Wells Fargo, in one of their side ventures, has sponsored Fresno Keely, a buffalo hide buyer. After Keely's hides are stolen a third time, Jim Hardie is sent to investigate. Hardie assists Ben Thompson when a fight breaks out during Thompson's Faro game. As it turns out, Thompson's younger brother Billy may be involved in with hide jumpers. Henry Wilson is a competitor in the hide business, and Hardie suspects he's behind the hide thefts. Billy Thompson has been working for him, but his big mouth and short temper have made him a liability, and Wilson plans to get rid of him.
This is another episode that makes use of historical figures, in this case the Thompson brothers. As is typical, ToWF plays fast and loose with the actual facts. Nevertheless the episode is good one with strong characters, good dialogue, and an intriguing script. Series veteran director Earl Bellamy helmed the episode competently.
Hardie's voiceover at the end of the episode stated that Ben Thompson became a lawman. This is true, and there is considerable information about his life and career as both a gambler and a lawman, although his history as a lawman is controversial due to the many altercations he was involved in, typically as a result of gambling, but many were personal conflicts, the most famous of which was with Wild Bill Hickok. Trouble seemed to follow him wherever he went, and he was murdered at the age of 40.
The episode does mention one incident from Billy Thompson's life, the killing of a soldier, and the trouble he encountered from that killing. However, once again ToWF blurs the actual historical account when Hardie's voiceover says that Billy Thompson's eventual fate was unknown. His life is well documented and can be found with a quick web search. Although he was frequently involved in numerous deadly incidents he didn't die in a gunfight as one might suspect, he actually died of a stomach ailment.
The cast is a good one, with some familiar faces.
Don Megowan appeared as Ben Thompson, and was one guy that should've landed a series of his own, but he never did and that's a shame. He was a definitely a presence on the screen. Harry Lauter appeared as Henry Wilson, and was one of the "smooth heavies" of the 50s and 60s. He could be seen frequently in shows from the era, and was extremely adept in villainous roles, of which he stated he enjoyed playing. Guy Wilkerson appears as Fresno Keely. He was never a regular on any series, but was a familiar face in scores of westerns as prospectors, men of the cloth, stage drivers, and townspeople. He did appear in 22 pictures as Texas Ranger Panhandle Perkins. Although credited, I'm skeptical that John Frederick appeared in the episode. Weston Gavin appeared as Billy Thompson. Gavin was a successful folk singer with hundreds of recordings who segued into acting.
A good one, don't miss it!
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