 And now for the adventures of Lightning Jim. I tell you, men, it's time we citizens of Gold Creek took a hand in administering a little quick action just now. Others have been committed in this town in the past. How many have been punished? I'll tell you who, the sheriff. How is the town that's overrun with men crazy for the sight of gold going to be handled by a sheriff and a few deputies? To organize a citizen's committee and force the law down the throat of them who breaks it. Wait a second, men. Sheriff Brady ain't going to like us doing that, Brennan. What do we care? If we fell a stick together, he's got to like us. So we've got to organize fast. I heard he's already sent for a United States Marshal to put a stop to our taking over the law enforcement. So we've got to keep these meetings secret till we're strong enough to dish out our own brand of law. Are you with me? Yeah. Hello, in coming to many parts of the Old West, the discovery of gold resulted in a frantic rush for claims by every class of people. Honest prospectors rubbed shoulders with outlaws and bandits, gamblers, and criminals of the worst kind. Mining camps sprang up overnight. And even though sheriffs were elected and an attempt at law and order made, it was often necessary for the honest citizens to take the law into their own hands to protect their claim, their very lives from the desperadoes who flocked to these mushroom mining towns to rob and murder. And that was why Lightning Jim, the famous United States Marshal and his field deputy Whitey Larson, came to Gold Creek in answer to the sheriff's call for aid in establishing law. We find the two famous marshals discussing their assignment on their way to the mining town. See, Lassina, I don't know yet that you stick to that clue while we are going to Gold Creek. Well, since everybody and his brothers rushing into Nevada looking for gold, Whitey, law and orders become a stand and joke. Outlaws are seldom caught and hardly ever convicted. Oh, but Lightning, all the gold rush towns are like that. Sure, sure. But it seems Gold Creek citizens want to take the law into their own hands. They organized a citizen committee, called themselves the vigilante. Oh, the vigilante. Yeah, so we're going to help them round up the local bad man, the vicious lobe over the name of Carl Stuart. Carl Stuart? Yeah, seems he's been going around killing promiscuous like. And he don't leave no tracks. Well, see, wait a minute now. Let me get this straight. Now, what's the problem, Whitey? What's the problem? Well, well, if we are going to Gold Creek, they have to find tracks where they is. Work with the sheriff and the vigilante, so they don't work with each other, and we're going to capture a bad man. And thank God, I think we better get going. Ha, ha, ha. No sooner said than done, Whitey. Let's go thunder. On the following night, an elderly merchant of Gold Creek was robbed and cruelly beaten by two men. The sheer brutality of the crime coupled with the inactivity of the officers of the law started some of the citizens of Gold Creek on the warpath. However, citizen David Burdew and his wife Judy are more interested in their firstborn than in local justice. Ha, ha, ha. Oh, there, there, darling. Whitey always cry when he puts a bed. Well, Whitey, Whitey, I always hate to get up in the morning. Oh, no, no, darling. Go to sleep. Mother and daddy will be right in the next room. We're going to double up that fish, will you? Strong. Yeah, he's mad. That's what it is. He's got his mother's temper. Oh, what do you mean, mother? Just like you. Come on now, let's walk right out and close the door. We've got to start in being firm with it. David Burdew, how can you be firm with an adorable little mite like this? Well, it's hard, all right. I'll admit that. But now if you don't start in early, that little mite's going to develop into dynamite. Come on, mama. Out of the room you go. We're still early. You've got to get used to the dark. You know, when he grows up and starts calling on the gal, he'll like the dark. Oh, Dave, shame on you to talk about a little baby like that. Well, now my memory serves me right. You never objected when I turned down the lamp. Why, Dave, I never in my life. That's the best part about being married. What is? Fella don't have to turn down the lamp and keep one eye on the parlor door when he's making love. Well, I'm going right back into the room with my son. All right. Well, listen, they're going to the world tonight. Sounds like a regimen here. Well, look, honey, they're coming in here. Well, what's the same for them? I've never seen them before. Here, what is all this? What are you talking about? Our name isn't Stuart. Sorry, ma'am, but we'll have to ask you to step aside. This man's going with us. Don't you dare touch him. I'll take it easy, Judy. But they called you Stuart. Please, dear. Now then, you call us or just tell me what you want. The two I'm supposed to be. Now, don't try to play the innocent. You know why we want you. Come on, come on, bamboos. Just a minute, partner. You men can force me to go with you, but I am going to insist on knowing what far. Oh, you want to know what, what, what for do you, huh? Well, I'll tell you, because two thieving skunks robbed old man Hermie Jensen last night and most beat him to death. And we happen to know for certain that a fellow by the name of Carl Stuart was one of the pair that tortured and robbed the old man. Carl Stuart. Yes. And what's that got to do with me? Plenty. Some of the boys that have seen this, Stuart, say that you're him. What? Oh, good lord, you don't think I'd do a thing like that? Beat a poor old man? And my husband's name is David Berdew. All right, all right. Your name's Berdew and you ain't Stuart. What have you got to lose by going to the hospital with us? Face an old man Jensen and seeing if he recognizes you. Sure, sure. If you're innocent, prove it. Got to prove you're innocent. Personally, I think it's your job to prove he's guilty. Never mind, Arkin, honey. I'm not afraid to face old man Jensen or anybody else. Now you're talking. Talks cheap. David, are you sure you're doing the right thing, going with these men? No, no, no, I'll be all right, hon. If you've found out that he's innocent, please let him come home right away. I can't go with him on account of our baby. If he's innocent, ma'am, he'll be home pronto. But if he's guilty, well, come on Stuart. Hey man, let's get out of here. Please fix this, so he'll come home soon. The rest of you can wait out here. And remember, there's sick people in here. So lift your boots high and let them down easy. Howdy. Howdy? What can I do for you, gentlemen? We got the coyote here that robbed and beat old man Jensen. But before taking action, we want to be dead sure. So we want Jensen to identify him. Yes, very well. Bring your man along, but you have to be brief and very quiet. Jensen is in bad shape. Bring concussions. All right, doc. Come on, Stuart. I told you my name's not Stuart. We'll let old Jensen decide that when he takes a screenhatch in. Gentlemen, quiet now, please. Jensen is in this room here. This is the Jensen. Yes, and your body is here? Yes, some men here would like a word with you. Yes, well, what do you want? Mr. Jensen, we want you to take a good look at this vomit here. Is he one of the snakes that beat and robbed Jensen? Which man? Which one is it? This man right here. Well, he looks like the one. What? Yes, it's him. Try to kill me. Take him away. Why, the man's out of his head. Look again, Mr. Jensen, please. Think what it means to me if you're wrong. Now look at me closely. Yes, yes. Yes, you're the one that hit me over the head. Please, take him away. He might hit me again. I'm sorry, gentlemen. I'm sorry that you've excited him too much already. Now you have to leave. All right, doc. We've heard enough. Yes, plenty. But I... Get moving, Stuart. What are you going to do to me? Hold on. I got a right to know where you're taking me. Answer me. What are you going to do to me? What do you think? No, you can't do that. Jensen was out of his mind. You've got to give me a chance. I tell you, you've got to give me a little time. You've got from this hospital to Hangman Street to get right with your car. Better start praying, Stuart. Please, your conscience a bit before you cash in. Yes, we'll get him anyway. I've told you over and over again. I'm not the man you want. The only way to put the fear of God in the rats like you is put a rope around your neck and pull the ground away from you. Yeah, we'll use your rope, Lank. It's an honor, Mr. Brennan. Throw it over that big limb. Oh, listen. If you'll just give me a few hours, I can prove it. I mean, listen. Here comes two riders. Yeah, look. Get that rope around his neck. Now, Brennan, we're not tolerating any interference. Ah, sir, not this time. Lank, the feel of that knot in your neck, eh? Your last chance. Are you going to tell us who your Theven murderer and partner was? I swear before God, I'm not the man you think I am. All right. It's your field, though. Keep on the rope, Lank. Ready for trouble, boys. All right, so don't reach for your six, you scum. All right, that's to spoil your little neck type party, men. But my natural curiosity makes me have to ask, what's your fella done? I don't see how that's any of your business. Now, for you. This man here's an outlaw. He's killed a lot of men. Just last night, robbed and tortured an old man. God, didn't that, didn't that? I've tried to tell him that I'm not. Let me handle this, son. What's his name? Carl Stewart. No, it's not. It's a good story, men. We are looking for it. See if we're lucky. Look that way, buddy. Gentlemen, this man's my prisoner. Do it, you're under arrest. Oh, thank God. Where the fuck am I? My name's for do not do it. Now, just a minute, partner. I've got some natural curiosity myself. Just who are you? That's what I want to know. Who are you? I'm Jim Whipple, United States Marshal. What? This is my deputy, Whitey Larson. You're very asking you perlite like to take that rope from around that fiddler's neck. Are you lightning Jim Whipple? That's the same. Now, I want you to. Not so fast, Marshal. Well, we, that is the boys here and myself, ain't aiming to let the law have this murder in coyote just to hold for a little while and then to turn him loose. We've brought him here to stretch rope. In my thunder, he's going to stretch it. That's right, sir. He's going to pay for it. Hold on. Hold on. Listen to me, all of you. But two of us are going to take this man to jail to wait for trial. And if anybody tries to stop us, it's going to be just too bad. Well, aim one, which says you ain't going to interfere. No! You broke my wrist! You're going to do it! Sorry. I warned you. Oh, you have a slok here. I didn't shoot too. Anybody else got any objections to our taking this cell along? No? Get your horse to it and come with us. Yes, sir. But I'm not to do it. You ain't going to get away with this, Marshal. What makes you think we won't? This here's the citizen's committee. We've had all we can stand from them law courts of yours. Oh, you have, eh? I'm going to call a meeting of all the citizens of Gold Creek. And we'll tear down that rotten courthouse. Well, it's nothing to stop you from trying. But you better be figuring on a little opposition. Oh, and you can take my word for it. You'll find your ronkers seem pretty powerful opposition. Come on, Stuart. Let's go thunder. Is David Burdew the outlaw, Carl Stuart? Will the citizen's committee attempt to tear down the Gold Creek courthouse after Lightning Jim and Whitey have had time to warn the authorities? Be sure to listen to the surprising climax to this Lightning Jim adventure told in part two, which follows immediately. Part two of the Lightning Jim adventure, Disorder in the Court. Having rescued an accused outlaw from the hands of an irate citizen's committee and turned him over to the sheriff, Lightning Jim is off to investigate the outlaw's story, that he is not Carl Stuart, bad man, but David Burdew, honest citizen. Whitey has been left in charge of a posse quickly organized to protect the Gold Creek courthouse from an attack by the vigilantes, who insist on seeing Carl Stuart hang. With a hard job to find men who were willing to serve on the jury, it was to try Stuart. However, 12 men were finally selected, and the first trial by jury in Gold Creek is now underway. But small courtroom is packed. Outside the courthouse, an angry mob mutters and surges back and forth. Some of the jury looked just a trifle too pale as the judge addresses them. Order in the court. Order, please. Gentlemen of the jury, you have heard the evidence. The victim identified the accused before three witnesses as one of the two men who beat and robbed him. Witnesses that have seen Stuart testify that the accused is either Stuart or his double. On the other hand, the accused has produced evidence that he has been living as a law-abiding citizen of this city. United States Marshal Whipple has searched diligently for evidence that there might be still at large a man named Carl Stuart. To date, he has not produced such a person. I don't want you to be influenced by the yowling of that mob out there. Now that is all. Let the sheriff know when you have reached the verdict. How frightened the jury looks. Oh, Dave, I'm afraid. Terribly afraid. Bloody old girl. Just listen to them. How can we expect a pair of verdicts with a jury hearing that mob threaten their lives? Well, they've gone some soothing, that's to say. Why doesn't Lightning's Jim come back? He's been gone too, old Dave. Well, you can get your life if there is that you tell us Carl Stuart's Lightning born from back without him. You believe Dave's innocent, don't you, White? Well, as deputy United States Marshal, I will have to believe whatever the jury says here. But that's plain right to Larson. I'll tell you your husband is one fine teller. Thanks, Whitey. I won't forget that. Oh, I think Lightning Jim feels the same way about it. That's why he's looking extra hard for the Stuart teller. Certainly hope he finds him. Oh, if that jury don't hurry and reach a verdict quickly, I can't stand this waiting. Dave, they just can't find your guilty. Nothing so horrible can happen to us. Listen, listen, Whitey, you hear that? Hang Carl Stuart. Don't you pay no attention to them. Take me out of here, Whitey. I can't stay here and listen to that. Stop! Stop that, you hear me? Joe Brennan, in the first place, seeing that justice is done is the court's business. And in the second place, the prisoner is charged with robbery and assault. Not murder? Yeah. Then you better change it to murder. I just came from the hospital. Old man Jensen died less than a half hour ago. That makes story do not show the proper respect. This is a citizen's committee. Whip it your landing. We just dropped in cash. We're like to see that you and the jury do a good job. You're talking mighty big, Brennan. He'll find us ready to back up big talk with trigger action. Jim Whipple, your honor, United States Marshal. I've got a man here, and he's got something powerful important to say. He's badly wounded. Will you give him a hearing? Why, certainly, Marshal Whipple. Who is he? Here he is, here. Your honor, I am the much-wanted Carl Stewart. Carl Stewart. Carl Stewart. Carl Stewart. Carl Stewart. Yeah, take a good look at the prison that we're due. Now look at me. What? Great point. I'd like to be in a pod. Quiet, please. Quiet, it is. It's amazing. Well, judge, we do look a lot alike, don't we? You look enough alike to be brothers. What? Oh, yeah. Sure. Imagine us being brothers. No, we ain't no relation. Your honor, this man's name is not Carl Stewart. Shut up. Shut up. I know who I am. I know what I've done. I beat up Jensen and robbed him. You mean killed him? All right, then. I killed him. And I know that everything I say will be used against me. I got here just in time to spoil a necktie party. I wouldn't be too sure about that. And I wouldn't be there. Silence in the pod. Go on, Stewart. Thanks, judge. I got to finish in a hurry. But you can't do nothing to this man. He don't know what it's all about. Purdue just had the rotten luck to look like me. And you can't hang him for that. You can't hang him. You can't hang me. Why can't we hang you? Because I won't live long enough for you to hang me. Your honor, I can testify that this man is the real Carl Stewart. I've been trailing him for two days. I cornered him in Virginia City last night. The local sheriff and me shot it out with him. The sheriff got him as if he was running for his horse. Yeah, he got me in a bad spot on the left side under the heart. When I told him about Purdue, I'd be an on trial for a crime he committed. He insisted on riding over from Virginia City at once. He's game. I'll say that. Thanks, Marshall. You ain't so worse yourself. Better sit down and do it. Oh, Baylor, get Dr. Peterson at once. No. No. Never mind the doctor yet. I just want to be sure that you know Purdue is innocent. I am positive of that, yes. That's great, yet. That's great. That takes a lot off of my mind. Goodbye, and good luck, Purdue, oh, kid. I'm glad. Somebody get a glass of water. Call the doctor. Don't bother, judge. You don't need neither one, now. Hey, you want a glass of water? Now, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Your honor, we have the jury. Order the court, please. All right, now, your honor, we, we the jury, have reached our second verdict. What? Oh, yes, yes, of course. Read it, please. We the jury, find your cues not guilty. Yes. Yes. Hey, what the? Hey, P.S., we the jury, publicly apologize for the first verdict we reached. And we wanted to go on record that we're doggone glad that I didn't get a chance to read it. All the trouble he's caused is, Dave, I can't help it, feel sorry for him. There must have been some good in him. Yeah, one of his kids is pretty bad sometimes, but he was always sorry afterwards. Dave, do you mean that Carl Stewart would? Yes, Judy. He was my brother. His name was Carl Badoe. We always looked alike. Folks used to take us for twins. Mother was always mighty proud of the name Badoe. I'm glad he changed his name to Stuart for her sake. And so ends another chapter in the adventures of lightning Jim Whipple, United States Marshal, and his deputy Whitey Larson.