Black Bart

Black Bart decides to leave the outlaw life after years of robbing and decide to head to California during the Gold Rush. He plans to pull off one final, bold heist that would give him enough money to retire comfortably and live as a respected rancher. This dream of a legitimate life is what drives much of his later decisions, including his complicated relationship with Lola Montez.

When Black Bart decides to leave the gang, he knows Lance had been trying to trick him out of his share of the earnings. Rather than let Lance cheat him, Black Bart secretly double-crosses his former partner first and steals all the money for himself. This betrayal sets up the rivalry between the two men that continues throughout the film.

Clark is a former partner of Black Bart who now works as a lawyer in Sacramento. He uses his position to gain insider knowledge about Wells Fargo money shipments and tips off Black Bart about each shipment's schedule and route. Over two months, Black Bart robs every stage, systematically eroding public confidence in the bank's ability to protect gold during the boom.

When Black Bart stops the stagecoach carrying Lance, Jersey, and Lola Montez, Lance recognizes Black Bart's voice despite his mask. This recognition saves the coach from being robbed, as Lance helps thwart his former partner. The moment establishes that Lance knows Black Bart's true identity, adding tension to their ongoing rivalry.

Earlier in the story, the timeline establishes that Lance, Jersey, and Black Bart were former partners on the outlaw trail, explaining why Lance would recognize his voice.

After the failed robbery attempt, Black Bart infiltrates the relay station in disguise, returns Lola's diamond bracelet he apparently took during the chaos, and shares an intimate moment with her. This gesture is meant to prove his genuine feelings for her beyond just her being another mark, and it deepens the romance that complicates his desire to go straight.

Sheriff Gordon recruits Lance to act as a lookout for a posse of deputies guarding an incoming stage carrying payroll. The broader scheme involves a double-cross where if the stage gets through, it will ruin Clark's larger plan to destroy Wells Fargo and replace it with their own bank. This puts Lance in a dangerous position between his old criminal ties and his new role as a lawman.

When Black Bart intercepts the stage and checks the money box he forced Jersey to drop, he discovers it's empty. The money never left the relay station, the stage was not carrying the expected loot as part of the scheme. This pivotal discovery forces a dangerous confrontation at the relay station to retrieve the actual money.

Earlier, the Sheriff's plan involved having Lance act as lookout for deputies guarding the coach, suggesting the money was being protected through a different route.

Black Bart and Lance are ambushed by a waiting posse at the relay station. They retreat into a barn, but the deputies set it on fire. In the chaos of the burning barn, both Black Bart and Lance are shot. The film leaves their exact fates somewhat ambiguous but suggests both die in the confrontation.

From his jail cell, Jersey explains that Black Bart's death was the turning point that convinced him to abandon his criminal life. Seeing the consequences of their lifestyle play out, the deaths, the lost love, the futility of constantly running, prompted Jersey to choose an honest life. The ending shows that even in tragedy, there can be a glimmer of redemption.

Lola pleads with Black Bart to abandon crime entirely and give up the plan for one last score. Though he considers her request and agrees to think about a life together, the escalating events, the empty money box, the ambush at the relay station, and the final shootout in the barn, prevent them from ever escaping together. The story ends with Jersey in jail and Lola's fate remaining unknown.

Black Bart and Clark form an alliance where Clark uses his position as a lawyer to feed information about Wells Fargo shipments, while Black Bart carries out the robberies. Their ultimate plan is to systematically destroy public trust in Wells Fargo during the Gold Rush, then replace it with their own bank and profit enormously from the mining boom. This scheme represents their biggest criminal enterprise.