Around Dodge City and in the territory on the 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
men, the story of a man who moved with it, Matt Dillon, United States Marshal.
It's a long time since I've been in Dodge, Pa.
It's just as well you stay out of Dodge, Will.
A man's a whole lot better off on a ranch than in a town.
He's a whole lot lonelier, too.
Then get married.
Place needs a woman anyway.
I got my eye on the Sutter girl, Pa, but she won't be old enough for another two, three
years.
You'll settle down, Will.
It's your brother, Prince, worries me.
He ain't as steady as you.
Prince headstrong, that's all.
Now, you go get the wagon and load it up to store.
Our stuff's all ready.
I've got a little business here in the lawyer's office and I'll join you.
Okay, Pa, but keep your eyes open with that rab.
I hear he's a sharper.
I can handle him.
You go along now.
Sure, Pa.
Well, John Esper, what are you doing in town?
I drove in with one of my boys, Rab, after supplies.
Not often you get to Dodge.
No, it isn't.
It's a good thing I came in this time.
Why's that?
Well, last night I ran into the clerk from the land office.
We got to talking about this and that and one thing and another.
And then he happened to mention that paper you fixed for me here, the one I signed a
few weeks back.
Oh, the transfer of title, you mean?
The one that said my boys own the ranch now and they don't have to wait till I die.
What about it?
You wrote it out legal and I signed it.
That's right, Asper.
And you said I'd have to wait a while before I could give it to the boys.
I did.
Well, now, Rab, the clerk told me I didn't have to wait any time at all.
The clerk is wrong, Asper.
I'm a lawyer.
I know the law.
Maybe so, Rab.
But anyway, the clerk can read.
And he told me that paper I signed says my boys don't own the ranch at all.
It says you do.
All right.
The deed is in my name, Asper, but I don't aim to do anything about it for the moment,
so don't you get all upset.
You cheated me, didn't you?
I should have known better than to trust you, Rab.
Everything's perfectly legal, Asper.
Sure.
Only you own my ranch.
Well, I told you you can go on living there for a while.
What if I went to court about it, Rab?
Or I had to take forever and it cost you a lot of money and you couldn't win anyway.
That's just about what I figured.
So you might as well just forget about it, Asper.
I wanted the boys to own that ranch right now so they'd take a bigger interest working
it.
It seems their old pa went and huddled everything.
You got out smart if that's all.
Yeah, I sure did.
Well, Rab, I brought this here gun along and I'm going to kill you with it.
Huh.
Put that gun away, Asper.
You can't do that.
Last man I killed was in the spring of 69.
Made up my mind then I wouldn't be killing any more men.
And I sure hate to do it.
But I got him.
Now, look here, Asper.
Yeah, it just gained any other way, Rab.
Like you say, it's all legal and there's nothing I can do about it.
So I've got to kill you and get it over with.
You're crazy.
You'll hang for this.
Sure I will.
But I'm old and it won't matter much and it just might earn you a lesson.
No, Asper.
I'll give you a few seconds to pray, Rab, but that's all.
Wait, wait, wait, Asper.
Listen to me.
You can have the deed back.
I'll fix it up right now.
I don't want your ranch.
That wouldn't be much use, Rab.
You just go tell Marshal Dillon I forced you to sign it back and then they wouldn't re-record
it.
No, I won't.
I swear I won't.
Then I just have to find you and shoot you all the same.
It's just easier I do it now.
No, no, no.
Here's the deed.
I'll fix it right now and you can go file it yourself.
Now, you see, look, I'll do it now.
You know I can't read.
Then we'll take it over together and record it.
Only the clerk can read it for you.
Well, all right, Rab.
Go ahead, fix it.
Yes, yes, yes.
There.
Are you satisfied?
As soon as we get it recorded, maybe I will be.
Come on then.
We'll do it right now.
You're a pretty smart lawyer, Rab.
I think this is about the last job I'll ask you to do for me.
And if you didn't do this right, I'll kill you sure.
Now, let's go find out.
Where have you been all week, Matt?
We've missed you around here.
Yeah, Dodge's been peaceful enough, Kitty.
According to Chester, anyway.
At least nobody's been shot, I know of.
Never come close to it a time or two, though.
Well, arguing doesn't sell any graves.
Yeah, maybe someday men will learn that.
All right, daughter, I'll be right there.
I'll be right there.
I've got it.
Huh?
You don't think very high of men, do you?
Not very, after what I've seen of them.
Well, maybe the trouble is you've never seen them when they were working.
They aren't so bad, then.
That's what they're always telling me.
Matt, I'd like to go to St. Louis or somewhere for a while.
I need a change.
Huh?
STEVEN Ah.
Why don't you go?
No.
I need my favorite place in the world.
Oh, I don't know.
Wouldn't really be any good alone. Oh, yeah, just oh, hello. Miss Kitty. Hi
Hey, I just come from Doc's mr. Dylan. You better get over there right away rabs been shot. Huh?
Rab the lawyer. Yes, sir right in his office doc isn't sure how long you'll be conscious who shot him
I don't know sir. Some men heard the shot and they found him there all alone. Whoever it was had got out the back way
I'll see you later. Kitty come on, Chester Can I talk just yes, sir
But doc told him not to waste his strength. Remember you got there. I came right away. Mr. Dylan. Yeah, sure. Yeah
Doc
Doc, how is he?
He's alive Matt and still conscious
I've done what I can
The Marshalls here Rab. You feel like talking now?
Hello Marshall. How about Rab?
Who shot you? Asper. Oh John Asper shot me. John Asper? What? Did you have a fight with him?
He shot me in the back, Marshall. I never even saw him.
How do you know who it was if you didn't see him?
I was sitting in my office and he shot me through the window in the back
How do you know it was Asper?
Couple of days ago he threatened to shoot me. That's why.
How? He said he'd kill me
Well, why did he threaten you?
Well, it was about his ranch, Marshall. I made a little mistake and got the title transfer mixed up. But I fixed that. You can ask a clerk at the land office. Everything was made okay. Asper was right there with me.
When was all this?
Four days ago, Marshall. The man's crazy. That's why he shot me. He's gone crazy.
No, no, no. That's enough. That's enough now, Rab. You better not talk anymore now.
Doc, what do you think? How does he look?
He might pull through Matt, but he cannot get excited.
Okay. We'll go. Let me know how he is, will you?
Sure, Matt. Sure.
I'd like to talk to him again when he's able. His story doesn't make much sense so far.
I found him, Mr. Dillon.
He was just closing up the land office.
For a clerk, he works pretty late. What did he say?
Well, sir, he said the same thing Rab did, only it wasn't no mistake.
What?
Rab didn't make any mistake. Somehow he got old Asper to sign the deed to his ranch over to him, all clear and legal. Then four days ago, they came in again and signed it back to Asper. The clerk thinks Rab fooled the old man somehow on the first one. He can't read, you know.
Then maybe Asper did threaten him after all.
Yes, but if everything was made okay, why would Asper shoot him?
I don't know. Maybe we better ask him.
We gonna ride out there tonight, Mr. Dillon?
No, no. I know John Asper. He's not gonna run. Anyway, I'd like to talk to Rab again first.
Yes, sir.
How are the eggs this morning, Chester?
They've gone up, both in price and age. How's Rab, Mr. Dillon?
He's still alive. Couldn't talk very long, though.
Did you find out anything?
Same story.
Oh, say, I nearly forgot. Old man Asper was in here a few minutes ago.
Huh? Where is he now?
He said he'd be right back. I told him you'd like to see him.
Yeah, yeah, I would. Thanks, Chester.
Well, that's all right, sir. Oh, I ordered some eggs for you, too.
Oh, good.
And coffee.
Here's Asper now.
Good morning, Marshal.
Hello, Asper. You wanted to see me?
Yeah, yeah, I did. Why don't you sit down?
All right.
But I can't stay long. I just rode in from Coldwater, and I want to get on out the ranch before noon.
Oh? Then you weren't in Dodge last night?
No, I'd had to ride mighty fast to be in Dodge last night, Marshal.
Seemed as how I didn't leave Coldwater till after supper.
Maybe I should have waited till morning, but I figured it'd be easier on my horse to travel at night in this hot weather.
Yeah, yeah. Who did you see in Coldwater, Asper?
Shanghai Pierce himself. Made a deal with him for some cows, too, when he comes up with his next herd.
Won't be for two, three months, though.
I see.
Asper, tell me something. Did you threaten to shoot that lawyer, Rab?
How'd you know about that, Marshal?
What, did you?
Yes, I did. Why?
Well, somebody shot him last night.
Did they kill him?
No, he's still alive.
You got any idea who might have done it?
Yeah, I might have.
But you didn't.
No, but I would have. He's a crook, Marshal.
I thought I was signing the ranch over to my boys, and he put his name in instead.
He changed his mind about it, though, once I got him treed.
Do your boys know about this?
Nary a word.
No, now they didn't do it, Marshal.
Isn't your younger son, Print, isn't he the wild one?
Print's a Mike Wild, you could say.
His mother didn't live long enough to have a hand raising him, that's why.
But he didn't know about Rab, Marshal. He knew nothing at all.
I might have found out somehow.
I sure don't know how. I never told him.
And he ain't even been to town since this started.
Neither of the boys been here?
Will. He came in with me the other day, but he didn't talk to Rab.
Ah, I see.
Look, Marshal, I don't want any suspicions about them boys.
Now, you just ride out with me, and we'll clear this up once and for all.
I told Rab I'd kill him, and I would have.
And then I'd come down and told you all about it, and you could have got me hung. I expected that.
But the boys weren't in on it, and I don't want anybody thinking they were.
Now, you come talk to them.
All right, Asper. All right. I'll ride out with you.
Sure you will. And I'll tell you about Rab.
If he pulls through this time, somebody will just shoot him again.
That man's no good at all, Marshal.
Music
We will return for the second act of gun smoke in just a moment, but first,
young women are needed to enroll as student nurses and to take their places as graduate nurses
in an ever-expanding field where opportunity unlimited awaits.
Older women should seek careers as practical nurses,
where fine living and fine working conditions are in prospect.
Ask at any hospital, at the nurse's registry desk, or at any qualified school of nursing.
And now the second act of gun smoke.
Music
You've done a lot of work on this place since I was here, Asper.
It's coming, Marshal. It's coming.
I don't blame you for not wanting to be cheated out of it.
Well, life's always uncertain, full of boils, Marshal.
Never did have it easy on this ranch.
Yeah, well, I don't see the boys around.
Maybe they're in the house. Come on, we'll have a look.
Boys! Will! Prince!
That's you, Pa.
Come on out, Will.
We've got company.
Hello, Will.
Marshal.
Where's Prince? I want both of you here.
He'll be around later, maybe.
Go get him, Will.
I've got some coffee on the stove. Would you sit down for a cup, Marshal?
Will!
Yes, Pa?
Do you know where Prince is?
No.
When did you see him last?
Yesterday.
Morning.
All right, we'll find him later.
Will, Rab got shot last night, and the Marshal here is looking for the man who shot him.
Did you do it?
No, I didn't shoot him.
You're telling the truth.
I ain't been off the ranch. That's the truth.
Satisfied, Marshal?
Yeah, I'm satisfied.
But what about Prince?
Think Prince might have done it, Will?
Ask him.
You know more than you're telling me, don't you?
Yeah, well, I'll be.
Now, what do you know about me and Rab? Tell me now, Will.
I know what I heard. I was curious, so I went around back and listened at the window while you and Rab was talking.
I heard you say you went and fuddled everything, and then I left. I told Prince about it, too.
And why didn't you listen some more since you were snooping around?
I was going to shoot him all right, but he fixed everything up.
This is your ranch, now yours and Prince. You understand?
That's so.
But now it looks like Prince got hot-headed and rode to town, doesn't it, Marshal?
That could be. Anyway, I think we'd better find him.
I'll find him. No son of mine's going to go around shooting people.
You just said you were going to shoot that lawyer yourself, Pa.
Sure I was. It would have been the first time I'd killed, but that's different.
You boys wasn't raised that way, and you ain't going to start now.
Now, wait a minute, Asper. Wait a minute. We don't know that Prince did it.
I know dang well he did now.
But if he shows up, I'd like to talk to him, but I'm not going to go on a hunt for him unless...
well, unless Rab dies.
You can find me in Dodge.
I'll bring him in if he comes back, Marshal.
All right. All right. Well, so long, Will.
Bye, Marshal.
Ah, hello, Chester Doc.
You're about a half hour late, Matt.
Yes, I was just going to write out F. You missed doing?
Why? What's happened?
Rab got shot all over again.
What?
He's dead for sure now.
Yeah, right in Doc's office, Mr. Dillon.
We were sitting down here and me and Doc couldn't hurt him, but by the time we got upstairs he'd gone.
Whoever had done it, and Rab was dead.
Shot him right on the couch and jumped out Doc's back window.
Nobody saw him that I could find.
Ah, he sure was determined, wasn't he?
Chester, go see if you can find out if Prince Asper's been in Dodge in the last couple of days.
Old Asper's a gentleman?
Well, he's eighteen, Doc.
Oh, well, yes, yes, you're right. Oh, yeah, he's old now.
Get going, will you, Chester?
Yes, sir.
Ah, and Chester, I'll be at the Texas trailer.
All right.
Doc, you've known John Asper for a long time.
Oh, ever since I've been in Dodge, man.
Yeah, well, so have I.
I just hope for his sake, Prince didn't do this.
Oh, yes, Matt. Asper's a crusty old buzzard, but he's straight as a comb.
Yeah, sure is. Well, I'll see you later, Doc.
Yeah, sure.
You alone, Kitty?
Sure. Sit down, Matt.
Thank you.
Yeah, the place looks kind of deserted tonight.
Oh, surely. Most of the boys haven't slept off last night yet.
Uh, Kitty, tell me something.
You know, Prince Asper?
He's been in a couple of times.
When?
Oh, not for a couple of months, Matt. Why?
Uh, I'm looking for him, that's all.
Is he in trouble?
Yeah, I think so.
Miss Gillan?
Yeah.
Charlie at the stage office saw him this morning.
The first place he stopped.
Was he sure?
Yes, sir. He said Prince walked right down the street, but he wouldn't even say hello to him. He went right past him.
All right, just a minute.
Matt, over there by the door. Isn't that old man Asper?
Yeah, it sure is.
Here he comes, Miss Gillan.
Doc told me I'd find you here, Marshal.
Yeah?
He's going to ride out to take care of Will. I want you to go after Prince with me.
Take care of Will? Well, what's happened?
It was about a half hour after you left, Marshal.
I was out at the barn, and then I heard Prince and Will arguing, and I started for the house.
But before I got there, Prince pulled a gun on Will and shot him. Then he rode away again.
I did what I could for Will, and then I come for the Doc.
Well, has Will hurt bad?
I don't know, Marshal. But Doc can fix him if anyone can.
Let's go now. We'll get fresh horses at the ranch.
Yeah, all right, all right. Just to go get our horses, huh?
I taught Prince everything I know about the prairie, Marshal. It's going to be a long ride.
Asper was right. It was, sure enough, a long ride.
We cut Prince's trail just beyond the ranch and followed it west for two days.
The old man tracked like an Indian.
To determine how fresh the trail was, he'd spent a long time at certain places just looking at grass blades
or scrutinizing the fine little marks made on bare ground by insects
or calculating on the age of a doodle bug hole.
He was slow, but as certain as death, and we never lost the trail once.
On the fourth day, he announced that the tracks were just a few hours old, and we rode faster.
About noon, we stopped behind a small hummock and walked forward to where we could see a cabin
100 or so yards off, surrounded by high brown prairie grass.
He's in there, Marshal.
Are you sure?
Yes. He's decided to make his stand from there. It's a good spot.
It sure is. He's got a clear field all the way around.
Well, let's surround him and wait it out.
No, no, that's too slow. And I'm in a hurry to get back to Will. He's still alive.
I'll put a couple of shots in there. Maybe he's ready to give up.
I doubt it. But go ahead.
He'll never give up.
Oh, all right. Let's spread out and rush him.
No, Marshal. That'll just mean more bloodshed. He'd get one over shore. I've got a better idea.
Oh?
We'll burn him out.
What?
Look at that grass. It's as dry as tinder. All we have to do is fire it and take him when he comes out.
He'll come out shooting.
I know. I'll be waiting.
Look, Asper. How's the
I'll stay here and starve him out.
You'll have to wait.
No, I won't.
I'll wait.
Chester and I will stay here and starve him out.
Why don't you ride on back?
No, I don't think it that way, Marshal. I think it's just the same.
All right.
The cabin's downwind. We can fire it from right here.
Okay. You and I will move out a little, Chester. And let go any time.
Yes, sir.
Look, Asper. I'll do the shooting. I can knock him down without killing him.
He'd only hang. We'll all shoot, Marshal.
Okay.
I bunched up a handful of brown grass and lit it. And the wind did the rest.
And carried the flame springing higher and higher toward the cabin.
It started down from Chester, too, and from where the old man lay.
It was four or five feet high when it reached the cabin, which caught fire at once and was soon burning fast.
No man could live in there for long.
And after a minute or two, Trent ran out the door and came toward us past the flame.
Slow down your gun, Trent. You'll caught fire.
All right, Marshal. Chester.
All right. Come on, Chester. Go watch him. He may not be dead.
Is he? Is he dead, Marshal?
He, uh... I'm sorry, Asper, but I was afraid he'd kill one of us if I didn't get him first.
I saw your shot, Marshal. You hit him in the shoulder on purpose, I figure. I killed him. I had to.
Now let's get him buried. I want to get back to Will.
We buried Trent near the charred ruins of the cabin and then started the long ride back to the ranch.
On the way, the old man never mentioned Trent, but talked endlessly of the prairie and his long life on it.
He knew the land the way a preacher knows the Bible, and he accepted it in its ways with the same mixture of faith and fear.
When we finally reached the ranch, Chester and I waited outside the house while the old man went in alone.
After a moment, Doc appeared on the porch, smiling, and then the three of us rode back to Dodge.
Gunsmoke under the direction of Norman McDonald stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshal.
Tonight's story was especially written for Gunsmoke by John Messon, with the music composed and conducted by Rex Corey.
Featured in the cast were Joseph Kern, John Dana, and Sam Edwards.
Harley Bear is Chester, Georgia Ellis is Kitty, and Howard McNear is Doc.
Gunsmoke is heard by our troops overseas through the facilities of the Armed Forces Radio Service.
Join us again next week when Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshal, fights to bring law and order out of the wild violence of the West in Gunsmoke.
Next Monday night, The Lure of the Wilderness will be your luxe radio theater feature attraction starring Gene Peters and Jeffrey Hunter in their original screen role.
And remember, too, radio's outstanding theater of thrills, The Fence, is heard Monday evenings on the CBS Radio Network.
The Lure of the Wilderness
The Fence