Ernie McNutt

Ernie McNutt is the sheriff of Mason County and a fiery member of the McNutt clan, which has feuded with the Dagmars for generations over a lake both families claim. He challenges Theo Dagmar from a tree, demands a toll, then falls and knocks himself unconscious. Although Whit insists on carrying him to safety, Ernie declares himself kidnapped when he wakes and uses the incident to break a thirty-year truce. As the two clans prepare for battle, he repeats sayings from a supposed "good book" no one has actually read. Whit eventually reveals that neither family owns the lake and opens the real Bible. Humbled by its teaching on patience and unity, Sheriff Ernie agrees that both sides should put away their weapons and try to live in peace.