 Frontier Town, the saga of the Roaring West. Frontier Town, El Paso, Cheyenne, Calgary, Tombstone. Frontier Town. Here is the adventurous story of the early West, the tamed and the untamed. From the Pekos to Powder River, Dodge City to Poker Flat. These are the towns they fought to live in and lived to fight for. Teaming crucibles of pioneer freedom. Frontier Town. I'm Chad Remington, and if you've ever heard of me, which you probably haven't, you've heard me referred to as a cow town lawyer. Well, I guess you might say I do practice law and dos rios, but even on the boisterous and brawling frontier there's not enough law business to keep a man going. A part of my time, a good part, is spent raising cattle. And what trouble I don't get into from my law business, I certainly hear down with my cattle. Because it's still so fresh in my mind, let me tell you what happened this shipping season. I guess it all started the day I was out checking my stock and keeping my eye out for down fences with my sidekick, the ex-medicine man Cherokee Oben. Chad, my boy, I don't mind saying that these steers of yours look like you've been feeding them nothing but my genuine Cherokee Indian rattlesnake oil. Oh, wait a minute, Cherokee. They can't look that bad. Besides, my cows don't touch alcohol. Don't touch alcohol? Then that must account for the expression, dumb as an ox. By the way, you don't happen to have a weed draft on you, do you? I certainly don't, and even if I did, I... Cherokee, isn't that someone over there writing to the Junipers where we just cut out those heifers? Junipers? Must be a man next to my own heart. They flavor gin with juniper berries. It is someone, Cherokee. Come on, we're going over and find out just who he is and what he's doing trespassing on my land. Why, George, you were right, Chad. There is someone there looking over your cattle. Hey! Hey, you! Suppose you just hold it. All right, easy there, boy. Slow now. Billy Blue blazes, Chad. See who it is? That Packinghouse fellow who recently came to town. Deuce Zeiterman. Ah, there, Remington. Who'd you think it was? A wrestler? If I had thought so, Zeiterman, you wouldn't have lived long enough to ask that question. And believe you me, the counselor's not fooling you. Just what are you doing out there anyhow? I was riding by, saw your cattle, and figured you'd probably be selling to me pretty soon. Thought I'd save myself a trip by checking them over now. You represent that new Packinghouse Combine, don't you, Zeiterman? Yes, sir. I sure do. United Beef Syndicate. And I'm willing to pay you a mighty good price. And how much would a mighty good price be? Oh, let's say seven cents. Seven cents! What do you think these are? Range-fed longhorns? These are Herford's, mister, and practically fed by hand. I might up that a penny a pound. Fat chance. Chance's always gotten ten cents and up from Ed McComb. Yeah, but Ed McComb's dead. You don't think his wife can stay in business at those prices, do you? Mister, not only is Lizzie McComb's capable of running that Packinghouse, but she's staying in business if I have anything to do with it. Suit yourself, Bramington. But don't come to me when you find out she's not able to pay those fancy prices you want. Because I'll have bought all the beef I need to last me a full season. Now, if I were you, I'd think it over and fast. Real fast! There was no question in my mind that Deuce Zeiterman had given me a warning. I didn't like it. And most of all, I didn't like Deuce Zeiterman. So Cherokee and I wasted no time getting into those rears and paying a call on Lizzie McComb's to find out if Zeiterman had been threatening her. Had that not headed, Lomax threatened me. He wouldn't dare, Chad. He wouldn't dare. Well, I thought I'd ask, Lizzie. After all, now that Ed's dead. Well, with that kind, you never know. Well, Deuce Zeiterman and the United Beef Syndicate ain't scaring me out of business, with her or not. Well, I'm glad to hear you say that, Lizzie. Because I thought the way Ed had been found shot so mysteriously, it just might have been Zeiterman and his crowd. You shouldn't say things like that, Cherokee. The coroner's inquest, Deuce Zeiterman had an airtight alibi. Even if he didn't have an alibi, the McCombs packing company is still in business. And he's gonna stay in business. If Deuce Zeiterman has got any different ideas, he's gonna have to have a fight on his hands that the whole county won't forget. What'd you find out, Tindall? Plenty. Lizzie McCombs has bought more than a train load of cattle and she's getting ready to ship. Most of the cattle are down at the railroad yards now in the loading pens. You had them all nicely rounded up for us, huh? What do you mean? I just had to hunt something like this was going to happen. So I had a little heart-to-heart talk with one of her men. You know, you know, that big red-faced fella, the one they called Braid. Braid? Sure. What's he gonna do for us? You get your boys rounded up and back over here for instructions. Once they do their job, Mr. Braid is taking care of the rest. Of course, some lucky city folks have been licking their chops over some more prime-of-home beef. Yeah. If nothing goes wrong. Yeah? What could go wrong now? Well, that new beef syndicate that Deuce Zeiterman's got ain't too sure. Well, you know what they say. Competition's good for business. Yeah, maybe honest competition's good for business, Braid, but when you're dealing with our weasel-faced slut-talking shuffling, Joe-man, what's that? Why then? Get inside. They're shooting up the street like that. They're panicking our seers. Look out, Mrs. McCombs. Come on, get out of here. Here come them local cattle. We'll all be cramped with them. At that time, there was no way of proving it. Deuce's little scheme direct Lizzie McCombs' packing company and win a monopoly of the cattle business in our valley. Certainly was starting to bear fruit. It wasn't bad enough that the cattle had been stampeded all over Patty's half-acre, but Brother Zeiterman still had plenty of aces left up his sleeve. The first ace, the black one, he wasn't long in play. Blast you the lot of y'all. Why don't you men button up your lips and let me do the talking? Let's use the talking, Mrs. McCombs. The boys are right. It's too bad, but working for you seems to be a sure way of ending up with the doctors or at the undertaker. You're not it! What about me? If y'all quit like you say you're gonna do, where am I gonna end up? You're not so bad off and probably sell out to this syndicated Zeiterman. The way things have been going with us, two men killed in a stampede today and three others hurt. We know when we're well off and we're stare that way. Come on, boys, let's get out of here. Not a couple of times, Lucy, but I guess you didn't. Oh, what's going on here? You know, bragging the boys are quitting, Chad. Why, you can't quit on Mrs. McCombs at a time like this? Well, we are quitting. What's she gonna have to do? Go out and hire some men? She sure will have to hire some men, if you're any sample. I'm sample enough not to turn yellow like you all have done. Yellow, huh? Well, does this look like I'm yellow? Come on, you collage! Let me ahead! Well, aren't you proud of yourselves? Seven of you jumping just two men. Ah, you make me sick. Come on, boys, if Remington and O'Bannon want some more when they come, too, they can fight us. If they can see any of them closed eyes. Will you quit worrying, Brad? Will you quit anybody to worry it's me and Pinto? You're sure right about that, dudes. Because Remington ain't gonna take this laying down. What can Remington and O'Bannon do against a lot of us? Well, one thing he can do is keep Lizzie McCombs back when up so she'll fight to the nail. What Remington needs is a good lesson. Something that'll teach him when he tries to cross us up, he's just playing with fire. Playing with fire, huh? That gives me an idea. Yeah, it gives me an idea, too. I wonder if we're both thinking about the same thing. I was thinking that a nice little fire, the right kind of fire, would put Lizzie McCombs so far out of business, Remington, or nobody else would be able to do her any good. Say, that's an idea. And won't a fire burn that two-bit lawyer up? It sure will burn him up. That's so pretty funny. That's what you might call a hot one. We'll return to the second act of South of Santa Fe, our exciting Frontier Town adventure, in just a few moments. And now, Frontier Town. As a lawyer, I make it a practice to pretty well keep my temper under control. But as a rancher, well, I'm afraid that it blows and blows hard. Not only was I sore inside, but I was sore outside as the result of the beating I'd taken at the hands of Brade and his gang. Well, that night, patched up with Court Plaster and Arnica, Cherokee and I were sitting in my law office, located above Cherokee's livery stable. I was fuming and Cherokee was fuming, but for an entirely different reason. Billy Blue blazes, Chad. After the beating I took, it's unfair, inequitable and downright picky you and a view to make me sit here with you. When I could be over at the Ace of Hearts, the gold nugget or some other worthy tavern and biving some relaxing fluids. All right, go ahead, Cherokee. If a drink means that much to you, I guess I can get along without you. Well, now there's no reason for you to be hasty, Chad. I'll stay here with you. For a while, if you think it'll do any good. Who knows what'll do any good. Mr. Two's vitamin may be too much for me. You don't honestly mean that, do you? Well, I'll admit that stampede engineer down at the railroad yards today wasn't quite as successful as he thought it was going to be. Lizzie said that they got back all, but 37 ahead of the stampeded cattle. Yes, but he did succeed in getting Lizzie's men to quit as a result of the stampede. Cherokee, that varmint is about the crookedest crook I've ever seen. Imagine playing both ends against the middle. Tries to argue us ranches into breaking our contracts with the McCombs Company at the same time that he's trying to wreck Lizzie and force her into his price-fixing syndicate. He's a rascal all right and a clever one. Well, some folks have called me a rascal, Chad, but my whole trouble has been that the only thing I can't resist is temptation. Now take drinking liquor. Dad, what are you staring at out the window? Look, Cherokee, across the street. See those men heading for the McCombs Packing Company barns? Well, I'll be reformed. A couple of those fellows look familiar. I'll say they're familiar all right. They were in that gang that beat us up this afternoon. What do you think they're doing, leaving their horses and heading for the stockyard holding pan? No, Cherokee, but we're sure going to find out. I'm busting off this lock. Hey, that's it. I know. That does it. Come on, boys. Come on. I don't make too much noise with them kerosene cans. Yeah, yeah. Keep it quiet, boys. Keep it quiet. Where's the best place to start this fire braid? Right here, in the feed. Okay, dump that oil out and get it lit. Okay, Pino. All right. Yeah, get it going there now. As it turned out, Cherokee and I got there too late. Too late, that is, to stop the fire. But not too late to run those coyotes out of there with lead. Come on, chap. There they go. Hold it, Cherokee. We've got to let them go and try to put out this fire. Go find some buckets. Well, I tried to dig up some blankets. I'll be able to put this out before the whole place goes up in smoke. This keeps up, Chad. I won't have any cattle, plant, or business left. This syndicate of Zitamans is a horrible thing. He'll eventually have a monopoly and force people to buy meat at his own prices. You're sure right about that, Cherokee. In fact, I've been reading that there's some talk in Congress of legislating trusts like that out of business. Oh, well, I got no time to wait for Congress. No, I think what I'm going to have to do is get hold of 50 or 60 cattle cars and ship every head of stock I own to Kansas City or Chicago and take what I can get from them. Well, Lizzie, that's your business. But personally, I'd rather end up six feet under than knuckle down to a weasel like do Zitamans. And, Mr. McCombs, the same goes for yours truly, Cherokee O'Bernon. Well, since you can't arrest a bunch of men you can't locate, I had no way of tying up the gang who started the stampede and the fire with my friend Deuce. All Cherokee and I could do was wait. Just wait. Meanwhile, Lizzie McCombs sent a telegram requesting 60 cattle cars. And when the answer arrived, she came storming into my office. Talk about monopolies. Read this telegram I just got back from the railroad. Every available cattle car reserved for United Beef Syndicate for the next 60 days. Yes. United Beef Syndicate. Isn't that Zitamans outfit? You're dead blasted right at Zitamans outfit. No, Chad, there's no two ways about it. He's got me licked. Of course you're not licked. You don't have to ship it. You can trail drive them to Abilene. No, not on your tin top. I wouldn't drive a half mile. Life's too short for any more grief than I got now. Oh, Chad, I'm afraid I'm just... Wait a minute. Hold it, Lizzie. Am I seeing things or is that Deuce Zitamans coming over here? It certainly is, Zitamans. I wonder what he wants. Hope I'm not buttoned in. But they told me over at a restaurant that Mrs. McCombs was up here. Well, you're in, Zitamans. What do you want? Well, I just heard from the railroad that Mrs. McCombs needs some cattle cars for shipping. That's right. What'd you do? Come over here to gloat? Certainly not, ma'am. Since I won't be needing the cars I reserve for another week or two, I'll release them to you, if you'd like. Oh, wait a minute. Deuce, are you serious? He's up to something, Lizzie. Leopards don't change their spots and pole cats don't change their stripes. Look, I came here to talk business with Mrs. McCombs. All right, Zitam. How much do you want to charge me for the cars? Charge you? Why, nothing. You just pay the railroad. All I'm interested in is putting an end to all the talk that's been going around about me trying to put Mrs. McCombs and not me trying to put you out of business. It's talk that's gone a backfire on you yet. Oh, now, that's enough, Chad. You just keep out of this. Deuce, are you an earnest? I'd be an awful fool to make you the offer if I wasn't on the level. I'd just be cutting my own throat. If that's a suggestion, it's the best one I've heard today. Doggone it, Chad. Enough's enough. I asked you to keep out of this, but you've got to keep running off at the mouth. But, Lizzie, I was only just... There are some folks in town that even Chad Remington's ever mixed up in means trouble. The way you're talking now, I can see that they're right. Do you mean that you're really going to accept this funny offer that's item's major about using his cattle cars? I mean, I'm still running my own business. If I can get railroad cars, I certainly don't need your kind of help. Deuce, I still don't get the idea of first tying up all the railroad cars and turning around and letting the old lady use them. No, Pinto. I'm afraid you wouldn't get the idea. But we've pulled so much rough stuff on the McCombs packing company that everybody in town is suspicious. Well, why shouldn't they be? That's right. But now, with me lending her the cars to ship her beef in, there ain't nobody, not even a jury, who wouldn't say I'm the best friend she's got in the world. Sure, sure. And the minute she ships the beef and the cars you're lending her, everything we spent a month doing is knocked right into a cock hat. Do you think so? Well, wait till Lizzie McCombs takes off that hat and sees what's really inside of it. Just wait, Pinto. Just you wait. Although I didn't know that Deuce was laughing, I didn't sleep that night. And along about sunup, I roused a Cherokee out of his bed, made him saddle up two of his livery horses, and we went for a ride. I had to think. I had to think hard and mighty fast. I guess you can say it was no accident that I tried to do my thinking riding close by the railroad right away. Chad, I think you were strictly non-compromised. If you tried to butt into Lizzie McCombs' business any further. I'd be loco if I didn't follow this hunch. There's got to be a reason why Deuce let Lizzie borrow those cattle cars. And the only reason I can think of is to put her out of business once and for all. But on the other hand, if you are wrong, the ranchers who have sold to her are going to take you apart. And remember, your luck is wearing mighty thin. Not half as thin as the city folks will be if Zidemann gets control of the beef market. I suppose you're right. But what are you going to do way out here in this ungodly hour of the morning? That cattle train is coming now, Cherokee. It's got to stop for water right down there ahead of us. So? So you and I are waiting until the train stops, sneaking behind the coal car, breaking the coupling and seeing if we can't let the cattle cars roll back down the hill toward town. By the whiskers of my pet goat, what happens to us if the train crew catches it? By the whiskers of your pet goat if they catch us, make tracks out of there because that air won't be fit breathing. We'll choke to death on gun smoke. All right. Hold it right here. All right, Cherokee. Down off that horse and let's go. Cherokee, you cover me while I crawl behind that tender and break that coupling. Okay, Chad. Good luck. I don't want to get bed-related. Stop right where you are. We're taking charge of these cattle. Zidemann, they're getting back in the engine. Let them go, Cherokee. If they want the engine, let them take it. I mean, if that engine gets any further, the juice plan to have happened to the whole train, a derailment and accident which he wouldn't be held responsible for. All right, come on, Cherokee. I'll bet we'll find juice around here someplace watching to make sure the whole train was wrecked. But what are we going to do with the cattle? I'm not worried about the cattle now. What we've got to do is get our hands on the hogs. Enjoying your morning constitutional dues? You can't fall off the way Chad's got you tied to the saddle. Why don't you shut up? I guess you don't know Cherokee very well, do you, Deuce? He's one man who always keeps his mouth open, ready for any emergency. Yes, indeed. Yes, indeed. And even though this is the time of the morning, I'm generally getting home. I've got my mouth all set now for something slightly stronger than breakfast coffee. And I think the dues here is the one who ought to buy you the drink. Deuce, sir? Why do you say that, Chad? Well, wasn't it his gang who closed both your eyes yesterday? Yeah. Well, then, since Turnabout is fair play, he's the man who should buy your eye-opening. Frontier Town, starring Reid Hadley and featuring Wade Crosby as a Brucell's production. Story and Direction by Paul Franklin. Music written and played by Ivan Dittmar. Be sure to be with us again same time next week for another fine action-adventure story with your favorite young western star, Reid Hadley. And now this is Bill Foreman telling you that Frontier Town comes to you from Hollywood.