At the gallop, ho!
Fort Laramie
Fort Laramie, starring Raymond Burr as Captain Lee Quince.
Specially transcribed tales of the dark and tragic ground of the wild frontier.
The saga of fighting men who rode the rim of empire.
And the dramatic story of Lee Quince, Captain of Cavalry.
Looks like the freight's at the far end of the train, Gorse.
I expect it is, Captain, because I took care to see the wagons was up front here to make the loading easy.
Well, see they're moved to the back.
Yes, sir.
You got the list, Captain?
Yeah.
Two men unloading ought to be enough. Nothing real heavy.
Here you are.
Rifles, car beans, revolvers, sabers.
What says infantry equipment's here?
Well?
You don't suppose they tucked in a few howitzers? We only brought the two wagons.
Anything we can't haul back, we'll leave. Let Ordnance do its own work.
Rest of it looks like ours. Bridal's, haulers and straps, saddles, nose bags.
I'll see to the unloading, Captain.
Right, Gorse.
You there? Captain?
Yes?
You from Fort Laramie?
That's right.
I'm glad to hear that. I'm station master here.
You better come into my office and get this business cleared up.
The sergeant's got the billing on the army equipment we're unloading.
That's not what I'm talking about.
Now you're here, I just want you to get them out of my station.
I'm running a guard house, you know.
I'd give a little to know what you are talking about, mister.
Them two soldiers chained together in there, in the guard with them.
They say they're bound for Fort Laramie.
The army.
Private Medford and Private Stringer, is that right?
That's right, sir. The little one's Stringer. He doesn't say much.
Tall, blond one, he's Medford.
And your corporal Benjamin?
Yes, sir.
Well, their orders say Fort Laramie, clear enough.
You got orders, corporal?
Yes, sir.
Fort Bridger, sir, from Fort Leavenworth. A transfer, sir.
Mm-hmm.
I was to escort Medford and Stringer this far, sir,
and contact Fort Laramie to secure them from here.
Well, you made contact, corporal. We'll take over.
I don't understand, sir. Fort Laramie's 40 miles from here.
I only telegraphed 10 minutes ago, sir.
We had a good wind behind us on the way down.
Beg your pardon, sir?
We came to pick up a consignment of equipment left Fort Laramie yesterday.
Oh, well, then, what you said about the wind behind you...
Was a bald-faced lie, corporal.
Yes, sir.
The captain displays a fine touch of humor.
He mustn't encourage me, corporal.
Now, you better arrange for your transportation to Fort Bridger.
Good luck.
Thank you, sir. Good luck to you, sir.
All right, on your feet.
Private Stringer?
Yeah.
How's that?
That's me, Stringer.
You stationed at Fort Leavenworth?
I was took there. They gave me this uniform,
this tall one next to me, a length of chain,
and they put me on the railroad.
You're a recruit, then?
If that means that I join up of my own free will, no.
You've been in the Army before?
Mostly I've been in jail.
Don't it say on them papers about me?
If it did, I wouldn't be asking.
I've been in the Army six days.
I heard talk you could make the arrangement
on account of enlistments being slow.
I could get out of jail if I signed I'd join the Army.
Stand up straight.
Now, you get this, Stringer.
There's not the time to tell you how much learning
you got ahead of you,
but you learn starting now, understand?
Yeah. Yes, sir.
Yes, sir.
All right.
I guess we can take those chains off now.
Is there any reason you ain't asking questions of me, sir?
I don't have to, Medford.
It says about you in your papers.
Well, maybe it don't say it all in them papers, Captain.
It says enough.
There.
You ride back to Fort Laramie in the wagons with the equipment.
We don't have horses for you.
We ride free of these chains, Captain?
Free of the chains.
Man alone might jump off of one of them wagons.
Might.
But that ain't your worry, sir?
That's your worry, Medford.
Jumping the wagon is desertion.
If you walk away, you'll be caught.
If you run, you'll be shot.
If you walk away, you'll be shot.
All right, Sergeant. Dismiss him.
Yes, sir.
Dismiss.
Uh, Captain?
Yes, Sergeant?
I'll see the wagons is unloaded.
Pick what men you need, then take the wagons to the wheel ride.
Tell him if he can't fix them proper to burn them.
Right, Captain.
About the new men...
What about them?
Are they assigned to B Company, sir?
They're not assigned anywhere yet, Gorse.
We can sure use them, Captain, starting right now with the unloading of the equipment.
They'll have to be assigned first.
Well, that'll take most of the rest of the day, Captain.
There ain't more than an hour's work.
Get someone else to do it, Gorse.
Yes, sir.
Uh, there's a reason, Captain, you don't want Stringer and Medford to help?
Yeah. Reasons like you'll be unloading rifles and carbines
and 50,000 rounds of ammunition.
I guess when you want to tell me the rest of that story, you will.
Then it'll be a right time, Gorse.
Yes, sir.
All right, you two, fall in behind me.
You'll report to Headquarters Company for assignment.
All right, if I ask a question, Mr. Captain?
What is it?
Well, now, I'm brand new to this life, I told you that.
I don't even know where this Headquarters Company's at and all like that.
I'll see you get there, Stringer.
Any more questions?
I got one, sir.
Well, Medford?
When do they outfit us proper?
Proper, Medford?
I mean, I got this brand new blue uniform.
When they gonna give me...
When they gonna give me my rifle and sidearms?
When you're assigned?
They mean I should have them firearms in.
Just like anyone else.
Just like anyone else, Medford.
Captain Quince.
Yes, Lieutenant?
Are these the transverser?
Private Stringer and Medford.
The Major sent me to see if they're assigned and quartered.
He's anxious to see you, Captain.
Yeah. Thank you, Mr. Sabitz.
Corporal Benjamin's telegram wasn't quite clear, Captain.
Something about respectfully urging that we pick up two prisoners from Fort Leavenworth.
You get my telegram all right?
Yeah, saying you were bringing two transfers from Fort Leavenworth.
Which are they, prisoners or transfers?
A little of both, I guess.
If Fort Laramie is to become a military prison, I'd like to hear it from someone other than a corporal.
These men aren't prisoners anymore, Major.
For some reason, they sent them as far as Cheyenne under Corporal Benjamin's guard.
You got their papers?
They're at headquarters company, but I read them.
Stringer, they let him out of a civilian jail if he promised he'd join the army.
Under that plan to make up for slow enlistments.
I read about it when the order came through a couple of months ago.
Decided to face that problem when it came up.
It's come up, Major.
Any idea what he was serving time for?
Oh, he gave me the idea. He's made a career for himself, being in prison.
I didn't ask about specific crimes.
I know this. He's never been in the army.
We can fix that part.
The other one, he from prison, too?
Yeah. Camp Butler first, then Camp Douglas.
You're talking about military prisons, Captain?
Union Army Prisons for Confederate Captives.
Private Lacey Medford.
He's our first galvanized Yankee, Major.
Galvanized Yankee? Never heard that term.
It has something to do with iron. When it's galvanized, it turns color.
Men like Medford, they were captured in gray, sent west in blue.
Well, like you say, Lee, this is a new problem for us.
Might not be a problem.
Oh, but it seems likely enough.
Most of your men fought in the Union Army.
That war is long over.
Not in men's minds, Lee.
For some men on both sides, it'll never be over.
Major, in B Company alone, we got Irish and English bunking side by side.
Same with Germans and French.
If we can't put a Yankee and a rebel side by side, we got more trouble than just Indians.
I'm glad you don't consider it a problem.
I said it might not be one.
When it is, if it is, I'll treat it as a problem.
Fair enough? Fair enough.
The way you're talking, you've made up your mind to give me Stringer and Medford, huh?
B Company's got fewer men than the rest. Any objections?
No, not from me.
You like challenges, don't you, Lee?
You keep telling me I do.
Well, I hope Medford won't be a problem.
But if he is, I'll feel better knowing he's your problem.
Thanks.
What's your impression of him, right off?
Right off, I'd say he's awful anxious to get his own rifle and sidearms.
Till I know better, I'm going to figure he's itching to get himself an Indian.
I tell you, Stringer, these private riding lessons ain't going on forever.
Well, I got an idea I could ride just fine if I ever once got on the horse.
Well, you're no youngin'.
How you been getting around without learning the first thing about mountain?
I ain't been getting around, Sergeant. There's been no call for it.
Will you just sit where you come from?
Sit? Or laid down?
You don't know nothing about me? I mean, before?
Don't know and don't care.
But you're sure looking more like infantry to me every minute.
You mean that Captain ain't told you about me?
Captain Quincy got important things to think about.
Yeah, he sure has. That Medford, I was captain, I'd think about him a lot.
Never mind about Medford. He can mount and ride and dismount with the best of him.
He oughta. He was in the dirty yellow rebel cavalry.
Stand a horse.
You don't care about that?
You want a stinkin' rebel in your army?
Now, you listen good to me, Stringer.
I got a guard house with a fine view of the Laramie River down there.
Any more talk outta you, I'll send you right there.
Well, I feel a sight safer in the guard house.
I ain't been a month outta jail since I was ten.
Well, you just talked yourself right back in again, Stringer.
All right, fine.
Can I talk freely about Medford now?
You got anything to say, you say it to me and nobody else, you understand?
Well, you ain't thinking this is no secret.
About him being a lousy rebel.
Why, he tells everybody in earshot, you know, he's proud of it, right proud.
That's his business.
You fought in that war, Sergeant.
How can you stand the thought of him being one of you now?
Maybe because I fought in that war, Stringer.
What jail was you sittin' it out in then?
You think more of him than me?
You're in for a lot of things you won't understand, Stringer.
You can think him over in the guard house.
I ain't gonna think nothin' over.
But here's somethin' you can think over, Sergeant.
That yellow rebel's got himself a lot of guns, all kinds, rifles to pistols and back again.
Think it over.
See if you rest easy on it.
Medford's outside, Captain.
You want, I should send him in now?
In a minute, Gorse.
How far has all this gone?
Can you tell?
It's all over.
About him being in the Confederate cavalry.
About how he was took prisoner.
Sent out here now.
This thing about the guns, I hear that all through the quarters, too.
You seen the guns?
No, sir.
I checked ordnance in stores, everything's accounted for.
Ammunition, rifles, carbines, revolvers.
Well, he claims he brought them all in with him.
The men say that.
In a haversack and saddlebag?
I'm just tellin' you what the men say, Captain.
You said we was goin' out in a few days.
You figurein' to take him along?
That'll be up to him, Gorse.
Yes, sir.
You can send him in now.
Right, Captain.
Medford, Captain Quince will see you now.
Sit down, Medford.
I prefer to stand, sir.
Sit down.
You got any complaints on your treatment here?
I wanna hear about them now.
I got a complaint.
I'm here.
I can't do much about that, Medford.
Neither can I.
I want free to choose.
If you were free, what would you do?
Go back home?
There ain't no home.
Ain't nobody.
Men like you solve that.
Suppose you could get out, maybe stake a claim,
maybe get a little farm, store.
It's all took out of me.
I don't want none of that.
I don't want anything save to be let be.
It's not all out of you.
The hate's still there.
You bet it is.
I get all the strength I got from hatin'.
Sure, you're feedin' it all the time.
Well, there's a lot to hate.
This here blue uniform, you can start there.
That Spencer rifle, yes, you'd meet it.
You gonna let me talk free?
You're talkin' right free.
Go ahead.
Well, that Spencer, I never seen one.
I just hear the man about him.
We used to figure you Yankees spent one day a week
just loadin' up and the rest of the week firing them at us.
We didn't have that like.
No, you didn't.
So now you got one.
It'll fire eight shots.
Only there aren't any Yankees left to kill.
Ain't nothin' but Yankees.
You better get over that feelin', Medford.
I'm gonna die with it.
You don't wanna die.
You know that, do you?
You had a lot of chances to die.
You could've died in prison if you'd made up your mind to it.
You could've died any day out here,
startin' from the first day you rode in on the wagon.
How you figure that?
You could've jumped the wagon, I'd have killed you.
I told you that.
And since you're here, you're on the rifle range real regular.
The way you've been talkin', you could goad a man into killin' you.
A man they've been reportin' to you right along?
You've been talkin' your hate right free.
They tell you about my guns, did they?
Got a lot of guns, have you, Medford?
You ain't searched real good, Captain.
I haven't searched at all.
I'm not goin' to.
If I got guns, you'd have cause to be fearful.
Maybe.
Got any more complaints?
What kind of a man are you?
I told you I hate your uniform,
everything about you, what you stand for.
I'm this kind of man, Medford.
I got a cavalry company that's short of men.
We're movin' out in a couple of days.
Now, maybe we don't like the same things,
or hate the same things.
But we're stuck with each other, Medford.
You're takin' me on an engagement?
Takin' me to fight engines under your flag?
You scared of Indians, Medford?
It's not that.
I'm takin' you.
You got somethin' you're livin' for.
I want to find out what it is.
We're strung out about as thin as we can be, Captain.
You know, the longer they think we can hold them down there,
the better.
I don't think we'll be able to fool them long.
That is outnumbered. Two to one, anyway.
Sure have, Mr. Sabitz.
Are our horses still secure?
Behind the top of the rise, yes, sir.
Those Indians are smart. They'll circle us.
There's enough of them to do it.
Have you thought about retreat, Captain?
I thought of nothin' else since we got boxed in.
We'll retreat when we can, Mr. Sabitz.
If we can.
Captain, sir.
Medford.
Captain, can you see their horses from here?
There must be a couple hundred of them.
The ones they stole caught in the ravine down there?
Yes, sir.
What about them?
We stampeded those horses.
Them Indians are clear out of here in no time.
We'd have to write a charge down there
to stampede them. That's suicide, Medford.
They'd pick us off one by one as we rode down.
Well, ain't that our only chance, Captain?
Gettin' killed's not the chance we're lookin' for.
But, Captain, it's noise, sir.
Get back to your position, Medford.
Now.
Yes, sir.
Hold your fire, men.
Hold your fire.
I brought your mount, Captain.
You... you saw what he did.
Yeah.
Yeah, I'm goin' down there, Mr. Sabitz.
He might still be alive.
I'm gonna go get him.
I'll be right back.
That was a fool thing you did, Medford.
I told you.
Stampede run him off.
I told you it was suicide.
We was both right, Captain.
You gone caught, Marshal Meek?
For breakin' orders?
Or savin' our lives?
My rifle.
Is it close by?
I...
You wanna use it, Medford?
Just... you look at it, Captain.
Brass mallet.
Your old Enfield, huh?
I carried that at Brandy Station.
Along with an old flintlock
and a German musket.
I had a rifle, Enfield.
I got shot with one at Bull Run.
I had to kill something with it, Captain.
You said I had something I was livin' for.
You remember?
I remember.
One decent thing.
I was captured after Brandy Station, Captain.
They caught me runnin' away.
I was deserted.
I had to do one decent thing.
Yeah.
Well, you're...
You're dyin' decent, Medford.
That's somethin'.
Captain of Cavalry with Vic Perrin as Sergeant Gorse.
The script was specially written for Fort Laramie by Kathleen Height,
with sound patterns by Bill James and Tom Henley.
Musical supervision by Amarico Marino.
Featured in the cast were Lawrence Dobkin, Parley Bear, Frank Cady and Paul Dubov.
Jack Moyles as Major Daggett and Harry Bartell as Lieutenant Sybert.
Company, attention!
Dismissed.
Next week, another transcribed story of the Northwest Frontier
and the troopers who fought under Lee Quince, Captain of Cavalry.
The thud of approaching footsteps in a darkened room,
the high-pitched creak of a door being opened stealthily,
the tick of a clock that marks time running out for a doomed man.
These are sounds that keep you in suspense.
Connoisseurs of crime stories listen to suspense Tuesday nights on CBS Radio
because suspense specializes in offbeat drama that makes the hair rise
and the heart beat faster.
Listen Tuesday night on most of these same stations
for another taut, spine-tingling story of suspense.