Indian Gold

In 1868 the government signs a treaty with the Sioux reserving the Black Hills to the Sioux and forbidding whites to cross into the territory. Cheyenne has been working as a freighter and he's talking with his friend sheriff Matt Kilgore when the Sioux brave White Crow rides into town looking for help for his sick wife Little Fawn. Cheyenne and Doc Farnsworth return with White Crow to find Little Fawn is in the last stages of tuberculosis. The only help might be to send her to Denver but that is not possible due to a lack of money and her being an Indian.

Later, after two men bring in two miners who were shot and scalped, White Crow brings a sack of gold to pay for the trip. Folks accuse White Crow of the murder as they think he killed them for the gold. White Crow isn't telling them where he got the gold, which stirs up the crowd to lynch him. Cheyenne stops this and persuades the sheriff to keep in jail till trial.

Things get worse when a greedy miner breaks White Crow out of jail, torture him for the whereabouts of the gold and he ends up dying before he says anything but his sick wife tells them and gets mercilessly shot ...

With the help of sheriff, who happens to be a Sioux blood brother asks Cheyenne hopes to avert a possible Indian war, but gold fever can be catching ...

Well-plotted and tightly drawn with strong drama and action is what you get here - the death of Little Fawn was quite violent - one quick shot in her back from close up. Felt sorry for the poor girl, and left you wanting the bad guys get their up-commence. Liked Peter Breck's sheriff character - it was nicely balanced between being good and bad.