Narrator: Previously on "The American West"...
( explosion )
The nation and big business
struggle to settle the western frontier.
And deputy marshal of Dodge City Wyatt Earp
has discovered that with more money
comes more corruption.
So the lawman turns in his badge
and heads further west to new opportunity
in a town called Tombstone.
Meanwhile in Missouri,
after three years in hiding,
notorious outlaw Jesse James reemerges...
I want everybody's attention, and I want it now!
Narrator: ...with a new gang
and once again finds himself
one of the country's most wanted men.
In New Mexico,
Billy the Kid has been on a murderous rampage.
But when the law finally catches up to him...
Garrett: It's Pat Garrett!
...Billy will have to plan his next move...
from behind bars.
( theme song playing)
You really kill 21 men?
Don't believe everything you read in the paper.
You know, I was never a criminal until the law made me one.
I had a reason
for every man I killed.
How many reasons did you have?
Twenty-one.
Narrator: After surrendering to lawman Pat Garrett,
Billy the Kid awaits his trial
for the murder of corrupt
Lincoln County Sheriff William J. Brady.
As news of Brady's murder spreads,
it only adds to the West's violent reputation.
David Eisenbach: During this period in the West,
they're just trying to protect their bottom line.
Everybody's saying in order to transact business,
we need to put clamps on all this lawlessness.
Narrator: The government knows they can use Billy the Kid
to send a message about lawlessness in the West.
Paul Hutton: In the entire Lincoln County War,
Billy the Kid is the only one charged with any crime
and that's because the territory
was determined to get rid of him.
He was bad for business. He's just too reckless.
We can't have outlaws
if we're gonna bring business to New Mexico.
Narrator: In a trial that only lasts one day,
Billy is sentenced to hang.
But New Mexico's infamous outlaw
isn't ready to give in just yet.
Lunchtime, Billy.
Cold grits, just how you like 'em.
Kathleen Chamberlain: Pat Garrett left Billy the Kid
with two deputies.
One was a nice man named Deputy Bell.
The other was a man named Bob Olinger,
who was a mean, mean guy.
And Billy hated him.
Not so tough anymore.
Enjoy the gruel.
( door opens, closes)
Chamberlain: When Billy was in the jail,
he was thinking...
"How can I get out of this?"
He was not going to hang easily.
Damn.
A little help?
What, you want me to feed ya?
Unless you got a better idea.
Stand up.
Yes, Deputy.
I'm taking this shackle off. Once you're done eatin',
it goes right back on.
You got five minutes.
Hey, Deputy?
Ah!
Bell.
Bell, don't.
( shackles clatter)
Narrator: Once again, Billy the Kid
has pulled off an impossible escape
that leaves two deputies dead.
Kiefer Sutherland: He was a very charming guy,
but he literally had no problem killing anybody.
Narrator: Now the most famous outlaw in the West
is back on the run.
Four hundred miles away...
former lawman Wyatt Earp has moved on
from the corrupt town of Dodge City...
and is looking to strike it rich
in one of the biggest new boomtowns in the West...
Tombstone, Arizona.
Ann Kirschner: Tombstone explodes on the scene
because silver had been discovered there.
One day you were looking at a desert landscape of mesquite,
and then, as if a magician had waved a wand,
suddenly you had a town.
Tombstone was the absolutely typical boomtown.
Once that word got out,
it swelled in size dramatically.
The usual things that come along with it...
the gambling, the prostitution,
but also a lot of legitimate businesses.
- To Tombstone. - To Tombstone.
(glasses clink)
Narrator: Wyatt's brothers Virgil and Morgan join him
in his plan to mine silver.
But the Earps quickly discover
that the best mining land has already been claimed.
After traveling nearly 900 miles
to seek out his fortune,
Wyatt's prospects are growing dim.
But the boomtown has a new problem,
and Wyatt may be the perfect man to solve it.
Anne Collier: Tombstone in the early 1880s
was your typical boomtown.
But it was hard to get there.
There was not a train that came to town.
You had to go from train to stagecoach or wagon.
Narrator: Stagecoaches carry
thousands of dollars worth of silver
from Tombstone mines to the nearest railroad head,
making them prime targets for criminals
looking to make a quick score.
Kirschner: You'd have a driver,
and then you'd have a shotgun driver
sitting right there with a shotgun
ready to take on whoever there was.
But despite all of that,
the stagecoaches were sometimes ambushed.
Sometimes there were deaths.
Narrator: Looking for a solution,
local businesses turn to Wyatt Earp for help.
Collier: Wyatt was the right lawman for Tombstone
because of his background in the Kansas cow towns.
He understood cowboys
and he understood how they acted.
And he could read the warning signs before they came.
So it just happened to be the perfect storm
when he came to Tombstone.
Narrator: Wyatt Earp is appointed
deputy sheriff of Tombstone
and, with the help of his brothers,
begins making an impact in the lawless boomtown.
Jeff Morey: As deputy sheriff in Tombstone,
he's remarkably effective.
He trails killers, he makes numerous arrests.
Men don't escape from his jail.
Wyatt took that law enforcement responsibility very seriously.
Narrator: In the spring of 1881,
Wyatt gets his biggest case yet...
when a stagecoach robbery outside Tombstone
leaves two men dead.
When a robbery, such as the spectacular robbery
of a stagecoach going from Benson to Tombstone occurred,
it was really a big deal.
Narrator: Wyatt Earp doesn't realize
that he's just walked in on a case
that will cement his place in western mythology...
and turn him from a lawman into an outlaw.
Looks like there were three of them.
Maybe more.
Didn't stick around long.
They didn't even get a shot off.
Who do you think did it?
I don't know...
but I know who probably does.
Kirschner: There was $25,000 worth of silver onboard
that was gonna be used for currency in Tombstone.
Wells Fargo put out
a very large reward
to find the perpetrators.
Narrator: Deputy Sheriff Wyatt Earp knows that in Tombstone
there's only one group capable of an act like this...
the ruthless gang of outlaws known as
"the Cochise Cowboys."
The Cochise Cowboys are made up
of nearly 300 cattle rustlers, smugglers and bandits
spread out across the Arizona territory
who have developed a notorious reputation
across the country.
Kirschner: The Cowboys were known for their hotheadedness.
They were a pretty bad lot.
Narrator: One of the most well-known of the Cowboys
is a man named Ike Clanton.
Ike Clanton's a one-man riot.
He was a notorious man.
Not a man you wanted to offend.
There better be a good reason I'm here.
It all depends on you, Ike.
There was a stagecoach robbery a few days back.
Two men are dead.
Judging by the tracks, I'd say there were three men.
You think I did it?
No. Wells Fargo is offering
a $3,600 reward for their arrest.
You give me the three names,
I'll give you the $3,600.
If anyone were to find out...
and I mean anyone...
No one will find out.
I give you my word.
Leonard, Head, and Crane.
Narrator: Armed with names of the men responsible for the robbery,
Wyatt Earp sets off to track them down.
Four hundred miles away...
Lincoln County Sheriff Pat Garrett
is about to begin a manhunt of his own.
Where the hell did Billy get the guns?
Mark Lee Gardner: Pat Garrett has two reactions
when he sees this horrible jailbreak...
one reaction is tremendous anger.
Another reaction is tremendous guilt.
Pat Garrett knew Billy was ruthless
and would stop at nothing to escape.
I think he felt like he was partly responsible
for those murders.
Catron: How do you think it is that you got elected sheriff
of Lincoln County?
Because you're a popular man?
Some kind of great success?
People of Lincoln County didn't elect you, Sheriff...
I did.
I found him once, I'll find him again.
Try not to lose him this time.
Trust me, I won't.
Narrator: Prominent businessman Thomas Catron knows
in order for business to grow in the West,
he needs to stop Billy the Kid
once and for all.
And this time Pat Garrett's not taking any chances,
because he's not out to arrest Billy,
he's out to kill him.
Narrator: After Jesse James' first train robbery
in three years is a failure,
he knows he needs to make some changes
if he's going to continue his life of crime.
Eisenbach: With Jesse James, it's like all these movies.
These guys go into retirement,
they need a little money, and they're like,
"Oh, one more job."
That is Jesse James.
The train's gonna come around a nice tight bend,
then it goes up a ridge, which is nice,
'cause it's gotta slow down considerable right here.
That's gonna give us the time we need.
Narrator: Jesse begins picking his targets more carefully
and hires a new gang member to help him
pull off the heist...
fellow Missourian Charley Ford.
There's something about Charley Ford that Jesse liked.
I don't know what it was.
And Charley Ford liked Jesse.
Ed Harris: There was a certain code of honor.
I think a certain loyalty was probably built
into a lot of relationships,
because you really needed to have somebody watching your back,
you know, somebody you could trust.
You stay in your seats, and you will have
a nice story to tell your friends.
Get up, move around,
and you probably will not be talking to them.
Narrator: After a string of successful robberies,
Jesse James reestablishes himself
as one of the most dangerous criminals in the West.
What did I tell you about bringing strangers around here?
This is my brother Robert, the one I told you about.
It's a pleasure to meet you.
How old are you?
Twenty, nearly twenty.
How many men you killed?
I'm asking you, not your brother.
None.
I got no use for him.
Jesse, he's my brother.
I-I trust him more than anyone I know.
We're low on whiskey.
Did you hear what I just said?
Jesse needs an extra man
because he has a bank robbery planned in Platte City.
So he's willing to accept this young Bob Ford,
who's Charley's brother, 'cause Jesse liked Charley Ford,
and I'm sure that Charley vouched for Bob.
Narrator: With another gang member on board,
Jesse James starts planning his next heist.
Over a thousand miles to the west,
one man continues to crack down on crime in his town.
For the past four months,
Wyatt Earp and his brothers Virgil and Morgan
have been on the hunt for three outlaws
involved in a deadly stagecoach robbery.
But to catch the men,
Wyatt has brought in more muscle...
Two for me, Wyatt.
...a famed gambler and notorious gunman
named Doc Holliday.
- Oh, boy. - My heart's broken.
Kirschner: Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp
met in Dodge City.
They had been friends for a long time.
So Doc turns up in Tombstone as well
and was very close to the Earps.
Narrator: Wyatt plans to ride out
with Doc and his brothers
to confront the men responsible.
But before Wyatt can take them down,
the three suspects turn up dead.
Kirschner: Wyatt wanted to solve the murders,
only the perpetrators got caught in another showdown
and were killed.
Narrator: With the suspects dead,
in Wyatt's mind, the case is closed.
All right, boys, poker's the game.
$10 to get in.
What can I do ya for, Morgan?
All right, I'll take two.
Damn it, I fold.
Surprise, surprise.
We need to talk.
What do you want?
I gave you three names.
I want my $3,600.
The $3,600
was for the reward.
The three names you gave me wound up dead.
I took a big risk giving up those names.
I know you did.
If I had the money, I'd give it to you.
But I don't.
That's not my problem.
It's not mine, either.
I told you don't cross me!
I heard you the first time.
I think we both know you're not gonna do
a damn thing about it.
Get the hell outta here.
Kirschner: Ike was caught in the middle.
And he was afraid that if anybody knew
that he had this deal with Wyatt Earp,
his name would be mud,
because loyalty was everything at the frontier.
Narrator: With Ike Clanton looking to make good on his threat,
Wyatt Earp realizes
he's made a new enemy in Tombstone.
Shall we resume, boys?
Narrator: For the last four years,
Lakota leader Sitting Bull and his people
have been following the northern buffalo herd in Canada
after being forced from their native lands
in the United States.
Following the death of Crazy Horse
at the hands of the U.S. Army,
Sitting Bull is one of the few remaining leaders of the Lakota.
And now, after a brutal winter,
his people are facing a crisis.
( speaking native language )
Sitting Bull realizes he has no choice
but to lead his people back to America...
and agree to live on the reservation.
Larry Pourier: I just feel like he had to have known
this isn't gonna get better.
Any respectful man who loves his wife and his children,
that's what they're gonna do.
Narrator: Upon his arrival to the U.S.,
Sitting Bull, like thousands of Indians,
is forced to assimilate to the white man's ways.
Pourier: He was adjusting to the reservation life,
not that he liked it,
but there was a certain acceptance, I guess.
I don't think anyone that was born in a teepee,
that was living the last part of their life on a reservation...
I don't know how anyone could've been happy.
Narrator: Knowing that things would never go back
to the way they were,
Sitting Bull believes there may be one way
to preserve some of the Lakota culture.
In 1885, Sitting Bull leaves his reservation
to join Buffalo Bill Cody's famous Wild West Show.
Andrew Isenberg: Buffalo Bill started portraying himself onstage.
It was kind of a combination of a rodeo
and performances.
And one of the very savvy things
that Buffalo Bill did was that he would bring
real Native Americans along in the show
and they would perform,
and they would kind of reenact battles.
It was wildly popular in the 1880s and 1890s in the United States.
Karl Jacoby: Why would someone like Sitting Bull
agree to join the Wild West Show?
There seems to have been a couple of reasons for this.
For a lot of the Lakota who are on the reservations,
they're being exposed to these tremendous efforts
to Americanize them, right?
To destroy their culture.
The Wild West Show is one of the few ways
that they can actually maintain
at least a fragment of traditional culture
and demonstrate their skill as horsemen
and their skill and bravery as warriors.
Narrator: While Sitting Bull begins touring the country...
another legend of the West
is gaining notoriety once again.
My name is Jesse James, and I trust you know who I am.
Narrator: With a new gang by his side,
Jesse James has successfully pulled off
a series of train heists.
But his actions are gaining more attention than ever.
Gardner: For Missouri, for the governors and for the bankers,
it's not good when people call your state the Robber State.
That doesn't really recruit business.
That doesn't recruit land buyers.
It's a stain on your state.
So they want to get beyond that.
Narrator: The railroad companies
reach out to the governor of Missouri
to put an end to Jesse's spree,
offering a $5,000 reward for his capture.
You wanna explain to me what in the hell took you so long?
We came as quick as we could.
Anybody see you?
No. No... no one.
Sit down.
Narrator: With a new bounty on his head,
Jesse goes into hiding.
And he knows if he's going to stay away from the law,
he needs to keep his two newest gang members close to him.
Jesse was the most paranoid of any of the gang members.
He'd become very suspicious,
and you can't really blame him.
I think that the Ford boys,
he could keep an eye on them and make sure
that everything is normal, the way it should be.
All right, this bounty that's on my head,
it's now on all of our heads.
You understand what I'm sayin'?
I understand.
Yeah.
Narrator: As a man with a price on his head,
it's becoming hard for Jesse to tell
who he can trust.
( patrons chattering)
Narrator: After escaping jail,
Billy the Kid is enjoying life
as a fugitive.
He never, ever for a second thought he was gonna be caught.
And if he was caught, what would he do?
He would escape, because he was always escaping.
And he had a sense that he had a charmed life
and that there was nothing that could ever touch him,
and, you know, he's 20 years old.
I mean, he's got that sense of immortality.
Gardner: Every friend he encounters tells him,
"Billy, Pat Garrett is a different kind of sheriff.
He is not going to stop hunting you.
You can flee now, go to Mexico.
Nobody's gonna look for you in Mexico.
Get out of the territory."
But he insisted on staying in that Fort Sumner area,
that part of eastern New Mexico.
Narrator: But what Billy doesn't realize
is that Lincoln County Sheriff Pat Garrett
has been tracking him for the last three months.
The killing of two deputies changes everything,
and Garrett engages
in a massive manhunt for Billy the Kid.
Narrator: After hearing rumors that Billy may be in Fort Sumner,
Pat Garrett uses his knowledge of the land
to track the young outlaw to a ranch outside of town.
Stay here. I'm gonna go look around.
You know, for the average citizen,
Billy the Kid is very horrifying...
I mean, that he's on the loose,
so there's tremendous pressure on Pat Garrett as the sheriff
to get Billy, kill him, capture him, get it done.
Hutton: Billy the Kid's just incredibly charming,
but he's also deadly, and he can just turn on a dime.
And that smile could fade and that pistol would come out.
Qué es?
Who's there?
Narrator: Billy the Kid is dead at 21 years old.
But in death, a kid from New York City
becomes a legend of the American West.
Eisenbach: Billy the Kid is just that... he was a kid.
He was a kid caught up in something
that he couldn't control, without any deeper ambition
than just to survive
in this jungle.
Gardner: Billy lived in a very, very violent world.
And the way he responded was sensational.
And then the way he died made him legendary.
Chamberlain: The newspapers pick up on the story.
There are books written about him.
He became what he did
because he embodies the idea of freedom.
Sutherland: When you take a look at the dime novels
that were so successful back East,
it was always the David against the Goliath
that was the most exciting.
Billy the Kid was so attractive in that context.
Here was this very small, you know, unassuming kid.
But if you tried to take advantage of him, you'd pay for it.
And there was a great romance in that.
Narrator: The death of Billy the Kid marks the end of an era.
But while one ruthless outlaw may be gone,
the violence in the West is far from over.
Narrator: After Wyatt Earp refuses to give Ike Clanton
a $3,600 bounty...
the notorious cowboy is out for revenge.
You're a dead man, Earp!
Wyatt!
You're a dead man!
Collier: Ike Clanton is not happy with Earp.
So he walked around that morning pretty much letting everybody know
that he was going to kill them.
Virgil!
Morgan!
You're dead men!
Narrator: To back up his threats,
Clanton enlists the help of his fellow gang members.
It's Ike. He's in town.
Wyatt, he's drunker than hell.
Going around telling everyone he's coming to kill you
and your brothers.
Where's he at?
Last place I saw him was over on Fremont.
Does he have anyone else with him?
Four, maybe five guys.
Collier: There was a lot of anxiety and tension.
And it was brewing, you could feel it.
You knew something was gonna happen.
You knew something was going down that day.
Narrator: By bringing their guns into Tombstone,
Clanton's gang knows they are provoking a fight.
What do you want to do, Wyatt?
Go get me Doc Holliday.
Yes, sir.
Isenberg: Ike Clanton has been talking all around town
about what they're gonna do to Wyatt.
The Earps make the decision to walk down there
and confront these guys.
The way to understand men in this period
is an honor culture.
You have to be willing to meet
any challenge to your honor with violence,
otherwise you're a coward.
Narrator: Wyatt Earp is headed to a showdown with Ike Clanton
at the O.K. Corral.
Kirschner: The sight of the three Earp brothers
and Doc Holliday marching down the dusty streets of Tombstone
to confront the cowboys at the O.K. Corral
has burned into our mythology.
Give us your guns.
( clicks )
Throw up your hands.
I'm not gonna ask again.
(gunfire )