Now Sugar Crinkles, the sugar rice treat that's just right sweet, is proud to present Gunsmoke.
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 Gunsmoke.
Gunsmoke, 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.
Take it easy mom, you know your young folks are going to eat when you give them Sugar Crinkles for breakfast.
Yes, boys and girls love Sugar Crinkles.
And no wonder, it's the sugar rice treat that's just right sweet.
Makes breakfast more fun than a circus.
Now the reason Sugar Crinkles suit young folks to a T is this.
Some sugar coated cereals they've tried seem too sweet.
Others don't seem sweet enough.
But when they dip their first spoonful of Sugar Crinkles, they've discovered a sugar coated cereal that's just right sweet.
And say those young folks of yours love to dip into the pack and eat Sugar Crinkles as a snack too.
So better get several packages.
And now Gunsmoke, starring William Conrad.
Mr. Dillon, look at those men down there by the jail.
That's quite a crowd.
Now what's so curious about a wagon load of buffalo hide, do wonder.
Maybe they got a white one Chester.
They must have something mighty interesting.
Yeah.
This your wagon mister?
Nope, it's Gatloff's. High skinned for him.
What's the crowd for?
Just curious. The other skinner got hurt and he brought him into the dock.
Oh what happened? He hurt bad?
Bad enough Gatloff didn't see any sense in bringing him into town at all.
Me and the cook we made him though.
What?
Here's Gatloff now.
Chester, go up to Doc's and see what you can find out.
Yes sir.
How is he Gatloff?
Eh, Doc will take care of everything Toby.
Remind that, how is he?
He's dead.
Let's drive his hides on down to the shed.
Come on.
Just a minute Gatloff.
Some other time Marshal I'm busy.
So am I. But I want to talk to you anyway.
You and the cook go get these hides unloaded Toby, I'll be right along.
Okay.
Now where you at Marshal?
What happened to your skinner?
Billy, he hurt himself that's all.
He's dead isn't he?
Yeah yeah he's dead. He got hurt and he died. That's all.
When did he get hurt?
Last night.
Then why didn't you bring him in last night?
Them other fellas, the cook and Toby, they figured he was done for anyway.
They didn't want to bother I guess.
What happened to him Gatloff? How did he get hurt?
I don't rightly know Marshal. He was alone in camp and when we got there he'd gone and burned himself.
Burned? With what?
Hot lead Marshal. Spilled it all over him.
Lead for bullets?
Yeah that's it. He was cooking up lead in a fry pan. That was one of Billy's chores to make my bullets.
He always was a mite clumsy. He sure messed himself up this time.
That must have been a lot of lead.
Yeah fifty, sixty pounds I reckon.
Mr. Gatloff, that man of yours Doc's all through with him. He said you can bury him now.
Oh no I ain't paying for no burial. He's just a skinner I hired. I don't even know his last name.
You're his boss aren't you? You brought him in here.
He's just a bum who worked for me.
Well of all of them he's miserable.
Hold it Chester. Alright Gatloff we'll take care of him.
He caused me trouble enough. I don't want to hear no more about him ever.
What about the skinner Chester? Tell me.
It was terrible Mr. Dillon. Doc said he don't know how he lived as long as he did.
Did he talk to Doc?
Oh goodness no. The poor fella.
How do you suppose it happened Chester?
Why a hot lead. Had a whole pan full of it they told me.
Yeah but what man's gonna pick up fifty or sixty pounds of molten lead and spill it all over him?
Oh well he... I hadn't thought of that.
Of course there's another way it could have happened.
How's that?
Somebody could have pushed him down into it.
Oh my who?
I don't know. Gatloff or maybe his skinner Toby.
I wonder where Toby went.
He probably went over to the alafaganza to drink up his wages.
Oh alright. Chester go do something about burying that man.
Yes sir. I'll tend to him.
Hello Toby.
Oh hello Marshall.
Sam.
Yeah?
Set out a bottle of rye and another glass huh?
Sure Marshall.
I'll buy you a drink.
You will?
Well sure Marshall. Sure.
Well Toby here's to your friend Billy.
He was no friend of mine but he died a bad death I'll drink to him.
Tell me something Toby. How did he and Gatloff get on?
You noticed Gatloff's eyes Marshall?
I did.
He had powder specks shot into them. They looked like turkey eggs.
Yeah.
You don't get on with a man like that.
How come I've never seen him in Dodge before?
A man's greedy Marshall. He's downright wicked about money.
He figures he can save time and make more money by selling his hides to buyers agents on the prairie.
He gets less out there but he can kill and sell more that way.
Well he came in with a load of hides today.
Just cause we made him come in with Billy.
Now tell me about the accident Toby.
Well oh thanks.
Billy was melting lead in a fry pan and the way I figured he must have tripped somehow and fallen smack into it.
When we rode in we found him rolling around on the ground. That's all I know.
When who rode in?
Me and the cook.
Where was Gatloff?
Oh he went in just ahead of us.
How long ahead of you?
Not long. Maybe 20 minutes.
Ah. Then he found Billy first is that it?
Yeah so he did. I hadn't thought of that before Marshall.
So that's why you've been asking so many questions.
Well I wasn't sure Toby but I expect you're telling the truth. The cook could back up your story on everything.
Sure. I'm telling the truth. So that's what happened. Gatloff killed him. He murdered him.
Any idea why he would?
Sure I do. He killed Billy so he wouldn't have to pay him his wages due.
He'd been out four months. He must have owed Billy seven, eight hundred dollars.
Uh huh. Are you going back out on the prairie with him?
I ain't afraid of him. But I'll be sleeping with one eye open from now on.
And if you let on your suspicions he'll sure try to kill you.
Not me. He can do his killing on somebody else.
You'll be leaving in the morning I suppose.
About dawn I reckon soon as Gatloff hires new skinner.
Uh huh. Well the bottle's yours Toby and good luck.
I sure do thank you Marshall.
Later in the day Chester and a couple of other men buried Billy out on the hill.
As Toby said he'd died a bad death.
And it was made worse by the man who had done it to him going scot free.
But there was nothing I could do and I tried to forget about it.
They left Dodge next morning and things were peaceful enough for a few days until...
One night word came that there'd been a knifing in a nester camp across the river.
We rode over to see what it was about.
He was knifed in the back Mr. Dillon.
Yeah but nobody saw it happen Chester.
No sir. Looks like somebody got clean away with murder.
Well here's Yorky Kelly. How are you Yorky?
Hello.
What are you doing here Yorky?
I came looking for berries. It's a good thing I did.
Oh? What do you mean?
I saw that man get stabbed.
What? You did?
I heard them arguing and I sneaked up just after he'd done it.
They were all alone.
Well who did it Yorky? Did you recognize him?
I never saw him before.
Well what did he look like?
He was big. Dirty looking. He had a buckskin shirt.
Yeah? What? Anything else?
He had funny eyes Marshal. They had spots in them.
Oh.
Chester?
Gatlett.
Well how in the world could you ever sneak up close enough to see his eyes Yorky?
I lived with the Arapahos.
Yeah. By golly that's right.
You know who did it Marshal?
Well I do now Yorky. Thanks to you.
I hope you catch him. I gotta get back. Mars Grimit's waiting for me.
So long Yorky.
I guess it was Gatlett all right Mr. Dillon?
Yeah.
Seems like a dangerous kind of a man to be running loose.
I got him now Chester. As soon as I find him.
Oh I hope so Mr. Dillon. I certainly do hope so.
Music
Mother, it does your heart good I know when your young folks eat all of their breakfast cereal.
And that's why I'm so happy to tell you about new Sugar Crinkles.
Sugar Crinkles you know is the sugar rice treat that's just right sweet.
Crisp golden nuggets of sugar coated rice.
They make breakfast more fun than a circus.
Why young folks love Sugar Crinkles so much they disappear like magic.
Now you've had experience with sugar coated cereals that seem too sweet to you.
And others that just don't seem sweet enough to the youngsters.
Well what a wonderful surprise Sugar Crinkles will be to your whole family.
For new Sugar Crinkles really are just right sweet.
Remember Sugar Crinkles make great snacks too.
Better get several packages.
For your breakfast or a snack you love Sugar Crinkles.
Sugar Crinkles can't be beat. Sugar rice treat that's just right sweet.
With milk what a breakfast joy.
As a snack from the pack oh boy.
Can't be beat just right sweet. Sugar Crinkles good to eat.
Now back to Gunsmoke.
Since Gadliff would figure nobody had seen him it wasn't likely that he'd run.
And anyway there wasn't much sense in trying to track him down in the dark.
So Chester and I didn't start out until the next morning.
Ordinarily a man could ride into the prairie and disappear but with Gadliff it was a little different.
At least we knew he'd be somewhere around Buffalo.
It was late afternoon before we reached good hunting grounds and almost dark when we spotted the first hunter's camp.
Come on over to the fire stranger.
Well thank you.
The supper will be ready soon.
Hey Kirk throw some more tongue in that stew pot.
You don't like Buffalo tongue you'll go muddy hungry in this camp.
Thanks mister.
Hey you're a law man.
I'm Matt Dillon a US Marshal.
My name's Tom Mercer.
And this is Chester Broadfoot.
Mr. Mercer.
Howdy.
That supper will take a little longer yet.
Anyway my skinners won't be in for a while.
Sit down.
Thank you.
How are you doing?
Oh fair Marshal, fair.
I killed over a hundred today.
Been here long?
About a month.
I'll move on a couple of weeks.
I don't know Marshal.
I figure this whole southern herd is going to be clean wiped out for a long.
Next year I'm going to Dakota.
Too many hunters maybe.
That's just it.
I said exactly.
Have you seen any in the last day or two?
Just who are you looking for Marshal?
A fellow by the name of Gatliff.
A big man.
Speckled eyes.
What's he done?
Do you know him?
No I don't.
Nobody's come near us in no over a week.
You're not much help then.
Except for that stew the cook's making.
You're like that.
We're having dried apples too.
I might as well eat a buffalo raw.
The entire beast.
You must be part engine.
Well no sir.
I soon want to meet a whole liver raw.
He got propped up against a tree and ate every bit of it.
Then went sound asleep right there in the sun.
He was sure some sight.
Heard you ever get that close to an Indian.
Oh Indians ain't all as bad.
Oh that's true.
But they're going to get real hungry when the herd's gone.
That's so Marshal.
That's surely so.
That's what makes them mad.
Well don't you think that's reason enough?
A fellow told me a couple weeks ago he ran into a bunch west of here.
He was looking for scalps all right too.
Oh hey here comes some skinners.
Now we can get outside of some of that stew.
Oh fine.
Don't you ever feed this man Marshal.
Only when he works Mercer.
Oh no Mr. Dillon.
We spent the night in Tom Mercer's camp and at dawn just after breakfast
we said goodbye and rode on west.
In the next two days we met plenty of hunters but we didn't find catliff.
About noon of the third day we cut the trail of a wagon train
and figured it to be that of a hide buyers agent
who had come out into the prairie to do business on the spot.
An hour or two later we saw him.
A long string of ox drawn wagons piled high with hides.
There was a man on horseback leading the train.
We rode up to him.
Hello there.
That's quite a load you got mister.
Ten thousand so far.
Huh?
What are you doing way out here Marshal?
I'm looking for a hunter by the name of Gatliff.
You know him?
Sure do.
Just picked up a load from his rick early this morning.
Is he in trouble?
Yeah.
Where is he?
Straight south, a couple of miles.
Can't tell you exactly, he moves around a lot.
That's close enough for us.
Thanks a lot mister.
Sure Marshal, I'm very like him anyway.
There's the empty rick, that must be it.
Yeah, but he's moved his camp.
Not far, just this morning.
Chester, what's that out there?
Where at?
Looks like a man.
Come on, fellow.
What?
Mr. Dillon, is that Skinner?
He is.
Yeah.
Get some water Chester.
Yes sir.
Toby.
Toby, can you hear me?
He's been shot Chester.
Here's the water.
Yeah.
Toby, it's Marshal Dillon.
Give me a drink.
Yeah, here.
He shot me Marshal.
Well, what happened?
Where's the rest of the crew?
They run off, took his wagon and no horses.
He went kind of crazy when he found out.
That's why he shot me.
Where is he now?
I don't know Marshal.
He shot me and then he said he was going hunting.
He's going loco.
Now take it easy Toby, take it easy.
You're going to be alright.
I could hear him shooting that sharps a long time.
And then he stopped.
Where was he?
Which way Toby?
Off, behind me there.
I could hear him.
Yeah.
Chester, stay with him.
I'm going after Gatloff.
Alright.
Off in the direction Toby had indicated there lay a large isolated hollow surrounded by low ridges.
When I reached it I dismounted and crawled up to where I could look down into it.
There was no sign of Gatloff.
But lying on the prairie floor were the bodies of countless fresh killed buffalo.
It was a strange sight.
The old bulls and the cows and the little calves lying there blackening the prairie grass.
I got up and stood looking at it for a long time.
And then suddenly out in the middle I thought I saw a slight movement.
And a second later there came the familiar boom of a sharps 50.
And I dropped behind the range and waited.
And then Chester rode up.
Did you find him Mr. Gillis?
Yeah.
I thought I'd better come along.
You see.
Toby's dead. Is that it?
Yes sir.
Alright.
Well Gatloff's down there in the middle of the hollow but we can't get anywhere near him as long as he's got that sharps rifle.
He's killed a small herd of buffalo in there and now he's lying out in the center of them.
Well that's the darnedest thing I ever heard of Mr. Dillon. He must have gone crazy just like Toby said.
Yeah.
What's he shooting at now?
Hey Mr. Dillon the way he's spacing them shots.
Yeah. That's the signal for help Chester. Come on.
Say maybe it's just a trap.
Oh be ready to take cover behind one of these animals it might be.
Sounds like he's been hurt.
Yeah. Just keep your head up.
There he is. Behind that big bull.
Yeah I see him.
Why Mr. Dillon he's all...
There have been horses in here Chester. Indians.
Oh my goodness.
Come on.
That was his last effort Chester. He's dead now.
Mr. Dillon. That's awful.
Yeah.
Come on Chester let's get out of here.
I don't know how the Indians caught Gadliff.
He'd gone a little mad and maybe that made it easy for him.
But they'd finally got themselves a buffalo hunter.
And into their unbelievably savage torture of him had gone all the hatred and desperation of a race being slowly starved and driven from their homeland.
And then they'd put him there surrounded by his own bloody slaughter.
And they'd gone off with a gesture of contempt leaving his rifle and his ammunition by his side.
And having seen what they did to him I'll never know how he managed to fire even one of those shots.
For all of his evil Gadliff had died harder than any man I'd ever seen.
Chester and I rode back to Dodge and it was never mentioned between us again.
In just a moment we'll tell you about next week's adventure on Gunsmoke.
You know what you are tomorrow depends on what you eat today.
So mother be sure that the big and little Indians at your house always eat a good breakfast.
And tell me what could be better for breakfast than post toasties.
Post toasties you know are the heap good corn flakes.
The best thing that's happened to corn since the Indians discovered it.
But all of the talking in the world couldn't tell you how downright delicious post toasties are.
You have to taste those cracklin' crisp flakes.
Yes you have to taste that sweet kernel corn flavor toasted.
Then you'll know how perfectly wonderful breakfast can be.
Put post toasties in your shopping list right now mother.
Just watch how your whole tribe goes for them.
Remember post toasties are the heap good corn flakes.
Gunsmoke under the direction of Norman MacDonald stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon U.S. Marshal.
Tonight's story was written especially for Gunsmoke by John Meston with music composed and conducted by Rex Corey.
Featured in the cast were Tom Tully, John Dana, Richard Beals, Jack Edwards, and Louis Jean Hite.
Harley Bearer is Chester. Ken Peters speaking.
Join us again next week as Matt Dillon U.S. Marshal meets a killer at a stage station during his fight to bring law and order out of the wild violence of the West in Gunsmoke.
Listen next week at this time when Gunsmoke will be brought to you by post toasties, the heap good corn flakes.