The Night of the Cut-throats - Recap

Jim is on a stagecoach heading to the town of New Athens., Wyoming. Also aboard, is a salesman named Hogan, an older woman, and a man named Mike Trayne. Masked robbers ride up on the stagecoach, wound the guard, and order the stagecoach to a halt. They force the passengers out and, when one of them tries to rob the woman, Jim knocks him out and shoots another with his derringer. Trayne disposes of the third one with his cane. As Jim goes to help the guard, the surviving robbers ride away. Trayne congratulates Jim on his efforts and escorts the lady back into the coach, while Jim replaces the wounded guard.



The stagecoach finally arrives in New Athens, and many of the townspeople are moving out of town. Trayne escorts the lady to the hotel while Hogan wonders why the people are leaving town. Jim doesn’t have an answer and goes to see Sheriff Koster, who is busy eating in his office. He tells Jim that everyone is leaving town because of wild rumors that a group of ex-cons have drifted into the territory and are camped outside of New Athens. Koster doesn’t plan to do anything about the situation, and a disgusted Jim leaves.

Next, Jim goes to the saloon. Artie is there, disguised as Joe the piano player. He asks his partner about Mason and Cole, and Artie admits that Arthur Mason is rumored to be dead and Arthur Cole is expected back that afternoon on Pembroke Road. The owner, Sally Yarnell, comes out and tells Artie to play something lively. Trayne comes and nods to Sally, who is clearly shocked to see him. She goes back upstairs to her room and Trayne nods to two of the locals. They greet him by name and welcome him home, and Trayne goes to the bar and buys a glass of his exclusive brand. Jim and Artie watch Trayne, who complains that people are staring. The bartender says that they’re shocked that he came back, but Trayne says that it’s his hometown and then tells the bartender to clear the room. He complies and everyone quickly gets out except the two men who greeted him, Jim, and Artie



Artie strikes up a tune and the bartender comes over to tell Jim that the bar is closed. Jim refuses to leave and orders a whiskey. Trayne gestures to the two locals, who come over and tell Jim to get out. He quickly subdues them while Sally watches from above, and then goes to the bar and chats with Trayne. Trayne offers him a drink of his best brand and they introduce themselves. Jim then refuses the drink and walks away, and Trayne pour the whiskey out on the floor. He looks up and sees Sally, and asks Artie to play her favorite song. Sally looks at Trayne for a moment and then ducks back out of sight.

Jim rides out to Pembroke Road to meet with Cole at his home. A man comes around the side of the house and Jim addresses him as Cole. Cole says that he just got back and admits that Mason never showed up. Jim offers him a cigar and he accepts, and the agent asks Cole what he wanted to tell the Secret Service that he wouldn’t put into a letter. Cole confirms that Mason never sent his suspicions to the Secret Service, then picks up a sickle and attacks Jim. Jim takes him down and then fights another man who comes out of the barn. The agent defeats him but the Cole imposter recovers and comes at him again. Jim knocks him back and he hits his head on an anvil, crushing his skull. The other man rides away and Artie arrives. Jim figures that the dead man murdered Cole and they find the spot where the killer buried Cole’s body. Artie tells his partner that there have been hardcases camped at Willow Creek, but none of them come into town or cause any trouble. He admits that the town has nothing of value since the mines closed down, and Jim figures the hardcases are waiting for a leader to arrive.



Jim rides back to town and finds some of the cutthroats dunking the mayor in a fire bucket. They tell the remaining townspeople to leave while they can. When Jim intervenes, the hardcases attack him. Artie rides up and comes to his partner’s assistance, and orders the ex-cons out at gunpoint. The men repeat their warning and ride off. The mayor, James Cassidy, insists that he’s fine. Koster shows up too late to do anything and Cassidy dismisses him as useless. The mayor tells the townspeople that as long they stand together, they’ll win. They wander off, less than convinced, and Jim introduces himself. As they talk, Trayne comes out on the balcony and Cassidy yells at him, saying that he’s the one who has organized the intruders. Trayne smiles and admits that he’s usually around when there’s trouble, and then goes back inside.



Jim and Artie go to Cassidy’s general store. The mayor explains that three years ago, Trayne was a big man in the town. He was engaged to Sally and bashed in the head of a man who flirted with him. The people of New Athens found him guilty and now he’s out of prison and back to get revenge. Cassidy knows Cole, who was disturbed about the cutthroats. The agents tell Cassidy that Cole is dead, and figure that Trayne sent his men to dispose of them. The mayor dismisses Koster as useless and figures that Trayne is bribing him to look the other way. Jim and Artie go to take out the cutthroats and ask Cassidy to keep the remaining townspeople in New Athens.

At the saloon, Trayne approaches Sally. She accuses him of scaring everyone out, but Trayne says that he wants everything the way it used to be, including the two of them. Artie comes over and asks her to sing, but Sally agrees to sit down with Trayne.



Jim sends a telegraph to Fort Savage requesting a cavalry charge. The clerk decides to leave but Jim has him send the message first. However, he discovers that the cutthroats have cut the lines.

That night, the telegraph operator spreads the word and more townspeople leave over Cassidy’s objections. His deputy Jeremiah tells him that it’s no use and it’ll take real men to defeat the cutthroats. Meanwhile, Jim and Artie are at the hotel. They hear someone at the door listening and yank it open. It’s Sally, who says that she’s frightened and that Trayne won’t let her leave. She asks for her help, and Artie points out that one of them will have to ride to Fort Savage. Artie agrees to go and take Sally with him. However, once they’re on the road, Sally draws a gun on Artie and says there’s been a change of plans. He points out that there’s no bullets in it and relieves her of the weapon. However, Trayne is waiting with his men and orders Artie to surrender.

Trayne takes Artie to his camp and ties him up. Sally has told him all about Jim and Artie. He admits that he killed Mason, and Artie wonders what he wants. Trayne plans to burn New Athens to the town, including all of the records, thus literally and figuratively erasing it from existence. Artie warns him that he might get more of a fight than he expects, but Trayne says that his partner in town has assured him there’ll be no resistance.



In town, Jim takes Koster to the general store for weapons and ammo, and prods the reluctant sheriff into helping.

Artie manages to rub his bonds on the wheel he’s tied to, freeing himself. He calls over a guard and kicks him unconscious, and then rigs a gunpowder bomb. Artie then lights the fuse and rides off.

The next morning, Jim, Koster, Cassidy, and Jeremiah set up a barricade. Artie rides in and tells them the army isn’t coming, and that Sally is working with Trayne. Koster is ready to give up but Jim orders him to prepare the barricades. The agents figure they need to conduct some psychological warfare and go to the general store to get the necessary tools. They create several makeshift cannons to fire nails. When Trayne and his cutthroats ride into town, Cassidy ducks into the bank. Artie set off the cannons and Jim, Jeremiah, and Koster open fire. The cutthroats retreat momentarily and then come back for another try. This time, Artie uses a rake strung with lady’s garters to shoot firecrackers at them, unnerving the horses.



While the agents are distracted, Trayne circles behind them and goes to the bank. Cassidy is busy burning all of the records and tells him that he has to destroy the proper records so no one gets wise to the fact that he’s been embezzling from the bank. With the records destroyed, Trayne takes the blame and no one finds out about Cassidy. However, Trayne decides to renegotiate and keep it all for himself. Cassidy goes for his gun but Sally shoots him in the arm and Trayne smashes in his skull with his cane. They then go into the vault and search for the money. They find nothing and Sally remembers that Cassidy had a secret safe at his store.

Two of the cutthroats have snuck around and prepare to set the store on fire. While Trayne and Sally go around the back, Jim shoots the two men and returns his attention to the others. Meanwhile, Sally and Trayne get to the store and find the safe hidden behind a mirror. Trayne sets off the booby-trapped door with a rake and they load up the embezzled bank funds.

The injured Cassidy staggers out of the bank and collapses in the street outside of the store. He tries to shoot into the store and dies of his wounds. Jim sees him, goes into the bank, and realizes what happened. Since Cassidy was firing into the store, Jim runs in and discovers the opened safe and a charred bill. He spots their horses outside the saloon and goes inside.



Trayne and Sally are packing to leave, and Trayne tells her that he’s decided to leave New Athens alone. He figures that Sally knew about the rigged safe and was willing to let him die so she could have it all herself. She tries to seduce Trayne, and Jim busts in. A shot breaks the window and Trayne take advantage of the distraction to head out the door. Jim wounds him and Trayne turns back to attack him. After a brief fight, Trayne goes over the balcony and crashes to the floor, dead. Artie arrives to tell Jim that they’ve taken care of the cutthroats.



Later, Koster is cleaning up his office when Jim and Artie come to say their goodbyes. Koster admits that he might be able to live with himself now.

The agents get to the Wanderer and take off. Artie is practicing the piano as they discuss how greed got Trayne and Cassidy dead and Sally in prison for ten years. Jim is less than impressed by Artie’s playing.

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