Slaughter's my name. Luke Slaughter. Cattle's my business. It's a tough business. It's big
business. I got a big stake in it. And there's no man west of the Rio Grande big enough to
take it from me. Luke Slaughter of Tombstone. Luke Slaughter of Tombstone. Civil War cavalry
man turned Arizona cattleman. Across the territory from Yuma to Fort Defiance, from Flagstaff
to the Wachukas and below the border through Chihuahua and Sonora, his name was respected
or feared depending on which side of the law you were on. Man of vision, man of legend,
Luke Slaughter of Tombstone. Man, I bet I've had about 10 pounds of dust this last couple
of weeks. Won't be much longer, Jim. With luck, we'll be in Tombstone day after tomorrow.
Won't be nothing too soon for me. Once I get out of this saddle, I'm going to stay out of
it a while. You never been to Tombstone, Jim. Couple of things you ought to know. Such as
what? It'll be a pretty wild town. They got some peaceful law-abiding citizens there,
all right. They've also got some of the toughest drifters in the world. Gunslingers? Yeah.
So remember, you keep that itchy trigger finger of yours under control. Don't you worry none
about me. Hold it. What's the matter? Smoke coming out of that brush over there. Jim, keep
the herd headed straight. Come on, Wichita, let's take a look. Right. Could be a campfire.
Yeah. This is Indian country around here, ain't it, Slaughter? Indian country, bandit
country, rustler country, you name it. Well, as soon as we get up to the edge of the wash
there, we... Yeah, there it is. Little campfire down near that clump of o'katee-o. The fire's
out, but it's still smoking. No sign alive around. You reckon... Hold it. Movement back
there in the mesquite. All right. Come on out of there. Come out. I'm coming. Don't
you shoot now. Who are you? My name's Ralston. He's got a leg wound, Slaughter. What are
you doing here? You a marshal? No. I got into a scrape in Tombstone. I had to get out.
With a souvenir on your leg, huh? It's not bad, but it slows me down. My horse got away
from me last night and I couldn't catch it. I had to hold up here. What kind of scrape
were you in? I didn't do nothing wrong, mister. I'm innocent. I didn't ask you about that.
I asked what kind of scrape. Slaughter. Yeah, I see him. Two of them. Rifles across their
saddles. You think this fellow was a decoy to get us into a trap? No, no, that's not
true. One of them's wearing a badge. Yeah. I've seen him before. Tigard, sheriff from
Tombstone. All right, Ralston. Just hold it right where you are. Don't try nothing. That
bad leg of his, Sheriff, I doubt he's going to try much. With fugitives, I don't take
no chances, stranger. Thanks for rounding him up for me. He's a fugitive, huh? He sure
is. My name's Tigard. I'm the sheriff at Tombstone. It's my deputy, Blackwell. Been
trailing Ralston for two days now. What's the charge? Payroll robbery. Had to lie. You
keep your mouth shut, Ralston. Everybody in Tombstone knows you did it. Easy, Blackwell.
He ain't going to make no trouble. We'll see to that. Payroll robbery, you say? Yeah,
one of the mines. He was supposed to be guarding it. Instead, he took off with it. You got
any witnesses? We got plenty of evidence. I asked you if you had any witnesses. What
business is it of yours? Just a minute, Blackwell. I'm talking to Tigard. Who are you, stranger?
Luke Slaughter. Slaughter? I heard of you. You're supposed to be pretty fast with a gun,
ain't you? That's a matter of opinion. You ask me, it's more an opinion. I don't know
what you're talking about. I didn't ask you, Wichita. You got a warrant for Ralston's arrest,
Tigard. Well? There was no time to get a warrant. That's funny. Last I heard, there was a judge
right there in Tombstone. Wouldn't have taken you very long. How about you busting right
across the border without any papers or anything? Slaughter, you got a bad habit of being insulting.
I got a habit I'm gonna break. Now? Let's take him, Tigard. Can you take both of us,
Blackwell? We got the drop on you, Slaughter. That's a matter of opinion too, Tigard. Meaning
what? Those rifles of yours are pretty clumsy at close quarters. I don't think you got the
drop on me at all. Let's find out. I'm here to take my prisoner back to Tombstone. Not
without a warrant. Well, now you ain't gonna stand... Don't move that rifle unless you're
gonna use it. You got a herd out there, Slaughter. You heading for Tombstone? That's right. I'll
see you in Tombstone. It's fine with me. Come on, Blackwell. Thanks, Slaughter. Thanks a lot.
Get Ralston up behind you, Wichita. Let's get back to the herd. By sunset, two days later,
we were in Tombstone. We herded the cattle into the pens, then we went to the Crystal
Palace to collect our money from the cattle buyer, Ezra Canfield. Well, I've checked
them cattle over, Slaughter. He's in good condition considering the distance you brought
him. Here's your money. Count it, Wichita. Right. What are your plans now, Slaughter?
Heading right back to Mexico. Take up another herd. Good. We got a lot of hungry miners
here in Tombstone. Need all the beef we can get. Now, don't tell me we gotta leave right
away, Slaughter. I wanna see the sights around here. Tombstone's not a very good town for
you to be wandering around loose in, Jim. I promise you I won't get in no trouble, Slaughter.
I just wanna do a little living for a change. Money's all here. All right. Jim, take it
back to the hotel room. Sit on it. But what about seeing the sights? Talk about that later.
I'll get moving. All right, dog. Sounds like you sure spoiled his evening, Slaughter. Yeah,
I think we can arrange for him to get a couple of breaths of night air around here before
we take off. Taggart just come in. I see him. Well, Canfield, look like you ain't too particular
who you do business with. There's nothing wrong with them cattle he sold me, Sheriff.
I checked them myself. That ain't what I meant. I'm talking about Slaughter here obstructing
justice, refusing to turn over a fugitive to me. Where are you hiding Ralston now, Slaughter?
You ought to know. You're the sheriff. What's that signify? I had a little talk with Ralston
on the trail. All he wanted was to be sure of getting back here in one piece to stand
a fair trial. Turned himself into your night guard at the jail. You're bluffing. Well,
that'll be an easy bluff to call. Why don't you go find out? I aim to. He's a pretty poor
excuse for a sheriff, Slaughter, but he's all we got. What do you expect? Who'd want
the job? Tombstone's a rough town. Not too rough for the right man. I think you could
be the right man, Slaughter. Me? Yeah. A lot of us around here would like to see law and
order established once and for all, Slaughter. We know about you. Know you can handle the
worst of them. You know, that might not be such a bad idea if you ask me. Nobody did,
Wichita. Oh. I'm sorry, Canfield. My business is cattle, not law enforcement. In Tombstone,
law enforcement's everybody's business. Get over, Slaughter. If you was to take the job,
Slaughter, I'll bet Jim would be glad to be your deputy. Yeah, that's all I'd need around
here. He'd probably start more fights than he'd stop. Come on. Slaughter, I wonder about
you sometimes. I wonder if you wasn't already a law man once. I wonder about you too, Wichita.
I wonder if you were born with that big nose of yours or did you grow it later? Had it
as long as I can remember. Hey, it's raining. I didn't know it ever rained in Tombstone.
It isn't very heavy. Won't last long. Slaughter. What is it, Taggart? What kind of play is
this? I don't know what you're talking about. Ralston is what I'm talking about. I told
you. Ralston turned himself in. Yeah, well, he ain't in the jail now. That cell door is
wide open. What? And what's more, my night guard's been pestle-whipped. Looked like Ralston
had a friend help him to break out. You wouldn't know who that'd be, would you? No, I wouldn't.
Hey, Sheriff. Horse has been stolen from Wilkie's livery stable. That's probably how Ralston
made his getaway. Looks like I got you to thank for this, Slaughter. Think so? Yeah.
If I handled things my own way, this wouldn't have happened. Next time you cross me, it's
gonna be the last time. Don't be too sure of that, Taggart. You know, Slaughter, you've
got a natural talent for making enemies. A man like Taggart, it isn't hard. Come on.
Let's get back to the hotel. I still don't get it, Slaughter. Why would Ralston have
gave himself up and then busted out of jail? Some men you never know about till they make
a move. Ralston didn't do it alone. He had to have a friend. Maybe his friend convinced
him he wouldn't get a fair trial. Maybe. Anyway, Slaughter, look, Jim, on the floor. He's been
slugged. He's had cold. What do you mean? The cattle money. Yeah, it's gone.
In a moment, Luke Slaughter of Tombstone returns. Whenever significant events take place, you
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CBS News keep you as fully informed as an expert?
And now, Act Two of William N. Robeson's production of Luke Slaughter of Tombstone. Jim, Jim, come
on, boy. That's it, boy. Come on, come out of it. You all right, Jim? I guess so. What
happened, Jim? I don't rightly know, Slaughter. I heard a noise. It sounded like it come from
outside the window on the balcony. Yeah. I went over and stuck my head out to look. Something
awful hard hit me on the side of the head. I went down and then somebody climbed through
the window into the room. I tried to get to my feet and he hit me again. That's the last
I remember. You get a good look at him, Jim. No, his hat was pulled down low and he had
a bandana over his face. Was it Ralston? I don't know. He took the cattle money, didn't
he? Yeah. Fine guard I turned out to be. Yeah, it's too late to worry about that. Just be
glad you have a hard head. Slaughter. Yeah. It was Ralston. How do you figure? Remember
that ring he wore? Mexican work looked like. What about it? Had a green stone set in it,
carved like a snake's head. Yeah, I remember. Here it is. I found it on the floor. Must
have been jarred loose when he slugged him. It's a stone, all right. Well, looks like
Taggart was right after all. Well, well. So you finally wised up to Ralston, Oslutter.
Too late, of course. Maybe not, Taggart. Wichita. Yeah. You got the grub ready? Packed in the
saddlebags. Maybe next time you won't interfere when I'm trying to enforce the law. How about
the bedrolls, Wichita? Already. You're going after him, huh? What do you think? I think
there's a couple of things wrong with that idea. Like what? The first place you get a
poor chance of finding his trail at night in the rain. Rain's letting up. It'll stop
soon. I want to be ready to start trailing as soon as it's light. The second thing is
wrong is law enforcement is my business, Lord, not yours. That's my money he got away with.
Yeah, but there's still the matter of that mine payroll he's got stashed away somewhere.
Now, look, it's slaughter. They no sense our being each other's throats all the time. You
crossed me once. It riled me, but I'm willing to let it pass. I figure everybody's entitled
to one mistake. Depends on what the mistake is, doesn't it? The point is we both want
Ralston. Now, the smart thing to do is for us to trail him together. Me and Blackwell,
you and Wichita. How about it? All right, Taggart. Good. Good. I'll get word to Blackwell right
away. He's on his ranch out of town a ways up near Crocker Mesa. Oh, he ain't a full-time
deputy, huh? This town can't afford one. I'll send word to him to meet us in the morning.
We'll be ready at sunup. Let's keep in Blackwell, Taggart. We'll be along any minutes, lover.
It's been an hour since the rain stopped. We're wasting time. That trail's gonna get
cold on us, even if we manage to pick it up in first place. And that ain't gonna be easy.
Easier than you think, baby. What do you mean, Taggart? I had a talk with
Wilkie down at the stable last night. That stolen horse had thrown a shoe off of his
left hind hoof. Wilkie didn't have a chance to put a new one on. That'll help some. Oh,
here's Blackwell. Sorry I'm late, gents. Busted the cinch strap saddling up and had to rig
a new one. No harm, Blackwell. Ten minutes isn't gonna make much difference one way or
another. It does to me. All right, gentle down, slaughter. Now, I figure Ralston headed south
out of town towards the border. We'll cover that area first. Let's get moving, gents.
Looks like that was a bum hunch of yours about Ralston headed for the border, Taggart. You've
covered every trail leading south out of Tombstone. Well, like I say, slaughter, everybody's entitled
to one mistake. Gotta admit, it was logical to reckon he'd be headed straight south. We
covered most of the country west of town, too. Well, we'd just keep circling. Maybe he took
off to the north. Hold up. What is it? Over there. Tracks. I'll take a closer look. What
about it, Blackwell? Yeah, this is the one we're looking for, all right. No shoe on the
left-hand hook. Hidden straight west. Yeah. Well, the San Pedro River. Let's move. The
tracks lead right into the river. Yeah, it's an old trick, but it still works. Probably
rode up or downstream a ways, then out another side. This trail's gonna be tough to find
again over there. That's pretty rocky ground. So I see. When we do pick it up again, I'll
bet it turns south. I still think he's headed for the border. Let's cross and split up.
Two upstream, two downstream. Right. Whoever picks that trail on the other side, fire two
shots. Right. Gang, if I can figure a fellow like Ralston out, slaughter, I sure never
figured he'd take this way of paying you back for everything you've done for him. Hold it
here, Wichita. What's the matter? Let Taggart and Blackwell get out of sight around that
bend. Now let's get back to the river bank. I don't get it, slaughter. We're not gonna
look for tracks on the other side of the river. We're gonna look for them on this side. I
still don't know what you... Get off your horse. Now take a look, a close look at those
tracks we've been trailing, Wichita. Well? There's a little dry dirt in the bottom of
each one. Yeah. It was raining last night when Ralston supposed to have stolen our
money and the horse and made his getaway. Yeah, rain stopped about an hour before sunup.
These tracks were made after it stopped raining. That's why you see dry dirt with the hooves
cut through the wet. Wait a minute. You mean somebody rigged this trail to lead us on a
wild goose chase? That's just what we're gonna find out. We worked our way along the river
bank. Half a mile upstream, we picked up the tracks coming back out of the river and circling.
We followed them, headed northwest. Twenty minutes later, we came over a rise and spotted
a small ranch house in the hollow below. The only sign of life was a few buzzards clustered
on a mound in a little gully behind the ranch. We left our horses concealed and worked our
way down the slope under cover. Buzzards reluctantly took flight. We saw what had been buried in
the mound or what was left of it. Ralston's body. Yeah. Whoever stole our cattle money
busted Ralston out of jail, forced him out here and killed him. Yeah. Question is, who
done it? Whose ranch is this? See over there to the right, it's Crocker's Mesa. Crocker's
Mesa? Tangert said Blackwell had a ranch near Crocker's Mesa. So Blackwell's our man.
Looks like it. We better get back to that ranch house before Blackwell gets back. Might
be too late. They figure we tumbled to the fake trail. They could circle back here to
the ranch ahead of us. They? You mean Tangert too? Soon find out. Keep down as much as you
can. We'll circle around the corral. There's Tangert on the porch with the rifle. Get down.
That answer your question about Tangert? Sure does. No doubt about it. They're in it together.
There he goes inside the house. We gotta bust him out of that house somehow. Wait a minute.
That wagon there beside the corral. When I get the word, we'll head for it. Get behind
it. Now. What now? The ground slopes down to the house from here. Let's get this wagon
moving. It'll cover us. Now. Shove. Shove. Shove. Stay close behind it. Be ready to shoot
when it hits. She's heading right for the house. Stay low. Yeah, sure will. There she
goes. Come on. Fast. Yeah. There's Blackwell at the window. I'll get him. Hold it, Tangert.
Drop your gun. Drop it. All right, slaughter. All right. Don't try it. My, my. He took
a little convincing. Where's the money, Blackwell? Where is it? Under a loose board in the floor.
Loose board. I got it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Here's our cattle money, all right. And the mine
payroll. I guess that's that. Yeah. You know, slaughter, appears to me you was taking quite
a chance. Just a-winging Blackwell and knocking out Tangert instead of gunning him down. You
don't owe them no favors. I wasn't doing them any favor, Wichita. I was just saving them.
Saving them? For what? The citizens of Tombstone.
Luke Slaughter of Tombstone, starring Sam Buffington, written by Robert Stanley with
editorial supervision by Tom Henley and directed by William N. Robeson. Supporting Mr. Buffington
were Junius Matthews, Sam Edwards, Vic Perrin, Lawrence Dobkin, Jack Moyles, and Frank Gerstel.
Next week at this time, we return with- Slaughter's the name. Luke Slaughter. When we meet up again,
you can call me that. Luke Slaughter. Special score for Luke Slaughter was composed
and conducted by Wilbur Hatch. Stay tuned now for Frontier Gentlemen, following immediately
on most of these same stations of the CBS Radio Network.