The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp

Wyatt Earp has moved to Wichita,

after a locally renowned career

as Marshal of Ellsworth, Kansas.

Wichita was the new capital of the cowtowns,

where the great cattle drives from Texas reached the railroad.

Hoodlums boasted there was no law in Wichita.

The year 1875 saw Wyatt Earp

become Marshal of that turbulent city,

fighting frontier gunslingers with his fists,

his .45 Colts and his sawed-off shotgun.

Wichita! There she stands, Wyatt.

This is Douglas Avenue, our local Broadway.

It sure makes Ellsworth look like a stage stop.

You're in the big city, Mr. Earp.

Texas House, the Wichita Eagle.

A fine newspaper, mine!

This is Main Street.

The Palace Saloon.

Down there is the Oriental Saloon.

The next one is Rowdy Kate's establishment.

There's the Wichita House.

Way down at the end

on the other side of the street's the Occidental.

Douglas Avenue House, Payor's Saloon.

That next street down is Horse Thief Corner.

Mr. Murdock! Mr. Murdock!

The vigilantes are aimin' to hang Slick Lanigan!

They say he murdered Hank Mahoney last night.

Where's Judge Jewitt?

In Kansas City on business. There'll be a lynchin' if you don't stop 'em.

They'll be stopped. Where are they?

Over at the jail.

Looks like we better head that way, huh?

Welcome to our fair city!

Here comes Marsh now!

Lucky you got here, Marsh.

Hello, Bennett! What's the trouble?

Sheriff Todd won't turn Lanigan over.

The fool says he'll make a fight of it.

I'll have a talk with him.

Marshal Earp, this is Dave Bennett,

the president of our Citizens' Committee for Law and Order.

You mean vigilantes.

Glad to know you, Mr. Bennett.

So you're the great Wyatt Earp.

Gentlemen, this is the new peace officer Marsh hired

to replace Wild Bill Hickok.

Save the handshakin' for later. Come along, Wyatt.

Sheriff Todd?

Yeah?

Marsh Murdock. Open up.

Thank the Lord, Marsh. This Earp?

That's right.

The rest of ya stand back!

It's providential, Earp, simply providential.

I'm no hand with guns.

My job is strictly collecting taxes.

I hope you can take over this affair right away.

I'll swear him in.

That'll make it legal till the Judge gets back, huh?

All right, all right, but calm down!

You alone here?

Yeah.

What happened to the deputy marshals?

They all skipped.

They're afraid of the Citizens' Committee.

Slick Lanigan's a faro dealer at Rowdy Kate's.

Who's the man he murdered?

Hank Mahoney. I didn't know him.

I do, unless there are 2 Hank Mahoneys.

And the one I know is a killer.

Hank Mahoney wasn't armed, Dave Bennett says.

I'd like to talk to Lanigan, okay?

Of course. Bring him in here. Will you, Sheriff?

All right.

Lanigan's your responsibility. You handle the CCs.

You better put this on, Wyatt.

Wait a minute.

You didn't tell me there were vigilantes here.

We had to let them organize.

The cowhands threatened to tear the town apart.

I don't work with vigilantes, Mr. Murdock.

Neither do I.

And I should've told you that the CCs are a special problem.

But I was afraid you'd turn down the job.

Looks like I better do that now.

Hold on, Wyatt!

I don't like vigilantes!

They shoot and hang a man first, and then ask questions.

You hired me to enforce the law.

Well, lynchin' a man isn't the law, Mr. Murdock.

I agree with you.

Judge Jewitt, Mayor Hope and I

want to force the vigilantes to disband.

We're convinced that some of them are mixed up

with the crooked gambling and rustling.

That's a good bet.

But we have to have proof, Wyatt.

It has to stand up in court.

Will you back me up if I start roustin' that crowd out there?

All the way!

Here's Lanigan.

What'll I tell the vigilantes?

Tell 'em Marshal Earp is working on the case.

Thanks.

Rest yourself.

A lot of men out there that wanna hang ya, Mr. Lanigan.

Oh, sure.

I understand you killed Hank Mahoney

when he wasn't wearin' any guns.

You the Wyatt Earp that ran it over Ben Thompson?

Yes, he is.

Hey, Murdock!

Quit stallin' and bring him out!

Hold it, Bennett! Just give us a couple of minutes!

That'd be Dave Bennett. Important man!

Was Hank wearin' a gun?

- Two of them. - You shot him in a fair fight, huh?

He yelled for me to come out in the alley.

I came out, and gave him both barrels.

- Shotgun, huh? - Yeah.

Who took care of Mahoney then?

Sheriff Todd says he helped carry him

over to Doc Fabrique's office.

Shot in the stomach, what could Doc do?

Well, then you claim

that somebody must've taken the guns off the body.

How else could it have happened?

Why was Hank gunnin' for ya?

I work for Rowdy Kate. Maybe she can tell ya.

If you're gonna turn me over to the vigilantes,

at least give me a gun.

Mr. Lanigan, what makes you think

I'd turn you over to that lynch mob?

Oh, they're not a mob.

They're the Citizens' Committee for Law and Order.

They run this town, Mr. Earp.

They do?

No, they don't run this town.

You're the Marshal of Wichita. The prisoner's in your hands.

Thank you, Mr. Murdock.

Must be this lucky egg that Katy gave me.

All of a sudden, I draw 2 aces.

I'm gonna take Mr. Lanigan back to his cell,

and then have a little talk with that committee.

All right, men, now this is what we're gonna do.

We run this town, you understand?

And nobody's gonna tell us what to do.

Gentlemen!

There appears to be some doubt

that Mahoney was unarmed when Lanigan shot him.

That's ridiculous! We have 10 witnesses!

Break it up!

What?

I said break it up! You have no business here.

Now, I know what you men call yourselves,

but you're just a plain lynch mob to me.

Marsh, you're gonna put up with this?

I hired Mr. Earp

with the approval of Judge Jewitt and Mayor Hope.

Not with my approval!

He doesn't need your approval!

Your committee doesn't have any legal standing.

Now, if Lanigan is guilty,

he'll be punished according to the law.

But in the meantime, Mr. Bennett,

you and your friends are packin' guns

in violation of a city ordinance.

I realize it hasn't been enforced lately,

so that's the reason I'm not gonna arrest ya at this time.

Why, you...

Don't try it!

Now, most of you are decent men,

and yet you let a fool like this tell ya what to do.

Now, I don't think Mr. Lanigan is guilty,

and I aim to prove it.

But either way, you're not the judge and jury.

Now, get movin'!

Come on, Dave.

You haven't seen the last of me!

Quit that!

Go away!

It's Mildred, Miss Kate.

It's the Marshal, the new Marshal.

Earp? What's he want at this hour of the morning?

He says it's about Slick,

and he's real nice and gentlemanly, too, Miss Kate.

All right, tell him to come on up.

She says it's all right, Mr. Earp.

Right up the stairs.

What an hour to wake anybody up, at 1:00 in the afternoon!

Do I look awful?

You look real fine, Miss Kate.

Oh, you always say those nice things, Mildred.

Open the door.

Well!

How do you do, Miss Kate?

I'm sorry to bother you so early.

Harm's already been done. Is Mr. Lanigan okay?

Well, for the time being, yes.