James Earl Cash

**Spoiler Warning:** *Plot details, ending details, or both are in the text which follows.*

CHARACTER

## Biographical information

### Also known as

Cash
Mr. Witchetty
Mr. Tough Nuts
Mr. What's-His-Face
James "Cut-Throat" Cash

### Main affiliation

Journalist
Tramp
Lionel Starkweather (Formerly)

## Game information

### Motion Capture

Kurt Bauccio

**James Earl Cash** is a character in the *Manhunt* series appearing as the protagonist of *Manhunt*.

## Background

James Earl Cash is a former inmate of Darkwoods Penitentiary, who was freed from death row and set loose in Carcer City, and in return must participate in a snuff film, directed by Lionel Starkweather.

## Events of *Manhunt*

Cash was already a proficient and highly experienced killer. During his career as a criminal, Cash has been evading the law for a decade, until he was finally caught in 2000, and locked away in Darkwoods Penitentiary. Cash was then sentenced to death, the execution being three years later.

The day of the execution, Cash is given the lethal injection and everyone believes he is dead. However, he wakes up inside a closed down Coffee and Donuts store in Carcer Mark to find he was only sedated under orders of Lionel Starkweather, who had bribed the prison officials.

Cash is then forced to participate in one of the Director's snuff films in exchange for his freedom. Cash has no trouble in killing a gang called the Hoods as he plows through their turf brutally killing them off until he is led to believe that he has finished his work, but is then ambushed by the Cerberus, who are on Starkweather's payroll, and is transported to another location.

He is then dropped by the Cerberus at Dentons City Junkyard, where he must kill a gang of white supremacists called the Skinz. Cash kills them all as he makes his way through the location, uses a crane to clear the path ahead and makes his way to the exit. He is once again subdued and picked up by the Cerberus and driven to the next location.

Next, Cash must face a gang of war veterans known as the Wardogs at the Carcer City Zoo, until he learns they have his family hostage. He manages to save at least one member (depends on the player) and kills all the Wardogs at the location.

Now Cash arrives at the mall, because the Director has arranged a special "screening" for him. He must find a tape and a video camera in the Carcer City Mall, while shooting out with a gang called the Innocentz. Once all the gang members are dead, Cash watches the tape which turns out to be footage of his remaining family members being murdered by an Innocentz member with a Machete. In a rage, Cash picks up the TV set and throws it against the ground.

Cash then finds himself on the mean streets of East Los Albos and was teamed up with a drunken hobo. Starkweather instructs him to escort the Tramp to a cemetery, while slaughtering more Innocentz along the way. He is then forced to clear out the remaining Innocentz at the Carcer Chem Factory, and after succeeding tries to makes a run for it but is caught once again by Cerberus.

Cash is then taken back to Darkwoods Penitentiary to face his former fellow inmates who have taken over the asylum and called themselves the Smileys. Cash makes his way through the asylum killing all the Smileys, until coming across the White Rabbit, who Cash is told to follow. The rabbit leads Cash into many traps, where he is attacked by the Smileys, until he enters one room filled with heavily armed Smileys which is the point where Starkweather had planned for Cash to die (thus betraying him). However, through sheer skill and bloodlust, Cash manages to stay alive and slaughters the remaining Smileys, some of the Cerberus assigned to finish him off if the Smileys failed, and finally the White Rabbit who led him to the ambush. Cash finally breaks free of the Cerberus and escapes from the prison.

Now Cash is on the run from Starkweather, who sends Ramirez out to capture him which he does but decides to toy with him first. Cash is placed in a fenced-out yard outside the Wardogs apartment for the Wardogs to hunt him down. Cash kills them and enters the apartment building, killing all the Wardogs and Ramirez in the process. After killing Ramirez, Cash escapes the location running through the door, with several gunshots are fired, which means Cash didn't kill all the remaining Wardogs.

While running away from the remaining Wardogs, Cash is picked up by the Journalist and Cash helps her by escorting her to her apartment in Central to gather evidence to bring down Starkweather, while killing multiple CCPD officers who have saturated the neighborhood following orders from corrupt police Chief Gary Schaffer to kill them both, who was himself given the order by the Director. After collecting all the evidence the Journalist needed, Cash instructs the Journalist to get out of town, to which the Journalist seems to be disagrees with Cash's decision. However, Cash decides to head to Starkweather's Estate via the subway, making it all the way to the Stockyard where he is cornered by a SWAT team. However, a squad of Cerberus kills the SWAT members before they can apprehend Cash, and recapture him for themselves.

Cash is then locked up in the garage at Starkweather Estate, but manages to break free and kills the Cerberus, including the Cerberus Leader, and makes his way up to Starkweather's office. While Cash is heading to Starkweather's office, he is ambushed by Piggsy and must kill him. After killing Piggsy, Starkweather sends out the last few number of Cerberus to take down Cash, but they are all killed by Cash.

After Piggsy and the remaining Cerberus are dead, Cash successfully breaks into Starkweather's office. Shocked, Starkweather falls to the ground and quickly arms himself with a Revolver, in an attempt to defend himself. Starkweather quickly change his mind and negotiate Cash to spare him when the Revolver run out of bullets. Finally, Cash manages to kill Starkweather by slicing his stomach, exposing his guts while begging for mercy, and drives the Chainsaw into his face, killing him. Cash then lodges the Chainsaw into Starkweather's back.

After that, a Carcer City News segment says the police soon show up in Starkweather Estate and found the corpses of the Cerberus, Starkweather and his snuff film ring. However, Cash has already made his run and he's nowhere to be found.

## Scene Appearances

### *Manhunt*

* As the protagonist, he appears in all scenes.

## References

1. ↑ Mouth of Madness Smiley dialogues.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Used by the Tramp during Drunk Driving.
3. ↑ Occasionally used by the Lionel Starkweather during any scene prior to Divided They Fall.