Lawman Season 2, Episode 21: The Thimblerigger

Lily

Lily Merrill opens the Bird Cage Saloon after being thrown out of Billings, Montana by the sheriff. Dan hears she was involved in a theft/murder, she assumes he wants to be paid off. Dan, of course, refuses money. Both seem surprised that their opinions are wrong, but Dan is still suspicious. One of her dealers again causes trouble, and she looks guilty. There are several mistakes made by Dan (unusual for him) regarding her innocence until the very last scene, where they gain lasting respect for one another.

30 min

The Hunch

An alcoholic is identified by the man he supposedly robbed the night before, and can't deny it because he was drunk. Even though he is identified as the robber, Dan has ""a hunch"" that he is being set up.

Shackled

While guarding a prison wagon, Johnny is attacked by a prisoner after the wagon is set upon and overturned. He shackles himself to the prisoner immediately, and then has to avoid being killed.

30 min

The Exchange

When Lily's estranged ex-con husband, Frank, comes to town she avoids telling Dan who the man is. Dan's suspicious of him- and with good cause. He's holding their son, Tommy, as a hostage to force Lily to help him rob the bank. She tries to handle the matter alone while keeping Dan from finding out anything, which only makes him more suspicious.

30 min

The Last Man

When an army officer comes to Laramie to try to establish an unfair treaty with the Indians, a white man who has been assimilated into the tribe tries to kill him.

30 min

The Breakup

Once again Johnny resigns, after being forced to kill an old friend. Dan hires another deputy, but he's no Johnny McKay. He is bombastic and cowardly, pushing people to throw his weight around, but not really wanting to have to fight. Finally, after the new deputy gets scared half to death, Johnny takes his job back.

30 min

Shadow Witness

When Beth, a girl who works in the Bird Cage, is murdered, the killer is seen by Oren, an old man with very thick glasses. The glasses are broken as the killer rushes out the door, leaving him dazed and nearly blind. Dan sets a trap, insisting that Oren saw the whole thing and can identify the killer as soon as he gets his new glasses.

30 min

The Prodigal

Dan and Johnny help Timmo's estranged son to overcome years of bad association and feelings of neglect.

30 min

The Press

Lal Hoard gets out of prison and heads for Laramie. Dan had put him away, and he swore revenge. Now, Lily and Johnny are worried, but Hoard seems to have changed. He has bought the Laramie newspaper and wants to settle down. It doesn't take long to see that he is starting a smear campaign against Dan, and then tries to blackmail Lily.

30 min

9:05 to North Platte

Pa Jutes and his sons hold Lily Merrill and a young newsboy hostage in the marshall's office until the 9:05 train to North Platte comes through. It's carrying another of his sons who's being taken to justice by another lawman, and Pa wants to make a 'trade'.

30 min

The Hoax

Two grifters come to town claiming to be there to raise money to rebuild the church in Laramie after it burns down. In reality, they plan to take the money and run.

The Shelter

A nightime rainstorm forces Dan and Johnny, who are escorting a prisoner, to seek shelter in a cabin. It is lived in by Jack Brace, a thief and a murderer, and his slave, an Indian woman. She tries to warn Dan about Jack, who joins with the prisoner to overpower the two lawmen. The Indian woman helps them as they are being forced to dig their own graves.

30 min

Last Stop

Bill Jennings and his fiancee', Amie, are about to be married. But then Bill's stepson, Gabe, shows up, full of anger and vengeance over the fact that Bill deserted his mother and him years before. Even though Bill knows that in truth, his ex-wife left him - and Gabe is not really his son- he tries to protect the boy from the facts.

30 min

The Showdown

A gunman shows up wanting vengeance against Lance Creedy, a gunfighter who changed for the better when he married his wife. The gunman is convinced that Lance stole his 'woman' from him.

30 min

The Stranger

An older man comes to town to avenge his son's killing by Dan Troop. Although Dan was doing his duty, the father hears a local bigmouth talking about how his son was just a fun-loving boy and Dan Troop killed him without cause. In this episode, it's Johnny who has to come to the rescue as the man is determined to kill Dan.

30 min

The Wolfer

Pike Reese, a wolfer, tells everyone he's caught a wolf who has been stalking and ravaging the area's livestock. He then tries to blackmail the town for $10,000, or he'll let the wolf go. After one of the townspeople kills the wolf to prevent that from happening, he is found dead. Dan goes after the wolfer.

30 min

The Hardcase

Beth Denning, a somewhat wild girl, seems to stir up trouble wherever she goes. Raised by a lazy father in a filthy cabin, she can't seem to break out of the mold. Dan, knowing that a cattle drive is coming into town, lays down the law to both her father and to her, warning them to not cause any more trouble in Laramie. When Beth is found beat up and near death after a scene at the Bird Cage, the town is ready to lynch an innocent young man until Beth comes out of her coma to identify the real culprit.

30 min

To Capture the West

Artist Frederick Jameson comes to town. Lily impresses him and he offers to paint her portrait. Meanwhile, a murderous gang is on his trail, and he and his Indian companion both seem to know why, although Dan and Johnny do not.

30 min

The Ugly Man

Lily is threatened in an alley at night by a man calling himself ""the ugly man"". He seems to know all about her and accuses her of deceit and lies (although she is sure she doesn't know him) and he promises to kill her at midnight on some night soon. Dan and Johnny begin a constant vigil, one or the other being with her 24 hours a day until they can track down a man with no name and no face. Finally, one of the girls who works in the saloon discloses a secret that unlocks the mystery.

30 min

The Kids

Three kids ride into town, take a shot at Dan, and ride out. He and Johnny pursue them, catch them, and bring them in, in spite of being clawed and bitten in the process. Lily refuses to let him put the little girl, Dodie, in jail and takes her to the Bird Cage. None of the kids will tell Dan anything about who they are, but he soon learns that their father is a wanted outlaw, and they want to go live with him rather than their Uncle Lou.

30 min

The Truce

Dan has to get a prisoner away from the posse that is after him and to safety in jail so the man can apply for a pardon from the governor, whose life he saved during the war.

30 min

Reunion in Laramie

Pianist Reed Smith drank to forget the war. He's conquered the drinking problem, but not the men who are trying to get him because of things he did that they can't forget. The reunion takes place at the Bird Cage Saloon in Laramie.

30 min

Thirty Minutes

In this show, which really is about 30 minutes in the town's life, bad guy (really bad guy) Jake Wilson (Jack Elam) comes to town. At 2:30, he goes into the BirdCage and is soon recognized by a young man, whom he kills right before he shoots Johnny. Then, when Dan hears the shots, Jake engages in a hostage situation, telling Dan he's killed his deputy and will kill his girlfriend unless Dan clears the streets, gets him his horse, and lets him ride out. Shot twice, once by Johnny before he got hit, and once by Dan, Wilson is wounded, in pain, scared, and beligerent (Jack Elam at his best). He terrorizes Lily and the others before the final shootout, which takes place almost on the stroke of 3:00.

30 min

Left Hand of the Law

A man whose arm has been amputated because of a shootout with Marshall Troop some time back comes back to town, convinced his son will kill Dan for him. But his son is reluctant to do so.

30 min

Belding's Girl

Meg Belding leaves home at 21, away from her verbally and physically abusive father. Lily gives her a job at the Bird Cage, and he tracks her down, threatening to beat her. A kind man she meets protects her, and soon they want to get married. Her father objects. Dan and Lily have to run interference for her.

Girl from Grantsville

In this angsty, nearly depressing episode, Johnny falls in love with a young girl in town, Jenny Miles. Dan and Lily have some objections, but they don't say anything. Jenny turns out to be a flirt who is in love with someone else, and Johnny keeps protecting her from him thinking he's trying to hurt her. She's trying to get one of them to kill the other to prove how much they care about her.

The Surface of Truth

A ruthless trapper is just as brutal with his Indian wife, whom he kills in a rage. When her tribe finds out, they want justice, and Dan has to be the mediator.

Salvation of Owny O'Reilly

Joel Grey makes his first of 3 appearances in this series as Owny O'Reilly. In this show, as a young tough, he gets into trouble in town while his brother, Jack, is escaping from a payroll robbery. Jack's partner, Samson, throws the money in a well, and Owny finds it. He keeps it, then starts acting nice to people so they won't suspect anything. Lily befriends him and gives him a job. In the end, Jack and Samson are caught, and Owny is considered completely rehabilitated.

The Lady Belle

Lady Belle Smythe comes to town to case the bank for her gang to rob. The menfolk in town are taken with her, but she insults Lily's dress after her song in the saloon, and after that Lily is convinced she's a phoney. The problem is trying to convince Dan she's right.

30 min

The Payment

Ron Fallon, a former gunman with a useless hand, comes to town wanting to help out the woman he loves, Judith Manning. However, her son believes that Ron killed his father and wants to pay back the favor, not knowing that, in reality, the gunman is his father. As usual, Dan ends up having to intercede.

The Judge

Dan and Johnny take a posse and go after a murderous thief who is called 'The Actor'. When a posse member is shot, Johnny takes him back to town, while Dan stays on the trail. Later, Dan is shot and left for dead. He's found by two sisters who take him back to their cabin to care for him. One of them is married to a circuit judge who happens to be 'The Actor'.

Man on a Wire

The 'Black Hand' was a secret criminal society, esp. of Italians, organized for blackmail and deeds of violence during the last decade of the 1800's. Now, in Laramie, two trapeze artists are being blackmailed, and they believed that they had escaped from the 'Black Hand' by coming to America.

The Parting

A wanted man wants to turn himself in to Dan Troop, but wants the reward money given to Jennie, the woman he loves, so she can go to Chicago and get medical treatment. She is terminally ill, but doesn't want him to know. He will get a life sentence for his crimes, but doesn't want her to know. At their 'parting', they make a promise to each other to meet later, but both know they won't be able to keep it.

The Swamper

An alcoholic, Jim Phelan,is a swamper who is offered a bribe to help make a bank robbery possible. He wants to, but with a condition which involves his unpolished daughter, Ellie.

Man on a Mountain

A deputy who wants to make a name for himself is trying to find an old friend of Dan's, accusing him of a crime that he himself committed. Dan, once again, has to step in to right the wrong.

Fast Trip to Cheyenne

Dan races against the clock to bring evidence to save an innocent man from being hanged in Cheyenne. Someone is obviously sabotaging his efforts, and Dan must apprehend whoever is doing so before he can get to Cheyenne.

30 min