Goodnight for Justice: The Measure of a Man

AW, SHOOT.

WYOMING TORT LAW?

MEANT TO BE BURNED.

WHOA!

SHERIFF.

JOHN GOODNIGHT.

OH, 'MORNING, JUDGE.

UH, WELCOME TO RAWLINS.

DID YOU HAVE A ROUGH RIDE IN?

LET'S JUST CALL IT A RUN OF BAD LUCK.

WELL, MAYBE YOUR LUCK WILL CHANGE.

YOU WANT ME TO GET YOUR DOCKET.

NO, IT CAN WAIT.

HOW LONG ARE YOU GOING TO KEEP FOLLOWING ME?

IT COULD BE 10, 20 MILES.

THAT'S ALL?

YOU COULD STOP WALKING RIGHT NOW,

TURN AROUND AND LET ME INTRODUCE MYSELF.

OR YOU COULD STOP FOLLOWING ME.

IT'S NOT ME.

IT'S MY HORSE.

YOUR HORSE PICKS OUT WOMEN FOR YOU?

WELL, SADLY, YES.

CALLIE?

MY GOD. JOHN.

IS IT REALLY YOU?

WELL, WHAT'S LEFT OF ME.

HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN?

SINCE I LEFT CHICAGO.

AND ME.

16 YEARS.

YOU BROKE MY HEART.

OH, I HAVE A FEELING YOU RECOVERED.

WASN'T THERE ANOTHER GIRL WAITING IN THE WINGS?

WELL, SOMEONE HAD TO BE THERE TO EASE THE PAIN.

THEN YOU HAVEN'T CHANGED SO MUCH THEN, JOHN GOODNIGHT.

I LIKE THE BEARD.

HANDSOME.

VERY DISTINGUISHED.

KEEPS MY FACE WARM.

I HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT YOU.

GOOD THOUGHTS OR BAD?

BAD...

MOSTLY.

SMALL TOWN.

I SHOULD KNOW BETTER THAN CARRYING ON WITH A STRANGER

IN PUBLIC.

I'M NOT EXACTLY A STRANGER.

TO THEM YOU ARE.

WALK WITH ME.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT HERE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE?

I ASK MYSELF THAT QUESTION EVERY DAY.

TRUTH IS, I WAS APPOINTED.

I'M THE CIRCUIT JUDGE.

WHAT?

YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING.

OH, DON'T MAKE ME SHOW YOU THE GAVEL.

I'M IN SESSION HERE TODAY.

LAST TIME I SAW YOU,

YOU WERE ON YOUR WAY TO SAN FRANCISCO

WITH STARS IN YOUR EYES.

WELL, THIS IS AS FAR AS I GOT.

YOU'RE STILL ACTING, THOUGH.

SEWING.

I'M A SEAMSTRESS.

NOT EXACTLY THE ROLE I HAD ENVISIONED.

I UNDERSTAND, COMPROMISE.

SINCE WHEN?

I'M IN RAWLINS, AREN'T I?

BUT YOU'RE JUST PASSING THROUGH, JUDGE.

FROM WHAT I AM TOLD,

SAN FRANCISCO IS STILL THERE.

TAKES YOU ABOUT TWO WEEKS TO GET THERE BY STAGECOACH.

THAT DREAM IS GONE.

WELL, IT SHOULDN'T BE.

YOU ARE VERY TALENTED.

LIFE DOESN'T ALWAYS WORK OUT THE WAY YOU WANT IT,

THE WAY YOU DREAMED IT.

YOU MARRIED?

I'M A WIDOW.

MY HUSBAND DIED, GOING ON THREE YEARS NOW.

I'M SORRY.

I'M QUITE CERTAIN YOU'RE NOT MARRIED.

THAT'S TRUE.

IT'S THE HORSE'S FAULT.

KEEPS PICKING THE WRONG WOMEN.

PERHAPS YOU NEED A NEW HORSE, THEN.

A SEAMSTRESS?

THAT'S RIGHT.

WELL, THEN, I AM IN LUCK,

BECAUSE, AS YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE...

I, UH, I NEED A SEAMSTRESS.

UNBECOMING A MAN OF YOUR STATURE.

WELL, I QUITE AGREE.

I SUPPOSE I WOULD HAVE TO TAKE THESE OFF

IN ORDER FOR YOU TO SEW THEM PROPERLY.

OR I COULD STITCH THEM UP WITH YOU IN THEM.

SOUNDS PAINFUL.

MEANT TO BE.

: HOLD STILL, NOW.

NO BLINKING.

THIS COURT WILL NOW COME TO SESSION.

THE HONORABLE JOHN WILLIAM GOODNIGHT

PRESIDING.

WHO'S FIRST?

PLAINTIFF JEREMIAH WALTERS

VERSUS DEFENDANT FRANCIS B. LANGHORN.

LUCIUS BREED, ESQUIRE, YOUR HONOR,

ATTORNEY REPRESENTING THE PLAINTIFF,

THE UPSTANDING MR. WALTERS.

ESQUIRE.

A LAWYER, HUH?

IS THAT A PROBLEM, YOUR HONOR?

NO, BUT IN MY EXPERIENCE,

A LAWYER WILL DO ANYTHING TO WIN THE CASE.

SOMETIMES, HE'LL EVEN TELL THE TRUTH.

MR. LANGHORN, BE SEATED.

STATE YOUR CASE, COUNSELOR.

WELL, I'LL MAKE THIS SIMPLE, YOUR HONOR.

THE DEFENDANT, UH--

LANGHORN.

YES, THANK YOU. MR. LANGHORN....

PURCHASED A PLOW FROM MY CLIENT, MR. WALTERS,

FOR $21.

THIS IS THE BILL OF SALE.

HE REFUSES TO PAY.

WE ARE SEEKING PAYMENT

AND DAMAGES IN THE AMOUNT OF $50.

MR. LANGHORN, WHAT'S YOUR SIDE OF THE STORY?

YOUR HONOR, I DID BUY A PLOW,

AND IT SURE LOOKED NEW,

BUT AS SOON AS I WORKED IT,

THE DURN THING BROKE IN THREE PIECES,

AND YOU COULD SEE IT WAS RUSTED AND USED--

OBJECTION!

IT WAS THE ROCK-HARD SOIL

ON HIS FARM

THAT DAMAGED THE PLOW.

THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH MY PLOWS,

I CAN ASSURE YOU--

MR. WALTERS,

THIS IS MY COURTROOM,

I WILL NOT TOLERATE ANY OUTBURSTS.

DO YOU HAVE THE PLOW?

I HAVE IT HERE FOR YOUR EYE, YOUR HONOR.

BRING IT IN.

LET'S HAVE A LOOK.

WE WILL ENTER IT INTO EVIDENCE.

EXHIBIT "A".

IS THAT THE PLOW YOU SOLD HIM, MR. WALTERS?

I SOLD THIS MAN A NEW PLOW.

YOU GENTLEMEN, TAKE YOUR SEATS.

IN THE MATTER OF WALTERS VERSUS LANGHORN,

CASE DISMISSED.

WHAT?

YOU HEARD ME.

THAT PLOW ISN'T FIT TO CHURN MILK WITH,

A FACT THAT I'M SURE YOUR CLIENT WAS WELL AWARE OF

THE FIRST TIME HE SOLD IT

AT THE EXORBITANT SUM OF $21.

YOU TELL YOUR CLIENT

IF HE SELLS FAULTY MERCHANDISE IN THIS TOWN AGAIN,

I'LL HAVE HIM ON MY DOCKET FOR FRAUD.

CASE DISMISSED.

NEXT CASE.

PLAINTIFF...

: I'M NOT HAPPY, BREED.

IGNATIUS HAYES,

DEFENDANT JOHN EDWARD LOMAN.

LUCIUS BREED,

REPRESENTING THE DISTINGUISHED MR. HAYES.

IS THERE ANYBODY THAT YOU DO NOT REPRESENT?

THE DAY IS YOUNG.

IT FEELS OLD.

STATE YOUR CLIENT'S CASE, COUNSELOR.

MY CLIENT, MR. HAYES, IS PETITIONING THE COURT

AS REGARDS A LAND DISPUTE

IN WHICH HIS GOOD NAME HAS BEEN MALIGNED...

DANG!

YOU'RE A LUCKY SON OF A GUN.

I'D RATHER BE LUCKY THAN GOOD.

I THOUGHT THAT WAS MY HAND FOR SURE.

CUT THE BICKERING. LET'S PLAY CARDS, BOYS.

NEVER YOUR HAND, SON. ALWAYS MY HAND.

GENTLEMEN.

: 20, 25, 30.

GOOD AFTERNOON, SIR.

MA'AM.

I NEED TO MAKE A WITHDRAWAL.

OF COURSE, SIR.

YOU HAVE AN ACCOUNT WITH US?

I DO.