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McCallin's Daughter Recap

A young girl, Debby McCallin, rides into Porter and goes to the sheriff's office. Ralph is there and Hoby isn't, and Debby asks Ralph if he can stop a robbery before someone gets killed. The deputy doesn't take her seriously, and Debby admits that she doesn't know where or when the robbery will take place. She says that it will take place real soon, and the robber is her father Bart.

Ralph takes Debby to the newspaper office where Hoby and Henrietta are. Debby tells them her story and says that he has to stop his father. She says that Bart is wonderful, but there are two men making him doing it. Debby doesn't know who the two men are or has ever seen them before they busted into her father. Her mother Janet was scared, but Bard calmly sent Debby away. Debby listens at the door and heard them say that they were going to rob someone. She asks Hoby to stop it, and he sends her with Ralph to the café while he talks to Bart.

Hoby rides out to the McCallin farm and asks for Bart. A nervous Janet tells him that Bart isn't home, and Hoby says that he'd like to hear from her. He asks about the two men, and Janet angrily says that Hoby has no cause to bully them. She insists that they don’t need any help, and Hoby says that Bart told him differently. Janet is surprised to learn that Debby is in Porter, and Hoby relates Debby's story. After a moment, the woman tells him that when Bart got out of the Confederate Army, he swore that he wouldn't take up arms against anyone. She insists that Bart wouldn't do anything wrong, just as Ralph rides up. Ralph tells Hoby that Sam Travers just made his way to Porter and he's badly shot up. The deputy also reports that Sam had $5,000 of cattle money and it's missing. Hoby sends Ralph out and asks Janet if she wants to tell him what's going on. She says nothing and Hoby leaves.

Dr. Aaron Hosper works on Sam, trying to save his life. People have heard what Debby claimed and suspect Bart was involved. Debby and Henrietta are outside the doctor's office, and Debby insists that her father wouldn't hurt anyone. Inside, Aaron tells Hoby that Sam may never talk. All Sam has said that he was bushwhacked ten miles outside of his ranch, and the robbers only got twenty dollar from him. Sam's foreman had deposited the money in the bank in that morning, Sam didn't see who did it but he saw that one of the robbers was wearing Confederate cavalry boots. The man knows of only man in Porter who wears them: Bart. Hoby explains that Bart's daughter is outside.

Hoby goes outside and tells Debby that Sam isn't dead. She asks about her father, insisting that Bart doesn't wear a gun, but Bart says that he'll have to find him. Bart rides into town and asks what's going on. Hoby explains that Sam was held up and shot, and the robber had cavalry boots... like the ones that Bart is wearing.

At the sheriff's office, Hoby questions Bart about where he's been. Bart won't tell him where he was or who the two men, but insists that he didn't rob Sam. When Debby begs him to tell Hoby everything, Bart angrily tells her to leave it up to him. She storms out and Bart tells Hoby that he has to live by his conscience. Hoby admits that he doesn't have proof to jail Bart but warns that if Sam dies then he'll come looking for him.

The news spreads through town quickly and banker Jeb Stevens demands that Hoby defend his position. At the Enterprise office, Jeb shows Hoby a telegram from Austin confirming that Bart served three years for attempted bank robbery before the War. Hoby already knows about it and points out that Bart has paid for his mistakes. Jeb says that he's going to form a citizens' committee to deal with Bart. Once the banker leaves, Henrietta figures that the robbers will try again. Aaron comes in and tells Hoby that Sam just died.

At his home, Bart straps on his gun over Janet's objections. He says that he has to do what needs to be done and it's too late to start over, and walks out. As he rides out, he spots Hoby riding back to the house. Hoby questions Janet and advises her not to hold back information with the town stored up. She finally tells Hoby that one of the two men was Rave, Bart's brother, who got Bart into trouble. He came there with his accomplice, Praeger. The two of them were running from the law and needs supplies and money. Bart gave them food and a place in the hills to hide, but they had no money to give. Janet insists that Bart didn't rob Sam to get the money, but Hoby isn't convinced and leaves. As Hoby rides back to Porter, Bart watches him go.

That night, Ralph is leaving the sheriff's office and sees Bart on the other side of the street. The deputy ducks out of sight as two men ride into town and Bart approaches them. When Bart lights up a cigarette, one of the men yanks the cigarette out of his mouth for his own and rides on.

Debby rides into Porter and knocks at the sheriff's office. Nobody answers.

Ralph gets the citizens' committee together, and Jeb complains that Hoby isn't in Porter. The banker promises to shoot Bart himself, and points out that Sam is dead. Henrietta insists that whatever they do is legal and proper. Debby comes in looking for Hoby, and tells Henrietta that Bart and the two men are going to rob the bank.

A man is setting a gunpowder charge on the bank vault. When Hoby steps out of the shadows, the man goes for his gun and Hoby is forced to kill him. The Ranger confirms that the dead man isn't Bart, and Jeb and the others come in. They see that the dead man has cavalry boots on, and Hoby explains that it's Praeger. He tells Debby that Bart had nothing to do with the robbery or Sam's death.

Hoby takes the others to Bart, who hands over his gun. As he hugs Debby, Henrietta demands an explanation. Hoby explains that he ran into Bart on the road, and Bart agrees to help him capture Rave and Praeger. Bart tells Henrietta that Hoby convinced him that he had to become his brother's keeper, and Debby thanks Hoby for his help.

Written by Gadfly on Mar 19, 2017

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