Apache Woman

In a turn-of-the-century Arizona town, cowboy Tom Chandler calls "half-breed" Anne Libeau a "dirty Apache squaw." Furious, she threatens to kill him, and the two engage in a knife fight. Rex Moffet, a government Indian expert called in to quell the growing unrest between the townspeople and the reservation Apaches, stops the fight, calling Anne "quite a fireball." After Anne leaves, the sheriff explains why the townspeople are so edgy: During the past several months, many white travelers have been ambushed, robbed and even killed. Because Apache tokens have been found at attack sites, the townspeople believe the tribe is again gearing up for war. Rex reminds the men that the Indian wars are over, but a cowboy named Ben replies, "Not for us." Back at the Libeau ranch, Anne's brother Armand tries to convince her to move to the city, where the two of them can live in "oblivion." Their grandfather was an Apache chief, but because his daughter married a Frenchman, Anne and Armand became outcasts, accepted by neither the Apaches nor the white ranchers. Later that day, when Rex surprises Anne as she bathes in a stream, she explains the hatred and bitterness that possess her. Armand attended college, taking top honors in law school, but because of his mixed racial background, his career ended before it began. Struck by Anne's beauty and strength of character, Rex tries to persuade her that no thinking man would shun her because of her race. Rex's suspicion that the attackers may be outlaws, rather than Indians, is strengthened when he later witnesses an attack on town drunk Dick Mooney, who had ridden out of town carrying a large wad of bills. Rex tells Apache chief White Star that evening that some of the outlaws he saw from a distance appeared to be Apaches, whereupon the chief promises that any renegades in his tribe will be punished. Nevertheless, the townspeople decide to launch an attack on the reservation on the following day. In order to increase their numbers, they send Chandler to the next town for more men, but Armand, secretly the leader of the outlaw gang, pursues and kills him. Worried about these events, and suspicious of her brother's meetings with a tough cowboy named Macey, Anne questions Armand, complaining that a wall has sprung up between them. Smilingly denying involvement in the murders, Armand tells her to let the wall stand. Torn between loyalty to her brother and her growing love for Rex, Anne follows Armand and finds him talking secretly with Macey. White Star also arrives, hinting that he knows the truth about Armand's role in the recent crimes. After White Star leaves, Armand orders Macey to kill him. Anne pursues White Star, approaching just in time to see Macey empty his gun into her Apache cousin. Back in town, Rex spreads the rumor that a large sum of money will be carried from the town bank to nearby Paiute on the following day. Meeting with a group of reluctant volunteers, Rex explains that they will "ambush the ambushers," when the men carrying the money are attacked by the outlaws. Rex then asks for information from Anne, but she refuses to implicate her brother in the killings. After his departure, however, Anne confronts Macey, who reveals that Armand had ordered him to kill White Star. When Armand himself confirms Macey's story, Anne begs him to begin a new life with her elsewhere, but he is anxious to rob the money that will be transported to Paiute. Anne reveals Rex's plans, but Armand and Macey tie her up and ride away. Working on her bindings throughout the night, Anne finally frees herself and rides to Rex's party with a warning: Armand and his men will rob the money in an unexpected location. Claiming at first that Apaches never betray their own people, she refuses to reveal Armand's exact whereabouts, but Rex ultimately persuades her to confess. Riding swiftly, Rex's party arrives at Armand's location just as he begins shooting at the men from the bank. Armand realizes that his sister has betrayed him and takes a shot at her, and when Macey decides to surrender, Armand kills the outlaw and runs into the rocky heights. Rex chases him, and the two men fight. Leaping at Rex, Armand falls over a steep cliff, and although Rex tries to catch him, the outlaw falls to his death. Anne offers Rex her arm and helps him limp back down the hill.