The Man from Colorado Page #2

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Mr. Roger MacDonald from Denver...

...representative of

the territorial governor...

...has a very important

announcement.

- Mr. MacDonald.

- Thank you.

Ladies and gentlemen...

...it gives me great pleasure

to announce...

...that the territorial governor, at

the request of your leading citizens...

...has appointed as the first federal

judge in this district...

...Colonel Owen Devereaux.

- Owen, how wonderful.

- Why didn't you tell us about it?

I hadn't made up my mind.

Haven't yet.

Now it's up to Colonel Devereaux.

I just want to say one thing.

I didn't ask for my job in the Army.

I was elected to it by the volunteers

who served with me.

So now, unless those same men

and you home folks here...

...tell me that I'm the man

you want for judge...

...I don't want the job,

and I won't accept it.

- Well, all right, folks, how about it?

- Yeah!

Thanks. I'll do my best

to do a good job.

- Thank you.

- Congratulations, Owen.

Your dance, judge.

Colonel. Jericho busted out. He

escaped. Him and Mutton McGuire.

- All right. Dismissed.

- Thank you, sir.

Well, we'll have to get back to camp.

Do you think it's that

important, Owen?

First desertion on our record and only

two days before we're mustered out.

- Will you forgive me?

- Of course, Owen.

See you tomorrow, Caroline.

As soon as I can get off duty.

- Good night.

- Good night.

Think I'll walk down the street

with you boys.

All right. Come along, Doc.

What'll you do about Jericho?

- Report him as a deserter.

- The same for Mutton McGuire?

Let's leave the rest of it to the Army

and talk a little civilian business.

Del, I want you to be

my federal marshal.

For the first time,

you're not making sense.

Me, a federal marshal.

I wouldn't have any other man in

the job. We've been a team too long.

Owen's right, Del. Absolutely right.

Look. In the first place, I'm not cut out

to be a marshal or anything like it.

Second, after bossing men around for

three years, I'd like to stay away...

...from any job that has

"official" tagged to it.

- I thought you felt the same way.

- I did and I still do.

Why, I didn't ask for the judge's job,

but I got it, and now I need help.

So I'm not gonna

let you turn me down.

Well, I'll think it over.

But don't count on me.

Why, sure I'll count on you.

The same as always.

Colonel Devereaux?

Yes. What do you want?

I want to look at a hero.

I want to ask you about this.

- I don't know what...

- I'm talking about the white flag...

...you saw my men put up

at Jacob's Gorge.

You could have taken

us without firing a shot.

But you killed them,

under a flag of surrender.

You killed 100 decent men.

What for, colonel?

For a morning's entertainment?

For pure, crazy love of killing?

You're no hero.

You're an insane murderer.

Well, now it's your turn to die.

You'll...

You'll need...

You didn't have to kill him. You had

him covered. He couldn't have...

You did see that white flag.

- What happened, captain?

- Who is he?

It's a Reb officer.

How'd he get here, captain?

Just a man that didn't

believe the war was over.

Well, it's over now for him.

Take care of him.

Yes, sir. Get going,

we'll take care of this.

York, Morris, Saunders...

Oh, Del. Del.

That Rebel, he didn't

know what he was saying.

A man hurt that bad,

and what he'd been through.

Tell me something, Doc.

Could the war get a man,

a decent man like Owen, so...

...well, sick that he can't stop killing?

Del, you've known Owen

almost as long as I have.

You don't mean to tell me you really

believe what that crazy Rebel said?

It won't do us any good

to lie to each other, Doc.

There's something wrong with him,

we both know it.

I don't like what I just saw.

But war affects different

men in different ways.

Time. That's what men need

when they get back from a war.

Time, and people standing by that

care about them and believe in them.

What if that's not enough to cure him?

- I'm not saying there's anything wrong.

- I am.

If you really think that, Del...

...you'd be a poor friend to go

back on him when he just got home...

...starting the biggest

and hardest job he's ever had.

You can't let him down, Del,

any more than I can.

- I don't want to.

- You've got to take the marshal's job.

I'll make a deal with Owen.

If he'll take that gun off and stick

to being judge, I'll take the job.

- Not otherwise, Doc.

- That's fine, Del. Fine.

You do swear that you will uphold and

defend the U.S. Constitution...

...that you will faithfully discharge

your duties as federal marshal...

...and that you will at all times serve

and enforce the law, so help you God?

So help me God.

Well, that's that.

Congratulations, marshal.

Thanks, judge.

Yes, Del.

That deal goes all the way.

I'll count on that, Owen.

Del.

- I'm mighty happy about this.

- Thanks.

- So am I.

- Thank you, Caroline.

- Captain.

- Make it marshal.

Yes, sir. Marshal, we're

kind of a committee.

We want you to come over

and see Corporal Dickson.

- What's he up to?

- He's down flat on his back.

Over at camp, in his shack.

There's been some trouble.

Maybe you'd better

come along too, Owen.

Why, you don't need me, marshal.

Sounds more like you need Doc.

Howdy, son.

Hi, Doc. Howdy, captain.

What happened, Dickson?

I went to work my claim, soon as

I got my discharge yesterday.

You know my claim.

Told you about it many a time.

Four men I'd never seen

before in my life...

...told me to get off

of Ed Carter's property.

They grabbed me, held me up

against a rock and pistol-whipped me.

They pistol-whipped him until

he couldn't stand. Booted him.

He has some broken ribs.

- He laid up there till way last night.

- Couldn't talk at first.

We all got warned. Any man that

trespasses on Ed Carter's property...

...will be in trouble, so they said.

Charlie Trumbull says the Great Star

Mining Company owns our claims.

Too many guns.

Get them out of sight.

We're out of the Army,

all done taking orders.

I'm talking to civilians.

Any man that thinks he can settle his

business with a gun, I'll arrest.

I don't want to do

that to any of you.

So we should let the gang, that stayed

home while we fought, rob us...

...and not even put up a fight?

- Save that for the judge.

The judge?

You mean, the colonel?

That's right, Johnny.

Doc, do you think you could have

him in shape to be in court in an hour?

I'll be there, captain.

You'll be flat on your

back if you are.

All right, bring him in on a cot.

You men be there too.

And round up any other fellows that

have a complaint, or think they have.

But remember, no guns.

You argue that the Great Star

Mining Company...

...is illegally in possession

of your property.

Now that's on the basis

of miners' law...

...a local agreement among miners

who prospected here before the war.

Who better to make

miners' laws...

...than the men that found the gold?

That's us.

- That's right.

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