Hell on Wheels

Previously on AMC’s Hell on Wheels…

- She soot a man. - You are the law.

You arrest the church lady for shooting Sidney Snow.

Sidney's bleeding out. He needs a doctor.

In the event he dies first, it must be seen that she's held accountable.

This here is "Dandy" Johnny Shea.

And from this day forward,

he is the new proprietor of this establishment.

He's dead, isn't he?

I'll figure a way out.

You do swear by almighty God, the searcher of all hearts,

that the evidence you give shall be the truth,

the whole truth,

and nothing but the truth,

as you shall answer to God on the last great day?

In the matter of the United States versus Ruth Cole,

the defendant stands accused of unlawfully, feloniously,

and of malice aforethought shooting into Sidney snow

two mortal wounds of which he died,

contrary to the law, peace,

and dignity of the Wyoming territory.

Having heard these charges, what say you?

Guilty.

Miss Cole,

in my hand,

a written statement by head of Railroad Police,

Cullen Bohannon.

He says you aided and protected an officer of the law

from an armed felon.

This would not only prove you innocent,

but mean you saved a life, if not several.

Now, this court asks a second time.

What say you?

I say I am guilty.

Ruth, don't do this.

- Ruth. - Order, sir.

Miss Cole, it is unclear to me whether you're of fit mind

to defend yourself.

I move for a continuance to afford miss Cole

time to acquire proper counsel.

I murdered that man, Governor.

Not out of fear, nor aiding the law,

but for no purpose other than to end the man's life

who took my son's.

I am guilty. I have pled so.

You, Ruth Elizabeth Cole,

are guilty of murder

and shall be hanged by the neck until you are dead tomorrow.

May God have mercy upon your soul.

Have the gallows constructed in the town square.

A public execution?

Transparency, judge,

followed by a strict adherence to the law.

A death warrant should be drawn up.

Do it.

No mistakes.

You got nothing to gain by this.

I gave miss Cole every opportunity to acquit herself.

Her refusal to do so means that justice must be served.

Hanging a grieving mother, that don't serve nobody.

Neither does allowing a confessed murderer to walk free.

No one is above the law, not even a church lady.

Then pardon her. You got that power as governor.

I do,

but a pardon must be affirmatively accepted

by the guilty party to be recognized by the courts.

The woman in that courtroom

did not appear interested in clemency.

I get her to accept a pardon, you'll sign it?

With pleasure.

The law requires the noose go on tomorrow.

All right, keep your guilty plea.

Take your stand.

Then you'll accept a pardon from the governor.

The governor hasn't pardoned me.

He'll give you one. He told me so hisself.

I never asked for that.

Hanged by the neck until dead.

Did you hear him in there?

Pardons are for cowards like Sidney snow.

Taking a pardon,

that ain't a coward's choice.

Dying is.

Either way, the choice is mine.

And my choice is no.

My father was a judge.

After a bad ruling,

well, he'd sneak out and take my mother dancing.

Do you waltz?

I haven't come to dance, John.

Come on.

It's simple.

A waltz requires a man to lead.

I've never excelled in that arena.

I've come for comment on the kangaroo court

you authorized on your arrival

and your acquisition of McGinnes' casino thereafter.

Ancient history, miss Ellison.

I prefer to call it context.

This is the story I won't like?

It starts and ends with a federally-approved hanging.

I extended miss Cole a pardon.

If she should refuse, that would be her decision.

Mr. snow's appointment to marshal,

I suppose that was her decision as well?

And his subsequent burning of her church.

We are all complicit, John.

Men with power and money are guilty,

while a woman with no currency except her own convictions

is set to hang.

Burn this city down,

you'll have no friends left but the ashes.

Exactly as much as Ruth Cole.

You'll cast her as some Saint?

I'm still deciding on the devil.

Come on, ain't got time to waste.

Train leaves in five minutes.

Train?

For New York.

Mary, my first wife, still got folks in the city.

I sent them a telegram.

They said you could stay with them

till you get back on your feet.

I'm not going to New York.

Yes, you are.

I'm putting you on that train.

You're putting this behind you.

I won't be a fugitive from the law.

No one will come after you.

You'll disappear.

That'll be that. You can start fresh.

The only life I have is here.

Yeah, I thought that once in Mississippi.

Train ride changed all that.

I intend to stay and accept

the consequences for what I've done.

You'll stay, and you'll die. And for what?

Teach everybody some lesson about right and wrong?

It's not your responsibility to save me, Mr. Bohannon.

You're getting on that train.

- I've made my decision. - Yeah?

Well, I just unmade it.

What? No, no.

Let me go.

- Come on, you're leaving. - No.

No!

I was ready to leave

after Sean died.

I was ready to go back to Omaha with Ezra.

You asked me to stay.

And I stayed for you.

This time, I stay for me.

Bohannon.

Bohannon.

Delaney is quite capable of putting the final pieces

in place if you need to be somewhere else.

I'm right where I need to be.

Son of a bitch.

When we lost my only son to cholera, I was away working.

Do you know where I was and what I was doing?

No.

Neither do I.

There ain't nothing I can do for Ruth.

The thing to do is be with her.

The church lady's not gonna hang.

The casino you can keep.

But if you think you can prevent me from enforcing the law

through intimidation, you haven't been paying attention.

If Ruth Cole sees an early grave,

you best be digging too.

She refused my pardon offer.

There's nothing else I can do.

You'll find a way.

I'm sure of it.

Step aside.

Why don't you go get a drink, Dutch?

I couldn't sleep.

Me neither.

Would you do anything different

if you could go back?

I would be a better husband,

a better father.

I would be more patient with Ezra.

They don't get more patient than you.

Boy didn't make it easy on you,

setting fires,

rustling horses,

kicking frogs.

What I would give for a church full of frogs.

I'd let the both of you go to Omaha.

I don't blame you.

I would kill Sidney snow.

So would I.

After the war,

I found myself walking the streets of D.C.

What were you doing in D.C.?

There was this crowd outside a federal building.

Political rally, I thought.

Some senator speaking on national unity.

Come to realize it wasn't a rally.