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In 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 U.S. Marshal and the smell of gun smoke.
Gun smoke starring William Conrad, the transcribed story of the violence that moved West with
Young America, and the story of a man who moved with it.
I'm that man, Matt Dillon, United States Marshal, the first man they look for and the last they
want to meet. It's a chancey job, and it makes a man watchful and a little lonely.
Hey, Doc. Oh, hello, Chester. Come on over and sit down. Well, I guess it won't hurt
for a minute to tear us to city. Oh, my droby, sitting out here on the street is loafing
around your office. Oh, now, isn't that so? Loafing. Oh, now, wait a minute. I didn't
mean nothing, Doc. I wasn't even thinking. Oh, I can believe that. What's bothering you,
Chester? Mr. Dillon. What? I'm kind of worried about him, Doc. You are? Why? Well, look,
it is near dark and he ain't showed up yet. I don't even know where he is. Well, I think
Matt can take care of himself, Chester. Sure, but usually he leaves a note or something,
Doc. Well, a man doesn't have to do things the same way all the time. I know that. Now,
here it's just like Mrs. Hall the other day. She came to ask me how to get her baby to
sleep at night. Now, for example, what would you have told her? Oh, Doc. Now, you think.
You just think now, Chester. After all, you were a baby once. How did your mother get
you to sleep? She didn't have no trouble. Well, the usual way is to rock the baby. But
you know what I told Mrs. Hall to do? Doc, I really ain't interested in this. Well, you're
going to hear it anyway. I told her to take the baby and smear its little fingers with
thick molasses. What? Yes, and then I told her to give it a half a dozen chicken feathers.
What for? Well, I figured he'd pluck the feathers from hand to hand until he fell asleep. And
then if it woke up again, all she had to do was to give it some more molasses and feathers.
Oh, seems to me that'd only make the little baby mad. Oh, man, that shows how much you
know about babies. Oh, my goodness gracious. Can't we talk about something else? I said
you start something. Hey, wait a minute. There's Mr. Younger. Where? Riding up street there,
leading that horse with a pack on it. Oh, yes. Doc, look. What? That ain't no pack he's got
tied on that horse. No, no, that isn't. That's a man, a dead one. Yes, it is. Who do you
suppose it is? Well, I don't know. Hi, Mr. Dillon. Hello, Chester. Doc. Hello, man.
Who you got there? Mel Hornby. Mel Hornby? I went out to ask him some questions about
that sodbuster that got murdered last month. Oh, Jake Reeves? Yeah. That Hornby took offense
and he tried to kill me. We think he had something to do with the Reeves murder, man? He did
it, Doc. He admitted it just before he died. A big granchel like old Mel Hornby killing
a poor half-starved little homesteader? They had an argument about something and Hornby's
temper got the best of him the way it did today. But how come you brought the body to
dodge, man, as you think Mrs. Hornby had won him out there? I didn't find him at home,
Doc. He was way out on the prairie handling some stock. I'll get a wagon in the morning
and take him back. Take him? Oh, I don't envy you. Oh, Mrs. Hornby's a pretty mean woman.
Yeah, I know. You better let Chester do that. She can't blame him for anything. No. I'll
do it, Doc. I killed him.
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Morning, Mr. Dillon. Morning, Joseph. I hired a team in wagon for you to stand outside.
No, thanks. Near ten o'clock already? Yeah, well, I'll get started here. There you are,
Marshall. Miss Hornby? Where's my husband? You got him here? Why don't you sit down,
then? I've been sitting down since dawn on a saddle. My husband didn't come home last
night and I figured it had something to do with you. You found him, didn't you? Yes,
ma'am, I found him. Well, where is he? Got him in jail on some fool charge? I want to
know what's going on, Marshall. I should have made you tell me when you come by. Miss Hornby,
your husband's dead. What? He tried to kill me. You shot him? I had to. You killed my
husband? I wanted to talk to him about Jake Reeves, but as soon as I mentioned Reeves'
name, he went for his gun. I'm sorry it happened that way, ma'am. I don't believe you. Why
would he do that? What did he care about Jake Reeves? He killed him, Miss Hornby. I didn't
know that, but he admitted it before he died. Is that true? Yes, ma'am, it's true. Well,
he should have had a trial. He'd have got off. Who cares about a man like Reeves? You
murdered my husband, Marshall. He didn't have a chance against you. He had a gun and he
tried to kill me with it. Too bad he didn't. But you're going to die anyway, Marshall.
What? I said you're going to die. I've got money. I'm going to hire you killed. Now,
wait a minute, ma'am. A thousand dollars, that ought to do it, and you can't stop me.
There ain't a thing in the world you can do about it. All right. All right. Who are you
going to hire? Oh, so you can be watching for him or maybe go right out after him? No.
Ain't going to work that way, Marshall. It ain't one man I'm going to hire. It's a whole
army of men. You won't have a chance any more than my husband did. Now, where is his body?
I'm going to get him buried and then go to work on getting you killed.
More coffee, Matt? No. No, thanks, Kitty. I think I've had enough. Hey, that was a good
dinner, wasn't it? Matt, you're awful calm for a man who's been threatened the way you
have. Now, Miss Hornby? Don't you think she meant what she said yesterday? Well, I don't
know where she's going to hire an army for a thousand dollars. But I suppose it is some
kind of a compliment. She thinks that I'm that hard to kill. You're not taking this very
serious, Matt. Now, there's nothing I can do, Kitty, until I find out what she's up to.
Well, maybe she's just crazy. She sure sounds like it. Yeah. Yeah, maybe. Where'd she bury
him, Matt? Did she take him back to the ranch? No. Now, she buried him up on Boothill. Boothill?
She said if that's the way he got killed, that's the place he was going to get buried.
Sounds like she was mad at him. I think it was shame, Kitty. She wasn't very proud of
her husband getting shot down like an ordinary lawbreaker. That's a pretty easy word for
a murderer. I don't think his killing Jake Reeves meant a thing to her, Kitty. He might
as well have shot a horse for all she cared. All she cares about herself. Mr. Dillon? Hello,
Miss Kitty. Hello, Chester. Sit down and have some coffee. I'll sit, but there ain't no
time for no coffee. What's that poster you got, Chester? That's what I come to find you
about, Mr. Dillon. I tore this poster off the board down at the depot. But there's more
of them. A fellow there told me she's putting them up all over Dodge. What? Here. You read
it?
Yeah. $1,000 reward to the first man that can prove Matt Dillon is dead. He doesn't have
to prove anything else. Money is in safe at Dodge House and will be paid in cash immediately.
Fine, Mrs. Mel Hornby.
Matt, she can't get by with that. You can put her in jail.
He sure can. And I'll go around and tear down the rest of them posters, Mr. Dillon.
No, no, no. Chester, too many people have read them by now. And some of them are probably
already thinking about it.
Then put her in jail till she takes it back, Matt. Make her print up some more saying it
isn't true.
You think she'd do that, Kitty? Miss Hornby.
Matt, you're going to have every greedy bum in Dodge out trying to ambush you.
Yeah. Yeah, Kitty. A whole army of them.
I spent the next couple of days looking over one shoulder everywhere I went. Sitting with
my back to the wall, keeping away from windows. And come evenings I tried to get set somewhere
before it got dark so I wouldn't have to walk past alleyways or through patches of light
on the street. Strings a man tight live in that way. Too tight. I found that out one
afternoon when Chester and I were sitting on the porch in front of the office.
You ought to lock the door out back, Mr. Dillon. At least ain't nobody going to come up on
you that way.
Oh, good, Chester.
Wouldn't you be better off sitting inside?
Out here I can see what's going on.
You couldn't see a man with a rifle if he was hit out in one of them buildings across
the street.
No. And I can't dig a hole and hide in it either.
Oh, sure. Look down there at that fool kid. He's going to run somebody down riding that
way.
He's trying to ride like an Indian. Look how low he's bent.
Hey, he's got a gun in his hand.
Hey, Doc Chester!
Mr. Dillon, you hurt Mr. Dillon?
No, he missed me. But he was shooting mighty close.
Well, you got him.
Yeah, I got him.
That kid must be crazy. Riding by like that and trying to shoot you.
Yeah.
See, you don't suppose...
I don't know, Chester.
He's still alive. I'll carry him up to Doc's.
You'll take care of his horse, huh?
Yes, sir.
My, he's awful young, ain't he?
He's awful young.
How is he, Doc?
Come on in, now.
He's conscious now, but I don't know how long it'll last.
Is he gonna die?
You'd better hurry if you want to talk to him, man.
Oh, okay.
How you feeling, son?
Bad. Real bad, Marshal.
Well, Doc will take good care of you.
Who are you? What's your name?
I can't tell you my name.
Well, why not?
My name don't matter.
All right. But you tried to shoot me. Why?
Reward. A thousand dollars. We needed that money. We needed it bad.
Who needed it?
I seen you sitting there. Then I went and got my horse. I almost killed you. But I'm
sorry I did it. I'm real sorry.
Don't worry about that now. Everything's gonna be all right.
Son?
Doc.
I'm right here, man.
He's dead.
Nobody could have said.
No.
How old would you say it was, Doc?
Four.
Fifteen, maybe.
That's not your fault, Matt.
I killed it.
No, Matt.
I'm going over to the Dodge house, Doc.
Mrs. Hornby?
Yeah.
Well,
let's go.
Oh, it's you.
I thought it was somebody come for their money.
Somebody almost dead, Miss Hornby.
That so?
I killed him.
You kill a lot of people, don't you, Marcel?
But I have to.
Well, maybe the next one will get you.
Maybe.
What did you come to see me for?
I thought maybe I could get you to change your mind.
What's the matter, Marshal?
Getting scared?
Hell, I don't enjoy knowing somebody might shoot me any minute.
But I don't like the idea that I might have to shoot somebody any minute, either.
Well, shouldn't bother a man like you.
I told you your husband tried to kill me.
Don't you understand that?
I don't care about understanding it.
You know who you hired this afternoon?
It don't matter.
Except I wish he'd been a better gunman.
He wasn't a man, Mrs. Hornby.
He was a boy.
Fifteen.
He was poor.
He needed the money for somebody else.
I don't even know his name.
I thought you killed him.
How do you know he did it for the money?
He didn't die right off.
Well, how does it make you feel, Mrs. Hornby?
The next one won't be a boy, Marshal.
Or the one after that.
Mrs. Hornby.
What?
You're a terrible, selfish old woman.
Oh, really?
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That night a drunk stank it up to me on the street.
He had a gun in his hand.
But I buffaloed him before he could use it and I threw him in jail.
Later about midnight it was different.
A mule skinner tried to shoot me from behind a water barrel.
His first shot missed and a second later he discovered his mistake.
The barrel was empty.
And he died there.
And nobody else seemed willing to take a chance.
At least that night.
The next day about noon Chester and I were on our way to Delmonico's when we saw Miss
Hornby coming up Front Street.
She's looking right at you Mr. Dillon.
She's probably going to complain about how I treat her hired hands.
Too bad she's a woman ain't she?
Things would be a lot different if she wasn't Chester.
Maybe she's thought it over.
Maybe she's going to change her mind.
It'll take more than a couple of killings for that.
She don't seem to care at all that her husband murdered poor old Jake Greaves.
My, if she ain't the one meanest looking woman she's waiting for it.
Hello Miss Hornby.
I want to talk to you Marshall.
All right ma'am.
I hear you killed another man last night.
The first of your men I killed was a boy Miss Hornby.
Still harping on that?
Doesn't bother you at all does it?
He was a fool to try it.
That money meant a lot to him.
Find out who he was?
No.
Well it don't matter.
No not to you.
Marshall, I'll make you a deal.
A deal?
That's what I said.
I'll withdraw the reward if you get out of Dodge.
Leave the country and don't ever come back.
Why?
It's my business why.
It's beginning to bother you all the blood that's being spilled.
Never mind that.
You're going to do it?
You know Miss Hornby you haven't thought straight since your husband got shot.
Got shot by you.
By me.
What's your answer Marshall?
Miss Hornby I hate killing.
I hate it as much as you hate it losing your husband.
But I'm not leaving.
You sure Marshall?
I'm sure.
Mister?
Who's that?
I'll see what she wants Justin.
Yes sir.
I'm coming lady.
You'll just kill more men if you stay here till one of them gets you.
You're the only one that can stop that Miss Hornby.
Well I ain't going to stop it.
And some man that knows what he's doing will be along soon.
Maybe today Marshall.
You're not helping anybody this way.
Yeah.
This lady's looking for you.
She drove that wagon all the way to town to find you.
Near twenty miles she said.
Oh is that so?
What can I do for you?
I don't want to bother you if you're busy Marshall.
No it's alright.
I'm looking for my boy.
Your boy?
He's going to get himself in trouble less than I stop him.
Bad trouble I know it.
Oh?
What's he planning to do man?
I'm ashamed to tell you this Marshall but he took his gun when he left home yesterday.
So?
They've been talking about that thousand dollar reward for you Marshall.
How old was your boy ma'am?
Going on fifteen.
He doesn't know what he's doing.
I've got to find him and stop him Marshall.
He's only doing it because we're about to starve out there.
Him and me and my little girl.
Ma'am I.
Wait Marshall.
You've got to understand the boy first.
Why he's doing it.
Alright.
Why?
My husband got killed a month ago.
Shot.
And since then we've been here starving to death.
The boy tried but we, we ain't been making it.
Excuse me ma'am.
I want to ask you something.
Why sure.
What's your name?
Mrs. Reeves.
My husband was Jake Reeves.
Did you know him?
No.
No I didn't.
But my husband.
He knew him.
Didn't he Marshall?
He did.
That's what he told me.
Well what's your name?
Never mind my name right now Mrs. Reeves.
I don't understand.
Marshall.
Yes ma'am.
You were right about me being a terrible selfish old woman.
But would you do something for me?
I think so.
There'll be an envelope at the Dodge house.
It'll be in your name.
You know what to do with it.
Yes ma'am I think I know.
I'm going home now.
Goodbye Mrs. Reeves.
Goodbye.
I don't understand what you were saying Marshall.
Mrs. Reeves you want to come to my office and I'll try to explain it to you.
I'll try to explain a lot of things to you.
And now our star, William Conrad.
Thank you George.
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Gunsmoke produced and directed by Norman McDonald stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon, U.S.
Marshal.
Our story was specially written for Gunsmoke by John Meston with music composed and conducted
by Rex Corey.
Sound patterns by Tom Hanley and Bill James.
Featured in the cast were Jeanette Nolan, Sam Edwards and Helen Klee.
Harley Bear as Chester, Howard McNear as Doc and Georgia Ellis as Kitty.
Stop!
Start smoking with a smile with Chester Field.
Smiling all the while with Chester Field.
Put a smile in your smoking just give them a try.
Like ever Chester Field, they satisfy.
Put a smile in your smoking by Chester Field.
So smooth, so satisfying.
Chester Field.
You'll also enjoy Chester Field's great radio show.
Harry Como sings all the top tunes on CBS radio every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Jack Webb stars in Dragnet on Tuesday nights.
Check your local listings.
Listen to Gunsmoke again next week.