Speaker 1: This used to be the prettiest town in Colorado. Now
the gunfighters has taken over, and if you don't stop them,
there won't be a stick left standing. Have gun, will travel, darling.
Mister John Dayner as Paladin, San Francisco, eighteen seventy five,
The Colson Hotel, headquarters of a man called Paladin. Oh,
I mean too telegram for you? Oh thank you? Eh boy,
he's a oh no, this is what I think it is. Yes,
Charles Foster, Agent in charge Rail Grande Railroad, Pueblo, Colorado.
And it's John Suki, agents in charge Western Pacific Railroad, Pueblo, Colorado.
Cool he's a part of the Uh. Seems like you're
very popular on Pueblo. I'll tell you what. Listen This
clipping from Tuesday's paper. Railroad companies clash Pueblo, Colorado. A
state of open war has developed between the Western Pacific
and Rio Grande railroads over ownership of the right of
way across Raymond Gorge. Gunman hired by both sides have
destroyed track and intimidated passengers. A ton of Pueblo is
an army camp. Oh too fat, And I have very
pleasant memories of the time I spent feblow some years back.
When I read the article, I sent my card to
each of these gentlemen poor have very good me so Paladin.
No partiality exactly, however, providing we can come to term,
of course, one of them shall have my allegiance. Oh good,
don't we have on of partiality? Wheblow. As I remembered
it was a bustling, pleasant, friendly sort of town. It
wasn't that way now. It was a scared town. As
I walked down the main street, I noticed that the
places of business that hadn't moved out were boarded up,
as though prepared proceeding. A few citizens I saw moved hurriedly,
wore anxious and wary expression. Oh. It was easy to
recognize the important gunman as they stood in silent groups
or solitary watchfulness. It wasn't pretty. I turned into the
office of the Rio Grande Railroad. Yeah, I'm looking for
Rio Grande's general agent, Charles Foster. I'm Foster. I'm Paladin.
Oh yeah, I got your car. Now I got your wire.
There is a Ralph Cole. Oh Paladin. Seems to me
I've heard of you, mister Cole. Aaveling, isn't it that's right,
co is my deputy agent. It's an imposing title for
a gunman. Yeah, isn't it? Well? Paladin? If your guns
for hire, when can you start? That depends? I'm paying
twenty five a day? Hand found that your top point.
That's standard for a good gun Good day, gentlemen. Where
are you headed? Friend? Across the street to Western Pacific?
You don't care which guys he's gone for? Do your palatine?
I do, indeed, the side that pays the most, John Serki,
that's right. What can I do for it? My name
is Paladin? I got your wire? Oh your paladin? Yourpposition
turn you know? So are you leaving their officers? I'm
shopping missus sirk. What have you got to offer? Prevailing
rate twenty thirty eight dollars a day. I'm not interested
in ten money? Have you an opening for a deputy agent? Oh? My, well,
do you know what this flight's all about? Control of
the transcont metal route, more specifically for control of a
rail right away from Pueblo across Raymond Gorge, which we
say they least to us will they claim they didn't.
So now it's the deadline.
Speaker 2: Have the gorge that they have to put little depot.
Speaker 1: One's so good without the other. And you need someone
who can break the deadlock, isn't it? Yeah, but that
won't be easy. The depots headly guarded man in charges
Ralph Cole, you know, and we've met he smart, tricky,
very fast with a gun man. I hired that to
be smarter, tricky or faster. We want that depot. What
sort of fee will you pay? We might go a
thousand for a good man, But how do I know
what you can? Haladin? Don't shoot the cash box? Please
hut the cash box. Well, well, a lot of money here,
Suki Hallad in your all right? I'm putting it all back. Yeah,
you can put it away. I just wondered if you
could afford me. Well, hey, you gave me a start there.
It will cost you two thousand dollars. Okay, that's okay,
Well awful fast palace, you're hired. All right. I need
some men handy with weapons. I've got them all right.
Where you go? Time I have a look at that depot.
Talent in have it in? HOLI what is it? Ca?
I'm in a hurry.
Speaker 2: I take it you joined up with Western Pacific.
Speaker 1: That's right, and I think maybe we already have a
little talk. I have time now. I'm going down to
have a look at that depot and tend to take
away from him.
Speaker 2: I got thirty five men guarding that depot. You plan
to do it single handed?
Speaker 1: I haven't decided yet, just Tom, I will go about him.
You have quite a reputation. Paladin just seems to me.
I'd like to challenge it. We'll be fighting soon enough.
Speaker 2: Maybe soon enough for you, isn't soon enough for me.
Speaker 1: It'll have to be to many scared, busy.
Speaker 2: Maybe you're not as tough as it talk makes you
out to be. I don't think you're tough talent. I
think it's.
Speaker 1: Scary political shenanigans haven't take our share of some tall ones.
I sat on a bench in that deserted town plaza
made a careful study of the depot just across the street.
The building originally served as a fortress. It has the
thick walls and high recess windows. With thirty five armed
men guarding the place, I realized that my job was
going to take a bit of figuring. All right, I've
been looking for you. Oh hello, skis to them his
plaza is the only place these days. I want to
talk to you. No, I was thinking about my last
visit Pueblo. All these benches filled with people enjoying life
in their town, where kids just playing around under the
trees over there, pigeons roosting on that old relic of
the canon. It's very pleasant now, even the pigeons have deserted.
Palad I saw you meet CO out there in the streets.
I'm not paying out two thousand dollars to a man
who walked away from gun. You hired me, Succhi. I
hired a gun. I signed to take the depot, and
I'll do the job in my own way. And now
I'm going able to see the sheriff sure our legal
addiction notice to serve on co legal evicty. You don't
know what you're talking about. You may want it, but
you won't get it. I'll get it, oh tala. And
the sheriff in this town is a straddle of fence.
He won't take sides on anything. Well, see, then I
want something from you. What First of all, how much
is this fight costing Mustern Pacific? That's only or conserve
in lost time, messenger and freight revenue payroll for your
gunman damage the rolling stock and equipment? How much? Maybe
seven eight thousand a day? Why along with your eviction order,
I would offer Code ten thousand dollars to surrender the
depot to you, ten thousand dollars less than you're paying
out in two days. Now you think he'd listen. No
way of knowing until he's asked. It's not a bad
love talent. Oh, it's not bad at all. Who'll make
the offer? I will under certain conditions. What are they
that I can assure him? The dealer's for cash, that
it's firm, There'll be no haggling about the price afterwards. Agree?
All right, Now, I'll go see the sheriff.
Speaker 2: Oh.
Speaker 1: I met Sheriff Quinns and after some argument, got the
eviction noticed to serve on co. A few minutes later,
as I walked toward the entrance to the depot, I
was aware that from every one of those recessed windows
a rifle was trained. Cal was standing gun in hand
in front of the heavy iron door. Stop right there, palader,
what do you want? I wanna talk to you in private?
Are very smart couman here like Jason? Will you hear
what I have to say? Alright, go your gun down easy,
come on in, and what do you want? I volunteered
to serve you this, Hm, Paladin, you amazing abide bid
you'll be more amazed. Ten thousand dollars worth ten thousand
knowledge for what just gone at this eviction. Notice who
pays me? Who cash?
Speaker 2: Yes, a lot of money. What makes you figure?
Speaker 1: I'd tell as because there's a lot of money. It's
been fairly well established that every man has his price.
Speaker 2: Two and three thousand and holding the men and the
lee Lean levenrade. You got yourself a deed.
Speaker 1: Where's the money? You'll get it the sener. Suki's in
the depot.
Speaker 2: It's on the level.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think you just brought yourself out. It's in trouble.
You'll tell Foster that he's been evicted, that he's lost
the depot.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and he won't like it. But fortunes of war
is palading, not that the war is over.
Speaker 1: As soon as I tell Suki the depot is his,
I'll meet you for a drink. Uh, all right at
the Bullshead saloon. Paladin. Oh, hello, t I talked to Zuki.
Uh huh.
Speaker 2: He said he gives you the money that she was
to turn.
Speaker 1: It over to me. He didn't. Now, let's have it.
Dukie was lying, yes, he's baby, might see money. Oh
if I had your money, would I be waiting here
for him?
Speaker 2: Paladin?
Speaker 1: Once more, let's have it. Zukie lied. You betta believe
me or we're gonna waste a lot of valuable may
be a big man in San Francisco, but you just
asked around Texas about Ralph Cole Cole? Will you listen?
Try to cheat me? You San Francisco, do get up? Paladin?
Speaker 2: I was.
Speaker 1: Wait a minute, cold, they're a lion. Oh you wait, wait,
I'm not gonna fight you when you listen to me.
No point tucking each other up. Ukie still got the money.
He's a for sure, I guess. Okay, okay, where's hookie
now hold up in the depot.
Speaker 2: With twenty of his high guns?
Speaker 1: What chance do we have against these people?
Speaker 2: None?
Speaker 1: It's really that stronger.
Speaker 2: It's really that strong. You'd need a cannon.
Speaker 1: A cannon, Well, I can get one, and it shouldn't
be too hard to find. The plastic potterern primate. When
you're talking about palat I just happened to know where
there's a cannon. Now, come on where the plaza? Hello,
this is Marvin Miller with.
Speaker 2: Another page from your American Heritage scrap.
Speaker 1: Daniel Webster. Oh, it wasn't easy. It took a team
of horses and a good deal of pushing and shoving
on our party. But just before dawn we were ready
the old plaza cannon in position in front of the depot.
Speaker 2: I don't know about the palating.
Speaker 1: We aren't alone in our faith in cannon. Napoleon plays
great story in them to get in.
Speaker 2: Then was the last time he tried to take it
deep over? One cannon and two men.
Speaker 1: Well, this doesn't work. And I think you're gonna be
able to ask him personally.
Speaker 2: As soon as it gets light. They's gonna spot us
out of here. He got a load of together, you know,
steal scraps from the railroad.
Speaker 1: Gain all right, I'll see, was the charge.
Speaker 2: And he again and looks like it was left over
from the revolutionary work and spent a pigeon roost for
a good many years. And reality, uh, well this barrels
rusty almost san Yeah, well we fired it.
Speaker 1: The whole thing to blow up, Well we know that,
but Souk and his men don't know.
Speaker 2: We can't take a chance on it. It'll be a
muzzle burst to the blow outside.
Speaker 1: And I think they'll give up before that happens.
Speaker 2: How do you know, I don't know.
Speaker 1: I just had a good deal of faith in the
cowardices man.
Speaker 2: I caught the movement up there, and I if they've seen.
Speaker 1: Us, well, I guess we're ready if they start firing,
get down behind the Diamond place.
Speaker 2: Okay.
Speaker 1: I want to talk to you all off the fire. Okay,
I'm warning you.
Speaker 2: I don't want to listen you men in there.
Speaker 1: We want Zuki, not you. Unless he surrenders, we're gonna
fire this cannon. You'll all be flowing the bits. That's
one of your set of chest.
Speaker 2: I know those men they're handing it to Suki straight
give up or be pushed out.
Speaker 1: Huh. Suki must be putting up a strong argument. All right, man,
this jew is a touch for one minute. I'm riding
it now. Just fifty seconds. We'll destroy the walls and
fill that steeple with flying and scrap metals.
Speaker 2: You're not really gonna like that thing, I'm sure I am,
And you're going when this thing fires.
Speaker 1: The only flying metal is going to be that rusty
old barrel, and we better be out of the way.
I know it. You got forty five SuDS forty seconds
thirty five turn nasty the other way. You can have
Suki coming, all right, call the doors open when we
get inside, you couple of the men. I'll get stookie
and hurry before this thing spatters all over it. This time,
when I got my hands on Sukie's cash box, I
saw to it that his accountslor straight before I gave
it back to them. Then Cole and I went to
see Sheriff quinns.
Speaker 2: So for now, anyways, the depot is unoccupied, chair much.
Speaker 1: You better move fast. The whole thing will start all
over again. What would you suggest I do, Paladin? Well,
I suggested your deputies some of your citizens to keep
order until the courts decide who is legally entitled to
the right of way.
Speaker 2: Another thing, Quinn, you want to run a clean town.
You get the gunman out of here. They gave a
place a bad name.
Speaker 1: But you and I know we're leaving. I mean, here's
my five hundred, where's here's come? Oh, now, here's one
thousand dollars, Quinn, what's senseful? We want you to put
up a statue in the plaza. What kind of a statue? Oh,
it really doesn't matter. There's something that will make a
nice pigeon ruse. We owe it to them. Oh, we
see you. You are subtle a problem of prothero Colorado, right,
I think so? Hey boy, what I'm being? Well, when
you make your choice of which side to be honest
with you first of which is you make a wise choice? Well,
I'll tell you, hey boy, loyalties became rather confused issue
in this matter. Oh oh oh is he a black eye?
Oh yeah, that's very beautiful. Who gives you that a
friend of mine have done? Will trouble? Created by her
Meadow and Sam Robb, is produced and directed by Norman
McDonald's and stars John Zayner as Paladin with Ben Wright
as a boy. Tonight's story was written by Terrence Maples
and adapted for radio by Ann Dows. Featured in the
cast were Vic Tyrt, Joseph Turns, and James Nuther. Hugh
Douglas speaking