[3][4] After killing a corrupt sheriff and his deputies in the town of Sandy Creek, Sartana surrenders himself to Everglades Penitentiary under the guise of a convict with the purpose of meeting Granville, a man imprisoned there.

Granville claims to have been double-crossed by his casino business partner, Horace Johnson, in a deal with the outlaw Monk and Joe, the younger brother of corrupt sheriff Manassas Jim.

Johnson was later found dead in the casino while the counterfeit money and the gold disappeared, thus leaving Granville as the prime suspect who was captured and imprisoned by Manassas Jim.

Manassas Jim's story is identical to that of Granville's, while Monk insists he witnessed only two corpses in the gambling house and insinuates that the sheriff killed Johnson, and placed his body nearby the other two.

Sartana also meets Belle, the supposed widow of Johnson, who says her late husband used her money in dirty deals, claiming ownership of the legitimate currency in return.

Sartana informs each of them individually that he plans to split the gold with them, without the others knowing about it, and sends them to Sonora where Granville is hiding, with the purpose of manipulating them against one another.

Manassas Jim's men ambush Sartana at the Turkish bath, but he manages to kill them all and flees to the nearest Apache cave.