Slaughter's my name. Luke Slaughter. Cattle's my business. It's a tough business. It's big
business. I've got a big stake in it. 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 cattle man. 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 the situation. The man was a man of honor. He was a man of
honor. He was a man of honor. He was a man of honor. He was a man of honor. He was a
man of honor. He was a man of honor. He was a man of honor. He was a man of honor. He
was a man of honor. He was a man of honor. Everyone on the radio knew, that Luke S cuestión
was a man of honor. And like Record Man Ta, Cattles, records dude, with Cattles coming
into it, there's a tinhaean man attached to him, there's an artificial shell yellow
Cattle's my business, Captain. What'll you give me for them?
Thirty-five dollars a head.
Fair enough.
Of course, that's delivered at Fort Wachuka.
Well, now that'll be ten dollars a head more.
It's only 40 miles.
Two days of trail herding. That takes time and riders.
Heh, all right.
But if the beef isn't delivered to the fort by day after tomorrow, it's no deal.
I'll have the herd there.
Very well. See you at the fort, Slaughter.
So long, Wichita.
Goodbye, Captain.
So long.
Luke Slaughter, you ain't telling me all you know.
I never have, Wichita. And I'm too old to start now.
Now, how come the cavalry is willing to pay ten dollars a head for delivery
when they got riders all over the place that can trail them cattle?
Trail herding's a job for cowpokes, not soldiers.
These critters are no trouble to handle.
Nope, but other critters might be.
Would these other critters be two-legged?
Yeah.
The trouble with you, Wichita, is that you don't pay enough attention to what's going on.
Eh, just what is going on?
Fort Wachuka's been buying its beef from the triple-X outfit down on the border.
What for?
They got the scrawniest cattle this side of East Texas.
That's what the army found out.
Two or three times they've tried buying from some of the ranches around here.
What happened?
Just about everything.
Stampedes, riders shot, herds scattered.
Nobody's made a delivery to the fort yet, except the triple-X.
They never seem to have any trouble at all.
Hmm.
Well, you just sold a mass of cattle,
but it looks to me like you bought yourself a pack of trouble.
Maybe so.
Those 40 miles to the fort could be long ones.
Howdy, Luke. What brings you to town?
Came to see you, Sam.
Pour me one.
Most folks don't go calling on saloon keepers except professionally.
You mean this is a social visit?
Well, let's call it business.
Running a place like this, you must learn a lot.
I reckon I do.
Somehow folks do a lot of talking after they've been standing at the bar, Spel.
And you do your share of listening?
I pick up little information now and then.
What do you know about a spread down along the border that's called the triple-X?
Stay away from it.
I hadn't planned on going near it.
What kind of a layout is it?
Supposed to be a cow outfit.
Pretty poor excuse for one, from what I hear.
Any of their riders coming here?
All of them. Every chance they get.
It's a hard-drinking bunch of umbraes wearing their guns down low and tied.
Somehow they just don't act like real cowpokes.
Hired gunslingers?
Yeah, that's the way I figure it.
And there's a mess of them.
Durn near enough for a private army.
I've heard a little about the outfit.
What you say seems to fit.
Who runs this spread?
A fella named Bull Watson.
I've never seen him. They say he never gets far from the border.
Maybe he's got a reason for sticking close to the border.
Two of them.
He's wanted for a killing in Bisbee and another in Tucson.
Does most of his talking with a gun.
What's your business with him?
Nothing so far.
But I just made a cattle deal that Watson may not like.
Will you watch out for him, Luke? He's a mean one.
I'll watch him. Thanks for the information, Sam.
Oh, steady, boy. We're heading home.
Hey, hold up there just a minute.
What's on your mind, stranger?
You're Luke Slaughter, ain't you?
That's right. I don't think I know you.
I'm Slade. This is Ringo.
We work for Bull Watson, triple X.
I've heard about him.
We got a message for you.
Okay. What is it?
The boss heard you sold a lot of cattle to Fort Huachuca.
News gets around fast.
Watson's got the exclusive contract to supply the fort.
Now, it's funny the Army never mentioned that to me.
Well, it's sort of an informal contract.
Nobody sells beef to the Army but us.
I have.
And I'm hitting the trail with my herd first thing in the morning.
Watson ain't gonna like it.
I don't care what Watson likes.
I'm going right down the Douglas Road to Crossbone Valley,
up through Granite Pass and down to the fort.
If Watson thinks he can stop me, he knows where he can find me.
I'm a warning you, Slaughter. Don't hit the trail with them cattle.
You through talking?
Yep, I reckon I am.
From here on, we'll beat the idea into your thick head with a barrel of a.45.
Get him, Ringo!
All right, stay where you are.
You're pretty fast with that thing.
Shut up and drop your irons.
That's better.
Now, the two of you hit the saddle and tell Watson for me
that if he's gonna try and stop that cattle drive,
he'd better hire every gunslick he can get his hands on.
He's gonna need them.
Oh, oh, hold it.
Howdy, Sheriff.
Well, good afternoon, Luke.
How's business?
I ain't never seen a time when the law business wasn't real brisk in Cochise County.
Yeah, I reckon you could keep busy and never get outside of Tombstone.
I could use about five more good deputies.
Want to sign up, Luke?
Oh, sorry. I've got enough trouble.
But maybe I can throw a little more business your way.
You interested in a fella named Bull Watson?
Very much, but he's a slick one.
Every time I head south, he scoots back across the border.
Maybe we can lure him away from the border this time.
I don't see how.
He usually sends a bunch of his gunslingers to do any dirty work that has to be done.
I figure to keep his gunslingers so busy that the boss will have to come up and finish the job.
You think you can get Watson out in the open, deal me in.
I'm trailing to herd a cattle to Fort Huachuca starting in the morning.
I figured I'd have a little trouble with some of Watson's hands.
Want me to go along?
I'm starting up with my own men.
I think we'll do all right at first.
But day after tomorrow, when we go over Granite Pass,
Watson should be ready to make his play.
If he tries anything while we're going through that gorge, I'd like to have your help.
I'll round up a few men I can count on to meet you there.
If I get my hands on Watson, it'll be well worth the trip.
All right. Meet me at the south end of Granite Pass on Thursday morning.
I'll try to set it up so he'll come to the party.
Okay, Wichita. Here's where we leave the road and take off through the hills.
Let's get him turned.
Okay, Luke.
Ha! Get on there!
Let's get him going.
Come on. Let's ride on ahead.
Where are we going?
I want to take a look at Pistol Springs.
The water's dried up there.
We'll have to go 10 miles out of our way to get back to the river.
Hey, Luke, if you was to ask me...
I didn't.
Yeah, but if you was to...
I don't think it's very smart, two of us riding out this way
when we might run into Watson and a bunch of his hands here.
They say Watson never gets this far north.
He might.
He might, but the odds are all in our favor.
The perfect place for him to try to stop us is when we go through Granite Pass.
He won't be there till tomorrow.
Well, there's the springs.
Yeah, and plenty of good water, too.
Our luck's holding out okay.
You want to ride on down there?
No, no reason to.
We'll up in the shade of these big rocks.
We'll rest the horses a minute, and we'll head on back to the herd.
Whoa.
Whoa.
Yeah, I'm just as glad Watson is staying on his own side of the mountains.
I'd hate to tangle with anybody in this mess of rocks and boulders.
It's a pretty rough country, and it stays rough,
clear through Granite Pass.
We've got a tough drive ahead of us.
You're going as far as you're going, slaughter.
Who's that?
Don't go for your guns.
You're covered nine ways.
Well, we were so darn careful, Wichita,
but we forgot to look up over our heads.
I'm coming down, but don't move.
There's a dozen guns around these rocks.
Well, that's too many for me.
I get nervous when I'm looking at one gun.
Well, stranger, I've never seen you before,
but I'd say offhand, you're Bull Watson.
That's right.
And I'm here with my boys because you didn't pay any attention to the message
I sent you in town yesterday.
I thought you'd follow up on that.
But I didn't expect to see you so soon or so far from the border.
Well, never mind a polite conversation.
Come on out, boys.
Hey, there's a mess of them, Luke.
Not as many as I figured.
The rest of them must be farther south.
Toss your guns on the ground, both of you.
Do we do it, Luke?
We're pretty well outgunned.
Got any other ideas?
Nope.
Now, let me tell you what happens next.
You stay here with me, Slaughter, so pile off your horse.
If your sidekick rides back and tells your men to turn that herd around
and head back for Tombstone.
I ain't gonna do it.
If those cattle ain't heading the other way in 10 minutes
I'll put a.45 slug right through the middle of your boss.
I'm leaving right now.
Don't worry about me, Wichita.
Bring the boys back with you and clean out this nest of sidewinders.
Luke, this ain't no time for a grandstand play.
You're liable to wind up with a big hole where your stomach ought to be.
Your friend Wichita's got more sense than you have, Slaughter.
All right, get riding, mister, and get that herd turned.
I'm on my way.
Here you are.
Slade?
Yeah, boss?
You get your horse and trail him.
If that herd ain't headed home in 10 minutes, just ride back and let me know.
Aye, boss.
Sit down and relax, Slaughter.
Your herd ought to be on the way back to Tombstone by now,
and if it is, you're gonna be all right.
Pretty sure of yourself, aren't you, Watson?
Looks like I hold the winning cards.
We'll see about that.
Here comes your boy Slade fanning it like the devil was after him.
Well, now what's happened?
I'd say Wichita didn't do what you figure he'd do.
Well, one thing he did do is sign your death warrant, Slaughter.
Boss, there's a dozen of them right behind me.
They're crazy.
They may be crazy, but there's plenty of them, and they're looking for trouble.
We'll give them trouble, but first I got a little job to do.
Stand up, Slaughter.
You're licked, Watson. You're outnumbered.
I'm not licked yet, but you're all through.
I said I'd put a slug in you if that herd didn't head back for Tombstone,
and I always keep my promises.
In a moment, Luke Slaughter of Tombstone returns.
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...
And now, Act Two of William N. Robson's production of Luke's Slaughter of Tombstone.
...
You want to give me back my gun and give me a chance to draw against you?
No, I don't.
I didn't think you would.
Look out, boss, here they come.
Don't they got me? Let them have it, men.
There's Wichita. I'll get him.
No, you don't.
Drop that gun.
Oh, let go.
Drop it before I break your arm.
Slay, don't shoot, you'll hit me.
Pistol whip him. Get him off of me.
Coming, boss.
That'll work.
Hey, that was close.
Let's get out of here before we get killed.
Come on, let's go, men. We're pulling out.
You're going to plug slaughter?
No, let them lie there.
I want them alive when we hit them at Granite Pass. Come on.
Hey, somebody really put a lump on your head.
Come on, come on, snap out of it, Luke.
We got to chase them clear back across the border.
You ain't thinking very clear.
I only left two men with a herd.
That's not so good.
You're turning right, change.
This bunch could circle around and hit the herd any time.
We'd better get back to the cattle.
Get the boys together and let's ride.
You feel all right?
Oh, I just feel dandy.
At least I've got a crease on my scalp
instead of a hole through my middle.
Wichita, what are you trying to do?
I'm just trying to keep them critters calm down for the night.
That singing of yours is just as liable to start a stampede.
I guess I'm really singing to keep myself calm down
because I don't like the idea of Watson
and his bunch of coyotes somewhere out there in the dark.
I don't like it either.
There's nothing to do but wait it out.
I told the boys to keep moving around the herd
and not to bunch up.
Did you warn them about lighting cigarettes?
You can see a match for a mile on a night like this.
I told them.
I hope they remember.
One thing's sure, nobody's getting any sleep tonight but the cook.
Well, it could be worse.
How?
There could be a moon.
Hey, who's on there?
Who's that?
Well, it sounds like Charlie.
He was over that way.
Come on, get him.
Get him.
Can't see a dead-blamed thing.
I hope the horse can.
Charlie, where are you?
Oh, oh, oh, here, Luke.
Oh.
Oh, yeah.
What happened?
What happened?
I started to light a cigarette and some rattlesnake out there
and that dork missed my head by an inch.
Yeah, hey, Charlie, I told you not to...
I know, I know, but I wanted to smoke.
I forgot.
Well, you'd better swear off smoking till daylight
or you'll never not be with us when the sun comes up.
Well, at least we know they're out there.
We'll just have to be more careful.
We stand here gaping.
We're allowed to drive some more fire.
I reckon you're right.
We better split up.
Looks like it's gonna be a long night.
Hey, what's your plan now, Luke?
Get up here on top of the hill.
I want to look at Granite Pass
before the cattle head into it.
Oh, you know Granite Pass like you know the back of your hand, Luke.
You figure that's a place?
It's gotta be.
It's the one perfect spot to stop us
between Tombstone and Fort Huachuca.
You couldn't build a better trap.
Yeah, and we're the bait.
That is, if Watson's gonna make another play...
He'll make a play.
Here we are.
Whoa, whoa.
Whoa, boy, whoa.
There's a nice, tight little bottleneck if I ever saw one.
Yeah, nobody's climbing up or down them walls.
If we're heading into trouble,
we'll find it straight up the middle.
We'll find it, all right.
Take a look down there.
Where?
Oh, oh, yeah.
Couple of them on that side of the road.
There's some more up in the rocks.
There's some in that clump of trees.
Watson brought in some more men.
I can count about 15.
Then there must be more hiding around somewhere.
We can't fight that kind of odds and keep the herd moving, too.
Well, I guess we can't.
Sheesh, what a trip this has been.
We have a gun battle.
You get your skull cut open.
Charlie almost gets shot.
And now we run into a small army.
All we need now is to have the cattle stampede.
Oh, don't even mention it.
It'll happen.
Sure it will.
I'm gonna make it happen.
You ought to get more sleep, Knight.
You're losing your grip.
No, can't you see?
That herd of ours will fill this pass from wall to wall.
You get all our riders behind the cattle.
Start them running through there.
And we'll flush Watson and his crew out like a bunch of quail.
By golly, it might work.
Wait.
Now, what happens when we get to the other end of the pass?
They'll fan out there, wait for the cows to go by,
and chop us down like ducks in a shooting gallery.
We'll just bottle up the other end of that pass and grab them as they come out.
You and who else?
The sheriff and a pack of deputies are riding out from town right now.
I'm going over the mountain and meet them.
You get on back and tell the boys what to do.
Luke, sometimes I wish you'd let me in on these things sooner.
I'd feel darn sight more comfortable.
Everything worked out just about like I figured it would, sheriff.
You're sure Watson's in there?
He was the last time I looked.
When he comes out, I want him.
I owe him for a lump on my head.
Well, we better get ready.
Pull up, men.
Oh, boy.
All right, men.
Spread out across the pass.
As they come out of the canyon, each of you pick a man and ride him down.
They'll be pretty busy staying out of the way of that stampede.
Watch out for them.
They're all professional gunslicks.
Any questions?
Good.
Now scatter out and good luck to you.
Not a bit too soon, sheriff.
Look at that cloud of dust up in the pass.
Yes, sir.
Now, how big a herd is it?
Ninety head.
They're a spooky bunch of critters.
Nothing's stopping them once they really get started.
I think I can hear them now.
Yeah, here they come.
And here come the gents we're looking for, fanning the breeze to stay ahead of the herd.
Get at them, men.
It's working, Luke.
They're too busy running to put up much of a fight.
Look, there's Watson.
Come on, let's get him.
Up, boy. Come on, now.
We're closing in on him.
He's gonna shoot.
I'll put a stop to that.
You got him.
He's down, but he's still rolling around.
Whoa.
Watson, get on your feet.
I think you broke my shoulder.
Luke, here comes the herd.
Stick your foot in my stair, Watson.
But I...
Come on. I'll hold you up.
Oh, we made it.
We came close to getting caught in our own trap.
Luke!
Oh, it's...
He sure works, Slick.
Man, I never saw a gang rounded up as quick as Watson's bunch.
Yeah, the sheriff's men did a fine job.
You can get the boys and round up our herd.
You've got them calmed down.
We'll drive them on into the fort.
Looks like you win, Slaughter.
And while I'm at it,
I might as well thank you for saving me from that herd.
I didn't want you to get cheated out of what you got coming, Watson.
A date with a rope at the territorial prison in Yuma.
Luke Slaughter of Tombstone, starring Sam Buffington,
was written by Paul Pierce and directed by William N. Robeson.
Editorial supervision by Tom Hanley.
Supporting Mr. Buffington were Junius Matthews, Barney Phillips,
Jack Edwards, Charles Seal, and Norm Alden,
with music composed and conducted by Wilbur Hatch.
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.
This is the CBS Radio Network.