At the club, a parcel for Yancy comes in marked "Urgent." Francine checks it and discovers that it's from Liberty, Missouri. She takes it out to Waverly where Colorado Charlie is visiting. The parcel contains a newspaper clipping about how Wayne Raven is on trial for murder after a train robbery. There's also a deformed coin inside, and Yancy explains that it means trouble and he has Pahoo tell Obadiah to pack their things. He then tells Francine to send a telegram to Wayne that he's on his way.
As the Sultana heads up-river, Charlie asks Yancy what's going on. Yancy tells him that the coni saved his life after it deflected a bullet, and the miniball knocked him in the river. Wayne leaped into the river to save him, and stayed with him when a Union patrol came by. Charlie points out that the newspaper was two years old, and Captain Tom hands over a telegram that arrived. The trial is over and Wayne was found guilty. The sender, Sally Snow, warns that Yancy is in danger, and says that she will meet Yancy at the Union Hotel in St. Louis. Yancy has no idea who Sally is.
The trio arrives at the hotel, and Sally greets them. She says that they have to get to the depot because they're hanging Wayne in two days. They leave and Jesse's man Hancock, watching them, heads to the telegraph office.
The train heads west and Ike sits down near where Yancy and Charlie are playing poker. Sally points out Hancock and says that she's seen him around Liberty and he's a member of the James gang. Yancy asks what happened to Wayne, and Sally says that the James gang held up the train outside of Liberty and took an Army payroll. They killed a conductor, and one of the bandits was hit. Someone tipped off Sheriff Peterson that Wayne was part of the gang, and they found Wayne at home wounded with a small part of the payroll. Sally says that Jesse James planted the payroll, and Charlie talks about how he met James and his brother Frank out in Kansas. The woman figures that James knows Yancy is coming to help.
The train slows down at Harristown, where it doesn't stop because it's a through train. Ike goes for his gun and fires, and Yancy and Charlie duck for cover. The gang fires from the train depot, and Pahoo takes out the parlor car lights. Yancy and Charlie fire at the gang, and Pahoo kills one man as he breaks into the car. After two of their men are killed, the gang has enough and rides off.
Later, the train pulls into Liberty and the quartet ride into town past a gallows. Yancy and Pahoo go to the jail where Peterson and Ike--wearing a marshal's badge--are sitting. Peterson introduce Ike from Virginia City, Nevada. Ike explains that he's the eyewitness in the case, and Yancy says that he came to stop the hanging and replace Wayne with the real killer, Jesse. Ike tells him not to waste his time, and he was on the train and shot Wayne. When Yancy suggests otherwise, Ike takes offense and Yancy tells him that he'd have died trying to draw on him. When Ike goes for his gun, Pahoo draws his shotgun on him. Yancy asks to see the prisoner, and Peterson agrees as Ike storms off.
In Wayne's cell, Wayne says that he knew Yancy would have come. Wayne insists that he's innocent and nobody but Sally and Yancy believe him. Yancy explains that the James gang attacked them and somehow they intercepted the telegram Yancy sent to Wayne. He figures that Ike is a spy for Jesse, and Wayne explains that Jesse swore that Wayne and Sally never would get married. The payroll was $80,000, and Yancy figures that the railroad detectives will drop the case if Wayne dies. Wayne explains that the after noon before the robbery, he was wounded cleaning his gun. The doctor is on the shady side and probably told Jesse, and he was killed by a train the day after they arrested Wayne. Yancy gives Wayne even money that he'll be cleared.
Yancy goes back to the street, and Charlie says that he found them quarters in the livery stable because Jesse has passed the word that no one is to help them. When Yancy asks if Charlie ever met Ike, Charlie says that they used to injun wrestle out in Nevada and they're friends. Yancy takes Charlie to the saloon and points out "Ike", and Ike asks if Wayne said where he hid the rest of the money. Ike says that he never saw Charlie before, and Charlie tells him that the Ike he knows was older, bigger, stronger, and smarter. Ike steps back and figures Charlie is looking for trouble. Charlie tells him that he's Frank, Jesses brother, and Yancy wings Frank when he goes for his gun. Pahoo takes out another member of the gang watching from the sidelines, and Charlie finishes his drink. Peterson comes in and Yancy tells him that he just captured Frank James.
That night, Jesse gets word that Frank is in jail and says that they're going into Liberty. He figures Peterson won't hang around, so it's seven of them versus Yancy, Pahoo, and Charlie. Once they break Frank out, they'll kill Wayne and head to Sedalia.
Later, Sally comes to the sheriff's office and says that Peterson gave her the keys and told her to let Wayne off, and then ran off. Yancy tells her to go home and she reluctantly does. He goes back to the cells and Frank, locked up, says that Jesse is coming. Yancy ignores him and lets Wayne out, He gives his friend a gun and explains that they'll go out and split up into pairs, and put the office in a crossfire.
The James gang rides into Liberty, dismounts, and fire off a few shots. Yancy returns fire, killing one man, and Pahoo kills another. The other gang members move in and Charlie kills a third. Wayne takes out a fourth but another gang member shoots him in the leg. Yancy kills the shooter, while Jesse slips into the jail via the back way and frees Frank. They go out but find Yancy waiting for them. Pahoo comes up behind Jesse and he and Yancy lock both brothers up.
Later, the train is heading back to St. Joseph. Wayne and Sally have married, and Charlie offers to show them the country. He invites Yancy with them, but Yancy says that he's due at a poker game at the club. He tells them that Wayne thanked him during the war, and asks Sally to name the first one after him.
Written by Gadfly on Jul 24, 2017