The Plainsman

Gentlemen,

the war is over at last.

The men are coming back.

The living are coming back.

We shall have

hundreds of thousands

of disbanded soldiers.

Idle men.

Men badly in need

of work, Mr. President.

Gentlemen, we have

the country to save fiirst.

But these men

have saved their country.

Now the country must save them.

Their return home

in such great numbers

might paralyze industry...

by furnishing suddenly a greater

supply oflabor than for which

there could be a demand.

Mr. President.

Mr. Colfax.

I have read an editorial

in the Terra Haute Express...

written by Mr.John Soule,

in which he says, ''Go west, young man.''

Where there is

room for all.

Gentlemen, our land

stretches from an Eastern sea

to a Western sea.

Surely, in that vast territory,

there is a place for men

to live and work and be happy.

Right,

Mr. President.

True, Mr. President.

I hope to attract our disbanded

soldiers to the hidden wealth

of our mountain ranges...

and to the wealth

that lies in the soil itself.

And to the grasslands

of the Great Plains.

The fields of Illinois,

the broken sod of Kansas,

the long furrows

of the West.

Yes, Mr. President,

but if only the frontier

could be made safe for the plow.

It must be made safe.

But during the war

hostile Indians massacred

our settlers there.

- Mr. Lincoln?

- Yes, Mary?

We'll be late

for the theater.

Gentlemen, I promised

to take Mrs. Lincoln

to Ford's Theater tonight.

We will continue this

tomorrow...

for the frontier

must be made safe.

Good night, Mr. President.

Good night.

Good night, Mr. President.

I have never seen him

looking so well.

But the war is over,

and we have on our hands

order after order...

canceled by

the government.

Hundreds of thousands

of rifles unsold.

Once we were the saviors

of our country.

Now we're outcasts.

Our money invested

in an unsalable product.

But a good product, gentlemen.

A new repeating rifle would have

made short work of the war...

had it been introduced earlier.

But now the subject of guns

is an unpopular topic...

to those who needed them

so badly a short while ago.

We'll have to look to Providence

for a market.

Providence? Where?

I've been told that the Indians

hunt with bow and arrow.

Still, they obtain furs,

valuable buffalo hides,

otter, fox and beaver.

With our new repeating rifle--

Dearie me.

Why shouldn't we be frank?

I have every reason

to believe the Indians

will pay $1 00 for each rifle.

A hundred dollars?

In furs. And a dollar a piece

for every cartridge.

But we can't sell rifles

to the Indians!

I think we can...

to peaceable Indians.

But how--

For hunting.

They furnish us with furs.

We supply them with rifles.

Really quite simple.

Won't they use those guns

against white men?

We'll get the Indians

to promise not to do so.

I'm against this!

But why?

It's bound to make trouble

on the frontier.

President Lincoln says--

We have a perfect right

to do it.

Sheer nonsense.!

The army would stop us.

They control trade

with the Indians.

They did, my friend.

But Indian affairs

have been taken out

of the hands of the army...

and given to

a civilian authority.

A civilian authority?

Yep,

in which we are to have

a certain participation.

Do I make myself clear?

Perfectly.

But who sells the rifles?

Ask Mr. Lattimer

to come in.

Perhaps not the most

personable gentleman...

but certainly

the man for our needs.

Gentlemen, this is

Mr.John Lattimer,

How do you do?

who will distribute our rifles

through St. Louis...

to Hays City and

all the Great Plains.

Right, Mr. Lattimer?

I said I'd do it.

Van Ellyn, if ever

Mr. Lincoln finds out--

It's a legitimate business.

The Ford Theater.!

Open that window!

Lincoln shot at Ford's Theater.!

The president is dying.!

Hear that?

Someone has shot the president.

They say he's dying.

Only yesterday afternoon

I was talking to him

at the Capitol.

Maybe it isn't true.

We must learn the facts.

A terrible thing,

Mr. Lattimer.

Yes, a national calamity.

You will leave at once

for St. Louis.

Dearie me.

Terrible thing.

Oh, there he is.

- Excuse me, soldier!

- Bull's-eye!

I didn't see ya.

That's all right, son.

Come here

and let me see your gun.

You haven't got

any notches on it.

What'd I kill?

Don't you see that great big

buffalo laying there kickin'?

Yeah. He's a big one,

ain't he?

Give me your knife,

and we'll skin 'im.

You better not.

You might find out

he's been eating potatoes.

Gee, whillikens.

I'll bet you could kill

a buffalo with this knife.

You can't kill a buffalo

with a knife.

Aw. I'll bet

Buffalo Bill could.

You know what

I saw him do once?

What?

First give me back

my Arkansas toothpick.

You give me

back my gun.

I saw Buffalo Bill

shoot at a whole herd

of them once.

At first I thought

he'd missed.

Then two of them started

coughing and fell down dead.

He'd killed 'em both and raised

a big cloud of dust a mile and a half

the other side of them.

And that isn't all.

That little cloud

of dust he raised

grew into a whirlwind,

turned itself into

a cyclone and wiped out

one-fourth ofTexas...

before they could stop it.

Jimminies!

That's the kind

of shootin' I aim to do.

That whistle's just

a half a minute wrong.

Listen.

Don't that beat all.

Cute, isn't it?

Say, you're dressed

like a scout there.

So's your sister.

That's not my sister.

That's CalamityJane.

Was she your best girl?

Son, one of these days

you're gonna grow up,

and you ought

to know about women.

You see, the thing is this,

women are, uh--

Well, they're, um--

Well, son--

I can tell you what an Indian

will do to ya,

but you never know

what a woman will do.

Why?

Well--

Let's go down and take a look

at that fire engine.

If you don't like her,

what do you carry

her picture around for?

It's the only good picture

of me I ever had taken.

I can't cut her off

without cutting off

my chin.

John Lattimer, 1 7.

I see a good mark.

John Lattimer, 1 8.

Wait. I see an easy mark.

Where?

John Lattimer, 1 9.

Oh, yes.

Hello, Virginia!

I'll be around shortly.

We hate to say good-bye.

When you comin' back?

When you come and see me.

I want you to take Hannibal.

He sings.

Oh, Will, look.

I see a good fighting man

who's been fool enough

to get himself married.

Ow!

What's the matter?

Oh, my hats!

Jiggers! Let's duck.

Here. Hold on, bub.

Come back here.

Hey, who do you think

you're--

Bill! You long-legged,

fugacious old gallinipper!

What are you doin' here?

Well, I, uh--

Here's somebody who wants

an introduction to you.

Boy, you wouldn't know him

in these tinhorn garments,

but this is the best scout

west of the Mississippi.

Shake hands

with Buffalo Bill.

Buffalo Bill!

Howdy, youngster.

Son,

this fellow taught me all

I ever knew about scoutin'.

Ah!

You mustered out yet,

Bill?

Yesterday.

Ya ain't losin' much time

gettin' up the Big Muddy.

He seems to have

met a friend.

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