"The Other Face of Justice"

(Original air date 03/31/69)
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The Barkleys convince a former sheriff to fill in for wounded Fred Madden,
unaware of his nighttime raids with marauders

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Writer: Don Ingalls

Director: Virgil W. Vogel

Smoke billowing in the sky leads Heath and Nick to discover another victim of the raiders spreading terror in the valley. Sheriff Madden quickly forms a posse hoping to pick up the trail but regrettably they return to town empty handed.
A lone rider passes through town; his face registering with Nick as former Stockton sheriff Harry Bodine (James Gregory). They follow the lawman to the cemetery where he goes pay his respect to his late wife. After a brief reminiscence, they invite him to dinner at the ranch.


Nick recalls some of Harry’s most memorable heroics as Victoria wonders if he is in town to stay and whether or not he intends to run for sheriff again. Harry admits to being a simple rancher and that he has no desire to return to his former job. He does accept Victoria’s gracious invitation to lodge at the house for a few days.
Deputy sheriff Billy Norris (Johnny Crawford) rides out to the ranch to inform the Barkleys of a shooting occurring at Fred Madden’s house. Harry reacts to the kid saying that he recognized one of the gang’s horses.
Billy is ecstatic to meet his idol Harry Bodine. It would be an honor if the former lawman would ride the posse with the men. The offer is tempting but Harry turns it down, stating that this part of his life is over.
While the posse is riding the trail, Harry admits having regrets of having turned his back on the boys, but explains to Victoria that he wants no part of being a lawman anymore. When his dear wife died he decided to quit the business and turn rancher.


Later on he drops Victoria at Sheriff Madden’s on his way to run an errand. Fred (Douglas Kennedy) confides in Victoria his suspicion of Harry’s brief stay in Stockton to visit his wife’s grave, reason being that he never struck him as a sentimental man. He suspects an ulterior motive.


Meanwhile the posse presses on. Heath parts with Nick to check out a spot in the mountains. Alone on his horse he gets shot in the side.


Victoria and Harry return to the ranch to find Nick sitting with his injured brother. Fortunately the bullet wound is not life-threatening; nevertheless Harry feels responsible for this incident, stating that he could have prevented it had he agreed to join the posse.
Nick tries to reason with a repentant Harry that he is not to blame and that the raids had been going on way before he rode into Stockton. After mulling it over Harry finally agrees to pin on the sheriff badge and ride with the men in search of the raiders.
He goes into town to meet with his young partner Billy who presents him with the old rifle he once lost during a fight with outlaws. Harry is moved by Billy’s gift and promises to live up to the stories Nick used to relate about his exploits.


Harry leaves Billy to tend the office while he goes meet with his cohorts hidden in the mountains. His right-hand man Sam Jester (Don Knight) is happy to see the sheriff badge pinned on Harry’s chest, knowing this will make their job much easier. Harry agrees but seeing how they didn’t succeed in killing Madden and that Billy recognized his Pinto, they will need to proceed very carefully.
They continue on to their campside where Harry’s girl, Rosa (Margarita Cordova) welcomes him with outstretched arms. She is anxious of living the good life in Mexico with the man of her dreams, but to achieve that goal they will need to extort money from the wealthiest family in the valley: The Barkleys.
Harry returns to the ranch to find Heath buried under paperwork. Again he offers to drive Victoria to Sherrif Madden’s to make sure she gets there unscathed.


At night Harry informs Sam of his plan to kidnap Victoria Barkley for ransom. He’ll make sure every available man is part of the posse in order to clear the way for Sam to abduct the matriarch.
He gets the surprise of his life when the next day at the ranch he sees Victoria. In town Sam tells him that he waited all day for her but that she apparently took the back road. Billy gets a glimpse of the two men conversing in the shadows and seeing how Sam’s face appears familiar, he takes out posters of wanted men to confirm his suspicion.


The next day the posse resumes the search for the raiders. At some point Harry parts with them to go over to the main house where he meets with Victoria. Minutes later Billy rides to the house to fill his boss in on his startling finding about Sam Jester.
Harry’s cohorts catch up with Victoria’s wagon. She is not surprised by Harry’s admission of being one of the raiders and wanting to kidnap her for ransom. Sheriff Madden told her all about the girl he was seeing while his poor wife was dying, proving he is no sentimental man. She wanted to believe he was genuinely mourning her lost but now she doesn’t.


As she alights from the wagon, she slides Harry’s gun from his holster. In the fight to gain possession of the weapon, a shot is fired, hitting Sam in the arm.
Billy brings the ransom note that was left in the wagon to the Barkleys. He tells them of the wanted man Harry was conversing with right outside the sheriff’s office and that in all likelihood Harry is part of that gang.


At their campsite the raiders get ready to move down to Sonora where they intend to keep Victoria until the ransom money is delivered. Victoria has trouble understanding the reason why his friend took the bad road when he was such a respected lawman. Harry deplored being a sheriff and having to risk his life on a daily basis for a meagre salary, hence the reason why he turned to this life of crime. When his wife was dying he couldn’t afford the expensive medical treatments that could have saved her life and that is one of the main reasons he’s always resented the filthy rich Barkleys.
The raiders ride away unaware that Nick, Heath and the rest of the posse have picked up their trail thanks to Victoria’s handkerchief that she was careful to drop on the ground.


Seeing how they are being followed, Harry decides to sidetrack to a ghost town where gunfire erupts between the two camps, ending with Harry and many of his men shot dead.
Days later Fred is back on the job and Victoria drops by the cemetery to put flowers on Harry’s wife’s grave.



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