 With action and suspense out of the Old West comes the most famous hero of them all, Huffleong Cassidy, starring William Voight. The ring of the silver spurs heralds the most amazing man ever to ride the prairies of the early West. Huffleong Cassidy, the same hoppy you cheer in motion pictures, and the same California you've laughed at a million times. Raw courage and quick shooting have built a legend around this famous hero. Huffleong is a name to be feared, respected, and admired, for this great cowboy rides the trails of adventure and excitement. William Voight as Huffleong Cassidy and and declied as California. What's our story this time, Hoppy? This one we call Stampede at Samples Crossing, and it started during a cattle drive with the bar 20 pushing 2,000 head north for railroad shipment. We've been on the trail 15 days and it just reached Samples Crossing before you always hold up overnight before fording the river. At the same time another herd pulled in from the West, a herd much bigger than ours. We had both arrived at practically the same time, which meant trouble. And that night and the silver spurs alone, trouble started. Here we go, Hoppy. Here comes Reb Moran. Breathe and fire out of both ears. Yes, sure enough. Hi, Reb. Here you're the new trail boss for the Lazy J. That's right, Cassidy. I'm the new trail boss. And I figure you and me ought to settle this thing about crossing the ford tomorrow. You mean about who goes first? No question about that, is there? Bar 20 arrived first. Yeah, not so as anybody had noticed it. I had a man waiting there an hour before your beef pulled in. A man doesn't count, Reb. It's who gets cattle there first. Not the way I figured, Cassidy. And you and I don't figure the like. I never expected we would. But I expect to put Lazy J beef into that river first thing tomorrow morning. You've had a few drinks too many, Reb. Sleep moth and we'll talk about it tomorrow. We'll talk about it right now. I'll tell you what I'll do, Cassidy. I'll fight you for it. The best man gets to take his herd across first. But we fight with our hands, not with our irons. Look, Moran, tomorrow's going to be a big day for both of us. Why don't you head for your blanket roll and turn in? Oh, it's a matter, Cassidy. You scared? I always heard you was a fancy man with your fists. But with me, you got to prove it. Sorry, Moran. But I'm not going to take you on for a stupid reason like this. But you got to take me on, Cassidy. You can't help yourself. No, and why not? You left just a couple of riders with your herd, didn't you? That's right. Well, I had some of my boys rope and hog tie them. You what? Yeah, and my boys are caring for that bar 20 beef right now. And if they hear three quick shots from out of this place, they know just what to do. Just what would they do, Reb? Stampede that herd of yours? Yeah. So it's up to you, Cassidy. Hm. Either you fight me to see who crosses the river first, or you get them bar 20 steers scattered clear from here to the continental divide. Now back to Hop along Cassidy and our story, Stampede at Semples Crossing. With a bar 20 trail herd reaching an important river crossing almost at the same time as another herd, trouble has developed. Reb Moran, hard-drinking trail boss of the Lazy J, has just challenged Hoppy to a fist fight to decide which outfit will pour the stream first. Hoppy is trying to avoid the fight, but Moran has set things up so that Hoppy must fight or have his herd stampede all over the countryside. Ah, this is kid stuff, Reb. You've just been promoted and it's gone to your head. You figure I've got a little reputation and you'd like to get fat off of it by knocking me around. Just kid stuff, Reb. Yeah, come on, Cassidy. Do you fight it at him steers or you'll start running? All right. That's the way you have to play, but it's got to be just between you and me. Ha-ha. What's the matter, Cassidy? Your riders all yell at you? Who are you? I'm Gillis, Rebs Foreman. And I'm willing to stack the Lazy J against your outfit all the way. I'm sure you would, considering you outnumber us at least two to one. I'll say this again, Reb. The fight has to be just between you and me or I'm not taking off these guns. I don't figure your guns are so tough either, Cassidy. That'll make something out of it, Reb, with those guns if he wants it. Now, now, hold it, hold it. Let's just keep it a fist fight. All right, Cassidy, it's just between me and you. So take off your guns. And whoever wins has the undisputed right to take his herd across the river first. That's also agreed, Reb. That's the whole idea, Cassidy. All right, I'll take off the gun. All right. Wouldn't want to make any bets on this, would you, Cassidy? No bets, Reb. You're forcing the fight on me and that's enough. Anybody else want a bet? Put your money where your mouth is, Moran. I got 50 bucks to back-hopping. I got $50 to bet on hop along, Cassidy, too. I'll cover that. That's right, boys. Get your bets down. It's gonna be a big evening for the Lazy J. All right, come on, Cassidy. Get your hands up. Cloud them, Reb. Get them fast. That's what I aim to do. Try this one, Cassidy. You ought to be just your size. Oh, fuck! Ah, not bad, Reb, but a little high. I felt it, though. Then you're gonna feel this one. Oh! I felt that one, too, Reb, right up to my wrist. Care to get up? Then we can both try again. I'm getting up. Ah! It'll always be the same, Moran, even if you used an axe. Uh, uh... Hey, uh, can you hear me, Moran? Oh, gawdly. He's colder than the Panhandle winter. Give me a hand, California. We'll get him up. No, I don't need any help up here, all right? I guess this settles things, doesn't it, Reb? Yeah. Yeah, it settles things. Your outfit crosses the river first. No, I'm getting out of here. Nobody'd ever know you'd been in a scuffle-hopping. You don't show a mark. It's a great fight, Mr. Cassidy. Won me $50. My name is Clark, Mr. Cassidy. Tippi Clark. And I sure am proud to know you. Man of man, if this is the first you've known me, how did you happen to bet on me? Because he's a white-livered stable tramp, and we ought to hang him upside down the doorway. Now, wait a minute, Farrell. I didn't do anything to you. You better get this, then I'm gonna... Don't follow him, Farrell. Let him alone. You don't think you're gonna walk out of here top dog, dear Cassidy? Nobody ever beats the lazy J for keeps. And there's 12 of us here to prove it. 12 of them? Five of us from the bar 20. That calls for more in the rabbit's poop. Move in, boys! We're gonna clean out this place! It's pretty good with it. And the man alongside me is a lot better with his. Maybe all you gents don't know him. His name is Silent Jim Reed, and he happens to be Marshal of this town. And I happen to be his deputy. You ought to know better than to make trouble, Farrell. You used to live here. I figure this to be our own fight, please. That's all right. So long as it's just a couple of you. But when it comes to wrecking buildings with one of your range brawls, well, that's why we take over. We're taking you in, Farrell. Oh, you are. Yeah? You and this Cassidy. Maybe we'll have peace in town tonight. That's all right with me, deputy. Head for the door, Farrell. My outfit ain't gonna take this, Collison. Your outfit will take it and like it. I won't like it. I'm not gonna have this town turned upside down just because you fellas lost a fight in a few bits. That's what you think. Push that door open, Cassidy. After you, Marshal. All right. Now you, Farrell. And don't try it! They come from across the street. Poppy, you hit! I got a slug through the arm. I decided that I'm all right. But the town Marshal wasn't so lucky. Looks as though he's dying. Got it out yet, Doc? Oh, yeah, yeah, it's out. You sure can take it, Cassidy. Thirty-eight slug could be mighty painful. I'm much obliged to you, Doctor. We'll be all right if I get out of this bar now. Oh, you better lie still a few more minutes, Cassidy. You're gonna be a lot weaker than you think. Oh, oh, yes, Tippi, what is it? The Marshal's silent, Jim. He used to lie out there. Yeah, well, he's dead, Tippi. Lying out there isn't gonna hurt him now. He didn't die right away, though. No, took him about 20 minutes. Sure, it's a tough way to go. If a man can't die in bed, it seems like somebody ought to get his boots off for him. Why didn't somebody get the Marshal's boots off? Why don't you go get him off, Tippi? Stuff the toes good and they just about be your size. Well, did you see anyone fire those shots? They just stepped outside, Cassidy. All right, Gleason, it was pretty dark out there. Yeah, but don't take a mind, Rita, the figure who was on the other end of that gun. What are you thinking, Gleason? Well, Cassidy, you whipped that far-eating preal boss of the lazy J here tonight, Rev Moran. Moran was out of this place when the shooting happened. So that's who you think it was? Yep, I figured he couldn't take the weapon and stood out there waiting for you to show. Probably so riled up that he just let fire to everybody who stepped through the doorway. All right, Gleason, but what are you going to do about it? Well, Doc, I guess we'll have to try to bring Moran in. And that might be quite a job. The silent gym gone, things around, the samples crossing allow to get pretty rough. Nothing like sleeping in a hotel for a good night's rest. How's the arm field this morning, Hoppy? That's kind of stiff. I guess I'll be able to get around all right. Were you going to swim them steers across that stream this morning or this afternoon? I'll get it. Oh, hey, it's you, Doc. Come on in. Yeah, thought about it. Stop by, have another look at that arm of yours, Cassidy. Doesn't feel too bad, Doc. Yeah, just say my bed address it for him. I need to take them cattle yours away from here. Oh, maybe not for several days. I didn't think about Red Moran. He's a fire eater, and he likes nothing better than a brawl. I find it hard to believe he'd bushwhack anybody from a dark doorway. After what happened last night, I'd sort of feel responsible if he had to hang for a killing he didn't do. Yeah, well, it'll be a lot better for that arm if you could rest a few days. Mind if I throw up this winter shade and need more light to dress that warmth? Go ahead. Look at that sun beating down out there. And it's six o'clock in the morning. Yeah, that's what time it is. I wouldn't know. I'd have another shooting and a knifing and breaking the news of Silent Jim Reid's death as a widow and I'd been up all night. Never can tell, can you, Doc? There probably wasn't a bad man in this territory who couldn't beat Silent Jim in a fair fight, and then Silent Jim has to get it by accident. Yeah, and I'm afraid that when Silent Jim was killed, there weren't the law and order in this town. Ben Gleason's been a good deputy, but he's not the one for handling the trouble we get here. Oh, that hurt, Kessie. Yeah, a little, but don't worry about it. Sure is going to be a hot day. You can see the heat coming up from the ground right now. There's a couple of little kids playing out in the street already, too. Doc, how about Reb Moran? Anybody know over here? No, sign of him, Tom. The Posse went out to find him and bring him in. That might be a rough job against all those lazy Jay writers. That's what I told Gleason. So he rounded up his Posse without too much fuss and got out of here in the dark just after three o'clock. He didn't lose much time. Figured most of the lazy Jay hands might still be hanging around the saloon. I hope it works out that way. I feel I've had enough bloodshed around here for 124 hours. How does that feel, Kessie? It feels fine, Doc. Nice and snug. Hey, what's that noise? Sounds like an earthquake. Wait a second, I'll get this window up. It's coming from the river crossing. Hoppy, it's them steers of our stampede, and they're coming this way right through town with them little kids in the street. Now back to Hoppillong Cassidy and our story. Stampede at Samples Crossing. Trouble has broken out at Samples Crossing. Hoppy has won the fight forced upon him by Rev Moran, trail boss of the lazy Jay, to determine who should board the river first. But as an aftermath, Silent Jim Reid, Marshal of Samples Crossing, is killed by gunfire. With suspicion and tension riding the area, someone has stampeded the bar 20 steers right into the main street of town. Them kids, Hoppy, they're too scared to get out of the way. You grab one, I'll take the other. Come on. Edward, hey! Hoppy, where are you? He's out California. I saw him off. Right in front of them steers. Where is it? Where is it? It's just a... I can't see nothing. He's trying to pick up that kid. Here, take this young man. I've got to know what happened. Hey, dog gone, it's just a... Hoppy, Hoppy, where are you? Right here, California. You all right? Yeah, sure. Hoppy, I'm trying to be scared. Can't you fight him all right? But you, you fell down. Yeah, this arm went back on me when I was lifting a youngster. We got out of the way, both of us. What a scramble that was. Them steers of ours, Hoppy, scattered all over the countryside. Take us a week to round them up. I never mind. Those two kids are all right anyway. But what about the herd? We ain't going to take it lying down, are we? Not if we can find out who did it. That lazy J. Alfred did it. That's something for us to find out for sure. I couldn't sleep so I'm out here trying to catch a little breeze. How's the arm? It doesn't like what happened. Keeps letting me know it. A lot of pain the wound like that. Just brought Rev Moran in, me and the posse. Yeah, where'd you find him? Oh, we looked all day for him, and then found him on our way back to town, still sleeping off his drunk under a spring wagon. No trouble taking him. Didn't act like he knew what it was all about. Do you think he's guilty, Gleason? Oh, who knows? I'm never sure when a man's guilty, unless I see him do something. There's a lot of other people around you who think he's guilty though. I want to give him a quick trial, a quick sentence. Where are all your boys, Cassidy? I'll round up cattle. We had a stampede here today. Yeah, I heard. You think Moran might have caused that too? Oh, I don't know. I don't know either. I don't know anything about all this. But we came on to something funny out there today. Yeah, what was that? A couple of steers wearing new red-hot brands. Yeah? A real new brand for these parts. A lazy bee. Lazy bee? You could dress up a lazy jade and look like that without any trouble at all. That's right. That's the way I figured. Without any trouble at all. You feel like talking to Rev Moran, Cassidy? I wouldn't mind. Come on, then. I've got him where he's got more time for talk than anything else. Got a hop along, Cassidy, here, Moran? Says he'd like to talk to you. He thinks I tried to gun him down. Was there nothing to talk about? I'm not passing judgment on you, Rev. I'd never gun a man down that way if I was drunk or sober. You whipped me fair and square, and that was enough of me. How about stampeding my cattle, Rev? Well, don't know nothing about that either. You said you're going to. Said I was going to if you wouldn't fight. Anyway, a man says lots of things when he's liquored up. Don't mean he's going to do them. Well, lots of folks around here think it's a gun down silent Jim Reed, Rev. I think you tried for Cassidy and got the marshal instead. Not me. I might have had a few drinks. I'd never pull anything like that. Folks are going to put you on trial for it, just the same. Well, how can they prove it? Somebody had to see me do a thing like that to prove it. Well, you better pray that nobody says they did see you, because if somebody does that, you're going to hang. Hang? That's right. Me? Yep. Come on, Cassidy. Time to get out of here. No, wait a minute, Cassidy. Wait a minute. You ain't going to let them do that to me, are you? You know me from way back in Laredo. You know I wouldn't drag gouch anybody. You know that, don't you, Cassidy? Yeah, Rev, I guess I do know it. And if I can, I'll help you. Cassidy, if I was you, I'd forget what you said about trying to help Moran. Why? Well, there's some folks in this town that wouldn't like it. They're mighty tough folks. People that could cause you all kinds of trouble. Lisa and I think you're being honest about this trouble. I think you're being honest because you told me that stuff about the brands. But when it comes to Rev Moran, I'm not taking your advice. See you later. Mr. Cassidy. Who is it? It's me, Dippy Clark. What do you want, Tippy? I think there's going to be more trouble in this town, Mr. Cassidy. I get around and I hear things, and I think there's going to be more trouble, maybe with men lying in the street and dying with their boots on. I've seen a lot of it here, and I always get to thinking it could be me. Well, you don't have to look at him, Tippy. Well, I guess I can't help looking at... and I guess I can't... What's the matter, Tippy? I thought I saw something in the shadow there. Something... Mr. Cassidy! Mr. Cassidy! That's better. How's your head feel? Oh, I don't know. Pick it up on Hannah, too, will you? Oh, no kidding. Well, how do you feel? Oh, I'm all right, California. Where did you come from? I got here just after them fellas jumped you. They were most when I started to shootin' at them. Where's Tippy? I don't know. If he was with you, he ain't around now. Now listen, before we do any more, Gavin, we better get you over to the Doc's place. Now, Gash, under your eye, need some help. Come on, I'll help you. Oh, it's you, Gleason. I came over to have my face patched up. Yeah? Well, looks like you'll have to wait your turn. Tippy Clarkson there. Tippy? Doc says he's dying of a slug through the chest. That's for me to take a statement from him. Come on in. You two can be witnesses. Yeah. Tippy. Come with me, Cassidy. Better stay with the door, Cassidy. He needs air. Farrow Gillis, how do you fit in this picture? And the one who carried Tippy over here. That's how I fit in. Hold him up a little higher, Farrow. He'll cough his life out before he can say two words. And... Leason, you better get your statement in the hurry. This man is dying. All right, Doc. What do you want to say, Tippy? I, uh... I want to say I know who killed Silent Jim Green. Shout out to Mr. Cassidy last night. I, uh... I saw what happened when I went outside. It... It was... Rib Moran. He was standing in the doorway across the street. He left me a little higher, Farrow. One of my spurs is caught in the couch. That all you got to see, Tippy? That... That's all much, Leason. I guess that settles that case, then. I'll get the judge to bring Moran to trial in the morning. Before you go, Leason, I'd like to ask a question. What? I'd like to know how you'd go about wrestling an entire herd of 5,000 cattle. All right. What are you talking about, Cassidy? I've decided that the surest way of doing it would be to wait until it was being moved to market, far away from its home ranch. Then it wouldn't be too hard if the trail boss was moved out of the way. And if the foreman and maybe half the men were in cahoots. Wait a minute, Cassidy. Now you're talking about me. That's right, Farrow. But I'm not talking about you alone. Am I, Dr. Brad Hurst? What do you mean, Cassidy? I mean you're the brains behind all this. And that's why you wanted silent Jim Reid out of the way. Because you knew he might be too smart for what you were trying to do. So you killed silent Jim and tied it to Rev Moran. Oh, Hoppy, and that's why they stampeted our beef to keep you out of the picture, huh? You sure you ain't making a big mistake, Cassidy? Doc Brad Hurst. Doc Brad Hurst and his Lazy Bee brand. His new and very personal brand. Cassidy, 5,000 heads. Oh, they might not take an all of them. They'd have left maybe five or six hundred. Flamed the big loss on trouble here and on the trail. It was quite a plan, doctor. But you're not going to be able to make it stick. You can't prove any of this, Cassidy. I can prove you said Tiffy Clark was dying when he wasn't. And if we can find that branding iron of yours maybe by searching this house... Shut up, Cassidy. One more word in this 45. Put your light out. You too, Glacian. I'll make a move. I'm afraid you made a mistake with that move, Farrow. Now, Tiffy's going to be able to talk. Aren't you, Tiffy? Yes. They wanted to be sure Red Moran would be convicted. Shut up, you! Don't mind him, Tiffy. He has to keep the gun on us. So they made me say I saw Red Moran kill Son of Jim. Farrow kept holding a knife against my back all the time. If I'd have said a wrong word, I was going to get it. Looks like you're going to have to use that gun on him, Farrow. Yeah. And I'm going to start in with this squawking little pole cap. Now, back to Hopalong, Cassidy. This town. If it ain't dust, it's gun smoke. You all right, California? You, Gleason? No, we're all right, but Farrow's down, and the Doc's going to handle never be the same. I'll never know how you beat Farrow's bullets, Cassidy, and I'll never know how you drew that fast. Banged up the way you are. I guess I got tired of being banged up. These two are all yours now, Gleason. And I'll let them change places with Red Moran. But, uh, first, I'd like to know how you figured out this play that Doc was making. I'd like to know that myself, Hoppy. How are we so sure that Doc was lying about Tippi? Well, according to the doctor, Tippi was supposed to be making a deathbed statement. But the minute I saw Tippi on that couch, I knew he couldn't be dying. No? Why not? Tippi was conscious and able to speak, and Tippi was wearing his boots. That was why I knew that Doc was lying. If Tippi had known he was going to die, he certainly would have asked one of us to take his boots off, because Tippi has more fear of dying with his boots on than any man I ever met. I'll be a low-coat sidewinder. This is one story we can all get a boot out of. California. I mean it. The Doc and Farrow figured to make quite a killing, but they come to find out that the boot was on the other foot. And the boot hurt, didn't it? Yes, sir. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! The old adage that he died with his boots on surely tripped up the guilty ones in this Hoppy adventure. There's one thing certain when you follow the adventures of Hoppy and his pal, California, plenty of action and excitement every time. So don't miss Hoppillon Cassidy's next action-packed story. Hoppy and California mix it up plenty, and that's a promise. Hoppillon Cassidy, starring William Boyd, is transcribed and produced in the West by Walter White Jr. Sampeded Samples Crossing was written by Buckley Angel with original music under the personal direction of Albert Glasser. All stories are based upon the characters created by Clarence E. Mulford. This is a Commodore production.