

Even if I was, it wouldn't make much difference in the long run, anyway.

If it's ever explained to the proper authorities

why there was never an examination, not even by an undertaker,

of John Landers' body, they might want to know why.

You think so, Hardie?

I know so.

You were seen scrubbin' fresh blood up off of the floor.

So there'll be no more talk about how Soldier O'Malley broke anyone's neck.

All they're gonna wanna know is who stabbed him in the back, you or Delahandy?

And I'd personally like to know how much he's payin' you.

Now, answer my question.

He's through answerin' questions, Hardie, and so are you.

I never was much good with guns, Marshal.

They never were my line of work.

But you may have heard how, when I was younger,

I learned to use my hands.

All right, Delahandy,

I thought maybe your friends might like to know

how, if I really put my mind to it,

I could break a grown man's neck.

Oh, there's no place to run, Marshal.

And no friends to help you. Just me and my hands.

Hardie... Hardie, keep him off of me!

Hardie!

Or maybe you'd rather tell us how Landers was killed.

All right! All right!

I stabbed Landers.

When he went to arrest O'Malley.

Doc Seeley helped me cover up.

You heard what he said, Jim?

Every word.

Like I said before,

sometimes the crime will fit the man,

there are other times when it won't.

And don't ask me how long the Soldier went to jail for robbin' that stage.

It's kind of a secret between me,

Wells Fargo,

and the judge.

Now, this judge was a sentimental and romantic sort of a fellow.

He didn't feel the widow should wait too long.

DRIVER: Hyah! Hyah!

My name's Jim Hardie. Special investigator for Wells Fargo.

In my line of work, it's pretty usual to find

that larceny and murder go together.

And it's no surprise when the man you're seeking

fits the crime of which he stands accused.

Now, this was not one of those times.

The man I'd come to see was known as Soldier O'Malley.

He'd been a champion prize fighter once.

And according to the legend that followed his name,

he could've whipped his weight in angry wolves.

I'd known him, and I'd liked him

in the days of glory that were pretty well behind him, now.

We knew for certain that the Soldier had robbed a Wells Fargo stage coach

of fifteen thousand dollars.

Now, there wasn't any mystery there.

It was the murder charge against him that puzzled me.

The crime just didn't seem to fit the man.

Howdy.

I'm Jim Hardie. Special investigator for Wells Fargo.

I'd like to talk to the prisoner, if you don't mind.

I mind.

Nobody talks to this murderin' ox unless the marshal's here.

I understood the marshal was the man that got killed.

He got killed, all right.

We'll hang the man who murdered him.

Luther Delahandy's our new Marshal here, mister.

You'll have to talk to him.

Where do I find him?

You can't find him.

He rode over to Martinsville and won't be back until tonight.

Well, in that case, you can make an exception.

I don't think that's the most polite thing you could've done.

Maybe you'd like me to hit you across the mouth with it.

Shut up.

You're still in prison, Soldier.

I hope you don't forget that.

It's been a long time since I hit a man that hard, Jim.

I can't say it's the smartest thing you ever did.

Now, when was I ever supposed to be smart?

You certainly weren't when you held up that stage.

Why?

Why'd you do it, Soldier?

Well, I don't know, I...

I guess it'd been a long time since I'd been able to

walk into a saloon in style...

But, I didn't kill that marshal, Jim.

I never laid a hand on him.

Well, that's not what the report I read had to say.

It said when the marshal walked in to arrest you, that you resisted that arrest.

Broke his neck in the struggle.

And it's not gonna be a very hard thing to prove

that you could break a mule's back if you ever took a notion.

HARDIE: Were you drinkin'?

Well, it has a little bit of float, Jim, sure, but...

as God is my judge, I didn't kill him. Believe me.

I'd like to believe you.

But it's not easy.

I know.

And another thing. Why would you come back

to a town to where you were so well known?

Just two weeks after the holdup, and you a hunted man.

Oh, I had some unfinished business.

Oh, and besides, I thought this beard would...

Beard?

Is a beard gonna change the size of you?

The way you walk, the way you talk?

I always wanted to have a drink in the back room with...

With who?

SOLDIER: Now, let's say an old friend, Jim.

What friend?

Well, that's the part we'll have to skip, but...

Well, that's when the marshal came in to arrest me.

Now, what's the use of talkin'?

Well, I can think of one pretty good reason.

My company's out fifteen thousand dollars.

They'd like to get the money back.

Fifteen thousand?

Where'd you hide it?

As a friend, Jim.

I wish I could let you know, but...

trouble is, I feel that

once they find out where that money is...

they'll hang me twice as fast as they would if they...

had to keep lookin' for it.

This way...

for a while, I-I even have Wells Fargo on my side.

So, if you don't mind, I-I'm tired, Jim.

I think I'll... I'll lie down for a time.

Oh...

Fact is, well, I knew Soldier O'Malley

when he was growin' up around these parts.

Like a young bull buffalo.

MAN: Why, he'd fight a whole regiment just for the sport of it.

But he was always too soft to hate.

That's why I know he never killed John Landers.

Dolly, you knew young O'Malley, didn't you,

when you and him was growin' up?

I knew him, yes.

If you're tryin' to get me to admit my age.

You Jim Hardie?

Yes, I am.

Can't say as we haven't heard of you.

Some men's reputations ride ahead of 'em.

Well, I hope that can be taken as a compliment.

Thank you, sir.

Fact is, as a businessman, Mr. Hardie,

and as the marshal,

chosen to succeed John Landers,

I don't intend to damage this town's relations with the Wells Fargo company.

Well, I'll tell 'em that. I'm sure they'll be pleased.

That's why I'm willing to overlook the disturbance in my office this morning.

As well as your friendship for the man who murdered John Landers.

Well, I didn't know he'd been convicted yet.

He'll be convicted. And he'll be hung.

He'll be convicted just as sure as

John Landers was my friend and partner.

Well, that may be...

All I know about O'Malley is that he held up one of our stages

for fifteen thousand dollars about a hundred and fifty miles from here.

And this... murderer he used a shotgun

that not only wasn't loaded, but hadn't been fired in years.

You don't mind my bringing up these minor little details, do you?

No, don't mind at all.

As I said,

I mean to be real friendly with Wells Fargo.

That's why all I'm askin' is that you leave town.

Quietly.

Now.

I said now, Mr. Hardie.

Well, I'll leave town, all right.

When my work's finished. No sooner.

But then, you as a man who wants to be real friendly

with Wells Fargo will understand that, I'm sure.

Hold it, gentlemen.

This is a respectable saloon,

it's not supposed to be a shooting gallery every time an argument comes up.

( explosion

What happened?

I saw O'Malley escape, Marshal.

A horse was waitin' for him, all saddled and ready.

Charlie, Ed, Joe. Go after him.

He's too big a man for any horse to carry fast or far.

But he knows these hills like a bear knows the way to his den.

And if you get a good shot at him, shoot to kill.

Hold it, Ben. I didn't mean you.

We got another prisoner to take O'Malley's place.

You're under arrest.

For what? For assisting a prisoner to escape.

Somebody had to get that dynamite to him.

Move.

How long do you two think you can hold me here?

Until you tell us where your friend O'Malley is.

I can't tell you where O'Malley is.

But I can tell you 'bout the dynamite.

My idea that you had him blasted out of jail yourself.

For reasons that I won't bother to explain.

Sit down.

I'd heard it mentioned more than once

that the Soldier knew every snake hole,

rock, and twig in Cripple Hill.

That's why I decided that instead of chasing him,

it might be better

just to let him come to me.

Don't move, Jim. Don't turn around.

SOLDIER: Now, stand up so I can take your gun.

You can't take what I haven't got, Soldier.

No need lookin' for a rifle.

Delahandy made sure he cleaned out the scabbard.

Sit down, Jim.

Delahandy... Are you havin' trouble with him, too?

That's right.

He figures I'm the one who furnished you with the dynamite

to blast your way out of jail? You?

Well, it makes sense.

Gives him someone else to put the blame on.

I made the mistake of tellin' him what I believed.

Now, I believe he had you blasted out of there himself.

Now, look, Jim, I...

HARDIE: I can give you two reasons why.

One: he could have you murdered legally as a fugitive if they caught you.

And two: anyone trailing you could have the fifteen thousand dollars for himself.

Well, you're wrong, Jim. It wasn't Delahandy.

And it wasn't any of his men, either.

There's no use askin' me who brought me the dynamite at the jail.

'Cause there ain't a chance I'd tell you.

All I can tell you is that I didn't kill John Landers.

Well, I know I was drunk, and...

I can't tell you how he died.

I told you all I remember.

John Landers knew I'd robbed the stage.

He came in with Delahandy and Doc Seeley to arrest me.

I tried to get away, and somebody hit me over the head.

The next thing I remember, I woke up in jail.

Why'd you come back to Cripple Hill?

Ah, there's no use talkin' about it, Jim.

Let's just say there's some things that talk won't cure.

Like what?

Well, like bein' born with the wrong set of brains, for instance.

Or makin' a livin' with your fists.

You know what I mean?

You're a famous man, Soldier.

You made a fortune with your fists.

I can remember the time when you could whip any man

west of the Mississippi in a fair fight.

Why'd you give up fightin'?

Why?

Oh, let's just say I...

I found out I couldn't have the one thing I was fightin' for.

A man can use his belly for standin' up in front of a crowd like a prized bear,

knockin' the sense out of other men.

Sure, I liked the money,

I liked the sound of people sayin, "There goes the champion,"

but the trouble is, Jim, to get older.

And, if you're a man like me,

you ask yourself,

"The champion of what?"

Other trouble is, with a clod like me without a trade,

oh, he starts dreamin' dreams...

That aren't good for him.

And when that happens,

I know the whiskey isn't a help.

I was full of rum and a wild idea when that stagecoach came along.

Now, there's the fifteen thousand, Jim.

Less the hundred and fifty dollars I spent

tryin' to convince myself I was an important fella again.

That mean you're givin' yourself up?

The money, Jim. Not myself.

You see, a man my size doesn't fit a cell.

It's like puttin' a rooster in a cage built for a canary.

Oh, and... and there's one other reason you may have forgotten.

A man doesn't like to hang by the neck.

I know you didn't kill John Landers.

If you were a killer, I wouldn't be here now.

There's somethin' I can tell ya.

That as far as you run, as long as you run,

you're gonna be a hunted man.

Don't make a move for it, Jim.

Don't make a move until you hear what I have to say.

I'm listenin'.

Well, I'm trading you that gun for a fifteen-minute head start.

What I'm tryin' to say is that

with Delahandy and that deputy, you're gonna need it.

And the gun won't do me any good...

Guns make me nervous.

Besides, I couldn't hit a tree at twenty feet.

And after the fifteen minutes, what then?

Then...

Well, in this country you couldn't catch me

with seven bloodhounds and a troop of cavalry.

I kept my bargain with Soldier O'Malley.

But I didn't try to follow him.

That was the one thing that could wait.

I put the money where a squirrel might have a chance of findin' it,

but Mr. Delahandy certainly wouldn't.

Then I went back to Cripple Hill.

It was still early mornin', with most of the town not yet awake.

I was interested in learnin' more about this Dr. Seeley,

who had been in the room at the Wooder's Tavern the night John Landers was killed.

MAN: Ben...

What?

Hmm.

So he came back.

Buenos d�as, se�or. Buenos d�as.

Se�ora...

Good morning. Good morning.

Another cup, Pinto.

Si, se�ora.

Sit down.

I didn't expect to see you alive and breathing.

What happened to Soldier O'Malley?

Well, still alive and healthy.

How well did you know the Soldier?

Let's just say that I knew him.

We're a little stingy on information around here,

but the coffee's on the house.

Mrs. Stapes...

Call me Dolly.

I've been a widow for almost seven years,

and that "missus" stuff always sounds a little out of style.

Well, you own this place, I imagine you...

got a good yield of knowledge of what goes on around here most of the time.

Wonder if you could tell me what happened

the night John Landers was killed?

That was 2:00 in the mornin', and I wasn't here.

HARDIE: You weren't? No.

I was up the road a mile at the Olivero's place.

Rose Olivero was having a baby. They couldn't get Doc Seeley to come,

so I had my first job as a midwife.

The baby weighed seven pounds and six ounces on the grain scale.

Jim...

Ben Aaron is behind you, he's got you covered with a rifle,

and you don't have a chance.

Well...

Nice seein' you here, Hardie.

Stay where you are.

You know, you're gonna be sorry you came back.

What's he doin' here?

Three guesses.

My own is that he's fond of coffee.

How 'bout you, Ben? You would like some, wouldn't you?

Pinto. I can wait.

Another cup. I said I can wait!

What were you two talkin' about?

Oh, nothing much.

Old times, old places.

You know how it goes, Ben.

Pinto. Si, se�ora

Give him a hand. Better drag him out of sight.

Si.

You all right?

Yes, I'm all right.

Can't figure out how...

how the Soldier could put that guy away with one punch.

There's only one Soldier O'Malley, Jim, in case you have any doubts.

JIM: Oh?

And if you're thinking what I think you're thinking,

you happen to be right.

I could've married O'Malley ten years ago instead of marryin' Harry Stapes.

He came to see me the night Landers died.

He came with a big beard like an unshaved buffalo.

Then he got himself drunk when he learned I wasn't here.

What happened then?

I'm still not sure.

Time I got back from Olivero's place,

they had him locked up in jail and charged with murder.

But there's one thing I'm certain of.

He wouldn't have killed Landers. Never in a thousand years.

I don't think he would've, either.

But you certainly kept quiet about it.

I know this town, and the hold Delahandy has over it.

I figured the best thing I could do for the Soldier

was get him out of jail before he got hung.

I see.

So it was you that got the dynamite to him, huh?

My place serves the prisoners their meals.

That's how I got it to him.

Stick by stick.

And Pinto there delivered it.

HARDIE: Is that right?

DOLLY: I'll let you figure that out.

In the meantime, don't expect me to mention names.

I'll settle for that.

Who else was in the room upstairs

the night Landers got killed

besides Delahandy, Seeley, and the Soldier?

No one, till they carried the body out, wrapped in three or four blankets.

Doctor Seeley signed the certificate

and said the cause of death was a broken neck.

Then they buried John Landers in the churchyard yesterday.

He had no family.

The chief mourner was Delahandy.

Pinto, tell mister Hardie what you saw that night.

The night they carried mister Landers in the private room.

Blood on the floor, se�or.

They had it washed it quick.

But it was there, in the crack of the wood.

No blood.

I thought to myself,

A man doesn't have to bleed over broken neck.

But I did not dare to speak.

PINTO: When it was later,

I saw Dr. Seeley come back and go into the room.

After that, there was no blood at all.

Not even the crack of the wood.

Madre m�a.

Do not speak my name, please.

Don't worry about that.

On the way in to town, I passed Seeley's office.

Does he live there also?

No, he stays at the Metropolitan hotel.

What does he look like?

Well, he'll have bloodshot eyes,

he looks like a starved scarecrow,

and he will have had his last drink within 10 minutes of whatever time you find him.

Thank you, Dolly.

We'd better worry about him.

Dr. Seeley.

What do you want?

Whoever you are, you weren't invited.

My advice to you is to get out.

My name's Jim Hardie.

Marshal Delahandy must've mentioned my name.

I'm from Wells Fargo. Maybe he mentioned that.

Means nothing to me.

Well, it might when I tell you that there's a court order bein' drawn up

by a federal judge in Martinsville

demanding that the grave of John Landers be opened.

You're bluffin', Hardie.

Am I?

Even if I was, it wouldn't make much difference in the long run, anyway.

If it's ever explained to the proper authorities

why there was never an examination, not even by an undertaker,

of John Landers' body, they might want to know why.

You think so, Hardie?

I know so.

You were seen scrubbin' fresh blood up off of the floor.

So there'll be no more talk about how Soldier O'Malley broke anyone's neck.

All they're gonna wanna know is who stabbed him in the back, you or Delahandy?

And I'd personally like to know how much he's payin' you.

Now, answer my question.

He's through answerin' questions, Hardie, and so are you.

I never was much good with guns, Marshal.

They never were my line of work.

But you may have heard how, when I was younger,

I learned to use my hands.

SOLDIER: All right, Delahandy,

I thought maybe your friends might like to know

how, if I really put my mind to it,

I could break a grown man's neck.

SOLDIER: Oh, there's no place to run, Marshal.

And no friends to help you. Just me and my hands.

Hardie... Hardie, keep him off of me!

MARSHAL: Hardie!

Or maybe you'd rather tell us how Landers was killed.

All right! All right!

I stabbed Landers.

When he went to arrest O'Malley.

Doc Seeley helped me cover up.

You heard what he said, Jim?

Every word.

Like I said before,

sometimes the crime will fit the man,

there are other times when it won't.

And don't ask me how long the Soldier went to jail for robbin' that stage.

It's kind of a secret between me,

Wells Fargo,

and the judge.

Now, this judge was a sentimental and romantic sort of a fellow.

He didn't feel the widow should wait too long.