The American West Episode 1.07 Frontier Justice

After surrendering to Pat Garrett, Billy the Kid awaits trial for the murder of corrupt Sherriff William J. Brady. In a trial that only lasts one day, Billy is sentenced to hang.

With only days left until he is scheduled to be hanged, Pat Garrett leaves Billy with two deputies. Billy takes advantage. He kills both deputies and, against all odds, escapes.

Four hundred miles away, former lawmen Wyatt Earp and his brothers Virgil and Morgan look to strike it rich in the silver boomtown of Tombstone, Ariz. But the best mining land has already been claimed and their prospects grow dim.

In remote Tombstone, silver is shipped by stagecoach to far-away railroad heads. The coaches are prime targets for criminals, so local businesses turn to Earp to prevent the robberies. As deputy sheriff, Earp begins cleaning up the lawless town, but in the spring of 1881, a Wells Fargo stagecoach is robbed of $25,000 worth of silver in broad daylight.

Earp interrogates Ike Clanton, a member of a gang of ruthless criminals known as the Cochise Cowboys, and gets the names of the robbers.

Eager to return to the spotlight, Jesse James hires a new gang, which includes Charley Ford, and goes on a successful string of robberies. A man short, Jesse also hires Charley's younger brother Robert and begins planning his next job.

On the hunt for the Wells Fargo robbers, Wyatt Earp needs additional muscle. He brings in old friend and famed gunman Doc Holliday. He plans to confront the men responsible with Doc and his brothers, but the robbers are killed in an unrelated showdown. While Earp considers the matter closed, Ike Clanton still wants the $3,600 reward. Earp refuses to pay.

Meanwhile, Sitting Bull, who had been following the buffalo herds into Canada, realizes he has no choice but to lead his people back to America and settle on the reservation. He's forced to assimilate to the white man's ways and finds life on a reservation isn't what he expected. To promote his people's dying way of life, Sitting Bull joins Buffalo Bill on his Wild West Show as he tours across America.

With his new gang, Jesse James re-establishes his reputation as a fearsome outlaw. As his fame grows and the railroads put a price on his head, Jesse becomes increasingly paranoid. Unsure who he can trust, he goes into hiding and forces the Ford brothers to join him.

After escaping from prison, Billy the Kid enjoys life as a fugitive. He stays in eastern New Mexico, ignoring warnings from friends that the relentless Pat Garrett will find him. After a massive manhunt, Garrett tracks Billy to a ranch outside Fort Sumner. He enters the house and in a final showdown, kills Billy, who dies a legend at only 21 years old.

Ike Clanton, out for revenge on Wyatt Earp, spreads the word that he's going to kill the Earp brothers. To back up his threats, Clanton gathers his gang members in Tombstone. Accepting the challenge, the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday head towards a showdown with Clanton and his cowboys at the O.K. Corral.