- We look in on the office of a man named Hedley Lamarr, the Assistant to the Governor. Taggart (with a bandaged head, naturally) is in his office explaining how the railroad will have to plow through a town called Rock Ridge in order to avoid the quicksand it's run into.
- Hedley Lamarr takes a moment to stick his head out the window because of some noise outside. But it's just the town hangman hanging a long line of people. Hedley tells him to try and keep it down.
- Hedley decides that the best thing to do is to scare all the inhabitants of Rock Ridge away. Then there'll be nothing standing in the way of his railroad.
- Because plans like that always work.
- Taggart suggests that they scare the people by terrorizing and killing the people of Rock Ridge.
- Hedley notices Taggart's bandage and asked what happened. Taggart answers that one of his black workers (Bart) hit him on the head with a shovel and that Taggart would like to see him hanged for the crime.
- Hedley agrees and asks his hangman to squeeze in another booking. But the hangman says he's booked solid until Monday; so it'll have to wait.