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 first.

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 of labor 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 $100 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 of Texas...

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 Calamity Jane.

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, 17. I see a good mark.

John Lattimer, 18. Wait. I see an easy mark.

Where? John Lattimer, 19.

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.

Yes, a rather strange friend.

How long have you been out?

Oh, about three months.

I see she hasn't cut your hair... yet.

I don't know what you mean, Bill.

You know what happened to Samson when Delilah opened her barbershop.

Has she tamed you yet?

That ain't fair. She's different. You're different.

Bill, she's the finest little gal... I know, I know.

You gotta meet her. No, Bill. Women and me don't agree.

All that's going; Get aboard! Come on! You'll like her.

All that's goin', get aboard!

Don't be nervous. He'll be here. Come, Will!

Hurry.! All right, Lou.

I want you to meet the best friend... We haven't time.

We must get on the boat.

All that's going; Get aboard.!

Bye, Buffalo Bill! Bye!

Bye, Louisa.! Good-bye!

Honey, we're on our way. You're not frightened, are ya?

I'm not frightened of anything after these three wonderful months.

It's a big place we're going to... the West... isn't it?

Good-bye, Buffalo Bill! Huh?

What's the matter, boy? Good-bye, bub. That's yours.

Gee! Thanks, mister!

Don't forget what I told ya about women.

And here's your gun.

Good hunting!

I'm Jack McCall, Mr. Hickok.

Tickled to death to be traveling with you.

Pleased to meet you. Hey, your toothpick's on fire.

This ain't a toothpick. "Cigareetes," they call them back East.

Oh, I see. A new fad, huh? Hmm?

Barkeep, bring me an applejack, will ya? Yes, sir.

You want one? No.

I call ya.

I have ace, king, queen, jack and a ten. Sorry, mister.

Mr. Hickok. I'd like to speak to you.

Good evening, ma'am. I'm Louisa Cody.

Will's told me how long you've been friends...

and how you fought for him once.

He says you don't trust women. Not as a rule, Mrs. Cody.