Character Relationship Map: The Wrong Man

Characters

• Chip Stevens (played by Vester Pegg) — supporting

  Larry Malone's friend, Chip takes an interest in the Banner Mine payment and organizes a robbery with accomplices. After the stagecoach attack, he switches masks with the unconscious Jack to frame him...

• Ben Bostwick (played by George Berrell) — supporting

  A down-and-out man regarded around Guadaloop as a failure, Ben is chosen by Larry and Chip to become sheriff because they consider him harmless. He takes the badge seriously, arrests the masked Jack b...

• Larry Malone (played by William Steele) — supporting

  Larry runs the Silver Top Saloon and holds considerable influence in Guadaloop. When warned that federal marshals may impose order unless the town appoints a sheriff, he backs the plan to make Ben Bos...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Larry Malone → Ben Bostwick (Power Political Patron) — Larry's local influence helps place Ben in the sheriff's position.

  Larry decides to push a harmless man into the sheriff's office, and Ben ultimately receives the badge and gun.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Chip Stevens → Ben Bostwick (Conflict Manipulative Rival) — Chip's criminal actions place Ben in an embarrassing and misleading law-enforcement situation.

  Chip participates in the robbery while Ben is made sheriff, later allowing Ben to arrest the disguised Jack instead of identifying the true thief.

• Larry Malone → Chip Stevens (Social Friend) — Larry and Chip are established associates who operate within the same local power network.

  The plot explicitly describes Chip Stevens as Larry Malone's friend and places Chip near Larry's saloon and political decisions.

Story Analysis

A staged political order collapses into a robbery, false arrest, and final exposure of the true criminal.

Plot Progression

1. A Sheriff For Control — Guadaloop is introduced as an isolated town governed through Larry Malone's saloon. A federal warning motivates Larry and Chip to install Ben Bostwick as a harmless sheriff.
2. The Badge And The Target — Ben receives his badge and gun while Chip learns about the Banner Mine payment. Chip turns the financial opportunity into a robbery plan.
3. The Stagecoach Deception — The robbery erupts on the desert road, and Chip escapes with the money after switching masks with the unconscious man. The disguise creates the central false accusation.
4. The Wrong Arrest — Ben captures the masked man and locks him in jail, believing he has caught the robber. The prisoner escapes and pursues Chip with the evidence of the crime.
5. Truth And Reputation — Chip is caught with the stolen money and returned toward town by Ben. The witnesses reshape the embarrassing arrest into a supposed clever law-enforcement ruse.