Digger Barnes

Willard "Digger" Barnes †
Occupation:	Oilman
Spouse(s):	Rebecca Blake (1940s-1955) (ran out on her marriage)
Other Relationships:	Miss Ellie Ewing (dated in 1920s-30s)
Parent(s):	Henry Barnes (father, deceased)
Sibling(s):	Margaret (Maggie) Barnes Monahan (deceased)
Children:	Tyler Barnes (deceased) Cliff Barnes Catherine Barnes (deceased) Pamela Barnes Ewing (stepdaughter, deceased)
Other relatives:	Jimmy Monahan (nephew, deceased) Rose (cousin, deceased) Christopher Ewing (adoptive grandson) Pamela Rebecca Barnes (biological granddaughter)
Played by:	David Wayne (1978); Keenan Wynn (1979-1980) David Marshall Grant in TV movie
Appears on:	Dallas (first series) Dallas:The Early Years

Willard "Digger" Barnes was the alcoholic father of Cliff Barnes, and the nemesis to Jock Ewing and his son J.R. Ewing. He lost his share of the business he once owned with Jock due to his alcoholism and irresponsibility.

In Season 1 and the early part of the Season 2 of the CBS-TV series Dallas, Digger is played by David Wayne. He is then played in the latter half of Season 2 by Keenan Wynn. David Marshall Grant assumes the part of a young Digger in the CBS-TV movie Dallas: The Early Years in 1986.

Digger was also known for his beautiful voice and modern interpretive dance skills, which were masterfully showcased at the Ewing Barbecue when he performed The Yellow Rose of Texas.

History

Early life and marriage

Willard Barnes' father, Henry Barnes, was best friends with Aaron Southworth, the father of Ellie Southworth. In fact, Henry saved Aaron's life so Aaron took care of young Willard throughout much of his adolescence. Willard first started dating Ellie in 1930, when Ellie was 15. However, after being caught with Ellie by her brother, Garrison, Willard decided to try his fortune at wildcatting. As a result, he met Jock Ewing while riding in a train boxcar on the way to the oil fields, and the two became friends. Willard, Jock and Jock's brother Jason all became wildcatters and began drilling their own fields. Willard had a unique ability to smell oil underground, earning him the nickname "Digger", which over time became the name that people used more and more (even his children would sometimes call him "Digger", in addition to "Daddy"), eventually getting to the point where virtually nobody called him "Willard" anymore.

Digger's brilliant ability to sniff oil, combined with Jock's brilliant business skills, enabled them to start making a fortune. Digger and Jason had a lot of disagreements and didn't get along, but Jock would always stand up for Digger at this time. Jason soon left Texas to wildcat in Alaska, where he married a woman named Nancy Shaw, and fathered two children, a son named Jack and a daughter named Jamie. Digger and Jock returned to Dallas where they started, and they soon became rivals over Digger's girlfriend, Ellie Southworth. Digger's love for Miss Ellie had only grown since their initial brief romance in 1930, but Digger's drinking, gambling and undependability eventually made Miss Ellie see that Digger would never change and that he was not the type of man to marry. Jock and Ellie became a couple in the fall of 1935, and Jock married a pregnant Miss Ellie in 1936, putting the first serious dent in Digger's and Jock's friendship.

Digger wandered across the country for years after he lost Ellie to Jock, although he still did business deals with Jock regarding their oil ventures for a few more years. Even as late as 1939, Jock and Digger both signed a deal to share the profits of Ewing 23 between themselves and their heirs in perpetuity. However, when Ewing 6 came in, Jock put the field in his name only, to prevent Digger from gambling and drinking his half away. Digger was furious and he claimed that Jock had stolen the wells for himself, ending their friendship and business relationship. While Digger was known for his liking of alcohol even when he was still on good terms with Jock, it was in the years following his fallout with Jock that Digger's wandering and drinking worsened considerably, causing the alcoholic troubles that would end his life many decades later, although he would have some periods of sobriety in between.

Sometime after World War II finished, Digger married a teenager named Rebecca Blake, who became the mother of their children, Tyler, Cliff, Catherine and Pamela. Tyler and Catherine both died in infancy. It was a mostly volatile marriage, due to Digger's bitterness at the Ewings, his heavy drinking and the pain caused by the deaths of Tyler and Catherine. Rebecca left Digger, Cliff and Pam, when Pam was just a year old. Digger became a single father who raised Cliff and Pam with the help of his sister, Maggie.

In 1979, after a dizzy spell, Cliff took Digger to the doctor, and Digger was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis, an inherited genetic condition that is passed down from parent to child, and is a potentially deadly risk, to young babies in particular. The neurofibromatosis was very likely responsible for the premature deaths of Digger's children, Tyler and Catherine, both of whom died before they reached their first birthday. At the time of the diagnosis, there was a strong possibility that Cliff was the biological father of baby John Ross Ewing III, who was the son of J.R. Ewing's wife, Sue Ellen Ewing, and there were fears for the health of John Ross from Cliff, who wanted to talk to Sue Ellen. At Pam's urging, they decided not to say anything, to discreetly take John Ross for tests, and to keep a close eye on the situation. Despite the probability odds, tests later confirmed that J.R. was the biological father of baby John Ross, rather than Cliff.

It was also later revealed that Digger was not Pam's biological father as a man named Hutch McKinney had been having an affair with Rebecca. Digger revealed that he discovered his pregnant wife together with Hutch McKinney on the night after Hutch had been fired from Southfork Ranch by Jock Ewing in December 1952, after Digger had been out drinking. A confrontation followed where Rebecca stated that she and Cliff were leaving Digger to move away with Hutch, and that Hutch was the father of her unborn baby. An angry Digger punched Hutch and Hutch pulled a gun on Digger, the gun being Jock Ewing's, which Hutch had stolen that night before he left Southfork. This then resulted in Rebecca taking Hutch by surprise, disarming him, and Digger picking up the gun and shooting Hutch dead in a fit of anger. Digger then buried Hutch's body on Southfork land, where it remained undiscovered for over 28 years. Rebecca gave birth to Hutch's biological daughter, Pamela, and both she and Digger passed the child off as Digger's own daughter, with Digger becoming Pam's legal father. Early in Pam's life, Rebecca left Digger, leaving Cliff and Pam behind. Pam and Cliff were both raised by Digger and Digger's sister, Maggie. When Rebecca left her husband and kids behind, she left in such a way that Digger believed that she was dead.

Life in Dallas

It was two days after she and Bobby had eloped to New Orleans, and Pam could put off breaking the news to her father no longer. She and Cliff found him drinking the afternoon away at a downtown Dallas bar. There he was, Digger  Barnes, holding forth at the counter, retelling the same tale they had heard  all their lives:

"Now, nineteen and thirty was my year. My partner and I walked out, right here in Texas, and I just followed my nose, and I said, 'Here!' And he went back to register the claim, and I stayed there and I drilled and when I thought we had enough - ten times more than we could ever spend - I said, 'That's a-plenty!' Well, he looked at me and laughed in my face and said that I owned nothing, nothing at all; I even owed him some money! Well, I tried to kill Jock Ewing once or twice, but I bungled it. See, I can drill, but I can't kill!"

Pam sat him down at a table and broke the news: the man she had married was Jock Ewing's son, Bobby. Digger said nothing, but the look on his face as he stared at Pam was enough to drive her out of the bar in tears.

Despite the bad blood that had existed between the Barneses and the Ewings for over forty years, Pam and Bobby still had hopes of effecting a reconciliation between the two families. After much persuasion from Pam, Digger finally agreed to attend the annual barbecue at the Ewing family home of Southfork Ranch - and to remain sober throughout it. If Digger was anxious about setting eyes on Jock for the first time in years, he was even more nervous about a reunion with Miss Ellie, his childhood sweetheart now married to Jock.

Digger arrived at the barbecue with his nephew Jimmy for moral support. He received a warm welcome from Ellie who took him on a tour of the ranch he had not seen in years. Southfork was the reason Ellie had married Jock all those years ago. It had been her family home, but had fallen prey to the drought and depression of the thirties.  Jock had had the money to save the ranch and so she had chosen him over Digger. Gradually over the years, she now explained, she had grown to love Jock and they had built a good life together. She told Digger that he, too,  still meant a great deal to her.

The tour concluded, Ellie brought Digger face to face with Jock. Pam and Bobby had been waiting for their arrival in order to make an announcement: Pam was pregnant. No sooner had the congratulations subsided than Pam asked  the two grandfathers-to-be to put aside their differences, for the sake of the baby. Digger tentatively put out a hand to Jock and he begrudgingly accepted it. As they toasted the impending arrival - Digger with soda pop - Jock began talking of all the gifts he would shower on the child, and Digger felt old resentments stirring:

• "Not again, Jock. You're gonna take everything like always - you've got my daughter living in your house, now you're gonna take my grandson ... You took everything, everything including my girl ... you took the claims for your own."

Pam attempted to intervene.

• Jock: Young lady, you've heard his side all your life. It's about time you heard the truth. I put that claim in my name to keep him from gambling his half away ... I came back with the claim. He's drunk. He looks at the paper, sees my name, jumps me, tries to tear my eyes out. I was gonna give him half the money ... He's been a loser every day of his life, couldn't even kill me the time he tried.
• Pam: You have to take everything away from him, even now?
• Jock: No, he asks for the same thing every time. He's stripped down raw. I generally try to accommodate my guests.

Humiliated and angry, Digger shunned Pam and Ellie's attempts at consolation, and insisted on getting drunk. While Pam went to find Jimmy to drive him home, he continued to drown his sorrows with an equally inebriated JR - no happier about his little brother's marriage than Digger himself.

From there, Digger went on an almighty binge, lasting several weeks and refused to have any contact with his daughter. During this period, Digger's sister, Margaret, with whom he lived, told him that Pam had suffered a miscarriage, but it barely seemed to register with him. Finally, he collapsed in the street and was taken to the detox ward of the county hospital.

After he was discharged, Pam went to visit him at Maggie's house, to apologize for what Jock had done to him at the barbecue. Digger told her to get out, that as long as she remained under Jock Ewing's roof, she was dead to him.

He showed up at Southfork later that day, staggering out of his car to demand from Jock $10,000, for "the only thing I had [left] that you could get" - Pam herself. Pam watched silently as Jock talked Digger down to $100.

She then paid Digger another visit, this time refusing to listen when he ordered her to leave.

• Pam: You're a drunk, Daddy. You do idiotic drunken things and I'm ashamed of you.
• Digger: I don't marry Ewings.
• Pam: I did. I did and I'm glad, because Bobby's a decent man. He doesn't smell the way you do, and I don't have to be ashamed of him the way I am of you. I love him and he loves me. That's it. The rest we have to put up with ... You're the only father I have and I'm not ready to be an orphan. Next to Jock Ewing, you're the most unwholesome man I know, but I love you and you're not getting rid of me.

Contrite, Digger attempted to give her the hundred dollar bill he had taken from Jock.

After four days' work in an oil field near Lubbock, Digger had earned enough for another binge. He holed up in his local bar, but it wasn't too long before he was out of money again. A younger man came to his rescue, buying Digger drinks and even listening to him reminisce about his wildcatting days and his daughter. When they left the bar and Digger saw the man had a fifth of whisky on him, he invited him home for a night-cap.

The next day, a sober Digger received a visit from Pam and Cliff. A figure from their past had shown up in Dallas:

When Pam was fifteen, impressionable, and on an overnight cheerleading trip to El Paso, she had met and married a young soldier, Ed Haynes, who was being shipped off to Vietnam the following day. When word reached Digger, he followed them and dragged Pam back to Dallas before the newlyweds had a chance to consummate the marriage. Ed went off to the war, and Digger had the marriage annulled.

Now Haynes was in Dallas, claiming that he had never received the annulment papers, and that he and Pam were still married. Pam needed Digger's copy of the papers to avoid charges of bigamy. Digger was certain they were stored in an old cigar box in his bedroom, along with other family documents and photographs. He looked there, but to no avail. Digger was adamant he had not lost the papers, insisting he had been stone cold sober when he filed them. Feeling responsible, he decided to confront Haynes himself. Cliff tried to dissuade him, but he would not be talked out of it.

Cliff drove Digger to the motel where Haynes was staying. Haynes was on his way out and refused to speak to Digger, dismissing him as a drunk as he left. Cliff commented that it was an odd thing for him to call Digger, as he had never seen him drunk. Suddenly, Digger realized: the man who had bought him drinks in the bar, and then come home with him, was Haynes. Digger remembered showing him pictures from the cigar box, which was when Haynes  must have stolen the annulment papers. Cliff and Bobby went to face down Haynes, and he left town.

After several months of work and sobriety in California, Digger returned to Dallas at the request of his son. Cliff, now the Head of the Office of Land Management, had a surprise for his father that he wished to present to him in person: Ewing Oil royalty checks made out to Digger, and signed by J.R. Ewing.

• Cliff: Every couple of months, Ewing Oil is paying money to Digger Barnes ... The O.L.M., which I control without interference from anyone, says who can and who cannot drill for oil in the whole state of Texas ... I've got Ewing Oil in a box, and I'm squeezing hard. The only new field they drilled was Palo Seco, where I just happened for you to own a little piece of it. 

Not a big piece, but it's a start.

• Digger: Now that's really worth coming home for!
• Cliff: It's just a beginning. When I'm through with Ewing Oil, they're gonna be wiped out, flat broke.
• Digger: I never wanted that ... I only want what's coming to me. I don't wanna see Jock Ewing flat broke.

With Maggie busy in Kansas, Cliff took Digger to stay at his place. Noting the new apartment, as well as the fancy car, Digger wondered aloud if Cliff was on the take. He then complained of fatigue, before suddenly collapsing.  Cliff called Pam, and they persuaded him to see Cliff's physician, Dr Holliston.

After running a series of tests, the doctor explained to the family that Digger's collapse was caused by "a virus, an over abused liver - one more drinking bout, Mr Barnes, may be your last - and overwork. Whatever he was doing in those oil fields in California, it was too much."

More significantly, the tests revealed Digger to have a genetic disorder named neurofibromatosis. The disorder was not what was making him sick, but it was very serious. Dr Holliston asked if Digger had fathered any other children.

Cliff: I had an older brother, Tyler. He died when he was six months old. And there was a girl between Pam and myself, she died before she was a year old. We never found out why.

• Dr Holliston: I was afraid of that. Cliff, Mrs Ewing, you were lucky; you survived. Your father survived. The three of you were spared ... This disease is passed on from parent to child, on down through the genes.

The doctor explained that any grandchild Digger might have would most likely die within a year of its birth. The implications for Pam and Cliff came as a huge shock, and Digger could not help but blame himself.

• Cliff: Don't be silly. How could you know ... ? And what's the alternative - you wish that I hadn't been born.

There was nothing to be done and Digger tried to put the whole thing to the back of his mind. He remained sober, if somewhat restless, recuperating in Cliff's apartment. Then Pam discovered she was pregnant. She told Digger she was thinking of having an abortion and he tried to dissuade her, encouraging her to remain positive.

When she suffered a miscarriage, Digger was deeply saddened, believing that he had lost his final chance of becoming a grandfather. "You don't know what it's like to grow old," he told Cliff. "A man's got nothing to look forward to except his children, his children's children ... My whole life I never got one thing I wanted, except you."

Cliff could keep quiet no longer. He told Digger that he already had a grandson; that John Ross Ewing III, the recently born heir to the Ewing fortune, was in fact the result of an affair between Cliff and JR's wife Sue Ellen the previous year.

• Digger: And you let Jock Ewing have him, huh? Well he ain't gonna keep him. He'll keep him over my dead body ... That's my grandson, and he's not gonna steal him like he stole everything else from me.
• Cliff: I'll get him back, I promise. If he lives.

Pam was far from happy that Cliff had told Digger about Baby John. Neither Jock nor Miss Ellie had any idea that Cliff could be the real father of their beloved new grandson, and Pam was afraid of the damage Digger might cause with the information. When she discovered he was thinking of attending the annual Ewing Rodeo at Southfork, she made him promise not to come. He showed up anyway.

Miss Ellie told Digger he was welcome at the ranch, as long as he stayed sober and out of trouble. Digger assured her he had been sober since his return from California.

• Ellie: And have you stopped blaming Jock for every evil that's ever befallen you? Is that why you're here? ... It worries me, all this bad feeling dragging on. What happened between you and Jock was bad enough, but now it's your boy and mine. They're out for blood, both of them. I don't know where it's going to end. It frightens me. Digger, why are you here?
• Digger: To see that beautiful new grandson of yours!

Ellie was surprised, and pleased. She went to fetch Jock, leaving Digger with Pam and Bobby. They alternately threatened and pleaded with him to make his excuses and leave, but he was determined to see his grandchild. Ellie and Jock proudly showed Digger into the nursery where he asked to hold the baby.  Pam and Bobby looked on nervously as Digger listened to Jock boasting about his grandson, "a true Ewing". Digger could see how much the child meant to Miss Ellie and could not bring himself to hurt her. He simply congratulated Jock through gritted teeth, before handing the baby back and making a beeline for the exit, pausing briefly at the bar to knock back a single shot of whisky.

Shortly after the rodeo, Miss Ellie was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy. Pam kept the news from Digger until it was certain she was out of danger. Digger insisted on seeing her straight away. "You don't understand how I feel about Ellie, do you, Pam?" He visited her at Dallas Memorial Hospital, presenting her with a bunch of wildflowers.

• Digger: I remember how you used to look when you picked those in the fields - face lit up, glowing.
• Ellie: Digger, you have the longest memory.

Ellie was pleased to see him, and they arranged to meet again after she had  been released from hospital. They sat on a park bench and reminisced about  their courting days.

• Ellie: Nobody ever realised how gentle you were.
• Digger: Only you. 'Course, I had a terrible temper - still do. I wish things had worked out differently. We were good for each other ... We still are. Do you know how much I've always loved you?
• Ellie: Digger, Willard Barnes - always the romantic ... Right now, I wish I could blank out the last few weeks and become that girl you remember.
• Digger: You can, with me.

He asked her to come away with him, to leave Texas for a while.

• Ellie: I belong at Southfork, Digger.
• Digger: With Jock? You don't need him, Ellie. He's cold, he's mean. He stole my oil, he stole you from me ... If it wasn't for Jock Ewing, we'd be married right now. We'd be on top of the world. I'd be rich, I'd have my own oil company. I'd be respected, and powerful. Jock Ewing ruined it for both of us.
• Ellie: No, Digger, you wouldn't have changed, and neither would I. I'd still be just the same, no different. I wanted to turn the clock back. I can't do that. I'm sorry, Digger.

Miss Ellie bade him a fond farewell and returned home to Southfork. Digger remained behind, wondering what he had said or done wrong.

As a result of his work at the Office of Land Management, Cliff had been approached to run for congress. Persuaded of the level of grass-roots support in his district, he announced his candidacy. This meant resigning from the O.L.M. to avoid a conflict of interest. Digger proudly endorsed his son, but the crusade came to an abrupt end when all of Cliff's campaign contributions mysteriously dried up, and he was forced to withdraw from the race. Cliff was convinced that the campaign had been sabotaged by JR Ewing, but he had no proof. The idea of another Ewing victory was enough to start Digger drinking again.

When a reporter from the Dallas Press arrived at Cliff's apartment for an interview, she found a drunken Digger bitterly recounting all the losses he had suffered at the hands of Jock Ewing: "He stole my oil wells, he's got all the money ... stole my daughter ... Now, he's got my grandson." Digger went on to reveal the secret of John Ross Ewing III's paternity. When the reporter asked Cliff to confirm the story, he did so.

The allegations made front page headlines, and the prominent Ewing family found themselves knee-deep in scandal. A furious Pam asked Cliff to explain himself.

• Cliff: Don't you see? They're trying to strip me of everything - just like they did [Digger]. Well, this time history's not gonna repeat itself. I'm not gonna retire quietly to the bottle. If I go down, I take JR with me.

The Ewings filed a libel suit and so Cliff, goaded by Digger, demanded a paternity test. JR was forced to comply. While waiting for the results, Digger's anticipation of finally achieving victory over the Ewings was tempered by his concern for the baby's health. Cliff assured him that so far they had lucky; Little John displayed none of the symptoms of neurofibromatosis. It transpired that luck had nothing to do with it. The paternity test revealed conclusively that JR Ewing was the baby's father. It was a bitter blow, especially for Cliff.

Death and legacy

Now that Cliff was out of work, Digger felt that he was becoming a burden to him. He decided that it was time for him to get back to work and announced his intention to leave for Galveston. Pam, worried about his health, tried to talk him out of it, but Digger was adamant. "I've got to go. I can't keep hanging around, and feeling useless and worn out. I mean, if I can't work the field anymore, well, I gotta find something else - work in an office, drive a truck, anything - but I gotta feel useful again."

Soon Cliff was also back in gainful employment, this time in the Dallas district attorney's office, where he became intrigued by the recent discovery of a skeleton that had been buried on Southfork ranch for the past twenty-five years. He returned home from work one evening to find Digger in a drunken frenzy, tearing up the apartment looking for booze. Before passing out, he mumbled something about being fired from his job in Galveston. However, as he told Pam, Cliff believed the root cause of Digger's condition lay elsewhere: "They've done it to him; the Ewings have finally finished off Daddy."

Cliff swore to avenge his father, and was sure that the body that had been found on Southfork would hold the key to the Ewings' downfall. He was out gathering evidence the following day, when Pam arrived at the apartment and found Digger unconscious on the floor, surrounded by empty bottles. Unable to rouse him, she called for an ambulance to take him to Dallas Memorial Hospital.

He did not regain consciousness until two days later, during which time Pam remained at his bedside, and Cliff continued his investigation. By the time Digger woke up, Jock Ewing had been arrested for murder. Cliff to could not wait to tell his father the good news:

• Cliff: Daddy, I did it. I finally got Jock Ewing for you.
• Digger: Hey, Cliff - I sure could use a little drink.

Digger continued to slip in and out of consciousness as the days passed. Eventually, he became more lucid, but remained very weak. He received a visit from his son-in-law Bobby, who made a desperate appeal to him:

• Bobby: Your son is framing my daddy for murder ... Is that what you want, 

Digger - for Jock to go to prison for a murder he didn't commit?

• Cliff: Come off it, Bobby. Jock's managed to hide it all these years, but he 

did kill Hutch McKinney.

• Bobby: ... Answer me, Digger, is that what you want - for Daddy to go to prison, and Momma be left alone? Is that how much she means to you? I didn't know your hatred for Daddy included her too. I thought you loved her.
• Digger: Bobby, I never wanted this - not this. I never wanted to hurt Miss Ellie.

It was too late - Jock's trial was underway. Digger's health continued to deteriorate, and his sister Maggie arrived from Kansas. "It was bound to end up like this," she told Pam sadly. "You could have saved yourself a trip, Maggie. I'm gonna be out of here in no time."

Cliff was in court when word reached him that his father was dying. He informed Miss Ellie that Digger had asked to see her. Bobby drove her to the hospital, and they joined Cliff, Pam and Maggie at Digger's bedside.

• Digger: Ellie ... I wasn't gonna say anything. I was gonna let Cliff get his final revenge against Jock for me. Then Bobby asked, do I still love you? I do ... I can't let Cliff do this to you ... I was drinking. It was another of those three day benders. we were living in Braddock, maybe a mile from Southfork. I came home to your momma, Pam, Cliff, I always did. Only this time, it wasn't the same.

Digger had come home to find his wife Rebecca in the arms of Hutch McKinney. She told Digger that she and Hutch were in love, and - now that Jock had fired him as foreman at Southfork - she was leaving Dallas with him and Cliff.

• Digger: You're pregnant - what about my baby?
• Rebecca: Digger, Hutch is the daddy.
• Digger: You whore!

Digger had struck Rebecca, and then turned on Hutch, knocking him down. McKinney then pulled out a gun. Rebecca knocked the gun out of his hand and onto the floor. Digger picked it up, and shot Hutch dead.

• Digger: I dragged him outside, put him in the car. I buried the body in the first open space I saw. I realised later it was a section of Southfork. And then I took Becky and Cliff, and we moved to Corpus Christie. When Becky died, we went to Dallas, to Maggie. I wouldn't let Jock take the blame for what happened to Hutch, Ellie. You had to be taken care of.
• Pam: Daddy, what about the baby?
• Digger: ... I always loved you, Pam ... just like you were my own.

Moments later, Digger died. Despite this, he was later mentioned and referenced in the 2012 Dallas series. In the episode "Ewings Unite!", Digger's name was seen written on the will of his wife. Cliff would mention his name in "Love & Family", saying he would finally gain control of what had been stolen from Digger Barnes.

Despite obtaining Ewing Oil at the end of the original series, Cliff didn't let the feud drop and in 2013 his prime goal was taking down the Ewings and getting hold of their new company Ewing Energies, still feeling that Digger and the Barnes were cheated. This feud ended when Cliff was implicated in the murder of J.R. Ewing and sent to a Mexican prison. Although his daughter Pamela (Digger's granddaughter) discovered Cliff was innocent of J.R.'s murder, she left him in prison for indirectly killing her unborn children on a rig explosion, but gave Cliff the deeds to Digger's deserved land, only at the expense of not being able to enjoy it. Overall though, Pamela decided to continue on the Barnes-Ewing feud, being the third generation.

Gallery

Digger after realising that Bobby has married Pam.