Raiders of Old California
The film begins with the surrender of Capt. Miguel Sebastian (Dobkin) to Capt. McKane (Davis) from the U.S. Army at the end of Mexican-American War. Three years later, McKane was taking lands from their owners by intimidation and treachery.
Words reach Judge Ward Young (Heydt) and his son Marshal Faron Young (Young). After a talk with Pardee (Van Cleef), they investigate with Diego (Colmans), a farmer and an old veteran with Sebastian, and then they investigate with McKane, and learned about a witness in the deal named Johnson (Lauter). Pardee tries to threaten Johnson to keep him from saying anything. Johnson tells Judge Young about the deal and agrees to testify in court.
McKane's men ambush the lawmen and Johnson receives a dangerous wound, but tells them to look for Sebastian, who is still alive. They were overheard by Pardee, who went to interrogate with Diego and kill him.
McKane's men follow Marshal Young and watch him survive an attack from the Comanches. They try to kill him but he manages to shoot them first. He mortally wounds Boyle and takes him to the town priest. Dying Boyle identifies the priest as Miguel Sebastian himself. Pardee arrives in town and inquires about Sebastian from a drunk named Pepe (Diamond). He tries to kill Sebastian but he was gunned down by Young.
Upon this new finding McKane was ordered to be in court. He sends his men to kill Sebastian, but he dodges them through underground passage. McKane plans a cattle stampede through town. In the trial, Sebastian testified that he was forced to give his land to McKane under death threat, and that Johnson refused to sign as a witness because it was extortion and collaboration with the enemy, but he was forced to sign. Sebastian was permitted to leave for Mexico, but Pardee tracks him and pushes him off a cliff and left him for dead. Judge Young ruled that the grant was illegal because McKane bargained with the enemy at war time, and that McKane will be sent to be court-martialed.
The court abrupts by the coming of the stampede, and McKane is caught in the stampede and was killed, along with the sheriff. Father Sebastian agrees to give the his lands to the farmers.
violence