Short Rope for a Tall Man

The Rifleman
"Welcome to the McCain Ranch"
'Short Rope for a Tall Man'
Episode 103

Mark and I had gone to Cathay to sell some of our cattle. Mark was anxious to get home. He didn’t like being in a strange town. I told him that a strange place was good for him….. it makes you appreciate what you have. We had hoped to buy a couple of horses. But I wouldn’t pay Mr. Schneider’s price. As much as we needed them his price was just too high. Mr. Schneider wanted a hundred dollars for the two horses. I told Mark to go over and hitch up the wagon; it was time

to head home. I was going to stop in at the Cattleman’s Association and pick up our money from Mr. Lovering. Mark was hoping Mr. Schneider had changed his mind. I told Mark to tell Mr. Schneider we’d buy his horses if he came down to my price. But I was sure he wouldn’t.

Mr. Schneider laughed when Mark told him what I had said. Schneider laughed and said for twenty-five dollars he couldn’t even sell us a burro. That wouldn’t even be enough to pay for the tail. He walked Mark out to the front of the livery stable, all the while laughing. Just then Ben Crown and his ranch hands rode in. Schneider suddenly had a change of heart. He told Mark he didn’t want to disappoint him. He would sell them to him for twenty-five dollars. He then shook Mark’s hand. He told Mark what a good trader he was.

Ben Crown was in town to rustle up some help to catch the man or men responsible for killing two of his men and for stealing some his horses. The town deputy, Artie Quint wanted to handle it. Quint asked the men to stand up and be deputized. Crown was offering two

dollars a day for every man who went out.

I asked Mr. Lovering if Ben Crown always got his way. “Crown and his ranch keep this town alive,” said Lovering. Just then Mark came running up to me. “Pa…..Pa.” “Where’s the wagon son?” He was anxious. “Over at the stables…..come on…..I wanna show you something!” “Aren’t you forgetting you manners?” I asked. Mark tipped his hat. Just then Charlie Crown rode up to Mr. Lovering. “How ‘bout you Joe,” asked Charlie. “How about me what.....Charlie?” Asked Mr. Lovering. “You ridin’ with us?” Charlie asked. “Joe’s no gun hand and you know that,” said Mrs. Lovering. “How about your friend with the rifle?” “Sorry mister, my boy and I are on our way home.” “My Pa will pay ya’ even tho you are a stranger around here,” said Charlie. “Thank your Pa kindly for me, huh?” “I then said good-by to the Loverings. Charlie then charged his horse towards Mark and me. I grabbed the reins to the horse. “Look, be careful with that horse mister.” Mark and I headed toward the stable. “Now what was that surprise you were talkin’ about Son?” “You’ll see Pa!” We could hear Charlie laughing in the background.

“You have a bill of sale or something that says they’re yours?” I asked. “Ya…ya…..I got one right here,” said Schneider. I looked at his bill of sale. Everything seemed to be in order. He agreed on twenty-five dollars a piece. “Why this sudden drop in price Schneider…..something wrong?” I asked. He assured me there

wasn’t. They were fine looking animals. He told us he had wanted to sell his business for some time. There was nothing here for him anymore. These were his last two horses. He did want something else. He wanted to ride west with us to North Fork. He said he had a sister near there and he hadn’t seen her in a long time. He told me he didn’t ride a horse real good and thought he could ride in our wagon. He said that was worth the cut in the price of the horse. “It’s alright…..isn’t it Pa?” “We shook hands!” “Yes son…..we made a deal, so I guess we better go thru with it.” I gave him the money and told him to count out fifty dollars. He gave us the bill of sale and said he’d be packed in three minutes.

We had camped for the night. The next morning I was having my coffee and Schneider was packing up his stuff that went in the wagon. We were about ready to head out when we saw some riders approaching. There were three of them. Mark thought they might be part of the posse, but I wasn’t too sure about that. The posse had headed east, we were headed west. I reached for my rifle. “Well if it isn’t our tall friend who wouldn’t join the posse,” said Charlie. “You boys want something?” “Sure…..something to drink if you can spare it,” said Charlie. “Help yourself.” Charlie rode over to the back of the wagon. “Come on out Schneider.” Schneider then jumped out of the front of the wagon…..yelling, “McCain…..don’t let Charlie do it!” I flipped my rifle. “Alright…..what do you want with him?” Somebody behind me knocked me out. Mark charged at him. “Why you…..” yelled Mark. “Don’t shoot me!” “Don’t shoot me!” Schneider

yelled. Schneider ran. Charlie shot him in the back, twice. “Go get the others,” said Charlie. “We’re gonna have a rope dance.” I was lying on the ground. Mark ran over to me. “You can stand up now…..horse thief,” said Charlie. “Horse thief?” Questioned Mark.

“Put your hands up against the wagon and spread you feet back,” said Crown. “Hey look at this!” “You sure got a lot of money for that seed bull mister,” said the deputy. “There’s fifty dollars more in Schneider’s pocket,” I said. “That’s what we paid for the horses…..twenty-five a head,” said Mark. “Twenty-five dollars a head, that stocks worth a hundred dollars a head half broke,” said the deputy. I told them to search Schneider’s body; they’d find the money. That is, if it hadn’t been taken. Charlie asked if I was accusing him. Docking checked, he only had four dollars in change. “Tie him to a wagon wheel,” yelled Crown. A fight broke out but I was out numbered. I tried to fight them off but there was just too many of them. Mark did his best but we didn’t have a chance. They finally got the best of me. They knocked me out with a log. “Tall man…..ain’t he?” Said the deputy. “Tall man hangs with a short rope,” said Charlie.

With my hands tied, Mark said to me. “Are we going to get out of this Pa?” I didn’t know. I told him I was sure they wouldn’t hurt him. He was confused. He couldn’t understand why they would want to hurt me. “We didn’t do anything…..did we?” Mark asked. “Mark, hard things happen to people all the time. We never
really know why. There's good and bad in life. Man's gotta be ready
for both."

Crown’s men wanted to hang me this night. They didn’t want to wait until morning. It was cold and they wanted to get home. Crown wanted to wait until the morning. “We’ll do it quick enough…..you’ll get no warmth from a hanging.” “It will put a chill in ya’ as deep as your sole,” said Crown. Charlie pulled the deputy aside. He told him this should put a feather in his hat, catching McCain and Schneider, two of the horse thieves. Caught cold and executed by his posse. It would make Sheriff Grimes look bad. He told him to hang me quick, right now. Everybody

wants it and no questions tomorrow.

Charlie went to his Pa and told him everybody wanted the hanging now. Crown wouldn’t budge. “Pa…..what’s the matter with you?” “You use to chew up horse thieves and spit them out?” “Now you act like you can’t even gum ‘em!” They argued. Crown called Charlie a boy. That angered Charlie. He told his Pa never to call him boy again and when he talked his Pa better listen! “I’ve been waitin’ a long time to see you act like a man…..well…..I’m still waitin’.” Crown walked over to his men. “The time for hangin’s in the mornin’!” “It gives a man…..it gives a man time to make peace with his God.” “And it gives all of us time to think about what we’re doin’.” “So that later on no body can say he didn’t know.” “Alright…..McCain’s a horse thief…..he’s gonna hang in the mornin’.” “Mr. Crown!” “You can’t hang my Pa!” “Stolen horses and a forged bill of sales…..the man who can back him up is dead!” Crown said. “He’s a horse thief son!” “My Pa’ never stole anything in his whole life. He's a good man, the best man I know. I don't care what you say! I don’t care what you do, but you're wrong and nothing will ever make you right. I bought those horses. Pa gave me the money to pay for them, but I bought ‘em! “From Mr. Schneider?” Crown asked. Mark nodded. “He wouldn’t sell them at first…..but then he changed his mind and lowered the price,” said Mark. “He wanted to leave town that’s why he was traveling with us to North Fork.” “He would have told you if your son hadn’t killed him. “Mr. Schneider begged him!” “Mr. Schneider begged Charlie?” Crown asked. “Whatever you do…..whatever you say…..I want to be just like my Pa.” “Just like him, no different. He's the best man I know."

Charlie was desperate. He saw where this was going. While Mark had Crown’s attention Charlie snuck over and cut me loose. He told me to head for the horses and make a break for it. He planned on shooting me in the back letting everyone think I was trying to escape. I agreed. I headed straight for Crown. Charlie was getting ready to shoot me when Crown shot and killed him. Mark rushed over and hugged me. Crown went over to his

son and knelt down beside him and said….."My boy and I had it like that once. Don't ever loose it."

Well we finally were heading home. Crown left us keep the two horses for our trouble. “It’s over and done with Mark, why so glum?” “If they would have hung you Pa…..it would have been all my fault!” “Now wait a minute son, don’t you ever think that way!” “If they would have hung me it would have been Charlie Crown’s fault, no one else’s!” “Charlie Crown, stealing his own Pa’s horse and then turning around and selling them to poor Mr. Schneider, just to get money” Mark said. “Guess I didn’t make such a good trade after all!” “Better leave the business to you!” Mark said. “No sir-ree, we’re partners. Every lesson you learn makes you a better partner.” “Only one thing…..” “What’s that?” Mark asked. “Just remember the lessons!” We both laughed.

piddlin' stuff.....Bert Freed played Ben Crown in 'Short Rope for a Tall Man.' This is the episode that Mark almost get Lucas hung for horse steali

ng.
He played Oat Jackford in the episode of 'The Money Gun.'
Harold J. Stone played Jack Oatford in the first episode - 'Home Ranch.'
First actor to play the role of Lt. Columbo, in a 1960 episode of "The Chevy Mystery Show"

Hal Baylor played Charlie Crown. He was the son of Ben Crown and the guy so eager to hang our Lucas!
Here is one of those faces but you don't remember the name. He has been in a lot of TV classics. He has a starring role in "The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp." He had starred in "Gunsmoke" several times. He was Toke in my favorite "Gunsmoke" episode ~ 'Hostage.'
Held the California Heavyweight Boxing Championship, posting a professional record of 52-5. Attended Washington State on an athletic scholarship. His great-great grandfather was the original founder of Baylor University.
His fight with Robert Ryan in "The Set-Up" (1949) is still considered one of the best-choreographed boxing scenes in film history.
Made landings on Saipan and Tinian as a Marine in World War II.

*Father & Son casting.....I saw episode #103 'Short Rope for a Tall Man' the other day, and took an interest in the actor (Hal Baylor) who played Bert Freed's son. The Internet Movie Data Base (IMDb) says that Hal was born in 1918, and Bert was born in 1919. That's strange casting.
In this case the son was older then the father.....go figure!

Thanks Glenn Gilbert for this piddlin' stuff.....keep up the good work! ~ I tip my cowgirl hat to ya!

William Schallert played Fogarty - the knife salesman in 'The Mind Reader.' He starred in 'Strange Town' as Marshal Truce & 'Short Rope for a Tall man' as Joe Lovering. He’s the man who bought Lucas’ seed bull. Best remembered for the part of Martin Lane, Patty's father on "The Patty Duke Show".

Joe Higgins played Jerry Schneider. He's the guy who the McCain’s bought the stolen horses from. This is one of four episodes that Joe does not play Nils ~ or was it Nils/Niles/Nels ~ Last name.....Swenson/Svenson aka "The Blacksmith"?
How many actors played Nils or was it Niles or Nels?

Charles Briggs played Eli Manse in 'The Jailbird.' He's the guy who killed his stepfather. [Karl Manse] His character was a boy in a young man's body. He also played in 'Short Rope for a Tall Man' as Artie Quint the town deputy.
He starred in "Greased Lightning" and "Norma Rae." He was in the TV series "Swamp Fox" as Folger Selby.

Norman Leavitt played Jeptha Docking. He was Charlie's so called friend, his drinking buddy. He also starred in another episode. He was the hotel clerk in 'The Bullet."
I know you've seen this guy many of times. Another one of those familiar faces, but you don't know the name.
He was a regular on "Trackdown." He played Ralph.
He starred in just about all the old TV Classic westerns and he did a lot of other great things!
*If anybody has any information on any of the stars, and would like to share it, please get in touch with

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