American Outlaws Page #4

FRANK:

Yesterday.

BOB:

Well, somebody better go tell THE

DAMN YANKEES!

COLE:

What do we do now?

Jesse seems to be the only one with a clear head.

JESSE:

Home. We go home. We ride like hell

to get there, and we kill anything

or anyone that comes between us and

our homes. And when we get there we

stay there and God help any fool who

tries to get me to leave my farm

again.

BOB:

(pause)

Best damn plan I heard all war.

Jesse jerks his reins, and the last remaining survivors of

the Missouri Rangers trot off into the sunset.

MONTAGE:

-- Jesse, Frank, the Youngers and Comanche Tom riding hard

down country roads, past burned out farms.

THE RIDERS:

Are struggling through a downpour in a pitch black night,

one of the horses slipping, going down.

BLAZING SUN:

On a dusty road, the Youngers sharing a horse now,

everybody just trying to keep moving.

EXT. HILLTOP - DAY

Jesse, Frank, Cole, Bob, and Comanche Tom are looking down

on the frontier town of Liberty, Missouri.

FRANK:

Hello, Liberty Missoura!

JESSE:

All this time in the saddle... We

get to the farm, I'm going to shoot

this damn horse just on principle.

COLE:

Never thought that pissant town

would look so pretty.

BOB:

Anywhere nobody's shooting at me is

pretty.

JESSE:

Home, boys. Back to our farms.

COLE:

Planting corn. Harvesting corn.

Year after year.

BOB:

Corn gonna shoot at me?

FRANK:

Nope.

BOB:

Then I love it.

They start to ride down into town.

COLE:

Tom, why don't you stop at our

spread before you head on out to the

reservation? Figure we might have

some work for you, if you want.

COMANCHE TOM:

Hmm. Go back to the reservation and

get drunk in a dirt shack, or work

for you...

COLE:

Well?

COMANCHE TOM:

I'm thinking...

Cole throws a playful punch at Comanche Tom.

EXT. LIBERTY STREET - DAY

The gang is riding into the main stretch of town. They're

grinning, happy to be home, until --

JESSE:

We got problems.

DOZENS OF UNION SOLDIERS are walking along the boardwalk,

lingering near the saloon, all suddenly staring at the

riders.

COLE:

What the --

FRANK:

Must be a garrison in town. We're

in occupied territory, boys.

Cole is returning stares.

JESSE:

Hands off your hip, Cole.

COLE:

You're not scared, are you?

JESSE:

Pick your fights, cousin. You

taught me that.

BOB:

It gets worse.

There in the center of town, is a brand new scaffold. Three

bodies, fresh ones, are hanging from the nooses.

FRANK:

Jesus mercy, that's Charlie

Higgins, Dave Laller ...

BOB:

... Will Perry ...

COLE:

They rode with Quantrill's Rangers.

The riders stop at the scaffold, take off their hats.

JESSE:

Looks like Web Mimms wasn't the

only casualty this town's got.

FRANK:

We better go to Doc's, see what's

going on here.

COLE:

I'm cutting them down.

Cole starts to dismount. Jesse grabs his arm. The Union

Soldiers have started to form a crowd

JESSE:

Not now.

COLE:

What is wrong with you?

JESSE:

(low)

In case we have to kill these

sonofabitches, I don't want them to

see us coming.

Cole thinks, nods. They ride away from the scaffold.

BOB:

Cole, I want to get to the farm,

make sure Little Jim and the girls

are okay.

FRANK:

Stop by our spread after that, tell

our Ma we're all right. We'll go to

Doc Mimms.

The Youngers and Comanche Tom split off, start to trot away.

COMANCHE TOM:

I think I may just go on to the

reservation.

BOB:

Tom, I'm this close to coming with

you...

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