Ex-confederate officer Clay Fletcher jumps at the chance to reunite with his once lady-friend, Susan Jeffers, when his father, Judge Fletcher, sends him on an errand to El Paso, Texas to get the signature of Susan's father, Judge Jeffers, on a legal document. Once there he finds the judge has become a drunk and a laughing stock, doing the bidding of local magnate Bert Donner and his running dog, Sheriff La Farge. Just as Clay starts straightening out the town's problems, events occur which force him to abandon the legal system and instead adopt the murderous tactics of a vigilante.
John Payne
as Clay Fletcher
Gail Russell
as Susan Jeffers
Sterling Hayden
as Bert Donner
George 'Gabby' Hayes
as Pesky Tees
Dick Foran
as Sheriff La Farge
Eduardo Noriega
as Don Nacho Vázquez
Henry Hull
as Henry Jeffers
Mary Beth Hughes
as Stagecoach Nellie
H.B. Warner
as Judge Fletcher
Robert Ellis
as Jack Elkins
Catherine Craig
as Mrs. Elkins
Arthur Space
as John Elkins
