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 the US Marshal and the smell of Gunsmoke.
Gunsmoke 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.
It was the dust, the heat was bad enough in Dodge City but out on the plane it was the
dust.
The sun was a burning red-brown chip in the sky and the sweat on a man never had a chance
to drop.
It was blotted and dried with dust.
Doc Chester and I had ridden to Old Mangor's place ten miles out.
He'd had some trouble with one of the hands.
A fellow had gone loco with liquor and had been shooting up the cattle.
We found him stripped naked nearby on his haunches, crying, drunk over a parched waterhole.
Doc had got him to bed and fixed him up some and now we were heading back for Dodge.
Darn horse, seems he's just bound to stomp all the dust and candice in my eyes.
Maybe the Marshal will buy a camel, Chester.
This keeps up, we'll all buy camels.
I remember the time back in Waco when I was just a small little boy.
Doc, Chester, you see something ahead on the side of the trail there?
Yeah, maybe.
It looks like some poor calf strayed off and dropped.
I don't think so.
Looks like a man.
Chester, get the water bag.
Yes, sir.
Here, let me have a look, Marshal.
Yeah.
Here, let's see here.
Heat.
Is he all right?
Depends on how long he's been lying here.
Here you are, Mr. Dillon.
Open up his shirt, Marshal.
Chester, get some of that water on his wrist.
All right.
It looks like an Easterner, huh?
Sure not dressed for this country.
Oh, that's better, that's better.
Try to get a few drops in him.
All right.
Not too much, Chester.
All right.
Not in his nose, Chester, his mouth.
My gracious, I'm sorry, Mr. Dillon, but he moved his head.
It's not so easy to...
Hey, look, he's awake.
You're all right, mister.
Just take it easy for a bit now.
Oh, that this too, too solid flesh would melt, thaw, and resolve itself into a dew.
What did he say?
Oh, it's out of his head, Chester.
For this relief, much thanks.
Forget it, Chester, get around the other side.
Shade him from the sun.
Yes, sir.
I'm afraid of the sun, I'm afraid to be weary of the sun.
I don't blame you.
What happened?
My wagon shed a wheel, I fear, along the high road.
I know not where I am.
You're about four miles out of Dodge City, Kansas.
Kansas.
I would give all me fame for a pot of ale in safety.
We'd better get him to town quick.
He's in a bad mood.
Still there.
You think you can make it on a horse?
We'll take you into...
We'll take him into Dodge.
And he passed out again.
We tied him across Doc's horse, Doc and I doubled up and Chester rode behind.
The stranger was a tall, skinny man with a face like a friendly mule.
Big hands and thin wrists stretched out from his sleeves.
He had no papers on him, nothing.
And until he woke up, we wouldn't even know his name.
Doc settled him down in the back of his place and he was still asleep when Chester and I
rode out to where we figured he'd left his wagon.
Wasn't hard to see when we found it.
What color wagon would you call that, Mr. Dillon?
Puce, Chester, puce.
I guess so.
Seems to be some writing on the side there.
Oh, Irving Henry, thespian supreme disciple of the immortal bard.
I should have known he was a religious man.
He's an actor, Chester, the immortal bard.
Shakespeare, William Shakespeare wrote plays, poems.
Ah, I see.
You think he let the horses go, Mr. Dillon?
I was wondering that.
It seems to me he'd have ridden for help instead of trying to walk.
Just couldn't have got out of the harness ourselves.
Let's take a look at the wheel.
I wish we could wait till the sun goes down.
It's going to be awful hot work, Mr. Dillon.
Eh, it's not too bad.
Pen fell out.
Must be another in the box at the back.
Take a look, will you, Chester?
Yes, sir.
I'll prop the wheel up here.
Mr. Dillon?
Yeah, can't you find it?
Will you come here a minute?
What's the matter?
Take a look in there.
It took a second or two to get used to the darkness inside the wagon.
And then I saw the hand sticking out from behind the trunk.
It didn't have to be the doc to know that it was a dead hand.
The body was of a man about 40.
He was dirty.
And in a greasy torn waistcoat, I found a pocketbook with his name, Sam Matchett.
And that was all.
Below his left shoulder and his back was a patch of dried blood.
And in the middle, a bullet hole.
We got the wagon wheel on, hitched up our horses and drove into Dodge.
Doc?
Oh, that's you, Marsha?
Yeah.
Yeah, be right out.
All right.
Get that fellow's wagon fixed up?
Yeah, I brought it in.
Is he awake?
Oh, I haven't looked in the last half hour.
I was making coffee.
You want some?
No, thanks.
Oh, that's the funny thing about coffee.
When it's hot weather like this, drink it scalded and it makes you feel cooler outside.
Look, Doc, I got to see that fellow.
I want to ask him a couple of questions.
What's the matter?
I'm not sure.
I got to ask him a couple of questions.
Why, I saw...
I found a dead man in the back of his wagon.
You don't say?
You better take a look.
Chester's bringing him in the side.
Oh, sure, sure, sure.
You want to go on back?
Yeah, thanks, Doc.
Mr. Henry?
Mr. Henry, wake up.
Yeah, what?
Oh.
You're from Irving Henry?
Oh, Irving Henry.
What is this place?
Now, you got to listen to me for a minute.
We found your wagon.
Ah.
Did you let the horses go before you set out on your own?
Of course.
I could not let them remain to die.
Well, how come you didn't take one to ride?
I have a loathing of horses.
I cannot bear one under my body.
There is a carafe of water beside the bed.
Would you be good enough, Mr....
Dylan, Matt Dylan.
I'm the marshal here in that city.
Here you are.
My thanks.
Now, what were you doing with a dead man in your wagon, Mr. Henry?
A dead man?
A dead man shot in the back line in your wagon.
This is very midsummer madness.
I won't argue about that, but I'll thank you to answer my question.
But it is impossible.
It isn't true.
I say it is.
You lie on your throat if you say that I am any other than an honest man.
Look, Mr., I didn't say you weren't honest.
You're an actor.
And you've got a fine way of saying things, but murder is murder.
I don't care how you say it.
Now, I'm asking questions and I want straight answers.
Your pardon, sir.
What you tell me, in truth, if it were played upon a stage, I would condemn it as an improbable
fiction.
I swear to you, I know nothing of a body.
Did you come through Hayes City?
Yes.
Do you know a man there called Sam Matchett?
No.
You have no trouble in Hayes City?
No.
What are you doing in these parts, Mr. Henry?
I am touring the provinces, an actor eating the bitter bread of banishment.
Metallics are not taken for their worth in the East.
Therefore, I bring the immortal bard to the hinterlands.
Now sir, that the interview is ended, pray give me leave to depart.
I'm sorry.
I can't do that.
You'll have to stay until we get this thing cleared out.
Mr. Dillon, the doc would like to see you.
All right, Chester.
Stay here with Mr. Henry, will you?
Sure, Mr. Dillon, sure.
How are you feeling by now, Mr. Henry?
Would you like some more water?
Doc?
Right here, Merchant.
What did you find?
Well, there's one thing.
This man didn't die right away.
I mean, not right when he was shot.
Is that so?
No.
More likely blood to death.
Inside.
You think he might have been able to climb up in the wagon after he was shot?
He might.
There's another thing.
Yeah?
You see the way he's dressed?
Now you take a look at this.
Help!
Come on, come on, Doc.
Chester.
What's the matter with him?
Chester.
My gun, when I was pouring him some water, Mr. Dillon.
He must have gone through the window, Marshal.
I tried to get it back.
When the...
Take care of Chester, Doc.
I'm going after him.
We will 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.
Certainly thousands of schools all over America are unable to meet the needs of a greatly
increased enrollment.
And all our school children will suffer unless all of us work actively to improve conditions.
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.
When I went out of there, I didn't know how badly Chester was hurt.
There was a lot of blood on his head and over his face.
It was nearly dark outside and the street was empty.
It was supper time.
I could see the women through the windows getting food ready.
The kids were inside too.
Sure looked peaceful.
But with Henry out with a gun, well, that wasn't a good thing to have running around
loose in Dodge.
Evening, Mr. Dillon.
Just see a man run down the street, Miss Fletcher?
Why, no.
Well, you better get inside and lock your door.
Don't come out again.
There's a killer loose.
I walked the length of the street listening, waiting.
When I got to the end, there was nothing.
He hadn't taken a horse.
I'd have heard that.
And in a way, I was sorry because if he tried to hide and dodge, there'd be no way to
get out of shooting that wouldn't get women and kids hurt.
A breeze came up and swirls of dust flew around.
Then settled as the air became still and hot again.
I went back to Doc's place.
Oh, did you find him, Marshal?
No.
How's Chester?
Oh, I'm fine, Mr. Dillon.
I creased my head.
More mess than hurt.
Oh, good, Chester.
Look, you want to go home or you want to work?
I want to work.
All right.
Go down to the office, get yourself another gun and round up some men, as many as you
can.
As long as Henry stays in town, we're in trouble.
Now, keep your eyes open.
Meet me back here.
Yes, Mr. Dillon.
Take my gun with you and if you see him, watch out.
All right.
I got to go.
Yes, sir.
Now, Doc, I'm going to have to make you a deputy, too.
Well, maybe instead of digging out bullets, I'll be putting some in.
It's not funny, Doc.
Come on.
All right, we'll start here.
I'll take this side, you take the other.
Get them in to go through their houses and tell them to look for their horses.
Tell them what's happening.
But ten o'clock that night, as far as we could tell, Henry hadn't left town.
There were plenty of places for him to hide, though.
We had fifty men out searching.
Chester and I were working along back at the express office.
There were a couple of houses there we hadn't covered.
You wouldn't think a man like that would be a killer, now would you, Mr. Dillon?
I never saw a man yet couldn't be, Chester.
Depends on your reasons for killing, I guess.
Let's take a look behind these boxes.
You think he could have got this far?
Yeah, he might.
A lot of back streets to sneak around the dark.
That's Miss Cullen's place there, isn't it?
Yes, sir.
Looks like she's still awake.
Light burning back there.
Yeah.
Seems a bit cooler to you tonight, Mr. Dillon?
Yeah, a bit.
Oh, evening, Miss Cullen.
I'm sorry to get you up, but we're looking for a man, a stranger around me, tall, thin.
You seen anyone about tonight?
No.
No, I haven't.
Huh?
How's the kids?
Oh, they're fine.
Thank you, Mr. Dillon.
Fine.
Uh-huh.
Well, you keep the place locked tight, Miss Cullen.
Don't let anybody in tonight unless you know who it is.
All right.
Good night, Mr. Dillon.
Good night, ma'am.
Well, now that's strange.
She didn't even say hello to me.
And I know her better than you do, Mr. Dillon.
Chester, round up the others.
Get them over here.
I don't know why she...
He's in there with her.
I think he's got the kids in the sleeping room.
Oh.
Sent her out to get rid of us.
Now, I'm going to try and get in.
Don't do anything when you come back.
Just put the men around the house.
Yes, sir.
I'd seen Miss Cullen make a move with her head.
And her eyes set the rest.
When I told her to lock up, I shook my head, and I hope she understood.
I wanted that front door to stay open.
I'd keep my promise as soon as I can.
He was in there, all right.
I could hear him.
My knowledge of life is both growing...
I wanted him alive.
But I wasn't going to risk hurt to Miss Cullen or the kids getting him.
Please.
I did what you asked.
Don't hurt the children, please.
They will never know this night.
And in the morning, when they're awake...
What's that?
You said you'd lock the door, Auntie.
No, don't.
Don't.
I shall keep the pistol turned to the girl's head now.
Someone's here.
They're trying to take me.
Who is it?
Who?
Mr. Dillon, go away.
Please.
You'll kill us.
You lied.
Oh, tiger's heart wrapped in a woman's hide.
Listen to me, Marshal Dillon.
Throw your pistol in here and then come in with your hands before you.
I have no stomach for child killing, but I will not hesitate to do so.
Now, give me the gun, Henry.
No.
You won't be able to get out of this.
I must.
It is living to be done.
You know, that fancy talk isn't going to help either.
Now, why don't you climb down?
What happened to Matchett?
Nothing happened to Matchett.
Why'd you kill him?
I didn't.
In five minutes or less, there'll be 50 men or more around here.
Now, what are you going to do?
I don't know.
If you didn't kill Matchett, you'll get a chance.
I'll see to that.
There's no use going on this way.
Give me the gun.
I cannot.
It is my prop of salvation.
No gun is salvation to anybody.
Put it down.
You must tell the men to go away, Marshal Dillon.
I'll have to take one of these children with me for my protection.
No.
Shed a tear for me, madam.
I have the greater need.
You do a lot of talking, mister.
I'd like to see you turn the gun away from that kid's head.
That'd take more than talk, wouldn't it, though?
I have no skill with such a weapon.
Why should I match with you?
I want to live.
You're going about it the wrong way.
The smallest worm will turn, being trod upon.
Meaning?
You gave me no choice when you brought me here.
Would it have been better to have left me lying in the dust?
You don't understand.
You don't know.
Well, why don't you tell me?
What good would it do?
It depends.
My life has been the theatre.
As a boy, I was a student of Shakespeare.
He would look at me.
Who would accept this face for Hamlet?
This ill-shaped body for Romeo?
His speech has become my speech.
But when the fools only look, they cannot listen for laughing.
There have been ugly men before you, and it hasn't been caused for murder.
Why did you kill Magic?
In New York, there was a man, a gross, stupid man, who fancied himself an interpreter of
the bard.
He took me as his apprentice, and together we set out for the tour.
I would play only the voices.
Never Richard, never Henry, never Leah.
Only the voices.
Whilst he, stumbling drunken, he muddled and tore to a tatter the words that I should have
spoken.
You killed a man because you wanted to play a hero.
How easily murder is discovered.
Yes, sometimes, I guess.
It was yesterday.
We were leaving Hayes City.
We played there for two days, and it made me a laughingstock.
It was night, and he became drunk and threatened to leave me in the next town.
I made him stop the wagon, and taking up a pistol, I shot him.
He did not die at first, and when I saw what I had done, I wanted him to live.
I put him into the wagon, and I drove on, hoping to find a doctor.
Then as the night passed, I saw that he had died, and I was afraid.
The wagon broke down?
Yes.
I put my purse into his clothes, and took his name for mine.
Now I've hated the name of Sam Matchett.
You wouldn't understand.
I wouldn't.
Well, what now?
I want to live.
I want my chance.
You've done a murder.
I can't let you go, you know that.
Don't make it harder.
I lost my husband two years ago.
I know what it is to be alone.
You've been alone, haven't you?
I'm sorry.
But you killed someone.
We may pity, though not pardon, dear.
I'm going now, Marshal.
If you walk out of there with your gun, you're a dead man.
That's a great disguiser.
I must have my chance.
Don't do it, Matchett.
They'll be killing.
Madam, forgive me.
I would not have harmed your children.
Matchett, put down your gun.
Let me go my way.
Please.
There are a lot of men waiting for you out there, Matchett.
You know what will happen if you open the door.
Don't do it, Matchett.
Matchett.
To sleep.
A chance to dream.
Aye, there's the rub.
For in that sleep of death, what dreams may come.
Matchett.
He knew he was going to die.
The minute he opened that door, he knew it.
And maybe he wanted to, because he fired first a single shot.
He buried him in back of the church, and I found some words and a book to put on his
grave.
He that dies pays all debts.
Gunsmoke, under the direction of Norman MacDonald, stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon, U.S.
Marshal.
That story was specially written for Gunsmoke by Anthony Ellis, with music composed and
conducted by Rex Corey.
Hans Conrad was featured as Henry, with Mary Lansing as Mrs. Cullen.
Parley Bear is Chester, and Howard McNear is Duck.
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.
Roy Rowan speaking.
Remember, gangbusters go into action Saturday nights on the CBS Radio Network.
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