i see you finally got here.
mrs. caslon, -- mr. haven.
you've met mr. stellman.
sit down, mr. haven.
so you're operating under sealed orders.
all this mumbo jumbo is characteristic of the military information department.
i've been in this territory for a number of years -- and i think it might be a little rougher here than a suburb of washington, d.c.
then why is m.i.d. sending you out here?
and they think i can't handle that?
i have only ninety-four men on the post, with indian trouble up north. the war department has refused to send reinforcements, or am i boring you?
the two soldiers were killed while escorting one of the gold stages.
young man, the functions of my command look very pretty on paper, but they're not very practical in a territory like this. do you have any illusions about that?
i've permitted it to be stored in a warehouse on the post. now everybody is waiting to see what i do next.
aren't you here to tell me?
the freight building burned down with the uniforms! i'm not operating a fire department -- and if i was, west rim city is sixty miles away!
what does?
they were my men, haven, and i'm trying every way i know to find out who murdered them.
you'll find it harder than you think. i don't know how you operate, but it's a dangerous job that can get you killed.
you can forget him. he's a miserable man that somebody is using to keep the law a joke.
tell me, how will i know what you're doing?
that's very obliging of you.
then report to me through mrs. caslon here. you can be a friend of her husband's. he owned the argus mine and died last year. if that meets your approval.
is that all?
goodnight, mary.
of all the stupid bonehead plays! what did he fight about -- don't tell me a woman?
who started it?
that probably strikes you as a very admirable thing.
well, i don't think so! i have men who can use their fists. why didn't they send a man who could use his brains!
well -- open it up!
mr. haven, we may not have very much around here that pleases you, but we do have a strict post regulation against brawling in the town. now would you like to explain what happened last night?
sit down.
this book i have in my hand is the army register, 1882.
i am now going to read from it. "haven, john martin, born ohio 1852. appointed second lieutenant. promoted first lieutenant 20th infantry, march 1880; reduced in rank to 2nd lieutenant january 12, 1881."
is that correct?
haven, you've lost your rank once. it may very well happen again.
even a bad reason would delight me.
did you pick that fight?
and where do you expect all this to get you?
i think you're trying to carry your authority too far.
well -- what have you found out?
and no sign of haven?
why would they kill goddard?
i see.  he was a man they couldn't handle, so they shot him. but haven wasn't killed.
and he may be fishing for trout in the verde river. why do i always learn everything last? why must everything be common gossip by the time it reaches me?
neither do i, but i'll find out. the army didn't banish me out here to set up a listening post. bring the man in, dead or alive. if he's alive, arrest him.
no, but i can take any living human being into custody -- or am i mistaken in this too?
then go and do it!
any news about haven in town?
alive?
good evening, mary.
i just passed bristow.
i should.
i heard it -- last, as usual.
why?
it was? yours!
i am very calm, and i calmly ask you how you could allow that scoundrel to transport gold from your mine when --
and he may be in town at this moment -- where, in fact, he is. how you could do this without telling me --
my sake?
who do you think i represent?
and while we're on the subject, who does mark bristow represent?
i know perfectly well he's a scoundrel too. is he also trying to help me?
thank you, mary.
i'm sorry. i'd say that i lost my head if i believed that i had one.
to whom it may concern. that's what it says here. well, it may concern me.
it does.
my business isn't jammed up enough -- so they send this harebrained demoted lieutenant pry around in it.  they want to help me too.
i'm getting to deal with some hard men.
three sworn statements! i told him all i know. they were in the freight office at west rim city. the building burned down.  .you sure he doesn't want me to send him the ashes too? all right, have stamm fix the papers.
come in.
nice to see you alive.
you seem to have been living quite an adventurous life.
that's indefinite. i wanted to talk to you.
curiously enough, you got me into the habit of reading myself. you're quite right about the blue book -- unless that officer should get himself about one-half as far out of line as you have!
right here in your own statement!
you've gotten a man killed and mrs. caslon's gold stolen. is that far enough?
haven -- as far as i'm concerned, this deposition is good enough for me. i want these people arrested. this is all the evidence we need.
for what reason?
when are you returning mrs. caslon's gold?
i don't particularly like you -- but i see no reason why you should get yourself deliberately killed.
what difference does it make how you get killed? where does it leave me?
understand this, haven. you're heading for bad trouble -- and when it comes don't expect any help from me. is that clear?
yes, three cigars, a pint of whiskey, and a copy of that confounded blue book.
that's all right. just barge right in! i'm going to tell you something.
they were.
what's this?
wear them? what for?
look here, lieutenant --
major?
i guess i owe you an apology.