["The Star-Spangled Banner"] ["The Star-Spangled Banner"] ["The Star-Spangled Banner"] ["The Star-Spangled Banner"] ["The Star-Spangled Banner"] Hey, Bill, look. Coming right at us. Hey. Pull up. Pull up for the fire. Pull up. We got you covered. They'll help me. Put down your guns, Tim. Pull over it. Pull over it. Throw out your treasure chests. Throw it out. Are we going to be held up? You are held up. Come on, all of you. Pile on the coach. Here's your treasure chest. A good hole this time. There's $25,000 in it. Three out of 30 for passengers. You two tear up the cushions. Make sure no dust or nuggets are hidden. Your voice is mighty familiar, mister. If your face matches that voice of yours, I'd say you were... Shut your mouth or I'll give you both these barrels. All right, men, give me the valuables. I'll get back on the coach. All of you remember, we got a beat on you. And it might be wise for you there, Mr. Driver, not to find a name to match my voice. All right, let's go. I have $2,000, my folks. It's getting so that as fast as the miners get the gold dust into the treasure chests, the highwaymen are just around the corner to take it away. Well, when we pull into San Francisco, there's going to be the very net to pay this time. Express companies are going to have to pay up or get out of business. Oh, Wong, you're Mr. Fargo in his office now? Oh, yes, Mr. Welles, he in office. Everybody in office. Everybody, Wong? Everybody from mines and business houses. All I say, everybody's everywhere. Well, I said, they're talking big business. Oh, not all of it, big business, but big talk. I'll talk this over with my partner, gentlemen. Good day and thank you. And now you see for yourself, what if a big talk or a big business? Henry, a most astounding offer was just made us in your absence. It's a good chance for us to get at least 60% of all the express business in the West. 90%, these men say. Well, let's discuss this in my office. I don't like to have wild talk floating around in the general offices. Henry, one of our competitor's stages was held up yesterday morning. And from the treasure chest alone, the highwaymen got $25,000. That's a nice little haul. Something's got to be done about both the highwaymen and the responsibility of the express company. What does this group expect, Wells Fargo and Company, to make good the laws of every treasure chest? If we'll make good, this powerful group of mine owners and businessmen will give us enough business to cover the entire West with Wells Fargo offices. Well, I appreciate the public's confidence in Wells Fargo. After all, we're a little more than four years in the West. It's the opportunity of a lifetime for any company, if we can see our way clear to do it. If we guarantee to make good, lost by fact, that means that from the time our agent gives the consigner a receipt, that receipt is as good as our word. And our word will have to be our bond. Exactly. Well, the whole scheme is breathtaking in its possibilities, but dangerous possibilities. It could be done if we had three things improved and faster coaches. A treasure chest that only gunpowder could open, and guards who believed with us that the highwaymen must go. Now, men, Mr. Fargo and myself have agreed that you drivers and guards of Wells Fargo passenger and express coaches represent a new type of American manhood. In your hands will be half of the treasure of the nation, as well as the lives of men and women passengers. Mr. Fargo will give you your instructions. Each coach will have two guards. Each guard will have one shotgun across his knees, another that can be snapped to his shoulder on a split-second notice. He will also have a brace of pistols. The treasure chest will be of one-half-inch cast iron, heavily padlocked, and placed in a larger wood, brass-bound, heavily padlocked outer box. Your orders will be, first, think of the safety and well-being of your passengers. That means throwing out your treasure chest on demand, if it looks like a shooting affair. If it doesn't, it's your lives against the highwaymen, the future of Wells Fargo, and the growth of the West is in your hands. Get going, and God bless you. Glad we're just 14 miles from Placerville. Sure will be a comfort in sight to see the lights of that town twinkling up to us friendly like. Should make it there by ten o'clock. I got a funny feeling in the middle of my stomach. Ain't getting squeamish, Pete, are you? Not after four years of holding a shotgun in your hand. Well, it ain't squeamish, because I ain't up here. I hear something called by a high-flute word for remunition or some such thing. If we ain't been held up 50 miles out of Placerville, we ain't going to be, then. Brigands in this part of the country ain't heard yet about our cast iron treasure chest. They'll think it's easy pickings. Well, I'm ready for them if they come. Lem here tells me we'll be coming up to the top of a grade. Once down, we'll give the horses their head and be in Placerville before you know it. You hear that? Hear what? Sure. Make anything out, Pete? Can't see a thing, but I'm hearing it, too. Only one more mile and we'll be at the top of the grade. And then if it's banded, we can give them a run for it into Placerville. Come on, Beth. Come on, girl. Get on. Get on. Make anything out yet? They're her to party a man. They're no pack mules with them. They're old cloaks, highwaymen. Get ready to throw out your treasure chest now. And now before I try and get to the top of this grade. They're a-gaining on us. I'd still like to let them have with both barrels. We got eight ladies and four men in that coat, huh? Don't think I can make to top of the grade in time. Maybe I better slow down before they open fire. We got to think of our passengers. Hold! Hands up! Hold! Hold! Hold! They are what's wanted. Throw out your treasure chest! You there in the coat ain't got nothing to worry about as long as we get the dust in that box. And you don't pull a gun in the eye, you can keep your personal valuables, too. All right. Here's the chest. All right, men, break it open. They're supposed to be $50,000 in that. In some short we'll know where it is and who's going to pay with their lives. I met up with you once before, mister. I reckon you're right on snake dick. Oh, you dirty low-town murdering mongrel, you. Shut up or you'll get the same. Sure got enough padlocks on this. Here she comes now. It's a good moon, light enough to see from it. Well, I'll be. There's an iron chest inside this one. Keepers never get this open without blasting it. Wells Fargo Express, huh? Well, I have to remember to carry gunpowder with us next time. All right, two of you, get that chest on my horse. Remember, anybody fires one shot and we'll come back and wipe you out. All of you. Now let's go. Let's go. Well, now we know who did the holding up. And as soon as we get into Placeville, we'll get a Wells Fargo posse out after that gang. Well, we better all get back into the coach. We're going to string it into Placeville. Come on. Get on, get on, get on. And I'm quitting my job as driver for Wells Fargo and joining with the sheriff in the posse. Until we find Rattlesnake Dick and I'm avenged on him, personal. I figured, Sheriff, that it would take Rattlesnake and his gang some time to get gunpowder, blast the chest open, and be leaving some sort of a trail. Hank, you're right. That iron chest is the thing that's going to hang more highwaymen than anything else. And most of the time, we're going to recover the treasure, too. This is where we were held up. Getting lighter all the time. Reckon we can pick up some sort of a trail. Reckon we will. Here's the marks of the coach and your horses. Come on, here's their horses. Whoa. Some of Rattlesnake's men went this way and some the other way. It's funny he should be dividing his party. Sheriff, that was just to throw us off the track. They went off into the brush but came back into the road again down here. They all went off east. Must have been to their hideout. All right, Dan, you take the lead. Everybody pull in there. Rain up men. I hear voices. Sounds like a whole pack of men. Ron and Ferd, I got the charge, sir. That's Rattlesnake. They're blowing up the iron treasure chest. Stay steady your horses. There's going to be an explosion. Dismount men. All long hands and knees through the seed brush. When you're close enough, shoot, shoot to kill. This sure enough is a hole. I'll call out to Rattlesnake and then you men start shooting because they'll all do the same. Now. Rattlesnake Dick, surrender in the name of the law. Rattlesnake Dick, surrender in the name of the law. Sheriff, I'm avenged on that critter. The country's rid of Rattlesnake Dick. And Wells Fargo got their treasure back within 24 hours. Well, I reckon there'll be more respect now for Wells Fargo's stage coaches and for the law. The West, I hope, will be a might safer for everybody that wants to come out to the last open frontier. And so was established the reputation of Wells Fargo, a reputation that was to go down in history as having helped tremendously in making the West safe for the pioneers, for civilization. Each stage driver, every agent who guarded passengers and treasure chests, were sworn servants of law and order, each one a true frontier fighter of the Old West. The West, I hope, will be a might safer for everybody that wants to come out to the last open frontier. The West, I hope, will be a might safer for everybody that wants to come out to the last open frontier. The West, I hope, will be a might safer for everybody that wants to come out to the last open frontier. The West, I hope, will be a might safer for everybody that wants to come out to the last open frontier. The West, I hope, will be a might safer for everybody that wants to come out to the last open frontier.