- 6 years ago
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00:00At the turn of the century, fortunes in gold and cattle were won and lost in the gambling
00:18casinos of the Southwest.
00:22One of these fortunes might have been lost and a murder unavenged, but for one man, Rex
00:27Allen stars as the frontier doctor.
00:32Inside the brawling wide open town of Fango, 20 miles west of Rising Springs, was Tennessee
00:41Smith's famous saloon and gambling establishment. I knew and liked Tennessee, so I was not surprised
00:48to receive an invitation to a special gathering of hers, but I was not prepared for the unusual
00:53reason for the gathering or the tragic event which followed it.
01:24I'm quitting business. After tonight, Tennessee Smith will be closed.
01:31What's the idea, Tennessee? You're getting married? Who's the lucky man?
01:35I'm marrying nobody, Frank. I'm retiring and leaving town. Oh, it'll take me a few days
01:41to settle my affairs, but tomorrow I'm taking the coach over to Elkton and buy myself some
01:45clothes and get prettied up for that trip.
01:48One more thing. I've always counted Dr. Bill Baxter as one of my dearest friends. As a
01:55token of our friendship, I should like you to have this.
02:02Isn't that a dandy? Look at him. That's right. Thank you, Tennessee. I'll treasure it always.
02:12Well, that's about it, gentlemen. Now, let's make this a night to remember. It's got to last us a long, long time.
02:23Best of luck, Tennessee. Good luck.
02:33The next morning, Tennessee took the coach to Elkton to do her shopping.
02:41♪♪♪
03:06Hold on!
03:27Dr. Baxter, I'm so glad you come. Miss Tennessee, she just lies here. She won't talk. She won't
03:34move. She won't do nothing. Just stares into space. She'll be all right, Nevada.
03:54How long has she been like this? I guess since she was shot. They took her off the coach
03:59like that.
04:06Can you hear me, Tennessee? Can you hear me?
04:10If I could have gotten some reaction from her, move her head, or any other sign of the will to live,
04:28it was impossible to remove the bullet without causing her death. The once laughing, happy-go-lucky
04:35Tennessee was doomed to spend her remaining days in the grip of complete paralysis.
04:45Gentlemen, Tennessee's condition is very serious. There's a neurosurgeon in San Francisco that
04:52specializes in this type of operation, but unless she shows some signs of not being completely
04:58paralyzed, it'd be useless to call Dr. Williams in on the case.
05:02Tennessee was shot deliberately. I'm asking you men to help me find the one who shot her.
05:09Excuse me. Dr. B, I know Miss Tennessee's awful sick, but she told me if anything ever
05:19happened to her, I was to give you this letter. Now I gotta go see about my baby.
05:33Here's her will. Here are all witnesses.
05:41She appoints me executor and leaves her estate in its entirety to a Miss Penny Chalmers,
05:50whose address is Mont Blanc School for Girls, St. Louis, Missouri.
05:57I wonder who she is.
05:59I'll send her a telegram and tell her to come out here right away.
06:02What are you gonna do about Tennessee till she gets here?
06:05I'm gonna move her over to the hospital in Elkton. Sheriff, as executor, I want you to
06:10seal the cash register, the safe, and her desk, and padlock this place until Penny Chalmers
06:16gets here.
06:18A few days later, in answer to my telegram, Penny Chalmers arrived.
06:27When do you plan to take her to San Francisco for the operation, doctor?
06:31Well, not until she regains consciousness and gets some of her strength back.
06:35It wouldn't be safe to move her in this condition.
06:38Is there anything I can do to help?
06:41I don't think so, not now.
06:44Let's go out to her mansion. I want you to meet some of her friends.
06:49It's beautiful.
06:52What do you think?
06:55It's beautiful.
06:57I'm gonna get some rest.
07:00I know.
07:03I'm gonna get some rest.
07:04I know.
07:06I know.
07:13You know, I can't believe it.
07:16Beautiful way out here it's so unusual and it's he's an unusual woman.
07:22The.
07:45Wall of the sheriff Butler McNally how you do this is Miss Penny Chalmers
07:50Now, how do you do, Miss Chalmers?
07:52We're all old friends here of Tennessee Smith's.
07:55Naturally, we're very curious about you.
07:58How you happen to know her and so forth.
08:01That is, of course, if you don't mind telling us.
08:03Oh, not at all, Mr. Bodine.
08:05You see, I've known Martha Smith.
08:07I presume that's the lady that you refer to as Tennessee,
08:10ever since I can remember.
08:11She paid for my way from infancy on up through finishing school.
08:14Was she your guardian?
08:16Well, when I was old enough to wonder about that, I wrote and asked her.
08:19She answered me that she'd known my parents and had promised to take care of me if anything happened to them.
08:25Shortly after that, my parents disappeared.
08:28That was quite wonderful of her.
08:30Yes, it was.
08:31My only regret is that I was never able to meet and thank her for all that she did for me.
08:35You never met her?
08:36No.
08:37I wrote and asked her if I could visit her many times, but she always had some reason why I shouldn't.
08:42I see.
08:45I guess she didn't want me to know how she made her living.
08:48Does it make any difference?
08:51No.
08:53Well, the important thing is to get her to San Francisco and to get her well.
08:56That's going to take money.
08:57Tennessee kept her money in the bank I manage, and I can probably help explain her financial position.
09:03Oh, we appreciate your help, Mr. McNally.
09:06Sheriff, if you'll be a witness, we'll go through her personal effects.
09:09All right, Doc.
09:18You got the key to the desk, Sheriff?
09:20Yeah.
09:21Yeah.
09:27There's something wrong with this lock.
09:29Say, look, Doc.
09:31That seal I put on has been broken.
09:34This desk has been forced open.
09:36You think there's a connection between this and her being shot?
09:39I wonder.
09:40Look here in the dust.
09:42It's a good, clear set of fingerprints.
09:45That theory's awful new yet, Doc.
09:48I've been reading some articles by a man named Francis Galton.
09:51He claims that no two sets of fingerprints are exactly alike.
09:55Just for curiosity, I've been trying it out on some of my patients and friends, and so far he's right.
10:00What's that got to do with the fingerprints on the desk?
10:02Well, if there's any connection between the desk being broken open and Tennessee being shot,
10:06these prints could belong to the man who did it.
10:08But how can the prints help catch him?
10:10You can't lug the desk around matching the fingerprints of everyone in town.
10:13That's true.
10:14What you do is lift them.
10:15Well, uh, how do you do that?
10:17I think I've got enough stuff in my medical bag to do it.
10:20Would you mind getting it out of the buggy, Penny?
10:22Of course not.
10:34Those are books.
10:40Bank books.
10:42She shows a steady profit here of about...
10:46about $1,000 a month.
10:50Let's see where the money went to.
10:52I can tell you.
10:56Here you are.
10:57Thank you, Penny. I'll put it right here.
11:02You were just going through Tennessee's bank book.
11:04As I was about to say, you'll find that she has a very low balance.
11:08Less than $50?
11:10That's right.
11:11You see, for the past nine months,
11:12Tennessee withdrew her capital at the rate of $10,000 a month.
11:15She wiped out everything she had.
11:17Well, did you ask her why?
11:19I did, but she never told me.
11:21Did she draw it out in cash or have you transfer it to another city?
11:24She drew the money out in cash.
11:27There's the motive for your shooting.
11:29Robbery.
11:31$90,000.
11:35Well, the $90,000 and this mansion are the extent of her estate, Penny.
11:39We'll try to get the money back for her.
12:10Whoever it was that entered my office
12:12was obviously attempting to steal the fingerprints
12:14that I'd lifted from Tennessee's desk.
12:26I don't blame you for fanging a gun, Doc.
12:29You got any idea who it was?
12:31I don't know who it was.
12:33I don't know who it was.
12:35I don't blame you for fanging a gun, Doc.
12:37You got any idea who it was?
12:39No, it happened so quick I didn't get a good look at him.
12:42He was masked.
12:44But I've got my suspicions.
12:45Who?
12:47The only other people who knew about the prints besides Penny and you and me
12:50was Walt Bodine and Frank McNally.
12:53I'm sorry, Doc.
12:55I guess I shouldn't have done it.
12:57But I told everybody in town about you lifting the prints.
13:00I figured it was the only way I could make them agree to being fingerprinted.
13:04I see.
13:06It's such a newfangled notion they're all afraid of it.
13:11Maybe if we could get some of the town's leading citizens
13:13to agree to be fingerprinted, the rest would go along.
13:17Who have you got in mind?
13:19Well, Frank McNally, for instance.
13:22He's president of the bank. He carries a lot of weight.
13:25Frank McNally.
13:27Yeah.
13:28All right, let's go see him.
13:35Frank, we're here to ask a favor.
13:37Yes?
13:38Sheriff's having a little trouble getting people to agree to be fingerprinted.
13:41We thought if you'd have yours taken, maybe the others would cooperate.
13:45I see.
13:47Well, I'm not interested.
13:49Why? You don't have anything to hide, do you?
13:51Of course not.
13:52But that's it exactly.
13:54I'm not guilty of anything. Why should I be fingerprinted?
13:56We're not accusing you of being a criminal. We're just...
13:58Now look.
13:59No matter what you say,
14:01if I'm fingerprinted, I'll be looked on as a suspect.
14:03That'd be bad for the bank.
14:05Now, on the other hand, if you...
14:07Pardon me.
14:13Yes?
14:15Hmm?
14:17Oh, sure.
14:18I want it down at the ball.
14:20Would you excuse me for a few minutes?
14:23Maybe we'd better forget about this fingerprint business, Doc.
14:27I'm not giving up yet.
14:30I wonder why he turned us down.
14:36Look, here's a set of his prints right here.
14:39Look, here's a set of his prints right here.
15:10Those little curly cues in the middle.
15:12Yeah.
15:13That scar on the center finger.
15:15Uh-huh.
15:17These prints match.
15:21What's the idea?
15:23Your prints here.
15:25They match the ones on Tennessee's desk.
15:27That's impossible.
15:29What would I want to steal from Tennessee?
15:32$90,000, maybe.
15:34That's ridiculous.
15:35I'll take them down to my office.
15:37Maybe you'll tell the truth.
15:39No.
15:40Those are not my prints.
15:41Here.
15:42Look, I can't reach that.
15:44All right.
15:45Take my fingerprints.
15:46You'll see they don't match.
15:47We'll take your word for it, Frank.
15:50Do you remember anyone who visited you today
15:52who stood right about here?
15:54How should I know?
15:55There have been a lot of people in here.
15:57Maybe you can help me.
15:58Yes, sir.
15:59Did you happen to see a man in here at this desk
16:02who might have stood about like this?
16:05Well, yes.
16:07A man came in and put his hands on the desk just like that.
16:11Who was it?
16:12Mr. Bodine.
16:13Walt Bodine?
16:14Are you sure?
16:15Positive.
16:17Is that all, sir?
16:18Yes, that's all.
16:26Now, do you remember, Frank?
16:27Why, George, yes, I do.
16:31And I can tell you another thing.
16:33Walt had a good reason for killing Tennessee.
16:35What do you mean?
16:36Well, I happen to know that he needed money
16:38to keep the ranch going.
16:40He tried to borrow it from me,
16:41but the bank directors turned him down.
16:43Right after that, he started court in Tennessee.
16:45Go on.
16:46Well, my guess is that he borrowed it from her.
16:49Then when she decided to retire, she asked for it back.
16:53Walt shot her when he couldn't pay off.
16:55Sounds reasonable, Doc.
16:56Tennessee must have had a record of the loan,
16:58and that's what Walt stole from the desk.
17:01I think we'd better pay a visit to Walt's ranch.
17:05Thanks a lot, Frank.
17:06See you, Frank.
17:07Good luck.
17:31Good luck.
17:55What's this all about?
17:57We want to go with you, Sheriff.
17:59We want to go with our friend, too.
18:01But I don't need you.
18:02And besides, we're not sure it was Bodine.
18:05Well, it sure won't hurt for us to come with you.
18:08Bodine's got a lot of men working for him.
18:10And if he is guilty, he'll put up a fight.
18:12We got a lot more friends waiting out of town.
18:16All right.
18:17Come along.
18:30Walt, the Sheriff's on his way out here
18:32to take your fingerprints.
18:33Don't get so excited, Frank.
18:34I won't let him have them.
18:35Don't be a fool.
18:36If you don't let him, he'll take you in on suspicion.
18:39If you do let him, he'll tie a rope around your neck
18:41if Tennessee dies.
18:43Catch a freight train out of here and lay low for a while.
18:46What about the ranch and the money?
18:48Don't worry.
18:49I'll sell everything and keep your half safely
18:51in the bank vault.
18:52No, Frank.
18:53I have two gunmen for every one of them.
18:55And I'm not going to let them get away.
18:57Don't worry, Frank.
18:58I have two gunmen for every one the Sheriff
19:00has in that posse of his.
19:06Tom, I want you to get the men armed and get them down
19:08to the north fence line right away.
19:09Sure thing, boss.
19:27You'd better get going.
19:41Here they come.
19:44Listen, you men.
19:45There's $50 for every one of you if you turn this posse back.
19:49It's a good thing we come along, Sheriff.
19:58They're waiting for us.
20:01Come on!
20:04Look, I'm going to check down the line and see how many of our men got hurt.
20:30Our fight's not with you fellas.
20:55We're after Walt Modine.
20:56Where is he?
20:57How do you know he took off?
21:01Sorry, I got here too late.
21:04Any of you men know where Modine went?
21:06Haven't any idea.
21:07Maybe I can help you.
21:08Yeah?
21:09It was from a distance, but I saw a man riding toward the railroad tracks.
21:11Now, if it should happen to be Modine, remember, he's dangerous.
21:16Have your men shoot to kill.
21:18Jim!
21:19Ed!
21:20Modine's headed for the railroad!
21:25All right, let's get up the ranch, see if there's any more.
21:43Come on, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's
22:11go, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's
22:41go, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's
23:09go, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's
23:40go, let's go.
23:59That means we can take her to San Francisco for the operation.
24:02I'm afraid not, we'll have to wait till she regains consciousness.
24:06Let's hope that won't be too late.
24:12Penny,
24:14I'm going to break a sacred promise that I made Tennessee a long time ago.
24:19I think she'll forgive me.
24:22Tennessee Smith is your mother.
24:25Let her go. I know where she's going.
24:28Let her go. I know where she's going.
24:42Tennessee.
24:44Tennessee, why didn't you tell me?
24:48I didn't want to hurt you.
24:51I didn't want to hurt you.
24:54I didn't want to hurt you.
24:56Tennessee, why didn't you tell me?
25:05Doctor.
25:07Sometimes the miracle of love can do more than all the doctors in the world.
25:20It was good news. Tennessee's operation was a success.
25:26On August 30, 1898, Walt Bodine and Frank McNally were sentenced to 20 years for the attempted murder of Tennessee.
25:36Their hired gunmen were sentenced to hard labor in the state penitentiary along with them.
25:56© BF-WATCH TV 2021
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