in 1954, boyett played respected settler jim hardwicke in the "death valley days" episode "11,000 miners can't be wrong". it details the competition between columbia and sacramento to be the capital of california. when he informs the sheriff (glenn strange) that he had killed a man in self-defense, hardwicke is forced to stand trial. political influence coerces the jury to find hardwicke guilty. his lawyer, ed barrett (gordon barnes), develops a bizarre scheme to free his client from the hangman's noose. barrett steals from a safe in the local bank a petition with 11,000 signatures of persons who want columbia to be the capital, rewrites the first page to call for a pardon for hardwicke, and appeals to the governor, who is impressed that so many signed. the governor orders hardwicke's release, but columbia loses out to sacramento.