"Bullock, there are only two people in the world" "Who can save an innocent boy's life." "You can do it by delaying that execution three hours." "Or I can do it my way." "Hold it." "We'll take care of him." "There's my money." "We got first claim on him." "Listen to me, carter, please." "You got no proof." "You're making a mistake." "Please, carter." "Give me a chance, will you?" "Come on, will you?" "Now, hold it!" "Hold it!" "I don't care for horse thieves." "I like lynchings even less." "Maybe you ought to understand something, mister." "My name's sidney carter." "I run half the cattle in this state." "You're not running cattle tonight." "Let's tell him what it's all about." "He's got a right to know." "Three months ago, the carson city stage was robbed." "The driver and two passengers shot in cold blood." "We've been following keno ever since." "We knew he did it, but we had no proof." "Now we do, stagecoach company receipts and all." "We watched him dig it up where he hid it." "Shot his horse, and he got away on foot." "Does that satisfy you?" "It would if I saw a badge on anyone here." "Just one more thing." "Before he hid the money, keno planted some of it on my son." "In 30 hours, they're hanging my boy at the state prison" "For something he didn't do." "Listen, I'll make a deal with you." "I did it." "I'll admit it." "You hear me, carter?" "I'll admit it, I'll testify to that." "Hold it, now." "You're going to hang your evidence, carter?" "You need keno's testimony written down in order to stop that execution." "He's talkin' sense." "He's talkin' delay." "It's 40 miles to that prison." "I don't want to be slowed up by no prisoner." "The money ought to be enough evidence to satisfy mr." "Bullock." "Bullock?" "The warden." "A warden can't stop an execution." "You have to reach the governor." "It's too far." "There's a telegraph in the next town." "I want bullock to stop it." "I want him to have to say the word." "I want to see him eat crow." "Go on and stretch him up." "Wait a minute." "The one thing you should care about right now is saving your boy." "Sid, he's saying what I should've said long ago." "Why ain't we taking keno into the marshal?" "Why ain't we tryin' to reach the governor?" "That'd save roy." "That wouldn't let you play the big man, would it?" "All right, we'll take him into to town." "You sure that'll be enough?" "Sworn deposition is as good as saying it in the witness chair." "My wire should be on the governor's desk by now." "I guarantee he'll delay the execution till he sees keno's confession," "Backed up by mr." "Paladin's statement." "Paladin, I always pay a man for his trouble." "Some things are not for sale." "One of them is my testimony." "Excuse me." "That's probably your answer from the governor." "Why, he's got no right." "He's supposed to be running the state," "Not wandering around the back country." "Governor's on tour." "He'll be in donnerville this evening." "No telegraph office there." "It's at least a day's ride from here." "But roy'll be hung in the morning." "Get all the guns you can hire." "We'll be at that prison before morning." "Hold on, you know I won't allow anything like that." "I'll see the warden myself." "Ask for a delay." "That'll do no good." "Bullock wants to hang roy." "Why do you say that?" "The warden had a son, too." "He was gunned down by some wild kid in a coach robbery." "Bullock isn't known for his sympathy to convicted killers." "He's blocked everything I've tried to do for roy, even little things." "He wants roy to suffer." "He wants roy to hang." "Marshal, how long would it take to get an answer from the governor?" "Even with the best horses," "We'd still need a three-hour delay in the hanging." "One man inside the prison could do more good than 100 outside." "You could appoint me a federal witness to the execution." "That'd get me inside." "Yeah, I could do that." "For saving an innocent man's life, there's no charge." "For what it means to your son, there's no charge." "But for what it's worth to you," "My fee is $5,000." "Hold for one rider." "Step over here, where I can see you." "Be right with you." "I'll come down and meet you at the gate." "He's a witness to the execution." "By order, u.S. Marshal." "You got here just in time, mister." "He hangs at 6:00 am." "You'll be searched inside." "Got any other arms?" "We put that thing up and take it down twice a year." "I see what you mean." "Hope you won't be one of them witnesses that faints." "I'd like to see the warden." "Witnesses are bunked over this way." "You can see the warden at the hanging." "He'll see me now." "It's 3:00 am." "Did I ask you what time it is?" "No." "I asked to see the warden." "You want to be responsible for refusing?" "He didn't say that." "He just..." "Warden's quarters are this way, sir." "Is there a prison chaplain?" "Wake him." "Tell him to meet us in the warden's office." "Is this all you woke me for?" "You finished reading it, chaplain?" "Not your statement." "Let me set you straight on something." "Ever since roy was arrested his old man's been pulling strings." "He may be a big man, big enough to buy you" "But not john bullock." "Warden, I'm going to pass over that insult." "I don't like mr." "Carter either, but that's not the point." "It's not mr." "Carter you'll be punishing on that gallows." "I have my orders to execute a man." "In a certain way, at a certain time." "It's as simple as that." "Is it?" "It says here you saw keno smith with the money." "That's correct." "I also heard keno smith's confession." "No use talking it further." "I have orders to hang him." "I'm legally bound to obey them." "A human life is not more important" "Than your strict adherence to a court order?" "All he's asking for is a short delay." "Chaplain, we've had these administrative discussions before." "You worry about the souls, I'll take care of the rest of it." "I have nearly 1,000 other men that need help, too." "As badly as roy carter needs it?" "It's a miserable hole." "Dank, filthy, joyless." "All run very legal." "As long as I'm allowed to stay" "They have something to remind them they're human." "It's not much, but it helps a little." "And carter?" "Do you think this is the first time I've faced this?" "How can I save lives?" "I'm having trouble saving their self-respect, their sanity." "I wanted to start a library." "A simple, harmless library." "If you'd like to see roy, I'm allowed to take you to him." "That's all I can do." "What do you want him to do?" "Trade his bible for a gun?" "Warden, give the boy three hours." "I'll give him every hour the law allows." "That's all he gets." "God help you, mr." "Bullock." "He has, chaplain, he has." "As your own book puts it, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." "And another man's son," "For your son." "Roy." "Are from my father?" "Did he send you?" "No, he's just a visitor." "You can't depend on your father helping you now." "You've got to find strength in yourself." "But I didn't do anything." "I don't want to die." "Somebody has to help me." "You, mister, you try to help me, huh?" "Don't you understand?" "I didn't do anything, I swear." "I didn't..." "I didn't do anything." "I didn't." "Mr. Paladin." "I couldn't let him know that his father did send you." "That there's no hope." "No hope?" "It's useless." "I'm going to need help to save that boy's life." "What do you want me to do?" "Break the law myself?" "That depends on whose law you're talking about." "Sometimes a man of god has to be practical." "Will you help me save his life?" "Don't you think I want to?" "Don't torture me, mr." "Paladin." "I asked you a question." "Sometimes we must give up some things to gain others." "Me, I had to compromise just to get into this place." "I have to be careful of what I say, what I do." "My duties are prescribed by statute." "Well, I guess that answers my question." "I just wondered who you worked for." ""let not mine enemies triumph over me." ""yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed." ""let them be ashamed of which transgress without cause." ""show me thy ways, o lord." ""teach me thy paths." ""lead me in thy truth, and teach me." ""for thou art the god of my salvation." ""on thee do I wait all the day." ""remember, o lord, thy tender mercies." ""and thy loving kindnesses." ""for they have been ever of old." ""remember not the sins of my youth." ""nor my transgressions." ""according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness sake, o lord." ""good and upright is the lord." ""therefore will he teach sinners in the way." ""the meek will he guide-"" "May god have mercy on your soul." "Last chance, warden." "Give us the three hours." "Looks like it's jammed, sir." "Get him down from there." "Get up there." "You see anything?" "Yeah, a piece of wood, a wedge." "Roy." "Hey!" "Come on, roy!" "Stop him!" "No, I don't want to go- get in there!" "He broke the key off." "Get another key." "There's no use, it's jammed." "Get a hacksaw." "It wasn't meant to cut this kind of steel." "We got another blade, keep sawing." "Want me to go get more?" "That's a two-hour ride." "Get away from there." "Shoot him!" "He asked for a three-hour delay." "One hour's past." "Can't we wait?" "I warned you about interfering before." "Put that rifle on him." "Cock it!" "Either one of them moves, kill him." "You step into this again, you're through here." "This blade's getting dull." "Will it cut through?" "Yeah, in a few minutes." "My father did send you, didn't he?" "There's no one else coming?" "I mean, this was the last chance?" "sit down, you." "Sure is funny, isn't it?" "If I don't let them hang me, they'll shoot me for it." "Either way, they kill me for something I didn't do." "Just doesn't make sense, does it?" "Make sense to you, chaplain?" "Mr. April believes a man should choose the lesser of two evils." "But the book he carries, tells a story of one who refused that choice." "Or did I read it wrong, mr." "April?" "Did I read it wrong that all evil begins in a compromise?" "One principle sacrificed for a cause." "One man's life for the protection of the majority." "Warden, that's how you're gonna justify this public murder, isn't it?" "You can't reach me." "No" "It's all right now, paladin." "You know something..." "The hardest thing I've ever done in my life" "Was walk out to those gallows." "It's the first important thing I ever did on my own." "I mean, without my father." "That makes sense, roy." "There's a first time for each of us." "A first time when we know we have to do something." "On our own." "Chaplain, now!" "Hold it!" "You're loosing a lot of blood, mr." "April." "Yes." "But it's mine, isn't it?" "That's the difference." "Ride into town, get some more blades." "Warden, that'll take two hours." "Get going!" "Come on." "You, too." "He knew." "He knew the bar was just about to break through." "That means - that means he's giving us the time." "And that means you're not going to hang." "You'll be out of here, free." "By noon." "Thank you." "Mr. April." "You better take care of those hands." "$5,000 cash." "You're leaving, too?" "Just long enough to buy some books." "We will have that library." "That's a start." "It's a start." "I suppose any citizen can make a contribution." "That's a lot of money, mr." "Paladin." "I often quote the saints, but I don't pretend to be one." "I have my regular fee right here." "Come on, roy, we're riding." "Say, it'd be kind of tough driving with them hands, mr." "April." "I'm a good driver, and I could help with the books." "I said come on." "I'd enjoy your company, roy." "Roy, I'm telling you for the last time." "That's right." "You're telling me for the last time." "Roy." "'bye." "Roy!" "Go get him." "I paid you to bring my boy back to me." "Your boy's become a man," "Which means you got more than you paid for, mr." "Carter." "¶ have gun, will travel reads the card of a man ¶" "¶ a knight without armor in a savage land ¶" "¶ his fast gun for hire he's the calling wind ¶" "¶ a soldier of fortune is the man called paladin ¶" "¶ paladin, paladin where do you roam?" "¶"