Last of the Wild Horses

Duke is arrested because Riley Morgan kills Charlie Cooper and frames Duke for the murder. Riley uses Duke's bandana to choke Charlie, then orchestrates testimony from his cohorts at the Double C Ranch that implicates Duke. The sheriff arrests Duke based on this false evidence, and the town convicts him at trial.

Riley kills Charlie by choking him with Duke's bandana, which he obtains during the earlier confrontation when Duke forces the men off their horses. After Charlie's death, Riley testifies against Duke at trial and has his Double C cohorts provide false witness statements, convincing the town of Duke's guilt despite his innocence.

Earlier, Duke forces the men to walk barefoot after taking their horses, losing his bandana in the process.

Jane Cooper, Charlie's daughter, persuades her father to stop aggressively rounding up wild horses and to leave the herds alone for one year. Her moral stance reflects concern for the animals and possibly a desire to ease tensions with rival ranchers. However, Riley ignores this agreement and continues the raids.

Terry Williams, who provided Duke with a false alibi earlier, helps him escape during the trial. She slips Duke a gun, allowing him to break free from the courtroom and go into hiding. This escape sets up the final confrontation with Riley.

Earlier, Terry and Remedy stage the rescue and alibi to secure Duke's custody at Remedy's ranch.

Remedy receives a blackmail letter intended for Riley, written by Hank Davis, one of the men Duke disarmed early on. The letter demands money in exchange for keeping quiet about who really killed Charlie Cooper. Remedy delivers this wet letter to Duke at his hideout, providing the evidence Duke needs to confront Riley and reveal the truth.

Riley suspects Remedy has seen the blackmail letter after Remedy reads it at the post office. When Remedy rides across the river carrying the letter, Riley ambushes him and shoots him to prevent the truth from coming out. Remedy survives the attack and manages to deliver the damaged letter to Duke.

The wild horses are central to the film's conflict. Charlie Cooper is actively decimating the herds to push out rival ranchers and expand his territory. Riley uses the horse raids as a tool of intimidation, even leaving a Double C branding iron at the scenes to frame competitors. The horses represent both the corruption at Double C and the moral debate between exploitation and preservation.

Charlie agrees to spare the wild horse herds for a year after his daughter Jane pressures him to ease up on his aggressive tactics. He relents, hoping to reduce tensions with local ranchers. However, his decision only briefly slows the destruction, as Riley immediately undermines it by ordering more raids and framing other ranches with the branding iron.

Riley goes to the sheriff and demands that all Double C workers under his control be sworn in as deputies. This gives them legal authority to raid horses not just from wild herds but from smaller local ranches. The sheriff agrees, turning law enforcement into a weapon for Riley's territorial expansion and further consolidating his power.

Duke Barnum, a rogue cowboy passing through outside Jacksonville, Oregon, encounters three men chasing a horse thief. Though he initially tries to leave, one of the men, Hank Davis, fires a shot at him. Duke responds by shooting Hank in the arm and forcing all three men off their horses to walk barefoot back to town. This sets up his entanglement with the Double C Ranch and the later framing.

Duke confronts Riley in a hayloft after receiving the blackmail letter from Remedy. The two engage in a brutal fight, suffering severe falls as they clash in the dusty loft. The confrontation results in both men tumbling to the ground, with the outcome resolving the conflict and delivering justice for Charlie Cooper's murder.

At the film's end, Remedy reveals that his long-running "correspondence course" by mail was actually an escape into art. The course finally delivers him a model he can smile about, adding a brief moment of warmth amid the film's darker themes. This subplot adds depth to Remedy's character beyond his eccentric healing methods.

Earlier, Remedy demonstrates his healing trade with a tooth extraction on Curly, showing his confidence in unconventional remedies.