- Lazarus encounters a man determined to take revenge on the people of a town where he was humiliated as a youth, particularly the man who gave him a public beating.
- Lazarus is out riding alone (as usual) and meets a man who is being cagey about who he is and what he's doing. They go their separate ways.
Lazarus waylays the man and shoots the gun out of his hand. Claims he wanted to steal Lazarus' horse. Disarms him. Makes him walk away.
Lazarus brings the man's horse into a stage stop where the man had been and finds two dead people, a man and a woman. The woman had also been raped.
Lazarus to himself: "That murdering son of a bitch."
Lazarus visits the sheriff, explains what happened and hopes the sheriff will form a posse and hunt the man down.
Sheriff knows the man Lazarus describes as Dick Slayton, a bad, dangerous man.
The sheriff says Slayton is too dangerous to hunt down. Better to wait for him to come to town.
Next scene. Lazarus and sheriff are on their way somewhere. Sheriff driving a wagon. Man rides up and says Slayton killed someone and kidnapped a woman, and he's got two men with him.
Sheriff and Lazarus ride after Slatyton without the wagon.
Around campfire that night, sheriff explains Slayton's back story. He was an orphan who was beaten up by town bully Clarence Wise with everyone watching.
Sheriff: "After that he went bad all together. He swore he'd be back someday to take care of Clarence Wise."
Sheriff worries that Slayton is after him, too, because he locked the man up years ago. Slayton went crazy when he was in jail, couldn't stand to be caged.
Sheriff: "When I let him out he was a different person, mad at the whole world."
Then came the public beating
At this point a man starts shooting at Lazarus and sheriff.
Now it's daylight, and they're still shooting.
Slayton tells one of his men to keep Lazarus and the sheriff pinned down while he goes to town.
Lazarus and sheriff kill one gunman on cliff. Capture another, who says Slayton went to town.
They free the hostage.
Great music as Slayton rides into town.
He says he has come for Wise. Shoots out saloon windows.
Men come out to talk. The mayor is their spokesman. Slayton wants them to bring Wise to him. They don't want to get involved.
Slayton tells them to bring Clarence Wise to him, or he will kill a man named Harvey.
The men find Wise hiding in a hayloft. "I ain't coming down," he says.
Men deliver Wise to Slayton.
Wise: "Oh God, Dick. Have mercy please."
Slayton has the men gag Wise and hang him by his feet from the saloon.
Lazarus, the sheriff and their prisoner ride into town.
Men tell them that Slayton is in saloon. Sheriff goes to talk to him. Declines Lazarus help.
Sheriff talks it over with Slayton.
Lazarus enlists town carpenter to build a cage.
Back to sheriff and Slayton.
Slayton says he met a man in the war who said the sheriff is his pa.
Sheriff admits it.
Sheriff says Slayton's mother killed herself.
Sheriff explains that no matter how much he understands the circumstances under which Slayton went bad, the fact is that he killed people and must be punished.
Sheriff: "It ends here if I have anything to say about it."
The sheriff draws his gun. Slayton pistol whips him and throws him out the door and into the street.
Slayton tells Lazarus that sheriff is "my dear old dad more or less."
Lazarus rescues sheriff and gets his head bandaged.
Lazarus: "I thought you said he was an orphan."
Sheriff: "I was the one that orphaned him. I'm not proud of the circumstances. That's why I took him in."
Lazarus: "You said I'd get my turn. Let me handle this."
Sheriff hands his badge to Lazarus. Mayor swears him in.
Lazarus and a man drive a wagon carrying the cage he had built in front of saloon. Man takes off with horses. Leaves Lazarus with wagon and cage.
He and Slayton talk.
Lazarus: "I know what it feels like to be locked up. It feels like you're buried alive."
Then a flashback scene of Lazarus falling into the grave where he was buried alive.
Town men take Wise down as Lazarus talks to Slayton.
Slayton notices. Shoots out saloon window. "I'll kill you all," he shouts.
Lazarus says he's ready to put Slayton in cage.
Lazarus: "You're not a man. "Your an animal. "That's what the cage is for."
Slayton: "You son of a bitch."
The sheriff appears behind Slayton, says, "Dickie!"
Slayton shoots him. Lazarus shoots Slayton in arm. Then in leg when he continues to try to shoot Lazarus.
Lazarus goes to sheriff's side: "I don't want to live past this," sheriff says.
Men put Slayton in cage.
Lazarus tries to give badge to mayor. Mayor says no we want you to stay and be sheriff. Lazarus puts badge back on sheriff, who is now dead.
Mayor: "Now you've got to reconsider my offer."
Lazarus: "I don't like this town, mister Golls. I'm going to take Dick Slayton to find a federal marshal and judge with the courage to take care of him proper."
Lazarus rides off with Slayton in the cage.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content