Home, take me home to the land of the peggles.
That stream let me dream beneath the sky.
This old heart keeps on beating, repeating fond echoes
of the brave and the bold riding high.
During the 1870s, the wildest spot in the United States was the desolate region west of the Pecos River.
Virtually beyond the reach of the authorities, the railroad, in pushing their way west,
attracted the most vicious characters in the country.
It was said that all civilization and law stopped at the east bank of the Pecos.
It took one man, a lone storekeeper who was sick of the lawlessness, to change all this.
His name was Judge Roy Bean.
A lot of those shirts for you, Jeff. It'll probably take about three weeks.
Thanks a lot, lady. I sure appreciate it.
You're going home, ain't you, Jeff? Yes, Judge.
You go by or ride by old Uncle Bart, would you mind dropping off this mail?
Save me a trip and I'd sure appreciate it, son.
I guess not.
Might even give me a chance to see what the old coot's been doing lately.
He stays closer to his hole than a prairie dog with a nightmare.
Is that true about him being so tight-fisted, Uncle Roy?
It sure is. You know, all I've ever heard him say is, how much and too high.
See you tomorrow, Judge.
Bye, Jeff. Bye. See you then.
Blackjack.
Uncle Bart.
I was just reading how you broke out.
I guess they know now that there's no jail can hold Blackjack.
Guess you didn't believe them.
Else you would have deposited that money at El Paso, like you were supposed to.
What are you talking about?
You know I wouldn't double-cross you.
I believe you'd double-cross your grandmother.
It's just that that stuff was too hot.
Too easy to recognize.
You know, it takes time to dispose of merchandise like that.
Time enough for them to hang me, you thought.
No, nothing like that.
Now don't you worry, Jack.
You'll get everything that's coming to you.
So will you.
Right now.
Who was it?
Blackjack.
Blackjack catch him?
Why'd he do it?
To eat.
Eat it.
What do you think about this Blackjack?
They say that whenever he'd make a mistake, he'd get so mad that he'd take his fist,
beat himself on the head with it.
He must be crazy.
Too bad he didn't use a rock or a hammer.
Say, the state of Texas had a lot of time and trouble chasing him.
Now what are you tearing that out for?
The list of the haul on that last C.N.S. robbery.
Never know when them things are going to come in handy, I saved them all.
You'll never get a chance to check that, Uncle Roy.
Judge!
Oh, Judge!
Look.
What's the matter?
Who is it?
Bart Rollins.
How'd it happen?
Somebody shot him just before I got to his ranch.
Any idea who it was?
Yeah, he told me just before he died.
It was Blackjack.
Blackjack Hatchip?
What do we do, Judge?
Well, take care of the body first, we'll hold an inquest later.
Come on, let's get him out of here.
Bob, give us a hand here, will you?
I was lying right here when I found him.
Blackjack was kneeling over.
He saw me, fired a couple shots, and he took off that way.
Kind of a pool cat smell about this, Jeff.
I know.
Why would he want to kill Bart?
A man who never heard of fly.
And he never did a lick of work in all the time I knew him.
What are you getting at?
He never grew anything on this ranch, never ran any cattle, how'd he live?
Maybe it had something to do with those trips he was always taking.
Yeah, could be.
He was gone for weeks at a time, never tell anybody why or where he'd been.
I'd sure like to get a look inside.
Yeah.
You're not still using that old beat-up search warrant.
Never hurts to be prepared.
Always like to do things nice and legal.
Legal?
You used it a thousand times, you never even filled it out.
Technicality.
It's the spirit of the law, not the letter.
Come on, let's look inside.
Pardon, miss.
Did I starve you?
Just a little.
I'm sorry.
That's all right, I'm just a little jumpy.
Reverend Walter Cable, I'm looking for my uncle, Bartell Rollins.
Bart Rollins?
I knew him.
Knew him?
What do you mean by that?
I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, Reverend Cable, but...
Bart Rollins is dead.
Dead?
When he wrote, he said he was in perfect health.
Yes, I imagine he was in perfect health.
Somebody shot him.
Somebody shot Bart Rollins?
Do you know who did it?
Well...
No, no, I don't know anything about it.
Well, I'll have to find out somehow.
Could you tell me how to find his ranch?
You can take the road right over there, to the left.
Thank you for the information, miss.
Reverend Cable, I hope you don't mind if I say something.
Not at all.
What is it?
It just doesn't look right, seeing a preacher with a gun.
Maybe not.
But there are times when evil must be met with force.
This might be one of them.
Goodbye, miss.
Nothing in the kitchen.
Nothing in here either.
Not even a scrap of paper.
It's mighty curious.
Why?
Because a man with nothing to hide wouldn't be so careful.
Bart must have got the money from somewhere.
They don't give this kind of stuff away.
Look at those paintings.
Well, we're not getting anywhere here, Jack.
We might as well go home.
Close the door, Jack.
Stand where you are.
Now get over there.
Get his gun, Jack.
Now mister, you do some explaining.
Certainly.
I'm the Reverend Walter Cable.
A minister?
I came from El Paso to visit my uncle.
I found you two going through his house.
Your nephew, Bart Rollins?
I haven't seen him since I was a boy, but being his last bit of family...
I'm Judge Bean, the law around here.
This is my deputy, Jeff Taggart.
We're here on official business.
With my uncle?
Well, in a way.
See, Reverend, your uncle was killed.
I know.
When did it happen?
Happened last night.
How'd you know?
I heard it in town when I stopped to find where he lived.
Black Jack Ketchum killed him.
Black Jack Ketchum?
The train robber?
That's the man.
I'd like to arrange services.
Could you tell me where they took him?
We'll ride over with you.
He's over at Langtree.
Thanks.
Now that we understand each other, may I have my gun?
Give me the gun, Jeff.
Thank you.
Come on, Jeff.
Bartell Rollins died a lonely man.
Far from the place of his birth.
Far from family.
From friends.
Not a bad man, but a misunderstood man.
Essentially, a good man.
Judge Bean?
Shh.
The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away.
I've got to talk to you.
After the services.
So, into your keeping we commend the spirit of my uncle.
Amen.
This is a very nice service.
Thank you.
What for?
Wasn't I the undertaker?
It was simple and nice the way it should be.
Now what do you want, mister?
I'm Will Brock, guard captain up at the state prison.
You know why this blackjack broke out?
That's right.
That's why I'm here.
He escaped on my ship, so I asked for leave to come after him.
Did you expect to bring him in alone?
No, I got a partner joining me.
He ought to be here by now.
What made you think he'd come this way?
Trustee gave me a tip.
He thought he'd be down here to see Uncle Bart.
That was some tip.
Yeah?
You're a little late.
We just buried Uncle Bart.
Blackjack shot him.
Shot him?
If he'd gotten here sooner, I might have saved him.
Those things happen, you can't blame yourself for it.
Reverend Cable felt the same way.
Who?
Reverend Cable, the minister.
Bart Rollins was his uncle.
Yeah.
Where's he from?
From the east somewhere.
And you folks never saw him before yesterday?
Not until yesterday.
He showed up at his uncle's place.
I see.
What are you getting at?
Take a good look at your reverend friend.
You might notice he's a dead ring up of Blackjack Ketchum.
Now don't drop this one.
Don't worry, I won't.
You've got to admit it looks funny, Judge.
Yeah, that it does.
Blackjack escapes and shoots Bart.
Then this minister shows up, claims to be his nephew.
I think he's a phony.
Well, I don't.
Why not?
I just know.
I can tell.
It's woman's intuition.
Woman's intuition.
I think we can be pretty sure of one thing, one of our friends is a phony.
Which one?
That's easy enough to find out.
Tap the state penitentiary and check on Brock's story.
Maybe, maybe not.
Meantime, I can telegraph Steve over to Ranger's headquarters and have him check on Brock.
And the minister.
I'd give a lot if I could figure out just which one of them is Blackjack Ketchum.
Blackjack?
Hello, Bagot.
Hi, Brock.
Aren't you afraid of ghosts?
My job?
You happen to have a key for this place?
No, I don't.
You think Blackjack may be back?
No, he's too smart for that.
But I thought I might find a clue in there.
Come on in with me.
I really don't have time, I'm on my way to the railhead.
What are you going to do, send a telegram?
What makes you say that?
You'd be fools not to check on my credentials.
That's exactly what I'm going to do.
It's all right with me.
We need the full cooperation of both of you.
Checking Blackjack in is no one man's job.
Don't you worry, we'll help you.
Well, I hope you find your clue.
I'll see you later.
He ought to be getting back by now.
Afraid these telegrams put a crimp in your woman's intuition, laddie.
What do you mean?
Brock's on the level.
Guard Captain Will Brock on detached service to hunt Blackjack.
Well, that doesn't prove anything.
Even after the credentials he showed us?
Come on, laddie, even you have to admit now that your minister's a phony.
Well, I'll be a cross-eyed coyote.
What's the matter, Uncle Roy?
Take a look at Steve's telegram.
Our dear Uncle Bart's suspected of being a fence.
A fence?
Yeah, it's a dealer in stolen property.
So that's why he was always by himself,
and he took all those trips out of the country without telling anybody where he was going.
Hey, that could explain why Blackjack killed him.
How's that, Uncle Roy?
Well, I suppose Uncle Bart thought Blackjack was going to be hanged,
and he held out on him.
When Blackjack escaped jail,
poor Uncle Bart got the shock of his life.
I just had a crazy idea, Judge.
What's that?
Suppose you escape jail and murder the fence.
What would make you stick around?
Then there ought to be something mighty important.
The loot the fence held out on me.
Just right, Uncle Roy.
Yeah, and I'd find it as quick as I could, too.
If he hasn't already found it,
Blackjack may be at Uncle Bart's right now.
Hey, that's right.
Let's pay him a call.
Here, honey.
We'll be back for supper.
You two be careful.
Don't you worry about us.
I'll take that.
Looks like the old man's got a good deal of money.
I'll take that.
Looks like the old man's got a good deal of money.
I'll take that.
Looks like the end of the trail, Blackjack.
Blackjack?
I'm a minister of the gospel.
I'm no more Blackjack than you are.
Watch it.
It looks like it's all here.
What do you mean?
The haul from the last Colorado and Southern train robbery.
I don't know anything about that.
If you don't, who does?
Don't try anything funny.
As soon as I see you brought him dead, he's alive.
Get back to your work.
Raise them high, Blackjack.
So you finally decided to be sensible.
Good.
You didn't have much choice.
Hello, Judge.
We got him.
Me and my partner here.
We didn't exactly need your help, but it was handy to know you were around.
Won't anyone listen to reason?
I am an ordained minister.
You should have seen this ordained minister twisting that secret dial over there.
And coming up with this, I can explain that.
You recognize any of it?
Yep.
Takes the list of that CNS robbery, all right.
Now we know why Bart was killed.
Yeah, it looks that way, all right.
Well, if you don't mind, Judge, I guess we'll be getting along.
We've got a nice cool cell up at the state pen for this fella.
Well, now, it's not quite that simple.
Why not?
He's committed a murder here in this county.
We'll have to hold him here until the state decides who gets him first.
Well, if that's the way it is.
That's the law.
Yeah.
Show him where we found the body.
It was on the porch. Come on, I'll show you.
I found the body right here.
Blackjack rode out that way.
This court's now in session.
Judge Roy Bean presiding.
Case before the court, the indictment of Blackjack Ketchum for the murder of Bartell E. Rollins.
Better known as Uncle Bart.
Now what are you looking for?
I'm looking for a blank for an indictment.
I always carry one just in case of emergency.
That sounds like a good idea.
Oh, here it is.
Now, this court's familiar with the evidence in this case.
Has the prisoner any statement he wishes to make?
Yes, I have.
I've told you the truth.
I am the Reverend Walter Cable.
I came here to visit my uncle.
Why?
To avoid a family scandal.
You see, I found out a little while back how he made his living.
Fencing stolen property.
Go on.
As a man of the church, I hope to persuade him to quit before he was caught.
Before he brought disgrace upon our family.
I suppose he ate somebody else and killed him, huh?
That's right.
How did you know?
Because I've heard that same story from a dozen other murderers.
Ask him how he knew about that safe hidden in the fireplace.
I got a letter from my uncle to be opened in case of his death.
Here it is.
In it are directions on how to find the safe and the combination.
What do you plan on doing with this stolen property?
Well, I return it, of course.
And hope to persuade them to keep my uncle's name out of it.
You believe that, don't you?
You've got to believe that.
Anyone else got any questions to ask?
This prisoner is indicted for murder.
Remanded to the custody of this court.
We try it at a later date.
Court's adjourned.
Well, I guess that about winds it up.
I ought to be on my way.
Do you mind coming in the house with me for a minute?
Sure.
Do you mind signing this indictment?
Well, I, uh...
It's the law.
Sure.
Here you are.
Another thing.
Yeah, what's that?
Did you know there's a $3,000 reward for capturing blacks, eh?
Is that so?
I carry an application for rewards with me just in case of emergency.
You caught it.
I guess you're entitled to it.
I guess I am.
Sign that right there.
Hey, what's your idea?
Yes, you're not Black Jack.
You are.
Come on, Sam!
Sam?
That's right.
I'm Black Jack's brother, Sam Ketcham.
All right, you polecats, you've made your try, now get out.
Mr. Everett, for a minister, you pay quite a wage.
A time for the man has to.
You know, Judge, you're quite an actor.
What do you mean?
Why, he had me convinced that I was as good as convicted and hanged.
And all the time he was doing it just to lead this Brock on.
That's just one of my Uncle Roy's little tricks.
Well, goodbye, Judge.
My pardon.
Now you come and see us again.
You know, there's one thing I don't understand, Uncle Roy.
How did you know that Brock wasn't really Brock?
He sure fooled me.
Well, it was his signing that reward application that gave him away.
Anybody knows that a real prison guard is not allowed to accept reward money.
Oh, I see.
You know, actually, this case could have been solved a whole lot easier.
How's that, honey?
Well, all you had to do was follow a woman's intuition.
Ha ha ha!
♪ Hear every steer, the sound of the thundering heart. It's so real I can feel the warmth of a friendly word. So I know I must go to the land of the fake ghosts. There to stay, there to stay, till I die. ♪