Mark was standing outside leaning against Blueboy daydreaming. "Mark, Mark," I said.  He was daydreaming about wanting to stay home from school and clean out the barn.  He told me he could clean it real good while I was in town.  How comes he never notices this on a Saturday? "What about school," I ask?  "School?" said Mark, Miss Adams said I'm doing good, missing one day wouldn't hurt, much!" "Ok," I told him. "You can clean out the barn after school."  We both laughed.  "Mount up, we'll ride into town together,"  I said.

We got to the schoolhouse and parted ways.  I didn't get very far when I heard Mark yell, "Pa, Pa, come quick!"  I turned around and hurried back.  "Pa come on," yelled Mark again!  "What's the matter son?" I asked.  "It's Miss Adams," said Mark.  I rushed into the classroom and found Miss Adams unconscious lying on the floor and the classroom in shambles.  "Boy, somebody doesn't like school," said Mark.  Mark noticed a drawing on the blackboard and said "Johnny Clover."  "What?" I asked.  "Nothing Pa," said Mark.  "Do you mean Johnny Clover did this?" I asked.  "I don't mean nothing," said Mark.  Miss Adams started coming to.  She was shocked to see all the damage.  I asked her what had happened.  She told me that she had opened the school and came into the room when someone grabbed her.  He put his hand over her mouth.  She struggled, she must have fainted.  She said she didn't see who he was.  I asked her if it could have been Johnny Clover.  "What ever gave you that idea," she asked?  "Me, Miss Adams, I saw the picture.  There isn't anyone else who can draw like that," said Mark.  I told Miss Adams to check and see if anything was stolen.  She insisted that Johnny wasn't a thief, but checked anyway.  While she was checking, I asked Mark if I knew Johnny Clover.  He told me that Johnny's father got killed in a stampede at last year's round up.  Then I remembered, yes, Johnny's uncle came out here to take care of him and the ranch.  Johnny must be pretty big, about 18 or more.  "He's a very smart boy and a good student, Mr. McCain.  The children in class made fun of him until they saw how well he knew his lessons," said Miss Adams.  I wanted to go see Micah about pressing charges, but Miss Adams didn't want any trouble for the boy.  She was hoping that Johnny would come back to school or maybe go off to a better one.  He has a wonderful mind and a wonderful talent, as she put it.  I told her that was her choice.  Speaking on behalf of the School Board, we would want someone to pay for the damages.  I told her I would go out and speak to the boys uncle and see if he would be willing to pay for the damage. 

Mr. Fremont was outside his ranch when I rode up.  I asked him if his nephew was around.  He wanted to know what I wanted with him.  I told him I wanted to talk to him about school.  He said he knew Johnny hadn't been going to school.  He said he could go if he wanted to, that he made that clear to the school marm.  He also said that Johnny just stopped going to school himself.  He can read and write and figure, that was all he needed to know to feed himself.  He didn't blame him.  Miss Adams had him wastin' time makin' pretty pictures.  I told him Johnny had been to school.  I told him he broke into the school this morning.  Smashed everything up, desk, chairs, tore up school books.  It will cost quite a bit to repair the damages.  Fremont was reluctant to pay for any damages and said he would think on how to pay for what the boy had done.  Money was not a crop around their ranch.  I told him in spite of what Johnny had done; Miss Adams wanted Johnny to come back to school.  He said he would tell him. After I rode off, Fremont went into the barn after Johnny with a strap.  He wasn't havin' no kin of his better then he was. Johnny had no cause bringing trouble on this house, strangers demanding money for his stinkin' tricks.  He told him he was going to take it out of his hide in advance.  He threw Johnny to the ground and started beating him with his strap.

Mark and I stopped by Toomey's to get a price from him on the repairs for the damage to the school when we hear shots come from the saloon. As we headed for the saloon we heard someone yell, "Johnny Clover's drunk and he's shooting up the saloon."  Just then Micah came out of his office and across the street.  Micah and I go into the saloon. Johnny's trying to get Sweeny to give him a bottle.  Micah said, "I think you had enough Johnny."   He was drunk alright.  He wanted Micah and I to have a drink with him.  He was celebrating.  He licked his uncle.  "I whaled the living daylights out of him," said Johnny.  Micah told him the celebration was over.  I kept telling him to put the gun away.  He told me to put my gun away.  I put my rifle on the bar and started for his gun when he pointed it at me.  "Now, what are you gonna do, wallop me if I don't," asked Johnny?   I told him I wasn't gonna wallop him.  "I bet you wallop hard.  Hey, can't he Mark," asked Johnny?  Mark is standing in the doorway and Johnny calls him over.  I told Mark to stay out of here.  Johnny told him to stay where he was.  He then told Mark to come over to where he was.  "Stay out son," I said.  "You come in here or I'm gonna shoot you Pa," said Johnny. "If you hurt him," I said.  He interrupted me by telling he wasn't going to hurt him.  He just wanted to ask him a question.  "What," asked Mark?  "Now he wallops hard, don't he," asked Johnny?  "My Pa never wallops me," said Mark.  "What," asked Johnny?  "Alright Johnny, you got your question answered, now put the gun away," said Micah.  "But that ain't fair; I've been walloped almost everyday of my life.  You mean to tell me he never smacked you," asked Johnny.  I told Mark to keep quiet.  "That ain't fair, that just ain't fair.  Mr. McCain, you wallop him, said Johnny.  "Johnny, listen to me," said Micah.  "Shut up," you gotta lick kids that what his Uncle Gus says.  That's the only way to raise a kid. "Now you lick him good," said Johnny.   I started taking off my belt, and Johnny wanted to know what I'm doing.  I told him I have to have something to wallop Mark with.  I motion to Mark, to come here.  For that moment Johnny looked away and I took the belt and knocked the gun out of his hand.  Then I hit Johnny and knocked him to the floor.

 We took Johnny to Micah's office.  "You do wallop hard Mr. McCain," said Johnny.  "Well it was no more then you deserved boy," I said. "Your right sir, I don't know what came over me.  I've been doin' some pretty wild things," said Johnny.  "What do you have against the school?" asked Micah.  I told him that Miss Adams told me that he liked going to school.  He told us that he did.  Johnny told us that all he wanted to do was get some paper and crayons.  Something came over him.  He thought about how it wasn't fair, him not being able to go to school because of his Uncle Gus.  His uncle made him say that he didn't want to go to school.  It wasn't fair.  He felt that the other kids shouldn't be able to go either.  So he smashed everything.  He didn't want them to have something he couldn't have.  He told us he was sorry.  But that didn't put back what he had done.  He could have killed someone in the saloon.  He said he wouldn't ask his uncle to stand good for the damage.  He wasn't goin' back home.  He'd get a job to pay for the damages.  "You could give him a job, Pa.  There's a lot of work to be done around our barn," said Mark.  Johnny wanted a chance.  He pleaded with me. I agreed and told him I'd pay him ten dollars a month.  He could pay the school back out of that money. 

Fremont came into town and headed straight for the Marshal's office.  He wanted to know if his nephew was here.  Micah told him he was but we left him go.  He had no reason to hold him.  Nobody made any charges against him and he had agreed to pay for the damages.  Fremont wanted to know just how he was going to pay for the damages.  Micah told him that he got himself a job.  He also told him that I had hired Johnny and if he wouldn't advise tangling with me.  Micah ask him why he didn't let it be, he was living free and clear on the boys land.  Just to forget the whole thing.  "I don't forget easy," said Fremont. "You can tell McCain that for me, I don't forget easy!"  He then rode off.

We were having a covered dish gathering at our ranch to help pay for the school books.  All kinds of good food and lots of games.  Everyone seemed to be having a good time.  Forty-seven dollars and fifty cents is the amount we collected.  People were even buying drawing from Johnny.  The money he earned he gave towards the damages to the school.  Johnny really wanted to be able to pay for the school books himself and the way his pictures were selling, it sure looked that way.  Even Toomey wanted a picture of himself.  The three-legged race started and Mark was anxious for us to get into the race.  So we went to join in.  Little did we know that Fremont was approaching the ranch.  Just then Toomey noticed Fremont.  He had a whip and he was gonna whip Johnny within an inch of his life.  Mark and I was having so much fun that we didn't notice Fremont was there.  All of a sudden Mark looked up....."Pa, look", said Mark.  "Fremont," I yelled.  "This is family McCain, stay away or I'll kill you," he said.  Toomey charged at him, but he hit Toomey and knocked him out.  Just then Johnny charged him too and he pushed him to the ground.  He had a gun in his hand and warned us all to keep away.  Mark was still tied to my leg; I picked him up and went to get my rifle out of my rifle boot.  "I got a better way of whippin' ya boy, I'm gonna put a bullet through your drawing hand, stick it out" said Fremont. Johnny just stood there.  "Stick it out or I'll shoot it where it is," said Fremont.  With that he cocked the hammer on the pistol.  Johnny put his hand out.  He then got ready to shoot Johnny's hand.  With Mark still tied fast to my leg, we hobble so I can get closer and get a better shot at Fremont.   I then shot Fremont in shoulder. 

A couple of day's later Miss Adams came to take Johnny to meet the stage.  He was going to go back east to school.  Johnny was a little scared.  He had sold the ranch after his Uncle Gus had left.  Before he left he gave us a picture he drew.  It was a picture of Mark and I.  He said it didn't exactly look like us, but it was the way we appeared to him. What do you think?

piddlin'stuff.....'Three-legged Terror'  ~ William Conrad our own "Jake and the Fat Man" ~ "Cannon" ~ directed this episode.

Dennis Hopper played Johnny Clover in this episode of 'Three-Legged Terror'. He also played in another episode — 'The Sharpshooter' — where teenager Johnny Clover wrecks the classroom in the North Fork school.  I'm sure we all know who he is!  Does anyone remember him in "Cool Hand Luke?"  How about "True Grit ~ "Giant" or "Rebel Without a Cause?"  Oh I know - "Easy Rider" ~ maybe "Speed"- he sure was a mean dude in "Speed" ~ what part do you best remember him in?

John Hoyt played Fremont, Johnny's uncle in 'Three -Legged Terror'.  He also played Capt. Josiah Perry in 'The Martinet.'  A former army captain comes to North Fork to kill the man who shot down his son in a gunfight - Lucas McCain.
 Before linking up with Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre in 1937 he was a Yale graduate and had been a history instructor, acting teacher and nightclub comedian.  I was surprised by this because he usually plays serious roles.
He was the television spokesman in a series of Midas Muffler commercials in the 1960's.

Patricia Barry appeared as Adele Adams, North Fork's school teacher for two episodes - 'The Woman' and the 'Three Legged Terror.'  She also starred in another episode but as Laurie Hadley in 'A Time for Singing.'  She 'supposedly' was the new preacher's wife.
Patricia was in several Soaps - "All My Children" ~ "Days of Our Lives" ~ "The Guiding Light." She has mad 105 guest appearances and has over 50 other appearances, which she is credited with. Patricia Barry is probably best known to modern viewers for her performances in two "Twilight Zone" installments, "The Chaser" (1960) and "I Dream of Jeannie," wherein she pulled off the dexterous task of being both sexy and funny at the same time. 

Robert Foulk played Toomey in several episodes of "The Rifleman." Remember him in 'The Raid?' He was the one who turned back - he didn't go on to help Lucas find Mark when he was kidnapped by Indians.  Bummer!  But Lucas understood!  He was in 'The Second Witness,' 'Three Legged Terror', 'Outlaw's Inheritance' & he played Herbert Newman is the episode - 'The Lost Treasure of Canyon Town.'
 He played Roy Trendell in "Green Acres."
Do you know what Toomey's first name was?

Larry Asmus played one of the kids that went to the town picnic out at the McCain Ranch.  He was the boy with the checkered shirt.  Larry was one of the neighborhood kids on "My Three Sons", "Leave it to Beaver" and some other single trips to other series. He also starred in "Judgment at Nuremberg" and "Inherit the Wind."  Thanks Larry for the info!

 *North Fork had three different school teachers.....Marilee Phelps - played the school teacher, in 'Eight Hours to Die.' (1958)  Depending on where you check this info you will find her credited as Miss Adams or teacher.
Later Patricia Barry played Adele Adams, the towns school teacher in 'Three Legged Terror' and 'The Woman.' (1959) 
 In 'The Schoolmaster' - Arnold Moss played Stephen Griswald, the new school teacher in town. (1960)

*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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updated  10/4/08