Around George City and in the territory on West, there's just one way to handle the killers
and the spoilers, and that's with a U.S. 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.
There, the rope's ready.
One of you men lead that horse over here.
All right, let me get this noose around your dirty neck and you'll be swinging in no time.
There.
Not too tight, is it?
I wouldn't want you to be uncomfortable.
That's enough of that, Cam.
Who said that?
I did.
I said it.
Rice Stewart.
What's the matter, you turning yellow?
Get this over with, Cam.
Why devil him?
That's what he is.
That's why.
Shut up.
I'll take care of you in a minute.
Rice, you got anything against my hanging this murderer?
Just don't devil him.
That's all.
I'll do it my way.
It's my brother he shot, isn't it?
And in the back, too.
Rice, maybe you'd like me to turn this bushwhacker loose.
Is that it?
Or ask him his name.
Nobody's even asked him his name.
You'll hate this night.
All of you.
I was in on a lynching once, and I swore I'd never be in on another.
I guess the joke's on you, isn't it, fella?
Look, I hear you laugh again, Cam, so help me.
I'll shoot you.
Maybe you shouldn't be here, Rice.
How can you hang a man you don't even know his name?
What do I care what his name is?
So long as he pays for murdering Job.
What's your name, fella?
What do you care?
You don't want to stop him.
You just want to get off your conscience, that's all.
Tell me your name.
It's Billy Saxton, that's my name, Billy Saxton.
How's it sound?
Billy, why'd you kill Job, pal?
That's enough talk.
What difference it make?
He'd kill them, and that's all I need to know.
Yeah, what do you care?
It's gonna hang me anyway.
I sure am.
Right now.
Billy, I got a rifle.
I'll end it for you when we ride off.
You won't have to strangle for long.
Thanks, mister.
Thanks.
Get back, Rice.
I'm gonna slap that horse out from under him.
You ready?
That's for you.
Let's go, men.
Let's go.
We thank the Lord who has doomed all men to die, but has concealed the hour of their death.
Grant that we may pass our days in the practice of holiness and justice, and that we may be
able to quit this world in the peace of a good conscience.
Amen.
May Job, pal, rest in peace.
Amen.
Go ahead, boys.
Thank you.
Good morning, Kemp.
I'm sorry to be here about Job.
You're late for the burial, Marshal.
Well, I was out at Fort Dodge last night.
I just heard about it this morning.
Uh, preacher.
We are in the valley of the shadow of death, Marshal Dillon.
Well, if you're all through here now, I wonder if you'd read a few prayers over another man
we caught him in a grave just over the hillway.
Another man?
Man is born into trouble as the sparks fly upward.
Job, five-seven.
Who was this man, Marshal?
How did he die?
He was murdered last night.
I didn't hear about any murder outside of Job here.
Where was this shooting, Marshal?
It wasn't a shooting.
It was a lynching.
I just buried my brother, Marshal.
Billy Saxton shot him in the back.
Aren't you using the word murder a little loose around here?
Only the law can hang a man without it being murder, Kam.
The law's too slow sometimes.
You know something about this?
All I say is that he shot my brother and he deserved hanging.
Hanging, maybe.
Lynching's a different matter.
What difference it make?
He got what was coming to him.
He had a fair trial coming to him, like any man.
For example, Kam, I'll try to see that you get one.
What?
If you're guilty of leading that lynch party.
Well, say it out, Marshal.
You accusing me?
I got no evidence.
Then you won't get any.
Or is there a man in the country who'll stand still for bushwhacking?
Saxton got his due and that's that.
Maybe.
All right, come on, preacher.
Let's bury him.
Who so shedeth man's blood by man shall his blood be shed?
Genesis 9, say.
Show me the grave, Marshal.
Why don't you disarrest Kam Powell, Mr. Dillon?
Yeah, he won't admit anything, Chester, and I can't find a witness.
Must be somebody who'll talk.
Kam's a bigger man than ever now, with Job dead.
The others don't want to cross him.
He owns a lot of land, all right.
And Job also owned a piece of the bank.
Kam will get that now.
Ranchers always need money so they won't talk.
Yes, and maybe they're ashamed, too, Mr. Dillon.
Yeah, maybe.
I saw lynching once and not a man there could look in the eye for a long time afterwards.
You weren't in on it, were you, Chester?
Oh, my gracious, no, Mr. Dillon.
I was just a small boy.
I was back in Waco.
They hung the cousin of mine there.
Oh, why?
Well, sir, it's kind of hard to explain.
He was about as honest a fellow as I ever knew, outside of some loose notions about other
people's cattle.
But, Mr. Dillon, I just don't believe that struck him as stealing.
Why not?
Well, because there wasn't anything personal about it, if you know what I mean.
Well, I don't, but maybe you can explain it to me.
No, sir, it's just that there was all those cattle running loose on the plains, and I
guess they seemed like a natural part of the landscape to him.
He figured anybody could own them.
Your cousin wasn't very bright, was he, Chester?
I didn't know him well enough to say, Mr. Dillon.
But anyway, they shouldn't have lynched him.
No, no, they shouldn't have.
And nobody's going to get by with lynching around Dodge if I have anything to do with
it.
No, sir.
I heard Billy Saxton was at the Texas Trail last night.
Maybe I can start there.
He sure must have hated Job to kill him like that, Mr. Dillon.
Yeah.
I'll be back later, Chester.
Yes, sir, Mr. Dillon.
Hello, Kitty.
Hello.
Well, I can remember when you'd give me a smile.
What's the matter?
Nothing, Matt.
Someone's been bothering you?
You might put it that way.
Where were you last night, Matt?
Why weren't you around?
Yeah, Chester and I rode out to Fort Dodge on business.
It was late, so we slept there.
I thought this town could go one night without trouble.
You sure thought wrong, didn't you?
You're upset about the lynchings, I didn't...
That's it.
Aren't you?
I heard Billy Saxton spent some time in here yesterday.
I hate men.
I think they're awful, savage beasts.
It'd be worse if it weren't for the law, Kitty.
Now tell me about Saxton.
He could tell you himself, Matt, if you hadn't picked last night to wander out of town.
No, no, Kitty, this isn't like you.
I'm sorry, Matt.
He seemed like such a nice kid.
Where was he from?
I never heard of him around here before.
Out of the code, somewhere.
He was just a cow puncher looking for a job.
No more a gunman than I am.
You can't be sure, Kitty.
They say he'd ever been in Texas?
McPowell came from Texas, didn't they?
Damn it, really.
Billy never mentioned Texas one way or the other.
What'd he talk about?
Horses, mostly.
How he'd like to have a little spread of his own someday, and a woman.
I see.
And he'd talk nice about it.
He wasn't like these hard cases around here.
Anything else?
Cam Powell was in this morning.
Told me not to talk about Billy, especially to you.
How?
What'd you say?
I told him I'm not afraid of him, but maybe you are.
So why didn't he warn you against talking to me?
That pleasing.
I also told him if I was a man, I'd kill him.
Who else was in on it, Kitty?
I don't know.
One thing, though.
Wright Stewart came in here last night.
Must have been afterwards.
He sat over there in that corner and got drunk all by himself.
Real drunk.
You're not like Wright.
No.
But maybe he was in on it and couldn't stand himself afterwards.
Maybe that's why he had to get drunk.
I'll go see him.
Anyone who was there would be in trouble, too.
Wouldn't they, Matt?
Yeah.
But I have a feeling Cam really headed this thing, and if I can prove it, I'll have him
up for murder.
I'll keep my ears open, Matt.
Thank you, Kitty.
Think I'll ride out to the Stewart Ranch.
Rice isn't a man who can lie with much conviction.
Good luck, Matt.
Yeah.
I'll see you later.
We'll return for the second act of gun smoke in just a moment.
But first, do you know how old the school building in your community is?
If it's over 25 years old, the chances are that it's woefully inadequate to the present
demands on it.
Join with the groups in your community working for better school conditions.
Remember, better schools build a stronger America.
Now the second act of gun smoke.
Hello.
Anybody around?
Get down, Marshall.
I'm coming out of the sun.
Thank you, Miss Stewart.
Got a pot of coffee in the stove, Marshall.
Thank you, ma'am, but I'd like to find Rice first.
Anything wrong, Marshall?
No, I'd just like to talk to him.
Rice came home real late last night.
He was awful drunk.
First time in years.
If you'll forgive me, Miss Stewart, I'd better find him.
All right.
Guess I'd rather Rice told me about it himself.
Must be something up.
Camp Powell was by earlier.
He hasn't been around in months.
What would you say Rice was, ma'am?
He hasn't strayed far from the house today.
He's coming in for coffee.
I think he's drunk a gallon already.
Well, I'll be back for some myself in a little while.
Sure, sure, Marshall.
Rice?
Rice, you in here?
I'm here.
Who is it?
Matt Dillon.
Oh.
Hello.
Marshall.
Hello, Rice.
Can I take a little of your time?
I'd ask you up to the house, Marshall, but I think I'd rather talk here.
Miss Stewart already asked me in.
She hasn't heard about what happened in Dodge last night, has she, Rice?
No, Marshall, she hasn't.
How come you didn't mention it to her?
When I tell my wife it's my business, Marshall.
Yeah, sure.
But you know, she's bound to hear about it later.
Maybe she'll wonder why you didn't tell her right off.
That's still my business?
She said Cam Powell was here this morning.
Anything wrong in that?
You don't feel very good today, do you, Rice?
I got drunk yesterday.
Last night I got drunker.
Is that what's bothering you?
Well, I'm not as young as I used to be, that's all.
You're a poor liar, Rice.
I figured you would be.
Yeah, I suppose I am.
Look, Rice, I've known you for four years and I've never heard a bad word against you.
But yesterday you were a little drunk and got mixed up in something you're ashamed of
now.
Cam Powell's threatened you if you talk about it, isn't that right?
That's right, Marshall.
Well, have you decided what you're going to do about it?
I don't know, Marshall.
I just don't know.
Well, then maybe I'm wrong about you.
Maybe you know better than Cam and the rest of them.
Look, it's done with now, Marshall.
Why can't we just forget it?
We just can't forget a lynching, Rice.
That'd make it too easy for the next one to happen.
I'll kill the man that starts another one.
Why are you going to let Cam get by with this one?
By heaven or not, I should have stopped it then.
I don't know what was wrong with me, but I'll face up to it now.
What do you want to know, Marshall?
Where were you when Job got shot?
At the Longhorn.
About six of us were having supper.
Job went down the street for some cigars and then we heard a shot out back and we run through
the kitchen and found the cook outside Old and Billy Saxton.
He'd shot Job when he passed the street end of the alley.
The cook see it?
Oh, she said he did.
Then what happened?
And Cam went crazy when he found Job was dead.
I don't know, Marshall, but before I knew it, we'd slipped out of town with that boy.
Cam hung him on that little tree about a half mile down the road.
Yeah, I know.
I cut him down.
That cook, that Hank, something or other.
I remember he grabbed Saxton's gun when we ran out back.
I can't get it off my mind.
Nobody ever even looked at the boy's gun to see if it had been fired.
Cam just hung him on the cook's word for it.
Mm-hmm.
All right, right.
Thank you.
Would you be a witness if I need you?
I'll see you through it now, Marshall.
All the way.
Oh, I feel better already.
All right.
Let's go get some of your wife's coffee, Rice.
Then I gotta get back to Dodge.
It's good coffee, Marshall.
Chester?
Chester, where are you?
I'm out back, Mr. Dillon.
I'll be right in.
What's that you've got all over you?
Paint, Mr. Dillon.
White paint.
Paint?
Where'd you get it?
Now what are you up to now, Chester?
I sent St. Louis for it, sir.
I thought it'd be a good idea to make the hitching rail out back all white.
Well what for?
Well, sir, we might be in an awful big hurry some night in that...
All right, Chester.
All right.
Look, I want you to go get cleaned up.
I want you to have supper at the Longhorn tonight.
Well, I sure do thank you, Mr. Dillon.
No, no, no, Chester.
I want you to go there alone.
Oh.
Yes, sir?
It's for a reason.
Do you know the cook over there, Hank something or other?
That's Hank Ashford.
He's not a very good cook, Mr. Dillon.
How long's he been around?
Oh, about a week.
I don't think he likes cooking much.
He don't seem to be very willing either.
Well, it doesn't matter.
I doubt if he'll be around for long.
Why not, sir?
I'm guessing that he'll be wanting to get out of Dodge fast after you let it drop.
Real casual like, mind, but I've ridden out to arrest Cam Powell.
Is that so?
You going to bring Cam in tonight, Mr. Dillon?
No, no.
You're just going to make Hank Ashford think I am.
And don't let anyone else hear about it, though.
Oh.
I've got it, sir.
You happen to know where Hank rooms?
The Dodge house, Mr. Dillon.
That's pretty fancy for a cook, isn't it?
Yes, sir.
All right, you go to supper about six o'clock.
And I'm gambling that Hank Ashford will be packing his things at the Dodge house by seven.
All right, Mr. Dillon.
Hello, evening, Marshal.
Evening, John.
I hope you're not looking for a room.
We're all filled up.
Texans mostly.
Oh, that's fine.
What rooms has Hank Ashford got?
310, Marshal.
And the top of the stairs straight down the hall.
Hey, even up to anything.
Look, to be in a mile of a hurry when he come in.
He's here now?
Went upstairs just a couple of minutes ago.
Stop him up, Marshal.
What the?
Leave that gun lay where it is, mister.
Here, I'll just put it in my boat.
Less likely to get you in trouble that way.
You're the Marshal, ain't you?
You leaving town, Hank?
Yeah, I am.
Why?
I'm tired of cooking, that's why.
You got Billy Saxton's gun up here, Hank?
What?
Or shall I tear your stuff apart and find it myself?
No, no, it's in that drawer there.
Yeah.
But I wasn't with that lynching, Marshal.
I can prove I wasn't.
Yeah, I'm sure you weren't.
Yeah, all the shells are here.
And the barrel's clean.
I thought this gun killed Joe Powell.
It did.
I cleaned it, that's all.
You're pretty neat, Hank, for a hash house cook.
Yeah, catch this.
Now what?
You handled that gun pretty well, too, for a cook.
Look at the way you're holding it now.
I don't want that gun.
What are you trying to prove, Marshal?
You're a gunfighter, not a cook, Hank.
All right, Marshal, I used to handle a gun, but I'm looking for the peaceful life now.
Any law against a man changing?
No, but you're under arrest anyway.
What for?
I'll think of something.
Let's go.
Hank wouldn't eat any breakfast, Mr. Dillon.
Yeah, that's too bad.
He says he won't be here long anyway.
They all say that, don't they?
Yeah, he may be right.
I see Ken Powell coming across the street for him right now.
You gonna let him go, Mr. Dillon?
Yeah, we'll see.
All right, Marshal, what's the bail on Hank Ashford?
There's no bail at all, Ken.
What do you mean no bail?
You can't hold a man like this.
I'm not holding him.
You mean he can leave?
Anytime.
Then what'd you arrest him for in the first place?
Oh, let's say, uh, suspicion.
Suspicion of what?
Well, uh, drunkenness.
He wasn't drunk.
No, but he might have got drunk.
You're pretty high-handed with that badge, aren't you, Dillon?
You tell me, Cam.
You ought to know about being high-handed.
We're wasting time.
Turn him loose.
I want to get out of here.
I'll get him, Mr. Dillon.
Hank's a right-hand man to have around, huh, Cam?
What does that mean?
Well, he can cook, probably turn his hand to most anything.
Sort of a jack of all trades, isn't he?
I wouldn't know, Marshal.
Thanks for bailing me out, Cam.
I didn't have to bail you out.
You're free.
Is that right, Marshal?
That's right, Hank.
Now go on.
Enjoy yourself.
Yeah, I sure will.
Then I'll start by having a drink.
Come on, Cam.
Let's see if the alopecia gang is open.
Mr. Dillon?
Yeah.
You think Hank shot Joe Powell, don't you?
Well, that'd be my guess, Justin.
And why'd you let him go?
No evidence.
They lynched the only witness.
But I've made them a little nervous now.
They'll get real jumpy with the help of some liquor.
Well, what good'll that do, sir?
They just might hang themselves, Justin.
Yes, sir.
With a prod or two from me.
Well, come on, Mr. Wall.
Yeah.
Are you still here, gentlemen?
Me?
I bought you a drink.
What are you doing here, Marshal?
Why do you want to buy us a drink, huh, Bartender?
Uh, Dillon, give me that bottle there, will you?
Cam, Cam, I don't like this.
Let's get out of here.
Wait a minute, Hank.
I'm too big a man in Dodge to get pushed around by any Marshal.
I just want you to have one drink before you leave, gentlemen.
Yeah.
Just one.
There you can.
And for you.
Thanks.
There.
Well, gentlemen, here's to, may he rest in peace, Billy Saxton.
Three.
You looking for trouble, Marshal?
You're the one who's got trouble, Hank.
What do you mean?
You turned me loose yourself.
Yeah, I know.
But what about Cam here?
What?
You think Cam's going to let you go after everything you've told me?
What'd you tell him, Hank?
Nothing.
He's lying.
I told him nothing.
Then what are you talking about, Marshal?
Just that I've got about all the evidence I need, Cam.
Won't you ask Hank?
You can tell him.
Go on.
Hank, if you cross me, I'll see you die for it.
You believe him, do you?
Well, go ahead.
You didn't have the guts to shoot your brother yourself.
Shut up.
Who you going to hide shooting?
Shut up, blast you.
Shut me up.
You're a drunk man.
Use your head.
You've got us in enough trouble already.
I have.
If you'd let me shoot that boy when he stumbled on me, we'd have been all right.
Stop it.
You may be rich, Cam, but you sure ain't smart.
I'm going to kill you, Hank.
Well, draw on me and I'll have two pals tomorrow.
All right, hold it, both of you.
We've heard enough.
Well, they are, Hank.
Marshall's heard all he needs.
You're done for now.
Yeah?
Well, I shot a Marshal in Trinidad once.
We'll see why I can't shoot one in dark.
Don't try it, Hank.
Why not, Marshal?
Good riddance.
You're under arrest, Cam.
Hank shot Job, Marshal.
You heard him say so.
I heard him, but I'm still interested in who murdered Billy Saxton.
Then you're right back where you started, Marshal.
Seems nobody knows about that, Lynchant.
I know about it.
Right, Stuart.
I'm not proud of it, but I was there.
I witnessed the whole thing.
I'll take your gun now, Cam.
I guess you win, Marshal.
Nobody wins this time, Cam.
Now, maybe the next time anybody gets an idea about Lynchant,
a man around here, they'll think twice about it.
Now, you lead the way.
Gun smoke under the direction of the Marshal.
Gun smoke under the direction of Norman McDonald stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshal.
Tonight's story was especially written for gun smoke by John Meston,
with music composed and conducted by Rex Corey.
Featured in tonight's cast were Paul Dubov, John Danaer, and Tom Tully,
with Joan Danton, Ralph Moody, and Lee Millar.
Parley Bear is Chester, and Georgia Ellis is Kitty.
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 gun smoke.
This is the CBS Radio Network.