"The 25 Graves of Midas"

(Original air date 02/03/69)
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Injured, unconscious Heath is hidden by a widow seeking revenge for her
husband's death in a mining accident
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Writer: Ken Pettus

Director: Richard Long

Alone in the woods sitting by a campfire, Heath is startled by a stranger (Walker Edminston) coming out of nowhere. His horse having a lame leg, he offers to buy Heath's horse to continue his road. Heath politely refuses. Miffed, Hess intends to kill Heath but the Barkley blond manages to dodge the bullet and knocks him out. Suspicious, Heath goes to the man's horse and notices a saddle bag marked 'Dutton Mining Co.'. He reaches inside and discovers a load of money he suspects the man stole from the company.


Heath grabs the bag and goes by the fire to count the money while Hess slowly crawls up to his gun and shoots Heath in the side. Heath retaliates by gunning the man down. Seconds after, he collapses on the ground.


Later, Heath slowly regains his senses and heads to Midas where he is to meet with Nick.
In Midas, Jim Hubbard (Gary Beban) rides at full gallop to the saloon to inform the town people that the Dutton messenger was attacked, which is wonderful news, especially for Hannah Kendall (Anne Baxter), who calls for a celebration.
Nick rides up to Midas and enters the saloon as a round of drinks is served in honor of the $5000 Marinette payroll that was stolen by a couple of hold-up men. What's bad news for the Dutton Company is good news for Midas. Twenty-five men lost their lives working in the Dutton mines, including Hannah's husband, and everyone associated with the name is not welcomed in town. Unfortunately, Nick happens to be one of them. He came to Midas to get the facts on the dubious accident and until he does, he requests the vengeful woman to refrain from vociferating threats against him.
Hannah doubts Nick's assurance that he's in town to help the citizens, but her young naive sister Nora (Linda Marsh) believes Nick is truly sincere.


In the street, stable boy Jess (Eldon Quick) sees Heath bent over unconscious in his saddle. Slowly, the wounded man slumps to the ground. Frightened, Jess hurries to the saloon to tell Hannah. She rushes to Heath and discovers the stolen money. She instantly assumes that Heath is one of the robbers.


Jess and bartender Zach (Kevin Hagen) carry Heath inside the barn where they tend to the wound. Shortly after, Nora comes in. She and Zach both urge Hannah to fetch a doctor but she is against the idea of giving the man away, knowing perfectly that he will end up in jail or worse, dead. She suggests hiding him in the hayloft and patching him up with bandages.


Nick suspects something's amiss when Heath is late for their meeting. He goes to the barn to saddle Coco. Heath starts to moan but the tending nurse Nora keeps him quiet. Nick notices drops of blood on his horse, ones that undoubtedly dripped from the hayloft. As he climbs up the ladder, Hannah walks in and orders him to leave just as Webb Dutton (Arch Johnson)and his men ride up to the saloon.


Dutton inquires about one of the two robbers who killed his messenger. He answers to Heath's physical description. They all deny having seen anyone with those characteristics. Dutton vows vengeance on the man, warning that if he finds him he'll kill him and anyone who stands in his way.
Up in his hotel room, Nick explains to Dutton that he's in town for the sole purpose of unravelling the mystery surrounding the circumstances of the mining accident during which twenty-five men died. He intends to remain in Midas until his questions are answered.


Hannah decides to move Heath to a hotel room while Sheriff Mason (Tom Monroe) informs Dutton that they have cornered one of the hold-up men. Dutton invites Nick to join the posse but Nick declines. Instead, he goes to the livery stables to check out his suspicions about the blood.
As he enters he finds Hannah burning blood-tainted clothes and bandages. Nick suspects she's hiding the injured robber, a man he also believes she hired to rob the messenger in order to get back at Dutton for the mining accident. Hannah denies everything.


Hannah goes to the hotel room to check on Heath who is burning up with fever.
Down in the street, Dutton and his posse return with the second robber they killed. They drop his corpse in the middle of the street for everyone to see, claiming he wants his partner.
Heath's condition worsens. He starts hallucinating and convulsing. Nora sits by him, trying to appease his shivers.


Hannah returns to Heath's room. Nora insists they must take him to a doctor, but Hannah feels it's too risky now with Dutton's men roaming about.
Heath's lateness hangs heavily on Nick's conscience and therefore decides to go to Marinette where the hotel clerk (James Bacon) informs him that his brother left town yesterday afternoon in order to arrive in time for their meeting. Worried, Nick rides back to Midas at full gallop.


During the night, Heath rouses and manages to stutter his real name. Hannah and Nora are shocked to learn of his true identity. Quickly Hannah grabs the saddlebag with the stolen money and dashes downstairs while Heath tries to haul himself out of bed. He takes one step and collapses on the floor.
Hannah instructs Jess to go hide the money while she tells Zach about the mistaken identity. She's upset that Dutton is now sure to get his money back but won't hear of it. She schemes to have Dutton kill Heath instead by telling him where to find him.


In the morning, Zach and Jess put Heath in the back of a buckboard. Jess rides up to the Dutton mine with the unconscious man.
Hannah explains Heath's absence to her nosy sister by saying that his brother simply took him away to a doctor. Nora suspects otherwise, that Hannah had him killed. The two women end up in a fight during which Nora hits her head and loses consciousness.
At his place, Dutton receives Hannah's message mentioning the location of the second robber.


Once arrived at the mine, Jess carries Heath inside and leaves him on the ground.
Back in town, Nick rides up to the saloon all riled up, demanding to know the identity of the man they are hiding. Hannah yields and says they took his brother to the Dutton mine.


Heath awakes and as he staggers out of the mine, Dutton and his men ride up and start shooting at him. Heath wobbles back in to find a place to hide. Dutton orders his men to go after him but they won't budge on account of the mountain's instability. Dutton lights up a torch and goes after Heath himself, determined to kill him.


Heath is trapped. He manages to release the lever off a wagon and summons all his strength to push it down the shaft where it hits Dutton, triggering a major cave in just as Nick makes his way down the shaft. Beams and rocks begin tumbling down on Heath. The dust barely settles that Nick jostles his way toward his semi-conscious brother trapped underneath rubbles. He succeeds in removing the hindering beams and carries him outside.



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