Now Sugar Crinkles, the sugar rice treat that's just right sweet, is proud to present Gunsmoke.
A round-odd city 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 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 tee 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, mmm, 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.
I got a horse to saddle, Mr. Conrad.
I got a horse to saddle, Mr. Dillon. I'm so hungry I could eat a whole hog.
Well, all the hog you got this morning's cooking on that stick right there, Chester.
Is it done?
That depends on how hungry you are.
It's done.
Sure will be good to get back to Dodge tonight and sleep in a bed again.
Civilization's made you soft, Chester.
Maybe so, but I get mighty tired of using my back for a mattress and my belly for a covering.
Obviously, Chester, you were born for greater things than rooting around on the prairie and living in the rain.
It hasn't been raining, Mr. Dillon.
No, no it hasn't. But it will, Chester. Sooner or later it'll rain.
Yes, sir.
Wish me a box more bacon.
Say, don't old man Granby live around here? Maybe we could borrow a little from him.
Well, according to what I've always heard, old Granby wouldn't loan anybody anything.
You really think he's a rich mind, you like to say?
Oh, I don't know, Chester.
Sometimes a man's entirely different from his reputation.
I only met Granby once or twice. He seemed like a nice enough old fellow, though.
I wouldn't want to live out here all alone with nothing but a few horses for company.
He's used to it.
Well, even if he does have a lot of money hid away, there's no place to spend it out here.
Granby's pretty old for the pleasures Dodge has to offer, Chester.
Well, I hope I am never that old.
At the rate you're burning yourself out, Chester, you never will be, so don't worry about it.
Oh, now, Mr. Dillon, I live mighty quiet for a young fellow who's free and still full of blood.
Sure.
Hey, look over there.
What?
That string of dust laying right on the ground there.
Yeah, I've been watching it, Chester. It's not on the ground, though.
There's a dry wash once along there. Somebody's driving stock down it.
Maybe it's old man Granby.
That may be. Let's go say hello, huh?
All right, sure.
If it is old man Granby, we might just ask him about a little bacon, huh?
Well, we can ask. There's no harm in that.
Oh.
Come on.
Now, that's horses down there, Chester.
I can see their heads now. I don't see anybody driving them.
They'll be along in a minute. Let's wait here.
There he comes.
Yeah. Hello!
He stopped.
That's not old Granby. Let's ride down and say hello anyway.
Oh.
Now, that's Granby's brand on those horses, though.
He must have hired him a hand.
Yeah, maybe.
Hello.
Are you working for Granby?
I ain't working for nobody, mister.
Oh. Then where is he?
Where is who?
Granby.
I don't know no Granby.
Those are his horses you're driving.
Oh. They are?
Yeah.
I ain't driving them.
What do you mean?
They got ahead of me in the wash here, that's all.
I see. You a cowboy?
Yeah, sure. I'm a cowboy.
Well, you don't look like one. You don't ride like one, either.
You're asking the questions, mister.
No decent cowboy would run another man's horses down a dry wash just because he didn't want to get up on the bank and ride around them.
I told you they got in front of me is all.
How come you're not carrying a gun?
Does a man have to carry a gun?
No. I'll bet you're the only man within a thousand miles of here who isn't carrying one.
Maybe I got a better conscience than the rest of you.
Maybe.
Look mister, you've run those horses about five miles off of old Granby's place.
You want to give us a hand? We'll run them back.
I'm in a hurry.
It won't take long. The old man might be a couple of days fighting them if we don't.
You worry about him. I got to get in to die.
We'll ride in with you. Afterwards.
I ain't going to do it.
Look a lot better if you did.
I'd like to, mister, but I can't wait. I'm leaving now. So long.
You going to let him go, mister?
Wait a minute, Justin. I'll let him hear what lead sounds like.
Now, don't shoot. Don't shoot me.
All right, then. Ride back here.
Don't kill me, mister. I'm not going to kill you.
Unless you try to run away.
Why would I try to run away?
You just did.
Chester.
Yes, sir?
Ride down the bank and have those horses off. Start them back up the wash.
We'll be out of here by the time they're back.
All right, Mr. Dillon.
You stay right close to me, fella.
Don't try anything smart.
When we get to Granby's, if he says it's okay, then you can go wherever you like.
I don't know Granby. I've never been there.
Well, we'll show you the way. Come on, let's get up on the bank.
Old man Granby can find his horses all right now, Mr. Dillon.
Yeah, but I want this cowboy here to meet him. We'll see if he's in the house.
I'll wait for you.
Get off that horse, fella. Go on.
That's better.
Come on, we'll take a look.
Well, what are you waiting for?
Nothing.
You go ahead, Chester.
Yes, Mr. Dillon.
Looks like I'll have to herd this man in.
You've been kind of balky ever since we ran into you, mister.
I don't like being dragged around. I never did.
I just want you to meet old Granby. He'll be grateful for you, helping run his horses back here.
I know what you think, mister. You think I was stealing them horses.
Well, I never herd of the old man. I was never near this place.
Yeah, so you told me. But you're here now.
I ain't afraid of you or nobody.
Then let's go into the house. Come on.
Mr. Dillon?
Yeah, what is it, Chester?
Old man Granby. He's in there.
What's wrong?
Right in the room there, Mr. Dillon. He's hanging there.
What?
Somebody's gone and hung him right in his own house.
I don't want to see him anymore. You go take a look.
Pull your gun and hold it on this man, Chester. If he makes a move, shoot him.
Yes, sir.
Now, you just stand there real quiet, why?
I ain't gonna do nothing.
You sure ain't?
Just because I happened to be in the country, don't mean I killed nobody.
Mr. Dillon will decide about that.
Who is this Mr. Dillon, anyway?
He's a United States Marshal, that's who.
A Marshal? Looks like you run into the wrong people, fella.
I'll hold your gun, Chester. Search him.
All right, sir. Here.
Get around and hold the ride.
Turn around.
The house is all torn up. He must have been looking for old Granby's money.
I was never in that house.
There's nothing on him. Nothing.
All right, Chester, here's your gun. Catch it.
Thank you.
All right, now, what's your name, fella?
Trembl. Joe Trembl.
Where are you from?
Up north. Up north where?
All over.
What are you doing down here, Trembl?
Making a change.
Yeah, sure. And some cowboy you ran into told you about Granby being rich.
So you came here and kicked the old man around and hung him, and then tried to find the money.
That's a lie. This is the first time I was ever near the place.
I'm sure you did it, Trembl, but I wish I had more evidence.
A court of law just might not convict you the way things stand.
You're gonna let me go?
No. I'm arresting you, and you're gonna stand trial.
And I'll do my best to see you hung.
I didn't do what I tell you. And I'll go free till you see.
There's something mighty wrong about you, Trembl, and I can't figure it at all.
But I'll sure find out.
["The Star-Spangled Banner"]
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Now back to Gunsmoke.
We let Joe Trimble dig a grave up behind the house,
then we laid old Granby in it and covered him with dirt.
I was pretty sure now that the old man had never had an extra dollar in his life,
and that he'd been killed for no reason at all.
Anyway, Trimble had done a pretty thorough job looking for the money, and he'd found nothing.
On the ride into Dodge, I tried to figure out just what he was,
but he didn't seem to fit anywhere.
He wasn't a cowboy or a hunter or a gambler or even just a drifter.
After we got him locked up in jail that night, Doc and I went over to the Texas Trail for a drink with Kitty,
and I was telling him about it.
Now then, this fellow Trimble, how old is he?
Oh, around 25, I guess, Doc.
Then he couldn't be running away from home.
No, he's a little old for that, Kitty.
Well, anyway, they'll hang him.
Well, I hope the judge agrees with you, Doc.
Why shouldn't he?
All I got so far is circumstantial evidence.
But then you should have shot him out on the prairie.
It's a good thing you're not a lawman.
Well, maybe if I were, there'd be fewer killings around here.
I doubt that, Doc.
You going up to Hayes for the trial, Matt?
Yeah, I'll have to, Kitty.
That'll take a week, I suppose.
All bound.
Why, yes?
Nothing, only you've just been away for ten days.
I'll have to earn a living, Kitty.
You can make more money gambling right here in Dodge.
No, Kitty, don't start that.
Good evening, Marshal.
Oh, Major.
Good evening, Doc.
Good evening, Major.
I'd like a word with you, Marshal.
Sure, Major.
We can go over to the bar, then, all right?
I'll be back, Kitty, Doc.
No hurry, Matt.
Doc's got a lot of money.
Oh, now I'll buy you one drink, Kitty.
Just one drink and that's all.
Well, it's a start, Doc.
Let's go, Major.
I had to come to Dodge on other business, Marshal.
But I wanted to pass the word to you that we're looking for a man, Mike.
Oh, the Army?
Yes, a deserter.
Oh.
Not from Fort Dodge.
Where was he stationed, Major?
He was with the Seventh Cavalry at Fort Lincoln.
Oh, I didn't know they called it that.
And for some reason they think he headed south.
No, I don't have much of a description of him, just that he was a private, about, oh, 25 curly blonde hair and he had a scar on his left hand.
Yeah, that fits.
What's his name, Major?
He enlisted as Joe Gould, but he's known to have used the name Trimble.
Uh-huh.
Well, he's right here in Dodge.
What?
I got him locked up in jail.
Well, that's fine, Marshal, but how did you know?
I think he murdered an old man who lived a day's ride north of here.
I'm going to have him tried for it.
That won't be necessary now, Marshal.
I'll take over custody of him.
No, no.
Then he'd be tried at Fort Lincoln for desertion.
I want him tried for murder.
And I got to be there to present the evidence.
You could go up to Fort Lincoln.
Now the Dakotas are out of my territory, Major.
Besides, this is a civil crime.
The Army wants that man, Marshal.
I'm sorry, Major.
He's going to be tried and hailed first.
He is still a soldier, even if he did desert.
Well, if the judge lets him off, you can have him.
But not otherwise.
Major, he tortured and hung an innocent old man, and I'm going to do my best to see him punished for it.
Well, I'll have to take this up with my superiors, Marshal.
You better hurry. I'm going to Hayes with him tomorrow.
I hope you won't regret this, Marshal.
I won't, Major.
Not if Trimble is properly punished.
I won't.
I didn't wait till morning, but started up for Hayes with Joe Trimble that night.
The trial lasted a week, and in spite of all the arguments I made,
the judge finally decided that there wasn't enough real evidence to convict him.
I even tried to make Trimble confess that he was too smart for that.
So there was nothing to do but bring him back, turn him over to the Army.
I said word to Fort Dodge, and the next morning the Major himself appeared to take him into custody.
Well, Marshal, it looks as though you didn't have much of a civil case after all.
He killed old Granby. I know he did, Major.
But after all, the law is the law.
Yes, and in the Army orders are orders.
I'm just sorry your judge didn't convict him after all.
How is that so? A chester.
Yes, sir.
Bring Trimble out, huh?
All right, Chief.
Major, I'll give the Army credit for one thing.
What's that?
Trimble and I rode back some 80 miles yesterday, and when we got here,
he wanted to sit up and play cards with Chester.
There may be some bad men in the Cavalry, Marshal, but they're all tough.
Here he is, Mr. Dillon.
Well, he's yours, Major.
Private Trimble, sir.
You're under military arrest, Private, and not privileged to salute.
Besides, you enlisted as Private Gould, not Trimble.
Yes, sir.
Report to the Guard outside.
Yes, sir.
Just a minute, Trimble.
You know that you're mighty lucky, don't you?
You should have died for what you've done.
I told you I'd go free, Marshal.
It'll catch up with you someday, Trimble. It always does, somehow.
That's all I wanted to say.
Yes, sir.
Well, thank you, Marshal. I'll be getting along.
Oh, Major, you said that you were sorry that the judge didn't convict him.
Why have you changed your mind?
Well, I have orders from General Terry to return him to the Dakotas, to Fort Lincoln.
Well, they'll be tried there, but he won't be hung for just desertion.
Oddly enough, Marshal, he won't even be tried for some months anyway.
He won't?
No. It seems that the Seventh Cavalry needs every man available.
They're leaving Fort Lincoln on an expedition against the Sioux and the Northern Cheyenne.
Oh, the Sioux, huh?
Yeah.
I wonder if old Sitting Bull is still the chief medicine man with them.
Sitting Bull?
Yeah.
I never heard of him.
But I expect the Seventh will be heading into Montana territory.
Well, if they're after Sitting Bull's tribe, they will.
He's always had a large camp over on the Little Bighorn.
Has he?
Yeah.
Oh, by the way, who's in command of the Seventh Cavalry now?
Oh, an officer I served under a couple of years.
I never did care for him.
A General Custer.
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 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 heat-good cornflakes.
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 on your shopping list right now, Mother.
Just watch how your whole tribe goes for them.
Remember, post-toasties are the heat-good cornflakes.
Gunsmoke, under the direction of Norman MacDonald, stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshal.
Tonight's story was specially written for Gunsmoke by John Mesden, with music composed and conducted by Rex Corey.
Featured in the cast were Sam Edwards and John Daynard.
Harley Bear as Chester, Howard McNear as Doc, and Georgia Ellis as Kenny. Ken Peters speaking.
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.
Listen next week at this time when Gunsmoke will be brought to you by post-toasties, the heat-good cornflakes.
Thank you.