The Ox-Bow Incident Page #6

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can't stand up against...

branded cattle, no bill of sale

and a dead man's gun.

Gentlemen, I suggest

we act as a unit...

so there will be no question

of mistaken reprisals.

Mr. Davies...

are you willing

to abide by majority decision?

- How about the rest of you?

- Sure. Majority rules with me.

Everybody with Mr. Davies

in putting this off and

turning it over to the courts...

step over there.

Excuse me.

Seven.

Not a majority, I believe,

Mr. Davies.

[ Tetley ]

Any other message

you'd like to leave, Martin?

[ Sobbing ]

I-- I don't wanna die.

- I'd like to make a confession.

- I didn't do it.

- And about time.

- To a priest.

There's no priest here.

This man can hear me

and take it to a priest.

- [ Old Man Whimpering ]

- All right. Get along with it.

I don't want to die.

- I don't want to die.

- Bring him along.

[ Old Man Sobbing,

Protesting ]

I didn't do anything.

I didn't--

That must have been

an awfully busy life.

[ Pancho, Mexican

Praying, Indistinct ]

[ Chattering ]

Farnley, you,

Gabe Hart and Gerald...

- will whip the horses out.

- No, not me.

Any volunteers?

I'll do it

if no one else will.

- I won't do it.

- You'll do it.

- I-- I can't.

- We'll see to it that you can.

The kid's seen enough already.

Why don't you let him alone?

This is not your affair, Carter.

Thank you just the same.

I'll have no female boys

bearin' my name.

You'll do your part...

and say nothing more.

- What did he say?

- I ain't no priest.

For God's sake, man.

At least say whether

we'd better wait.

Well, I ain't no priest.

I don't know.

[ Sobbing ]

No, thanks.

[ Sobbing Continues ]

I'll give you

two minutes to pray.

[ Praying In Spanish ]

[ Prayer Continues ]

[ Prayer Continues ]

Time's up.

Will you find someone

to look out for my wife

and children?

Take some older woman along.

It's not going to be easy.

- Your family will be all right.

- My parents are dead,

but Miriam's live in Ohio.

Kinkaid didn't want to sell

those cattle, so maybe his wife

will buy them back...

- for enough to cover their travel.

- Tie 'em up!

[ Martin ]

I suppose it's no good telling

you again we're innocent.

- No good.

- It's not for myself I'm asking--

Other men with families

have had to die for this.

It's too bad,

but it's justice.

What do you care

about justice?

You don't care

if you've got the right men!

All you know is somebody's

got to be punished!

There's nobody to look out

for them in a strange place.

Can't you understand that?

This is a fine company

for a man to die with.

- Shut up! You shut up!

- You shut up!

[ Overlapping Shouts ]

Get 'em off me!

Pull that guy off.

Come on. Tear 'em loose.

Don't let 'em do that.

- Stop it! Stop it, you fools!

- Aw, you stop it!

[ Tetley ]

Keep him there!.

All right.

Put them up.

- [ Old Man Protesting ]

- [ Chattering ]

- Miriam.

- I don't want to die.

I don't want to die.

[ Muttering Prayer

In Spanish ]

Anytime you're ready,

Mr. Mapes.

[ Gunshot ]

Finish him.

[ Sparks ]

ol You got to go through

the lonesome valley ol

ol You got to go

there by yourself ol

olNobody here

can go for you ol

ol You got to go

there by yourself ol

d Oh, you got to stand

before your maker d

d You got to stand

there by yourself d

d Nobody here

can stand for you d

ol You got to stand

there by yourself ol

ol Oh,you got to ask

the Lord forgiveness ol

ol You got to ask

him for yourself ol

olNobody here

can ask him for you ol

ol You got to ask

him for yourself ol

ol Oh,you got to go

to the lonesome valley ol

ol You got to go

there by yourself ol

olNobody here

can go for you ol

ol You got to go

there by yourself olol

Hey, there!

What's all that shootin' about?

[ Mapes ]

We got 'em, Sheriff.

- It's all right.

Everything's been attended to.

- What are you talking about?

Kinkaid's murderers,

we got all three of'em.

Yeah,

and we hung 'em too, Sheriff.

- Aaah!

- Larry Kinkaid's not dead!

- Not dead?

- But we just--

I just left Larry Kinkaid

with the doctor at Pike's Hole.

- Caught the fellas

who shot him too.

- But, Sheriff.

They had Larry's

cattle down there.

They even had his gun.

Give me that badge.

Mr. Davies, I know you

well enough to know...

that you didn't have

anything to do with this.

I'm depending on you

to tell me who did.

All but seven.

God better have mercy on ya.

You won't get any from me.

All right. Let's go.

If you've got

no objections, Mr. Davies...

I'd like to read

Martin's letter now.

It would be a good idea

if a lot of people read it.

If you ask me, that Tetley's

the one we ought to lynch.

You're a great one for hangin',

ain't ya, Smith?

[ Locked Door Clicks, Rattles ]

[ Rattling Continues ]

You loved it.

That's why you kept them

waiting so long.

I saw your face.

It was the face of a depraved,

murderous beast.

There are only two things

that have ever meant

anything to you--

power and cruelty.

You can't feel pity.

You can't even feel guilt.

You knew those men

were innocent,yet you were

crazy to see them hanged...

to make me watch it.

I could've stopped you

with a gun,just as any animal

could be stopped from killing...

but I couldn't do it

because I'm a coward.

[ Laughs ]

Aren't you glad

you made me go, Father?

Weren't you proud of me?

How does it feel to have begot

a weakling, Major Tetley?

Does it make you afraid

that there may be

some weakness in you too...

that other men might discover

and whisper about?

Open the door, Major.

I want to see your face!.

I want to know

how you feel now!.

[ Gunshot ]

They're getting up a pot

for Martin's wife.

Even Mapes chipped in.

I didn't know

he was showin' his face.

He ain't.

He sent it by Sparks.

That reminds me,

I put in $25 bucks apiece for us.

- How much they got?

- About five hundred.

Hmph. Not bad for a husband

who don't know any better...

than to buy cattle in the spring

without a bill of sale.

Maybe you ought to read

this letter too.

You know I can't read.

I'll read it to ya.

""My Dear Wife, Mr. Davies will tell you

what's happening here tonight.

""He's a good man and has done

everything he can for me.

""I suppose there are

some other good men here too...

""only they don't seem

to realize what they're doing.

""They're the ones

I feel sorry for...

""'cause it'll be over

for me in a little while...

""but they'll have to go on rememberin'

for the rest of their lives.

""Man just naturally can't take

the law into his own hands...

""and hang people

without hurting everybody

in the world...

""'cause then he's notjust

breaking one law but all laws.

""Law's a lot more than

words you put in a book...

""or judges or lawyers or sheriffs

you hire to carry it out.

""It's everything people

ever have found out

about justice...

""and what's right and wrong.

""It's the very conscience

of humanity.

""There can't be such a thing

as civilization unless people

have a conscience...

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