One day Adam Cartwright was riding into the ponderosa ranch house yard when he heard joe frantically yelling, "NO PA PLEASE STOP YOU'RE GOING TO KILL HIM!" Adam heard ben laugh a sardonic laugh then said, "Hoss deserves it after the way he talked to me!" Ben was enraged, trying to pull joe away so he could finish hoss' punishment. Adam came rushing into the house and saw ben standing over an unconscious hoss. Adam rushed to hoss and pushed his father away. Ben looked a little angry at being pushed away, but instead he stormed outside. Adam asked joe what happened and Little Joe relayed the whole story. Adam got increasingly angry when joe told him he had beat hoss up for no reason. Adam picked hoss up and hoss started to mumble incoherently.