Reformed from a life of violence and alcohol, Reverend Cole turned his life to God. After riding with John Brown in Kansas and serving as a minister for the Union Army in the Civil War, Cole is sick of the slaughter; he genuinely wants to help the whites and Indians avoid another war. He takes up a holy mission of conversion and peace to prevent the annihilation of the native race. When his cries for peace fall on deaf ears, ignored even by his daughter Ruth, he abandons his family and turns back to personal demons. After hijacking a train and murdering his hostages, Cole is killed by his adopted son, Joseph.