The Black Dakotas Page #2

I'm very interested in

watching frontier justice.

We live in constant fear

of a Sioux uprising here.

We're forced to

use drastic methods

with men who attempt to inflame

the Indians against us.

GRIMES:
There's only one cure

for a spy. The rope!

(ALL AGREEING)

Quiet, please. Quiet!

The United States District

Court's in session.

State your name.

John Lawrence.

Where were you born?

Richmond, Virginia.

But you always said

you were born in Boston.

I was born in

Richmond, Virginia.

John Lawrence, you've been

found guilty by a fair trial

of having plotted with the

Indians against the whites,

of spying for the South.

You've been sentenced to

death by due process of law.

Dad!

- As Marshal of this township, it is my duty to...

- Dad!

- Dad!

- Ruthie.

Dad, those fools,

those stupid fools.

Ruthie, you must

go away. Please.

Dad, tell them it isn't true.

Tell them you're not a spy.

It's useless.

I only did for the South

what any one of them

would do for the North.

Hang her, too, Marshal.

She's just as guilty as he is.

(ALL AGREEING)

Ruthie, I want you to leave now.

Mike, you can't let her see this.

Get her out of here.

Ruthie, you'd better

come along with me.

Mike, you didn't do anything?

He tried his best. There

was nothing he could do.

- Judge Baker was...

- (DISDAINFULLY) Judge Baker.

He gave your father

a fair trial.

Yes, I can see how fair it was.

Right here in the

middle of the street.

Why, it's no better than murder.

Murderers, that's what

you all are. Murderers!

If this is the way

the North fights the war,

then I hate the North.

And if my father loves the

South enough to die for it,

then I love it, too.

Don't you want to

sentence me, Judge Baker?

Why don't you put a rope

around my neck, too?

That's enough, Ruth.

You've got to get...

Mike, get her out of here now.

Come on.

You men responsible for murdering

my father will pay for it.

What are we waiting for?

Let's hang the dirty spy!

(ALL AGREEING)

You can stop this hanging.

You can tell 'em it's a matter

for the Federal government.

I can't interfere.

Do you have anything

you want to say?

I do not regret anything

that I've done.

Except that I've brought

unhappiness on my daughter.

She knew nothing

of my activities

for the South, that I swear.

(ALL SHOUTING)

(ALL CHEERING)

Oh, Mike, how could they?

How could they?

War causes terrible things

on both sides, honey.

We'll go away from this town,

where you can forget about

what happened today.

No, I won't.

I won't give them

that satisfaction.

Ruth, you can't stay here now.

I will.

They're not going to

drive me away.

You'll never be able

to stay around here

after what happened today.

Look, you know what

I've always hoped for.

I could start a stage

line somewhere else.

But, Mike, you mustn't

leave your business here.

Then you're not going to

fight this town alone.

What do you mean?

It's going to be

you and me, honey,

against the whole world,

from now on.

Oh, yes, Mike.

Always. Always.

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

I'd like a word with you, Mike.

Hasn't there been enough said

and done around here today?

Now, now, Mike, that was

a very sorrowful affair,

but one we couldn't help.

I know you're close to the family,

but the tragedies of war...

Do I have permission

of the Court

to give Mr. Lawrence

a decent burial?

I will personally see to it that his

body is adequately taken care of.

More than adequately.

Now, about Mr. Paige and what

we promised to do for him,

with respect to the Indians.

Won't tomorrow do?

I'd like to see War Cloud

as soon as possible.

I consider it very important

that we lend Mr. Paige

every assistance.

We never know when those savages

might break loose and turn on us.

All right, if you insist.

We'll go this afternoon.

First, I'm going to

take Ruth home.

Oh, well, yes.

Yes, of course.

That girl made a lot

of enemies today.

She needs your

protection, my boy.

You take her home first.

What do you want?

GRIMES:
That girl. We're going

to run her out of town.

We don't want any Southern

spies around here.

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

- I didn't expect...

- You weren't expecting me at all.

No. No, I wasn't.

I don't think I've had the

pleasure of knowing your name.

No? But I got the pleasure

of knowing yours.

Mr. Marsh.

I think you must have

made a mistake.

The name is...

Marsh.

Brock Marsh.

I've know'd it ever since

you told that story

about the Indians

holding up the stagecoach.

You see, I know'd that was the

story you was going to tell.

If something had gone wrong

and the real Paige

had come into town,

he'd naturally have told who

really held up the stage.

Who are you?

Joe Woods. "Gimpy" Joe

Woods, they call me.

Everybody knows me here in town.

What they don't know is,

I was John Lawrence's

right-hand man.

- Well...

- I can be a lot of use to you, Marsh.

The first use you can be to me

is never use that name again.

The name is Paige.

Zachary Paige.

Ah, I'll remember,

Mr. Paige.

John Lawrence never

told me about you.

He'd 'a told you about me.

We'd 'a met.

You sure didn't do much to

try and stop that hanging.

You might have taken a chance.

Take a chance!

And maybe ruin the job

I came here to do.

That would have been

a brilliant move.

Ah, too bad.

Too bad. John was

a good friend to me.

- If you'd 'a known him like I did...

- Look.

He went into it with his

eyes wide open, didn't he?

He got caught. We mustn't.

That's all.

This deal we're going

to offer the Sioux...

We promise them everything, huh?

I'm going to give them

more promises

than Abe Lincoln

ever dreamed of.

And we're not going

to keep one of them.

And after we're gone, they'll

attack the whole town.

- Say now, I've got some ideas on that...

- I don't need them.

Just do as I say, and

we'll get along fine.

Now, wait a minute. John

Lawrence had a plan for this.

If you don't run it his

way, there'll be trouble.

Trouble?

Not from me.

And not from you.

Remember, we're all

in this together.

We're working for one cause.

All right. All right,

you're the boss.

But don't you outsmart yourself.

You remember, you ain't

worth a tinker's dam

to the Confederacy dead.

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

(KNOCKING CONTINUES)

Just a minute.

Horses are saddled and waiting.

Good.

I hope War Cloud

will be glad to see us.

He'll meet any treaty terms

you've brought, if they're fair.

Well, they're more than fair.

Does he have complete

control of his tribe?

Well, War Cloud's chief.

There's a younger leader called

Black Buffalo who wants his job.

He's about the worst hater of

whites in the entire Sioux Nation.

How do you stand with him?

No white man stands very

high with Black Buffalo.

He was educated

by white men, too.

Can read and write,

but he hates them all.

Well, I'm hardly

dressed for riding,

but this'll have to do.

Your horse will

never know the difference.

No. No, but I will.

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