Around dark 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 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
Chester and I had left Dodge about 9 that morning it was a good day clear with
a snap in the air the horses felt it too and they wanted to move fast not in the
lope that we were holding him to Chester took a couple of deep breaths and liked
what he smelled I had some government papers to take over to bill Holton with
the post office in Pierceville place about 40 miles west of Dodge Chester and
I figured we'd stop overnight and ride back the next day we followed the trail
along the Arkansans and stayed with it as it left the river at summer on and cut
across the prairie looks like a big wagon pain up ahead there at the cross
mister Dylan yeah sure looks like it Chester
Chester was right but dust cloud we'd seen became 30 and more wagons taking
the simmer on crossing it was a shortcut of the Santa Fe trail leading on
southwest toward Raton Pass we passed them and our trail swung back to the
Arkansans again we rested watered the horses a couple of times and by
afternoon we could see the warehouse the store and the post office a few of the
other buildings of the town wasn't a big place Pierceville maybe 50 people
regular living there looks peculiar yeah I just don't rightly know sir just funny
it's peculiar you mean nobody around yes sir that's what I was thinking and
that's what I thought mr. Dylan what do you figure them horses are doing down
there it ain't right they should wander around like that without it mr. Dylan
they got the saddles on too the horses were down the street and as they heard
us their heads jerked up and they wheeled about and trotted off away and around
out of sight and we stopped they listened there was nothing to hear an
empty place nothing to see but there was a feeling in the town you couldn't figure
what we walked the horses over to Bill Houghton's post office I think maybe
everybody in town is sick mr. Dylan no or maybe dad no couldn't be that no crows
and their buzzards Bill hey Bill mr. Dylan look you under the safe's open but
he wouldn't leave the place like this come on sure is a funny thing mr.
Dylan I swear it gives me the will it was I never seen anything like it not a
living soul in the whole Chester did you hear something I'm not sure just wait
a minute
I heard a kid crying I didn't hey there anybody around maybe we are to try the
store mr. Dylan huh hey all right keep your eyes open Chester yes we'll take a
look in the saloon first
the saloon was about 200 feet back up toward the end of town but we didn't get
that far they stepped out behind us as we passed the livery stable and we never
had a chance to draw we did and I felt my guns lifted away
and then we got a look at what had crawled into Pierceville there were three
of them and they were killers man gets to know the look in the eye of a killer
you're lucky you see it in time now we weren't lucky that day the law grill
yeah are you from mr. Dodge Dodge hey that's Dylan no it sure is you Dylan
Marshall Dylan from Doug yeah you want to try that again we will don't fret
yourself about that Dylan moving taking the warehouse Brill yeah beside better to
get rid of him if you ask me I don't think so not right now it might be able
to help I've always wanted a US Marshal to help me
yeah listen well take away his gun you watch him he'd be on his belly begging
to hell
they took us to the warehouse and we found out what had happened to the
folks who lived in Pierceville they were all in there the kids the six months old
baby the women and the men inside there were six more hard-faced men leaning
against the wall near the door their guns held lazily in their hands they'd taken
over the whole town and for some reason they were holding it
shut up everyone here shut up lady told you to keep that kid quiet want me to do
it for you mr. Dylan be quiet sister yes I asking you again which one of you
shot my kid brother you hear what I'm saying which one all right
maybe you know this fellow just walked in here with his pal he's a US Marshal out
of Dodge his name is Dylan I'm gonna make him count before what you make up to
do the man does a killing he's countable ain't that so Marshall that's so okay
one of these folks killed my kid brother nonetheless he talks up there's gonna be
a lot of killing around here you get that you talk to him Dylan you explain the
law I'm a fair man I'm gonna give you a couple of minutes don't nobody try
nothing cuz we'll be right outside don't try nothing Chester there's Bill Holtan
over there come on hi man how are you Bill could be worse I guess mr. Holtan
your face what'd they do to you I was the first one they worked on you tell us
what's happened Bill what they rolled in early this morning whole outfit I
figured him for trouble when I saw him straight off I knew a couple of them
held me knocked me around the others grabbed three women kind of her hostage
I guess Brill he's a leader he cleaned out the safe what about the killer three
or four or five boys came up saw what was happening started in shooting and
these snakes all the women folk over the post office door and kept him in front
for shoes your boys stopped shooting them yeah sure dropped the guns where
they stood Brills kid brother was already dead then Brill kind of went crazy
swore he'd kill the women burn the town in the outfit rounded up a couple more
women after that everybody else none of us wanted to see the women hurt I guess
we gave up too easy on account of his brother he calls it murder you heard
they've kept you locked up in here ever since yeah yeah he says he'll take us
out two at a time and shoot us if we don't tell do you know who it was no no
like I say three or four fellas were shooting even they don't know which one
of them it was listen Marsha I'm Dave Maxson I got a place outside of town
listen we got to do something quick yeah yeah sure take it easy my wife that's
her over there she's got the baby we coming this morning it gets something at
the store you got it all right mr. Maxim I just take it easy will you look just
30 of us the men with we could rush them some of us that did kill now listen I'm
thinking all of us are get killed and that's not the way we've got to do
something yeah I know
okay what's it gonna be
Dylan step over here
oh what do you say I don't know seems to me you came here and broke the law it's
the chance your brother took when he got killed that was murder he was shot in the
back maybe he got turned around looking for somebody to kill himself it was
murder I almost any argument with you mister who did it you think I'm bluffing
I tell you I ain't bluffing if I have to wipe out this whole stinkin town I'm
gonna do it that doesn't get your brother back you and them habit of killing women
and kids so shut up okay
Santa's cargo start with two of them take them outside that fella you and him you
do this and they won't even hang you you'll be torn to pieces
I'll get him outside well anybody got anything to say anybody gonna say who
killed my brother
Oh anybody else okay he don't count we still need to you
you know where I am they both of them outside they took the two men out and we
stood there some of us looking at the body of Maxon
with his wife sobbing over it others staring at the closed door it happened so
quickly there wasn't time to think to figure anything there wasn't any way to
shut out the sound of what happened outside I gotta do something no bill
don't
we will return for the second act of gun smoke in just a moment but first a skid
can be tragic if the road is wet or icy a faulty windshield wiper that's a
nuisance in a shower can be your nemesis in a snowstorm the sum and substance of
our message being take extra care when you're driving under winter conditions
make sure your cars prepared for winter and then drive it with twice your usual
caution now for the second act of gun smoke
you
except for Maxon's wife and another woman whose husband had died there there
was a quiet now in the warehouse the killers didn't come back in again maybe
for what they've done they didn't have the nerve right then takes nerve to look
at the faces of the ones who are left I found out that there'd been 12 of them
were written in now with the one who was gone over 11 I talked to the boys who
had done the shooting at the gang two of them were willing to give up but two
others weren't and I didn't blame them we waited Chester Bill Holtman me in a
corner trying to make a plan an hour went by an early evening chill found its
way into the warehouse I think they'll do it again two more of us not for a
while maybe that kind will get liquored up first it makes them brave I still
think that maybe now is just get outside mr. Dillon yeah it might be what scares
me though is they'll stop with the women and kids yeah there's always a chance
somebody'll ride in maybe see what's happening and send for help like us son
besides it'll take too long mr. Dillon let me try it I don't want to hear no
more of these women do a man just let me think Chester they're coming back all
right come on quick there's two of them you can see through the crack yeah it's
the ones that got our guns Brill isn't with them Chester get on the other side
of the door yes you mr. Bill behind me right now when they come in grab them
time now look I want everybody to keep real quiet you understand all right now
wait until they're inside you think the others might be around the bank I don't
know we'll take the chance whoever gets hold of them don't let them yell and let
me have a drink with him yeah what do you think what in there how should I know
we shouldn't hang around too long figure we ought to start riding you know Brill
it was the kid he thought a lot of yeah yeah hey hey there's one woman in there
though did you see her torn oh no with the old man the pretty one that little oh
yeah yeah maybe we get her out here and the the others will talk might be I
ain't saying it will make him talk but a lot of men in there are soft about women
what about Brill he don't care he wants to find out who killed a kid make maybe
we can get him to talk sure might be fun
hey miss no no no you know we're there come on we won't hurt you we want to
talk to you outside come on he said come here you don't want to cover me with you
I'll go get her
all right now all right get the door closed mine only one gun mr. Dillon
yeah well this one's got two all right which one of you here can handle a gun
right don't leave yes sir here we'll split up the cartridges just to get over
by the crack there and keep a lookout yes one of the kids found an egg behind
those empty crates me good see if you can find anything else yeah well three of
us now nine of them with guns yeah except that we know that and they don't
not only you're gonna have to stay here Chester and I'll try to get some more
guns now you got a good chance to knock out a couple more of them if they come
in shoot to kill him you understand I understand wait a minute man I'm coming
with you no listen I used to throw an eggs pretty good I get close enough to
one of them boys I can split him I'm coming with you it's our only chance you
start shooting in the whole bunch will be on your neck this is quieter okay let's
go you see anybody Chester he must be up to school all right then open the door
now if we hear any shots back here Don Lee will come running take it easy now
we got outside and made a run over to some dugouts up the street we could hear
the killer still drinking their courage back there just been the three of us
against them why we might have taken a chance but with the women and kids in
the warehouse we couldn't do that we'd have to pick them off if we could one by
one the first shot we fired it was gonna be trouble
up to the left of the warehouse in the evening shade I saw the bodies of the
two men they'd shot down a dog was moving around whimpering a couple of
minutes went by and then we started around the back and made our way up
behind the saloon if we get in by the back door mr. Dunn you think we could
surprise him we can't take the chance Chester not with only two guns they get
us and you know what'll happen yes sir one of them is coming out look
it's the fella shot Dave Maxx he's heading this way you think he's oh
Bill yeah think you can get him from here a little closer maybe not from here
he's got two guns on him we need him stay in line with the post we'll cover
you okay I saw Holtons big fist tightening around the axe handle they
moved out and down the alley in line with the post my killer never looked up he
just stood there head down swaying a bit their Holtons stopped his arm raised up
back and the axe caught a gleam of light and must have thrown it into the
killer's eye he had just time to look up and see the thing before it caught him
square
I haven't done it for a long time I only throw trees and boards I never did it to
me before I never killed a man like that Chester get the other gun yes all right
here here Bill take this all right we got four now that ought to fix us now
look I don't like what we're gonna do but it's the safest way we go in there
shooting get him fast in the leg anywhere try not to kill but don't give
him a chance to shoot back yes sure man you okay Bill you want to wait a minute
I'm okay
drink up we're going back now and see if they change their minds or I would mean
they got Marshal Dillon out this time and that deputy many marshals around
this country and we're gonna get your hands where they are bro all right
Chester take the guns yes I'm arresting you for murder bro the rest of them with
you killed my brother got him in the back my brother they murdered him you
know something if I wasn't a marshal I'd do the same thing to you right now it's
too bad I can't I hope it hurts when they hang you Brill
and it was over and I got the feeling like it never happened that there
hadn't been time for it to happen but the dead men's women knew that it wasn't
a dream the next day a half a dozen of the fellows Chester and myself took the
outlaws back to dodge most of them had been hit back in the saloon one died in
Cimarron before we could get him to the dock but not Brill he was alive when he
went to Hayes City with the rest of the boys I was there when they tried him and
I was there when they hanged him
gun smoke under the direction of Norman MacDonald stars William Conrad as Matt
Dillon US Marshal tonight's story was specially written for gun smoke by
Anthony Ellis with music composed and conducted by Rex Corey featured in the
cast were Lawrence Dobkin Vic Perrin Bob Sweeney John Danaer Lou Krugman
Michael and Barrett and Ted bliss parley bear is Chester gun smoke is heard by
our troops overseas through the facilities of the Armed Forces Radio
Service join us again next week as Matt Dillon US Marshal fights to bring law and
order out of the wild violence of the West in gun smoke
tomorrow night CBS radio raises the curtain on a new dramatic treat the
theater of stars on the network that brings you Lionel Barrymore Sunday
Night Playhouse and thrilling stories of escape tomorrow night for the premiere
performance over most of these same CBS radio stations here lovely Joan Fontaine
in the guardsman it's a sprightly peppery adaptation of Franz Molnar's
great French comedy a romantic experience you will certainly enjoy
remember theater of stars tomorrow night premiere performance on CBS radio this
is Roy Rowan speaking
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