The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp

A major problem for Wyatt Earp,

now that he was Marshal of the cattle-owning town of Ellsworth, Kansas,

was the Thompson brothers.

They were gun-slinging terrors of the frontier,

and brother Bill was wanted for the murder of a sheriff.

Unless Wyatt Earp could rid Ellsworth of these killers,

and alone,

he faced complete loss of influence as a Marshal.

Morning, Wyatt.

Oh, good morning, Judge, Mr. Masterson.

What's the matter? You look a little worried.

He sure is, Mr. Earp.

A lot of Sheriff Whitney's friends want to organize a posse.

I don't want a posse.

They figure the Thompsons

have had time to join their gang.

They figure if you're going after them, you'll need help.

I don't like posses, Ed.

You can't go up against the Thompson outfit

all by yourself, Mr. Earp.

A posse only raises dust.

They're only as fast as their slowest horse.

I don't think Bill and Ben

will want to join up with their gang.

My hunch is that they're hiding out in Bushwhacker section.

Bushwhacker?

You mean where the Indians used to hide for ambush?

That's right.

How you ever going to find the Thompsons in there?

I think you might have something there, Wyatt.

I can explain your theory

to the men who signed up for posse work.

Ought to satisfy them for a day or so.

Thanks, Ed.

Do me another favor, will you?

Sure.

I'm expecting two Indian friends of mine.

They're about the best trackers I've ever met,

and I'd like for you as a judge and mayor to meet them.

Indians?

That's right.

Mr. Brother, the war chief Many Battles,

and his partner, Mr. Cousins of the Chief Yellahan.

Oh, and be sure to call them Mr. Brother and Mr. Cousins.

All right. What else do I do? Give them the key to the city?

No, Ed. Just decent respect will be enough.

Sure, Wyatt.

As soon as they hit town, I'll do the honors.

Thanks.

Bat will tell you there's a lot of mean talk.

It adds up to the feeling

that you'd better arrest Bill Thompson quick,

or a posse will do it for you.

I don't want a posse, Ed.

I'll arrest Thompson myself.

I hope you do.

Aren't you putting too much faith in those Indians?

No. They're good men.

So you and the judge think I ought to turn my job over to a posse

before they take it away from me, huh?

Well, what if the Indians do find Ben and Bill?

You can't go into that place all alone, Mr. Earp.

You'd better take me with you.

- You still want to be a marshal someday? - Yes, sir.

Well, then, you'd better start learning what the job means.

It's lonesome work, Mr. Masterson.

You can't let a bunch of hotheaded citizens tell you what to do.

Use your own head, get into your own brand of trouble,

and think your own way out of it when you can.

But always be ready to shoot your way out,

but you go it alone.

Into Bushwhacker?

Well, now, that's just a section of country

full of rocks and brush.

Good old Bushwhacker,

one of the nicest hideouts we ever found, huh, Bill?

Aww, we should've brought the boys with us.

Nah.

Why don't you drink some water for a change?

Now if Earp comes in here after us,

you're going to wish we had more guns.

Earp ain't going to come in here.

Even if he guesses which direction we headed,

he ain't gonna come in here... he's got more sense.

And what if he did?

Hey.

You hear anything?

If you'd stop drinking that whiskey,

you wouldn't hear so many things.

Clayhiya.

Clayhiya. Clayhiya.

Mr. Brother, Mr. Cousins.

Shut the door. Come in.

Mr. Brother, you sit there.

Mr. Cousins, you take that chair.

Mr. Brother crack joke?

He says Mr. Earp, first time we treated like American.

You tell him that's a good joke,

but it's a little sad, too.

As I mentioned before, it's a good bet

that the Thompsons are holed up in Bushwhacker.

You and Mr. Brother know this country.

Bushwhacker? Yes. Good ambush.

Got many good scalp there.

Bushwhacker.

He says he guide soldiers to White Cap.

Johnny Reb camp one time.

He says, "Soldier lose fight."

I heard about that.

I'll explain about these in a moment.

I want you to find Ben and Bill Thompson for me.

I want you to move like dead men's ghosts.

I don't want you to be heard or seen.

And you'll be very careful not to get hurt.

The Thompsons are killers.

They're very quick with their guns.

As to these loops of rope,

I want you to take these with you...

You men wait here.

I'll go talk to Marshal Earp.

Earp's just stalling, Ed.

We want Bill Thompson.

The posse can bring them in.

There's a delegation outside.

I know, I see them.

They don't trust those Indian friends of yours.

They want a posse,

and they're pretty bad-tempered about it.

How's your temper, Ed?

Well, I think you're being unreasonable about this.

It's no good just to say that you don't like posses

and want to handle the whole thing by yourself.

They knew Sheriff Whitney, and they were fond of him.

I was fond of him, too,

and I want Bill Thompson for his murder

just as bad as they do.

I know that, Wyatt,

but you're being high-handed and arbitrary.

This is my business, Ed, and you hired me to run it.

Well, at least go out there and explain your position.

All right.

Judge Miller tells me

you gentlemen want to go after Bill Thompson.

We can't trust a couple of Indians.

We want real action, Earp.

All right, Mr. Davitt.

Then you can lead the posse.

But before I deputize you, I think it's only fair

to tell you what you'll be up against.

Now, my Indian friends have already sent word

that Ben and Bill Thompson were spotted yesterday

going into the Bushwhacker section.

Just the two of them, Wyatt?

That's right.

But I want to remind you, men, that Ben Thompson

is one of the best hands with a gun I know of.

He's already killed 18 men in gunfights.

Now, his brother Bill is not nearly as good, but he...

They don't scare us, Earp.

Well, they're enough to scare me.

Have any of you men ever gone

in that tangle of brush and rock before?

No.

No.

Well, a whole union outfit

went in there a couple of years ago,

as Judge Miller may recall.

They were cut to pieces

by a handful of Confederate soldiers.

Now how many men does your posse

expect to lose, Mr. Davitt?

Well, I'll give you an estimate.

In my opinion, Ben and Bill Thompson shooting from ambush

could kill about ten of you.

But Wyatt, if you lead the posse...

I won't do that.

I don't believe in the idea, and I won't be responsible

for good men being killed unnecessarily.

All right, you refuse to do your duty.

It's not my duty to lead

inexperienced men like you into a massacre.

Well, we certainly got a long way with that, didn't we?

He could be right, you know.

Aww, he's lost his nerve.

He's treating us like a passel of greenhorns.

Now, whoa, here.

I'm sure that Wyatt...

You'd stand up for Earp, no matter what.

Come on, men.

We'll report back to the others at the meeting.

Ellsworth may have a new marshal,

and a new mayor, in about three days.

Hey, Ben. Ben.

Wake up, Ben.

Lookit.

It's Earp. He's found us.

Judge Miller wants you to come to the meeting right away.

They're talking him down, Mr. Earp.

Oh?

It's nip and tuck.