Around Dodge City and in the territory on West, there's just one way to handle the killers
and the spoilers and that's with a US Marshal and the smell of gun smoke.
Gun Smoke starring William Conrad, the story of the violence that moved West with young
America, the story of a man who moved with it, Matt Dillon, United States Marshal.
Well Chester?
It's another one Mr. Dillon, laying near his wagon, the horse was still hitched and was
grazing.
Another stabbing?
Yes sir, Mr. Dillon.
The Feral Hunters found him earlier this morning on the road leading out to Cimarron Crossing.
We just brought him back.
Who was he?
His name was Jones, Les Jones.
Been in town a couple days buying supplies and food.
Where'd he come from?
Well some of the boys told me he's got a little farm on up there at Kansas Peace.
Got a wife too, poor little thing they tell me.
Yeah, you know anything more about him?
He was a tab slayed saloon last night playing feral.
Drunk?
We'd had a bell or two but not drunk.
Did all right at the feral table.
He must have had two, three thousand dollars.
Three thousand dollars and a widow woman on the Arkansas River.
Big pardon Mr. Dillon?
Yeah, nothing Chester.
The money's gone of course.
Yes sir.
Ask Doc to come down when he can will you Chester?
Right.
Doc, come down a minute, Mr. Dillon wants you.
Coming.
I'm coming.
Did Jones have a gun on him Chester?
We found a sharp special in his spring wagon.
He wasn't carrying anything on him.
It's outside, you want to see it?
Had it been fired?
No sir.
Oh well, good morning Marshal.
Wanted to see me?
I wanted to ask you a question Doc.
Yeah?
There have been two stabbings in two months.
Jones makes the third.
You think the same person killed the other two?
Well, there's nowhere to be sure but from the position of the wound and the body and
from the angle of the knife thrust I figured the killer or killers used the same.
Doc, I just wanted a simple answer.
Yes, I think the same person murdered all three men.
Any way of telling how long Jones has been dead?
Well I'm not a picker than man but I'd say sometime after midnight.
Between three or four in the morning maybe and I'd also say from the amount of bleeding.
Okay Doc.
Chester.
Yes Mr. Dillon?
Get my horse, I'm going to ride out to the Jones place.
I figure Miss Jones will want to know.
Hello Mr.
Howdy bub.
I live here, where are you from?
I'm from Dodge.
Dodge?
Me too, right all the way from Dodge?
Sure.
I'll water your horse.
All right.
Yeah, here you are.
What's your name son?
Alvin Jones.
My dad is Les Jones.
I guess you know him, huh?
Yeah, sure.
I guess most everybody knows him.
Your mother in the house?
Are you going to stay for dinner?
Well I don't think so.
Is she in the house?
Yeah, she's there.
Just go on up.
Don't worry about your horse.
Thank you.
Alvin, Alvin, stop that.
It's not Alvin, Miss Jones.
Oh I am sorry, I thought it was my son.
My name is Dillon, Miss Jones.
Marshall Dillon at Dodge.
Come in Marshall.
Thank you ma'am.
Do you care for some buttermilk or maybe out here men don't drink buttermilk like they
do at home.
Thank you, but nothing for me.
Miss Jones, I've got some unpleasantness for you.
Yes?
It's about your husband.
He's in trouble?
I left Dodge four hours ago.
I thought I should be the one to tell you.
He's hurt bad.
More than bad, Miss Jones.
I pulled the saddle off your horse, Mr. Mason, good one.
Thank you son.
Alvin, this is Marshall Dillon from Dodge.
From Marshall?
Alvin, your pa won't be home for a while, the Marshall says.
Not for how long?
Not for how long, Ma?
Not for quite a time son, so you'll have to run things a while longer.
Makes I can take care of Ma, right?
Sure you can, Alvin.
Would you stay to eat?
No, no thank you ma'am, I've got to get back to Dodge.
Miss Jones, could I?
Yes, Mr. Dillon.
Talk to the boy, Miss Jones, explain it so he won't be bitter.
Too many gunfighters got their start from a killing like this.
I'll try, Mr. Dillon.
I'll try.
Good afternoon ma'am.
And make sure you've got enough whiskey to finish the night this Thursday weather.
Oh we've got plenty, Mr. Slade, if no fights Dodge this.
Oh Mr. Slade, there's a company coming.
Marshall Dillon just walked in, I'll set the bottle of rye up on the bar.
Howdy, Matt.
Will you join me in a drink?
Thank you, I will.
What kind of drive, been traveling?
Yeah, I've been up the river a bit to the Jones place.
Jones?
Tell his wife she's a widow.
Oh yeah, I heard about that, too bad.
He was in here last night, wasn't he?
Oh yes, matter of fact he was.
You wouldn't know anything about his being killed.
What are you asking me, Dillon?
Straight question.
Are you saying I killed him?
Just ask the question, Slade.
I don't know anything.
Someone knifed that man after he left here.
He was taking a lot of money out of your place.
You had a reason.
I wasn't even here last night, my partner Ben Ramirez was running the place.
Where were you?
I was with his sister.
All evening?
Still late enough.
Where's Ben and his sister now?
I don't know, home I guess.
I think I'll ride out and have a talk with them.
Slade, if you have any big winners tonight, make sure they get home safe.
Huh?
There is no one there.
You look very foolish.
You cannot see me?
No, I can't see you.
Well, don't be mad at me.
I'll come to where you are.
Is this one side of the shadow?
And here I am.
What do you want?
I'm looking for Ben Ramirez.
He is not at home.
You're his sister.
I am his sister.
What's the matter?
You don't believe me?
Well, I guess I'm not, but I thought...
You thought I would be in the house?
Why, when the night is so beautiful.
You want to talk with me?
I'll be right back.
You want to talk with me?
I want to talk with your brother.
But he's not here.
So why not talk with me?
My name's Matt Dillon.
I'm Marshall with Dodge.
I know.
I've been wanting to meet you.
I've come on business.
I like business.
Talk with me.
Last night, maybe after midnight, a man was killed on the River Road.
Killed?
Yeah, stabbed in the chest.
Why do you tell me this?
He was carrying $3,000.
He wanted Slade's.
And so?
Tab Slade told me he spent last evening with you.
He came for dinner.
He often does.
He thinks he loves me.
Your brother, was he here?
Tab Slade and Ben are in the saloon together.
They're partners.
They think at least one should be there all the time.
They're not.
They're not, they're not.
They're not.
they're not.
They're not.
It looks like they've been hit once, haven't they?
Yeah, if you might recall late in the morning something occurred to Ben.
Where exactly can you say?
I tell him he's airplane where, could be a plane meringue.
Yeah.
Yeah, I'm afraid I could be wrong, Terri.
You say something fun to Ernie.
Car crying.
Nicely t helping.
Nicely t, er, what, you know.
When do you expect your brother?
I don't know what my brother does.
He may be home soon, he may be late.
I don't know.
I've seen you when I was in town, Matt Dillon.
Yeah?
I don't ride in often.
Slade's such a fool. He and my brother don't like me to come to town.
Well, Dodge is rough on this, remember?
Always he has to protect me.
Men are such fools.
But Matt Dillon is not soft. Are you?
You wouldn't keep me out of town?
Well, that's not my affair, Miss Ramirez.
It would be for your brother and Tab Slade to say.
Tab Slade thinks we will marry.
Well, we won't.
Because I don't love him.
I don't love anybody.
But I could.
Maybe.
Miss Ramirez, I...
Will you find me attractive?
Well, yes.
I don't think you can.
Well, no, I didn't mean to...
No.
Dillon?
I've got a gun pointed at the back of your head.
Ben, I want to...
I'm warning you, another man's fiance isn't smart, Dillon.
Ben, please.
He's gone inside.
All right.
I'll go.
Aren't you going to say anything, Dillon?
What do you want me to say, Ben?
Well, by this time, most men will be crawling.
You're a hard one, Dillon.
I can't fight a man who's behind me in the dark with his gun drawn.
There, is that better?
You can see me now.
It takes a small man to make love to another man's woman.
You can't haze me into a draw.
I'm not trying to. I don't want to gunfight.
I just want to talk, Dillon.
Why are you calling me?
I saw a slave just a few minutes after you left this place.
He told me you were trying to tie us with a murder.
I said he was wrong and came up here to get the straighter things.
From what I saw a minute ago, he might have been right after all.
You would like his woman, so it would be handy to have him out of the way.
Is that the way you figure it, Ramirez?
Yeah, that's the way I figure it.
The only reason I came to your place was to talk to you.
I want to find the killer, Mr. Jones, and thought you might be able to help.
You're not going to get any information sniffing around Eve.
What's your plan, Ramirez?
I'll give you some advice, Marshal.
Tab Slade's been a good friend of me, and I'll help him protect anything that's his.
Eve's his, so stay away.
You're not going to find a killer while you're saying pretty things.
Are you through?
All right, then listen to me.
You say Slade had nothing to do with those killings.
I won't say he did because I don't know, but I'm going to find out who did it,
and if it was Slade, I'll get him.
Now, do I ride back to town?
Yeah, ride back to Dodge, Marshal, and between here and where your horse is tied,
it's not so much as to twitch up a finger.
I don't know whether you're a fool or a brave man, Ramirez, but just let me give you one bit of advice.
Don't tie to the wrong brand.
It's easy to do.
Just walk away, Marshal, your horse, and walk easy.
Now, Marshal.
Yeah?
If you find out who killed Jones, let me know.
I'll do that, Ben. I sure will.
We will return for the second act of gun smoke in just a moment,
but first...
Hello, I'm Kathy Lewis, the girl who plays Jane on My Friend Irma.
Irma, tie this string around your finger to remind you that starting Sunday,
we go on the air at 9.30 p.m. instead of 6 p.m. Eastern Daylight Savings Time.
All right, Jane.
Good girl. Now, what's that string to remind you of?
To buy some more strings?
That's My Friend Irma, whom you can now hear on Sunday's 9.30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Savings Time.
Remember, My Friend Irma is now heard at a new later time on Sundays.
Check your local schedules.
Now, the second act of gun smoke.
Mr. Dillon? Mr. Dillon?
Oh, Chester, wait a minute.
What time is it?
Almost four in the morning, Mr. Dillon.
Four?
Yes, sir. I'm sorry to have to wake you,
but you better get dressed and come right away.
They've got Tab slayed.
Slayed? Who's got slayed?
Some of the ranchers.
They're going to lynch him right in front of his saloon.
Well, go and try and hold him for a minute. I'll be right along.
Yes, sir.
And if you can't go ahead with this mission,
Mr. Dillon's going to have everyone in the yard for drowiness.
No reason for you to get hurt.
All right, Chester, I'll take over.
Marshal, we don't want to have trouble with you,
but we're going to hang Tab Slayed.
Harrison, you're too smart a man to be the head of a mob like this
and not tell your men to burk it up and go home.
I'm sorry, Marshal, I can't do that.
Slayed killed another man tonight, and he's going to pay for it.
All right, now listen to me, all of you.
If Tab Slayed killed a man tonight, I'm going to...
He did.
If you can prove Tab Slayed killed a man tonight,
I'll take him to jail and hold him there for trial.
Marshal, Tab ain't going to be alive to stand trial.
Do you know Slayed killed anybody?
If one of these men lays a hand on Tab Slayed, I'll start shooting.
There'll be a lot of men dead.
How about you, Marshal?
Might be you could get hurt too.
That's right, John, you could kill me, all right.
But what are you going to shoot first?
And die first?
Huh?
Well, which one?
Chester?
Yes, sir.
Go pull Slayed off that horse, cut the ropes,
and take a gag out of his mouth.
Yes, Mr. Dillon.
And you men, don't anybody make a mistake.
Don't you move a shatter.
All right, Slayed, get down off of there.
Thank you, sir.
All right, Chester, now you and Slayed walk back to the far side of the street, slow.
Yes, sir.
I tried to tell him I had nothing to do.
The rest of you, just stand where you are, looking right here at me.
First man so much as moves his eyes will be in real trouble.
We're across the street, Mr. Dillon.
Good, Chester.
Now walk Slayed down to the jail and put him in a cell for safe keeping.
Now Harrison, you and your boys head for home,
and if you've got any sense at all, forget to tell your families what you were almost a party to.
Now good night, gentlemen.
Chester, what happened tonight?
A man named Olson ran here with Slayed's place.
Gambling?
Yes, sir, and he did pretty fair.
He left around midnight and was found about two hours later.
He'd been stabbed, his money was gone.
Did you talk with him?
Yes, sir.
He just mumbled about having tried to be friendly.
He said that several times, Mr. Dillon, just being friendly.
Then he said, I fired a couple of times, I think it hit.
You mean he hit whoever stabbed him?
I think that's what he meant.
Did he say anything else?
Nothing.
Well, there's not much help in just that.
He can't tell us any more.
I'll talk with Slayed and I'll bring him out.
Yes, sir.
Mr. Dillon, why don't you please?
Matt, Matt, you've got to believe me.
I don't know anything about the killing, this one or any of the others.
I don't have to believe anything, Slayed.
I'll find out for myself.
But I didn't do it, Matt.
Why is everybody sure you did?
Why are they so sure that they're trying to lynch you?
Does a lynch mob have to be sure of anything?
Slayed, before you came here to dodge, you were a gunfighter.
You had a bad reputation.
You were in with the Kansas Raiders, too.
Sure, that's right.
The Raiders were killers and thieves.
Some were.
Now when a man with your background goes straight, he's always suspect.
Matt, I didn't have anything to do with the killing.
What about this partner of yours, is Ramirez?
I met him in Kansas.
Him and his sister, we joined up and came out here.
Thought we'd make good a team.
Where's Ramirez now?
I don't know, Matt.
Please listen to me.
You're going to marry his sister?
No.
Matt, I don't know.
Why isn't Ramirez around now that you're in trouble?
Please, maybe he doesn't know.
I don't know.
He'd know by now.
The news is all over Dodge.
Chester?
Yes, Mr. Dillon?
Put Slayed back in his cell, then load your shotgun and keep a close watch on him.
Well, where are you going, Mr. Dillon?
I'm going to take a ride out to the Ramirez place.
I want to have a talk with Mr. Ben Ramirez and his sister, Eve.
Don't move.
Just stay where you are, Ramirez.
It's late for a social call, Dillon.
Why, you're still dressed.
I was just going to turn in.
The last time we talked, you had a gun in my back.
Now your gun's on your hip and it'd be smart to keep it there.
I'm not going to try a shootout with you, Dillon.
I wouldn't chance it, especially in this lamplight.
There'll be no reason for anyone to draw.
I just want the answer to some questions.
What questions?
Where's Eve?
What do you want her for?
I ask you a question, Ramirez.
I want an answer.
Where's Eve?
She's in bed.
Where was she around three this morning?
Here, I suppose, asleep.
I think you better get her out here, Ramirez.
What's so important about Eve?
A man was killed this morning and I think she might have done it.
You know what you're saying?
Yeah, I know.
You're calling my sister a murderer.
That's right.
If you're going for your gun, Ramirez, make sure you're ready to die.
I told you before, I'm not a fool.
But if I can trick you, I'll kill you.
Don't try, Ramirez.
Why do you say my sister killed a man?
No hand around these parts would stop for anyone on the road at night.
Not unless it was someone they knew or someone they didn't have to fear, like a woman.
Like your sister.
You don't know anything, Dillon.
You're guessing wrong.
I didn't know when I got here, but now I'm sure.
What do you mean?
The man who died tonight shot at and hit the person who stabbed him.
There's no blood on you, but there's blood on the floor over there by the door.
Blood that could have come from a gunshot wound.
That doesn't prove anything.
And there's blood on the table by you there.
Not blood, but just a shuttle from the lamp.
The lamp won't light.
Is it hurt, Ramirez?
I hurt inside.
Bad?
I won't be around for the trial.
Did she do it, Ramirez?
Did your sister kill those men?
She's not my sister.
She's my wife.
Wife?
Yeah, that's why she didn't marry Slade.
She's the other Rome.
I hurt that.
Get a doctor for her.
Ramirez?
She's not good, but I will love her.
She's got a horse.
I saw you finding me.
I saw your horse grazing when I topped that slope.
Matt, what are you going to do with me?
Take you back to Dodge? Have you up for trial?
There's no point. I wouldn't live long on horseback.
I've bled too much already.
Yeah. Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable?
No. Nothing.
Eve, can you tell me why? Why you killed four men?
For a very simple reason. I wanted the money they had. I wanted it very much.
Matt, I've been thinking about my husband. Is he dead, Matt? Did you kill him?
He went for his gun, Eve. I killed him.
Why did I kill him?
He was kind to me. I tried to love him, but I couldn't.
I didn't love anything but money.
Even that I could have loved. Now I'm sorry for everything.
Matt?
Yeah?
It's very lonely. Would you do something for me?
Sure.
Would you hold my hand?
Good. That's good. Very good.
I'll just rest here a minute longer.
A little longer. Perhaps I can...
Matt?
She lay there, her dark hair framing her face, the spring grass crushed by her body, a red stain across her silk blouse.
The morning sun warmed the soft wind that moved across the land.
Later that day, Eve Ramirez and her husband were buried on the outskirts of Dodge City, not far from the banks of the Arquemzes River.
And later that night, Dodge City was alive with saddle bums, ranchers, cattlemen, searching the dark of a Kansas night for excitement and life.
Gunsmoke, under the direction of Norman MacDonald, stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshal.
Special music for tonight's story was composed and conducted by Rex Corey.
Featured in our cast were Georgia Ellis, Hi Aberback, and Jack Crouchon, with Richard Beals, Ann Morrison, and Herb Ellis.
Parley Bear as Chester, and Howard McNear as Doc.
Join us again next week as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshal, fights to bring law and order out of the wild violence of the West in Gunsmoke.
Don't miss Gangbusters and the Case of the Variable Blonde, later tonight on most of these same CBS radio stations.
This is Roy Rowland speaking, and this is the CBS Radio Network.
Thank you for watching.