Come on son! Gome on, son! Come on now!
Get up there, that'll do
Anything?
Nothin' Myrl
Slater and OIlie?
They high. Tailed it
Any man who treats an animal that way he don't deserve a stable,
wouldn't you say, Billy?
Get the other animals out... and burn it
Ballard! Henry Ballard, you in there?
Come out!
Get off my property, Redding
Check inside
We ain't been introduced, how come you know my name?
I don't want no trouble
You been hidin' a fugitive that's a crime, accordin' to my law
Where is he?
Gone
Where did he go?
I got nothin' to do with your grudge against Henry
Where and when did he go?
Come on
While you're thinkin' about it
Billy, light me some fire
I'll ask you one more time
Where and when did he go?
You get the hell off my property, Redding
To back where you come from
You're ridin' with Crow!
If I knew where he was, I'd hide him...
TOSPITE YA!
Would you?
Burn him
Im lookin' for a man named Henry Ballard, do you know him?
Is there a printer around, I got a job for him
I pay cash
Pardon me, ma'am. Miss.
You a printer?
Yes, sir. I do print
This is what I need printed
two hundred copies. How much?
Ten dollars
I'll give you fifteen. I need it right away
I'll see what I can do
Big, as big as you can make it
Yes, sir. Yes, that's what I do. Big. Always
As I said before, I'm looking for a man named Henry Ballard
who cheated me outta my horses injured 'em bad and beat up my man
If you hide him or help him in any way
I'll burn you out!
I, Myrl Redding, by authority in...
born in me as a free man...
...A free man living in a free territory...
...demand that Henry Ballard
within seven days of receiving this not...
...bring to my stables the horses he took from me,
groom and fatten them with your own hands to the condition I left them!
And to injuries caused to Billy Redwood who did nothing to you,
pay him fifty dollars!
It is signed Myrl Redding owner of the horses!
Hey! I need a room!
All right, men, let's mount up!
Ya better leave some men at Redding's place, Sheriff
Ballard ain't goin' there
he went to his brother. In. Law's house!
If Redding finds Henry, he's sure as hell coming back
Maybe, but I ain't splittin' my men
I need all I got if you expect me to get Redding
Let's go, men
Terrible situation, Judge
I tried to control as best I could just no turnin' him.
You know
He tried to pay me for my work
I wouldn't take his money
Y'know, there's a funny smell around here
Governor, I think you should look at this
Henry Ballard
M hm Where is he?
Well, he was at the Wainwright Hotel
He keeps moving
Myrl Redding?
He's outside of town somewhere
Clear him out
I can't. I've got a hundred men on escort duty
So go with what you've got
And what I've got is ten men, sir
Redding's got forty, fifty guns, and Crow
Every out of work drifter in Cheyenne is signing on with him
so I need at least a company
Great. Just what we need
With the statehood delegation comin' in from Washington
What's the Attorney General doing in all this?
Mr. Metcalf sent Redding's petition back to Judge Wilkins
And?
Well, uh, Wilkins kinda works for Ballard is what it comes down to, sir
Got shares in his association
I hear this is what caused the trouble
Ballard don't sing our song on statehood
I don't care where he stands
He's entitled to protection until the matter's cleared up
Tell Metcalf I wanna see him on Redding's petition
Yes sir. It's a mess
When do your troops get back?
Two, three days
Find Ballard
Tell him we ain't guarantee his safety
Tell him he's on his own
Tell him for his own good, he ought to leave Cheyenne
Is there anything you can do to calm things down?
'Bout the only way to calm Redding down is to shoot him down
Follow the Sheriff, let me know where he camps
Wake up, Sheriff!
Strip him!
Now quit, Myrl!
You've gone too far!
Far enough's when I get satisfaction, Sheriff
No animal's worth what you're doin'
In your opinion
Well, you're goin' to jail... for torchin'
Ballard's spread
As long as he's in there with me
You'll get this back as soon as I find him
You remember me, coward?!
Remember me?
Yeah, yeah
Damn!
You stinkin' savage!
You all seen what happened
Slater drew first, and he was gonna shoot Billy in the back
Y'all seen it, right Sheriff?
Slater moved... but Billy had the upper hand
Slater drew first!
Right?
Slater moved first
You all heard the Sheriff
don't forget what he said
Dammit!
OIlie, OIlie, listen to me
You gotta get to Judge Wilkins
Tell him that Redding shot Slater
and he burned down Ballard's barn
Tell him to file charges Go on, go on, get goin'
I know, when the statehood delegation arrived
We will all show them the hospitality and friendliness that
Wyoming people are known for
Yeah! Here, here!
We are not separate ranchers farmers and settlers of the Wyoming Territory
but united today as citizens of the
FUTURE GREAT STATE OF WYOMING!
Yeah!
Where's Ballard?
Apparently he's still holed up in the hotel, sir
Refuses to leave town
Do I have that correct, Colonel?
Yes, I posted two soldiers with him
That's the best I could do
It's just a matter of time before Redding finds him
This has gone too far. Jail him
Who?
Thanks for you support
Jail who, Governor?
Ballard...
On what charges?
Any charge you want
Any charge he'll agree to:
Disturbin' the peace, see if he'll buy it
He wants protection?
Jail is the safest place for him
Thank you
Colonel, find Redding and tell him
If he quits goin' after Ballard
the Attorney General will reopen his case
I don't know, Governor, people are upset
The delegation arrives in two days
I want the streets clear
Yes, sir
Amnesty for what Redding's done
is he quits goin' after Ballard, put it on paper
Colonel, find him and give it to him
This is nonsense!
The Statehood of Wyoming will not be held up by a piss
fight over two horses and a Crow Indian! Understand me?
I want this settled now! You understand?
Governor? Let's get a picture
You know the ladies!
Yes, I do
All right, smile everybody!
Oh, great!
Thank you for comin', everyone
Let's go eat!
Billy!
Billy! Come with me!
Woody, go on around, we'll catch up later
Git!
Hold your fire!
Hold your fire! Don't shoot!
Hold your fire!
Oh! Oh! Daisey! Daisey!
I'm sorry. I'm sorry
It's getting' so I don't recognize none of these guys any more
Yeah. Hey
I didn't think it out.
I shoulda known they'd draw fire comin' in outta nowhere
It was wrong to kill Slater for what he did to us
And I still can't believe Cora's dead, Billy
...I keep hopin' a miracle'll happen
and she'll come back to life
God forgive me for lettin' her go
I'm comin' after you anyway, old man
I'm comin'
What day do you suppose it is?
I don't know
Riders comin'!
The Governor wants to make a deal
I'm listenin'
You lay down you arms, come in peaceably
he'll reopen your case against Ballard
You do this and we'll drop all charges against you
Where's Ballard?
He's goin' to jail for disturbin' the peace
Maybe your boss don't read too good
I don't want him in jail
I want him workin' in my stables
Well, that's soemthin' I can't negotiate
Governor promises a hearin' right away
And if I say no?
Well, then I go after you. With the Army and you lose
Billy's part of this. I gotta talk it over with him
They say they'll drop the charges if we come in
I don't trust them. That's what they say
Rivers are not to be trusted
Neither are white man's armies
It's a trick
Maybe
You decide for you
And I'll decide for me
Take care, my brother
we'll see each other again
Just not on this road
Good bye, little brother
Good bye, Billy. Good bye
Hold it, hold it, hold it! Stop the work!
Take it outside, boys, I got a hearin' to run
Hear ye, hear ye, the court of the Territory of Wyoming is now in session
The Honorable Joe B. Tolliver presidin' Judge, it is a real honor...
Mr. Ballard, this is a legal hearing
and you will get your chance to be heard when you are addressed.
Be seated
Redding and Ballard, remain standing
Everybody, take your seats!
Raise your right hands
Do you swear to tell the truth
the whole truth'n nothing but the truth
so help you, God
Yes, sir
Please be seated
Are all the parties in this dispute here?
All but Billy Redwood
Where is Billy Redwood?
He left Cheyenne, your Honor
he refused the offer of amnesty
Murderin' bastard
Keep your mouth shut or I will have you jailed for contempt
We'll get to the bottom of this in two hours or less of my time
Now, Mr. Redding, this is your petition
Do you wish to change any of it?
Is that the one for my wife?
Yes
No
Will you accept cash for the horses?
No. I accept what the words say
Since Billy Redwood has refused amnesty you may drop him from this petition
The suit stands the way it's written, Judge
So be it. Mr. Ballard, let's start with you
What's your side of this mess?
Well, Your Honor, this, uh, troublemaker,
Reddin' come on my land on his way to Casper to sell some horses.
And I made a neighborly offer that he could pass pay me ten dollars
Well he had a near fit, said he didn't have no ten dollars
Now, still tryin' to be helpful, I told him
Sir!
I can understand you from over there
Uh, that if he'd just leave two of his animals
when he came back, he could pay me
pick 'em up, it'd be all right
Uh, and he left me, uh two swayback old bone, you know
and when he did come to get 'em
he said, thses are not my horses.
I said, Of course they are.
He cursed me and left
Now that's all there was to it
You can ask OIlie, cause he was right there
and poor old Slater...
Slater ain't part of this hearin', Ballard
Now, even before we hear Redding's side of the story,
I got to tell you,
I don't believe the part about the two swayback old bones
Oh, but that's what they was
Ain't no dealer I know would travel
a hundred miles to sell a five. Dollar nag
I know horse flesh...
So do I
Now...
You put up a toll gate on your property?
It's my land
Did Redding know it'd cost him ten dollars for the crossing?
Whether he did or not's nothin' to me
You charge everybody the same ten dollars to come and go?
You bet
You're under oath, Mr. Ballard
Some do, and some don't, is that it?
Well I am a cattle rancher, I have...
Judge Wilkins over in Rawlins just filed two counts of murder
and one count of insurrection against Myrl Redding!
What?!
Anything you want on your property, including a damn toll gate...
Excuse me, gentlemen...
would you take it outside of my courtroom
please?
Sorry, Judge
Apologies
Thank you
Although, puttin' up a toll gate to my mind is a hostile act
And if it happened to me in my travels
you would feel the lash of my tongue
He says the Governor didn't have the power to grant amnesty for murder
Murder, what murder?
A rancher's wife named Daisy Mathes
one of Ballard's men, Slater Morrison
What's relevant here is the law
I judge cases on law! Law is the king with me
Cause if it wasn't, this territory even if it becomes a state
wouldn't be fit for a prairie dog
Now Redding, what's your story?
He's lying
Hold it! Hold it!
Order in this courtroom!
Please, take your seats!
Continue
Wilkins claims Redding shot them both and
Burned down Ballard's barn
He says all this happened before the amnesty agreement
Before the amnesty! Godammit
we didn't know anything about any shootings
No! No!
Does the Governor know about this?
I thought I should tell you first
We need to figure how best to take this to the Governor
Come in peaceably and all charges will be dropped.
Who wrote this, you?
No, sir... I did, sir
You did?
What the hell's he doing writing a legal document?
Well, that's... the way it
It just worked out, sir
He doesn't know the first damn thing about law! Much less amnesty
Francis, I've been attending the statehood delegation...
You are the Attorney General!
And you allowed this this...
him to write an amnesty agreement
Sir, there was no one else, if I did not do it
It was not gonna get done, so...
Do you realize the position you've put me in, Hoyt?
I am on public record forgiving murder
We were unaware of that at the time, sir
When did these murders happen?
As near as we can figure, sir
a couple of days... before Redding's amnesty
So, we covered him
Is that what you're saying?
Well, that's a legal question
If a legal mind had prepared the amnesty
we wouldn't be in a legal mess
You're right, sir
This sir all your fault, Hoyt. Judge Tolliver
Well, he's in court right now
I would not advise bothering Judge Tolliver right now, sir
GET HIM ANYWAY! NOW!
Yes, sir
And them horses were promised to me
And I went to Casper to pick them up
But was told that Myrl didn't bring 'em
That surprised me
Myrl, he don't do business that way
Myrl gives you his word, and that's it
What, in yourjudgment was the value of these horses?
Well, they was matched stallions, Your Honor
I was willin' to pay two hundred dollars each for 'em before?
Yeah. When they was yearlings
You're dismissed
Thank you, Your Honor
Anyone else have an opinion in this matter?
Anyone?
All right, Mr. Redding
you will have guard with you at all times until this case is over
I don't need a guard, Your Honor
There's angry people all over Cheyenne about this business
you can either have a guard or you can share a cell with Mr. Ballard
it's up to you
I'll take the guard
Hearing is adjourned
That's everything, Mr. Baron, you're all set
You know, all this is over two horses!
Two horses, and I think... three men, four people dead
Now, now, this is madness, excuse me
And this man Redding was threatening to burn down the Wainwright Hotel
This place is not ready to be a state
I can tell you that right now
Well, we can talk all night long
but the people want something done
Something will be done, Conrad
but it's gotta be according to the law
The question is can Redding's amnesty be revoked?
You signed an executive agreement forgiving a man for something he had already done
And you put a date on it
I gave my word, I'll honor it
But, if Redding violates the terms of his amnesty, you can revoke it
and try him for murder
But you've got to do it legal
If he doesn't violate his amnesty you got a problem.
You gotta prove in court what you knew, when it was granted
In the meantime, gentlemen, if you will excuse me, I gotta go pee
Mm, I think it's time for me to retire, Frances
Thank you
Good evening Hoyt, Colonel
Small thing, Governor, if you don't mind
Good night, gentlemen
Good night
Ballard wants to see you
No, not with the trial coming up
Well, if he feels wronged, sir
he does own a lot of land
Just a, a word, sir
He, he ain't gonna plead his case,
just a word, sir, a moment, no more, Governor
Show him in
Yes, sir
Mr. Ballard
I think the Governor will see you now
Sir, this is, uh, Henry Ballard
Mr. Ballard
What the hell is goin' on here?!
You got a murderer runnin' loose in Cheyenne, free as a jay. Bird
I ain't done nothin'
and I'm locked away in jail
Now I'm one of the biggest cattlemen in this territory.
I ain't getting' no respect
I ain't getting' no protection
Now, you're talkin' about statehood
for this tin. Horn shanty ain't worth a shit city the hell with that!
Where's my protection?
Where is the Army?
We don't have an army
What?
The army we have is on escort duty protecting the folks from Washington
coming here to take this tin. Horn shanty...
...ain't worth a shit city and turn it
into the capital of the State of Wyoming
Under the circumstances...
...you can hightail it outta town and take your chances on the road
which would suit me fine
Or you can cool your ass in jail until things blow over
Either way...
GIT!
Yeah
Conrad!
Well that wraps up a good productive day
Hell, you can't just go into somebody's house and burn down their barn!
You can't just ride up and see somebody's wife and
Where's the army, that's what I wanna know
where's the army? He just goin' around...
He need to be stopped
Billy wants to know how the trail's goin'
Judge ain't decided yet. How is it for you?
It's bad for us.
If we get caught they'll hang us.
Billy wants to know if you will join us
I'm keepin' after Ballard
I better spell it out for him
Sit down
Take this to him
Good luck, friend
Judge, how does this affect the amnesty?
I don't know how it will go with me but if I lose
...God willing
I have the strength to continue my fight
And with your help and friendship, I will.
If Redding wrote this it means he intends to break his part
of the agreement and continue his fight with Ballard.
You can revoke the amnesty
I say we arrest him and announce it to the crowd
That'll be the end of it
There's a trial comin' up
Mr. Metcalf, in which you as chief legal officer of this territory
will have to consider all of the facts
including murder and armed insurrection
and not just part of it
That will be the end of it
Sir. Somebody owes you an apology
I never quit, old man, remember that
You'll find out, boy
Order! Order!
Let's get on with this
The Injun moved first
I seen it with my two eyes
Billy stalked Slater with a knife
while Slater was on the ground
Redding watching all the time he didn't say a word
Didn't say Hold on, Billy Redwood!
Wh. Wh., what are you gonna do
what are you up to?
See, Redding knew that it was Slater who beat up the Indian
It was Slater who got in the fight with Woody on the day that Redding's wife was killed
So when Slater moved to defend himself...
Myrl shot him dead
It was premeditated murder
They come ridin' up, of a sudden. The Injun out front, and...
Well winged the Crow pretty good
and then, then for no reason
Redding started firing
And then Daisey... she, uh, God have mercy on her, she, uh...
She heard the shootin' and then she came runnin' out to protect me
And, and then, and that man, that man shot her
I didn't know nothin' about a quarrel
All I know is
Daisey and me had nothin' to do with it
And now she's gone
I'm sorry for your wife. But you're a liar
Mr. Redding, I have here in my hand a letter
Which may seem familiar to you
Did you write this letter to Billy Redwood?
Yes, I did
Would you do me the favor, sir,
please, of reading it aloud to the jury
If you like
Dear Billy, I'm sorry I got you into this
doesn't look good for you
The Judge says you have no claim because you didn't show up
I don't know how it will go, but if I lose
God willing
I have the strength to continue the fight
and with your help and friendship, I will.
With your help and friendship, I will.
Will what?
Continue to burn people's barns and property
continue to murder innocent people? Is that what you're saying?
No. That's not what I mean
I said I will continue the fight against Ballard
and I will. But I didn't say how
And I never said I done everything right
And I take responsibility for that
But Grady's lyin' when he says I killed his wife
And the Sheriff is lying about how I killed Slater
I didn't go lookin' to kill anybody
It's justice I'm lookin' for
and it's justice I'll get
I'll track it as long as I'm breathin'
And even if it cost me my life
Hear ye, hear ye!
The Court of the Territory of Wyoming is now in session
The Honorable Joe B. Tolliver presidin'
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury
Have you reached a verdict?
We have, Your Honor
Thank you, Miss Haydn
Myrl Redding, please rise
Mr. Foreman
On the charge of killing Slater Morrison
we find the defendant
Myrl Redding not guilty
On the charge of two counts of armed insurrection and
the killing of Daisey Mathes...
...we find the defendant, Myrl Redding
guilty as charged
Order! Thank you, Mr. Foreman
Myrl Redding, Henry Ballard
please approach the bench
Hoo hoo! We got him
I told you we'd get him
How you like this justice, boy?
Wipe that smile off your face
Mr. Ballard, this is serious business!
You first Mr. Ballard
The petition of grievance against you by Mr. Redding has been upheld
You are to, with your own hands restore the health,
in good condition of the two horses
left in your care by Myrl Redding
Further, in your testimony to this court you lied when you described the condition
of the horses as swayback old bones...
Nothing could be further from the truth as
testified by those who knew the value of the horse
Lying under oath is a serious offense!
I therefore sentence you to two years in jail for perjury,
three months of which will be spent working in Myrl Redding's stables
Get your hands off me!
Order!
Myrl Redding. You have been found guilty
of armed insurrection and murder
Do you have anything to say before this court passes judgment upon you?
I took the law into my own hands
I did it because there was none in Rawlins
I wrote my own law, but I didn't create it
I used what was there all along. In my mind
That law was there before we were born
I am sorry for Daisey Mathes
When we rode off
I never knew she had been shot
For my pardon
I beg her husband's forgiveness
I'm a horse trader, Your Honor
All I was doin' was takin' my horses to market
That's it
You wanted justice, you got justice comin' to you
Ready
The horses misused by Henry Ballard
will be restored to their former condition and to your satisfaction
Following that...
Aim!
It is the sentence of this court that
you be taken to a place of execution
and hanged by the neck until you are dead
Fire!
And may God have mercy on your soul
Court is adjourned
Die, you son of a bitch, die!
Can I just take, a moment with my son?
Yeah
Hey, come on, now
Hey, you're the man of the house, come on
Your mother and I will always be with you
you're just gonna have to make it on your own for awhile
Why are they doin' this to ya, Pa?
Two people died, me chasin' Ballard
somebody's gotta pay
But why, you didn't kill nobody?
I killed Slater alright
But I didn't kill Daisey, it's important to me that you know I didn't
Her husband must've shot her by mistake
But I casused it
Did ya see the horses?
How do they look?
Great Promise me somethin', son?
Sure, Pa
Don't ever sell 'em
I'll never sell 'em. Never
They're the best two you and Billy ever raised
Shelby
A lot of pride in those stallions
They come from a great line you can build on them
So how much money you got in the bank?
Maybe two hundred dollars
Well
you got the rest of the money Shelby owes
He's a good man, you can trust him
He'll take good care of you
Sh., Shelby says that there's we could bust out.
There's a lot of folks in town and they're talkin' about...
Cage, no. It's time to put an end to it
There, there's still time
we could do it together
Cage, they'd find me sooner or later
I don't want any more killin' in my name
Do you understand?
Now listen to me...
Somebody steps on your rights you go after them
Never give up, ever!
Just be smarter than I was
All right?
Come on, let's go look at the horses
Mr. Redding, here's your horses
Well, sir?
These are my horses
Beautiful animals, wouldn't you say, Judge?
You want 'em? You got 'em!
Hey, you'll burn in hell! You son of a bitch!
You got nothin' from me!
You did what I said you'd do
YOU GOT NOTHIN!
NOTHIN'! NOTHIN'!
THAT'S ALL YOU GOT! NOTHIN'!
I DID WHAT HE SAID ANYWAY...
Want a cigar?
I worry... about you and me, Judge Wilkins
Swear to God, I do
Cause if this country gets ruined
it'll be ruined by people like you and me
It's a territory of unimportant people
Most folks around here...
...can't even write their name
You and me, we're the important people
Trouble is, there not enough of us important people to go around, we're spread thin
So sometimes important things get ignored or don't get said
Like Take care of the little fellar
see to it that he don't get ignored or cheated or insulted
Make sure that his dignity does not get trampled on.
Now you're feelin' bad right now
and by God, you ought to, seein' as what
just happened to a decent man
Myrl Redding did not fail the law
the law failed Myrl
Just so you'll know who's behind it
this is a copy of a letter that
I wrote to the Governor
asking that a committee be called
to evaluate your fitness as a sitting Judge
It is my earnest hope and desire that that
committee finds you wanting
and that articles of impeachment be drawn to remove you from the bench
I'm doin' this out in the open
Everything's on the table, up and up
So you'll know who this sonbitch is that is gunnin' for your ass.
It's me the Honorable Joe B. Tolliver
Oh, we're closed, Judge
Out of respect for the condemned man
But for you, Judge
I'm willing to make an exception
Ten bucks a shot, if you got a permit
Gotta have a permit, Judge
Good. Bye, Cage
Be strong, as I know you are. I love you
I love you, Pa
It's okay, it's okay
No!
Take care of my son. I know you will
Don't wanna quit
I'm sorry for the pain I caused but so help me, God
I could not have done otherwise
In my heart I am just
Let's do it
You created the moon to count months
the sun knows when it must set
The truth is subtle, His law complete
His justice, absolute
Let my words be rooted in honesty
and my thoughts be lost in your light
Unnamable God
My essence, my origin, my life blood
My home
Cover this!