Gun smoke, brought to you by Chesterfield. To put a smile in your smoking, always by
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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 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 west. 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
that makes a man watchful and a little lonely. It was the worst winter we'd ever had in Dodge.
The worst one I'd ever seen anywhere on the plains. It had been a short summer with the
rain starting a month early and turning to snow and sleet before the end of September.
From then on it was one blizzard right after another, roaring down off the Platte Basin,
freezing the creeks and the ponds and piling up snow in the gullies. Stock suffered and
men suffered. And it got so nobody in town to do anything or go anywhere unless there
was some reason they just had to. It was a winter that started out cold and it kept getting
colder. One of the few places in town where a man could go to get warm was the Long Branch.
They had a big pot bellied stove there that would take four foot chunk of cottonwood.
Most nights they kept it red hot. Matt, you want to know a secret? Yeah, sure kiddie,
what is it? I'm in love with a man who invented woolen underwear. You? Under that? You're
darn right, don't let the dress fool you. Well, it can't do much good. About as big
as a saddle blanket for a cotton tail. In this weather anything helps. How about a drink
Matt? Well, I was kind of waiting around for Doc, kiddie, but I guess that baby of Miss
Tucker's turned out to be pretty stubborn. The Tucker's? Another one? Uh-huh. Well, it
started out to be a quiet evening. Oh, it's Ned Crater and old man Sideroy. I think it's
just a talking fight. No, kiddie, this one's due. It's been building for a week now. I'll
see you later. All right. You ain't scared, why don't you borrow a gun? Anybody in here
alone you want, they'll be glad to see you cold for once. You're yellow, Josh, you're
mean, dirty and you yell. All right, Crater, you've had your say now. Well, how do you
feel, Marshal? How would you feel about it if you was in my place? Probably the same
way you do, but this kind of talk's not going to help you any. Now, why don't you take a
walk? Go have a drink somewhere else. Oh, sure. While that old skin print stand... Crater,
I said take a walk. I'll get it. All right, Marshal. That was well handled, Marshal. You
join me for a drink? No, thank you. Sideroy, what makes you like you are? I don't believe
I understand you. Joshua Sideroy, the meanest man in town. Do you like being thought of
that way? I'm not much concerned, Marshal, one way or another. A prudent and successful
man's always envied. Maligned by fools like Ned Crater. That hay barn of yours is full
to the roof. You got five times what you need to hold your stock through the winter. Crater's
on a ragged edge. He's desperate. A couple of loads would probably carry him. You wouldn't
even miss it. Well, hay's for sale. Oh, yeah, sure. And twice what it's worth. A thing is
worth whatever you can sell it for, Marshal. He's no better than the other nesters. They're
buying from me. They must got cash. It's his first year on the land. He's got no cash and
no credit. You know that. And he should have been more industrious. Show him some foresight.
He was caught short by the early rains, the same as the rest of the... Now, what's the
use? You know, Joshua, someday you're going to end up being the richest man on Boothill.
Well, Ned Crater don't ever put me there. He might. He's worked up enough. Yeah, he's
like all failures. Talks big and does small. He's a fool. And I'll be here long after he
starved to death.
I swear to goodness, Mr. Dillon, the more wood you chunk into this cottage stove, the
less heat it seems to give off.
That's a cold morning, Chester. Throw some buffalo chips in.
Yes, and burn out the grates again. This jailhouse can't afford a halfway decent stove in weather
like this. Well, forevermore. Look there. Look who's up bright and early this morning.
Joshua's side roll.
Leading the packhorse. Maybe he's going to pull out, Mr. Dillon.
This wish will think, Chester. I wonder why he's coming here.
Marco! Marco Dillon!
Well, I guess there's only one way to get it over with.
Marshall.
Yeah, Joshua.
I brought in the body of my son, Gable. He was murdered during the night.
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We took young Gable's body up to Doc's office and he went to work on it to see what he could
find out for me. Chester and I waited in the ante room. An old Joshua told us what had
happened.
I had Gable staying up every night this week, keeping watch on the barn same as last night.
Had Hayes Valley Bill and I didn't aim to lose it.
You didn't wake up during the night, you didn't hear anything.
Clear conscience makes a sound sleeper, Marshal. When Gable wasn't around this morning, I thought
he must be out in the barn doing his chores. About 7.30 I went out to the barn looking
for him. Lock was broke off the door. Finally I found him laying there in the barnyard,
covered with snow that fell during the night.
Any hay missing?
No. I figured after they shot Gable he got scared and ran off.
Matt, it's pretty hard to tell much. It was colder and blue blazes last night. The bodies
froze stiff. I got the bullet though. It was a rifle of some kind. Wasn't any six gun.
Well, if you have no more questions, I'll go and make arrangements for a coffin.
Yeah, sure, go ahead.
Now, Joshua.
Huh?
I, uh, I'm sorry about your boy.
I don't regard sentimentality as being a function of law. It's not sympathy I want. It's retribution.
Good day.
Mean, mean. That is the one meanest man I ever seen. It's too bad it kicked back on
Gable though. He was a good boy, Matt. He was warm hearted and generous. He was nothing
like that old man.
Yeah, I know, Doc.
How do you figure it, Mr. Dillon?
And I'm afraid there's only one way to figure it, Chester.
All right, let's saddle up. We'll go out and get Croyder.
Ain't much time alive, Mr. Dillon.
There's smoke coming out of the chimney.
Well, Marshal Dillon, Chester, come in.
Thank you, ma'am.
Good morning, Miss Croyder.
Huh?
I'll pour you some coffee.
We're kind of pushed for time, ma'am. Is Ned here?
No, it's just me and the young man.
Ah. You know where he is?
No, I don't, Marshal Dillon. He's been gone since last night. Hitched up the big wagon,
took the four mules and his saddle horse and left. Here.
Ah, thank you, ma'am.
Thank you.
He, uh, didn't tell you where he was going, huh?
No, he just said he wasn't going to sit around while the stock died of starvation and me
and the young man went hungry, no matter what it costs. He said if he wasn't back in five
days, I was to sell out and go home to my folks. I don't understand what he meant.
Well, there's no use reaching for trouble till he gets here, ma'am.
Well, somebody told him yesterday about a camp of Kiowa Indians out toward Badger Crossing.
I thought maybe he was going to try to find them and borrow some hay from them, maybe,
but I don't know. And with this blizzard fixing to hit, I'm worried, Marshal.
Oh, he'll probably be back by the night, ma'am, tomorrow morning anyway.
How's the boy?
Oh, well, he's been a little croupy all week, but I guess in this kind of weather you have
to expect that.
Sure, half the kids in Dodge, you got a touch of it.
Well, we'd better be riding on, Miss Greta.
Well, I'll tell Ned you was here.
Yeah, you do that. Well, yeah, and thank you very much for the coffee.
Goodbye.
What do you think, Mr. Dillon?
I don't know, Chester.
Them Kiowas don't do much loaning.
No, but they'll trade. He didn't get any hay at the side rows.
You figure he went on to Badger Crossing.
Well, there's only one way to find out.
The storm really hit us a couple of hours out, blinding snow on a cold driving wind.
The trail was already a foot deep and it got worse. The horses didn't like the going and
kept trying to tail off to the wind.
Times had got so bad we had to take shelter in a coolie and waited out for a while.
When it came dark, we hadn't made over eight or ten miles. And after all that trouble,
we still come pretty close to missing it.
Did you hear something, Mr. Dillon?
I'm not sure, Chester, but pull up.
Well, whatever it was, it came from over there toward the creek bank.
Sure sounded to me like...
That's what it is. Did somebody yell at him?
Yeah, it's down that way. Come on.
Over here! Over!
Watch out for that bank, Chester.
I see it.
There he is. Mr. Dillon's wagon is down in the creek.
Yeah, it's Ned Crater's rig. He's broke through the ice, bucked down.
Give me a hand here.
Got those guys?
Yeah, I got them.
Get them out of there, Crater, before you lose them along with the wagon.
They can pull out all right, but if I leave the box here, loose the lines, they'll found
her.
Right into the water, Marshal. Grab the lead mules, haul her, and get them straight. They'll
pull her out.
All right.
That water's freezing, Mr. Dillon.
Well, that's not gonna get any warmer before April. Come on, Chester.
All right, keep the lines tight, Crater.
Yeah, I know.
All right, get her out of there, mules. Come on!
Just get her straight. That's it.
That's it. That's for it.
Watch out! Get her out of there!
Get her out of there!
I told you they'd pull her.
Oh, now.
Well, Marshal, what the devil are you doing clear out here?
Don't talk about it later. Kick some wood out from under that snow, and that's got a
fire going before we freeze to death.
I sure wasn't aiming to lose that load of hay, Marshal.
Well, you just about did in that creek.
Where'd you get it, Crater?
A band of Kylaws back at Badger Crossing. I traded them my saddle pony.
Now, that pen-o-mare has a lot of horse for a load of hay.
Well, what are you going to do when you ain't got choice?
That argument you got into with old Joshua's side raw. What started it, Crater?
Well, that boy of his, young Gable, stopped by our place a couple days ago, told me he'd
see to it I got at least one load of hay. Then when I run into old Joshua in the long
branch and told him about it, he just laughed.
He said the kid was out of his mind, that he didn't have no more authority around the
place than the other cowhands.
You got your rifle with you?
Yeah, sure.
I'd like to take a look at it.
All right. I don't guarantee what condition it's in. I've been so plain busy, I ain't
had time to do nothing right. Here we are.
Thanks.
Where'd you claim this gun last?
Well, a couple of weeks back. I told you it was in pretty bad shape.
Couldn't be much worse. I wouldn't try to fire it till I got the rust out of that barrel.
Marshal, what's all this about?
Gable's side row was found lying dead in the barn lot this morning. It's been shot.
So that's what you're doing out this way.
Yeah, that's it, Crater.
Well, Marshal, if you figure I killed Gable's side row for this load of hay, you're wrong.
I'd do most anything to keep my stock from starving, but not that. Not killing.
I know.
Then you're not arresting me?
No.
Well, I'd say if you thought that I...
I did at first, Crater. That's why we rode out to find you. But I guess you couldn't
have shot him. Not with your rifle in that condition.
You mean I can go home?
Yeah. And Chester and I'll give you a hand with a wagon.
Thanks, Marshal. But after we get Crater home, what are we going to do, Mr. Gill?
Have a look at a barn full of hay, Chester.
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I can sure think of a lot of things I'd rather do than go prowling around old Joshua's barnyard
in the middle of the night.
This won't take long, Chester.
No, it won't take long for a man to freeze out here.
Man did freeze out here. Right about here, in fact.
What are you doing with that gun, Mr. Dillon? I thought we was being quiet. What are you
going to shoot at?
Well, the moon makes as good a target as anything, so...
That made enough racket to raise him dead.
I hope you're right.
Hold it right where you are. I got a rifle on you.
All right, calm down, Joshua. It's Matt Dillon.
Marshall, what's the meaning of this?
What's happened to that clear conscience of yours, Joshua? You're not sleeping as sound
as you claim you were a night before last.
I thought somebody was after my hay.
Who'd you have in mind?
I don't know. That's what I come out to see. Shot woke me up.
That didn't night before last. The shot are the dogs. None of it woke yet.
Well, what happens once don't have to happen the same way again.
No. In fact, some things can't happen the same way again.
What do you mean, Marshall?
When you only got one son, you can only kill him once.
What was it, Joshua? An argument? Did he finally stand up on his feet and defy you?
No. No, you're wrong, Marshall.
You know, you're the only man in Dodge with a lock on his barn.
You tell me something. Did Jabel have a key to it?
No, he didn't.
And what made you think he was out there at his chores yesterday morning when he didn't
even have a key to get into the barn?
All right. I shot him. He was a thief.
He was your own son.
I caught him in the middle of the night breaking into the barn. He was going to take a load
of hay to the craters. Give it to him, mind you. He ignored my orders, crushed me, and
I shot him. He's the same as any other common thief.
The jury will see it that way.
I wouldn't count on it, Joshua.
All right, now give me the rifle. Give it to me.
All right, let's go.
Wait a minute. I got a nail up that door. I can't leave it open. I got valuable hay in
that barn.
Don't worry about it, Joshua. The neighbors will take care of it for you. Now come on.
In a moment, our star, William Conrad, put a smile in your smoking. It's as easy as
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You know, land was cheap on the frontier because there was so much of it. Yet on our next gun
smoke a man is killed over a few acres. But that was the West. Good night.
Gun smoke, produced and directed by Norman McDonald, stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon,
U.S. Marshal. Special music for Gun Smoke was composed and conducted by Rex Corey. Sound
patterns by Tom Hanley and Bill James. Featured in the cast were Ralph Moody, John Danaer,
and Virginia Christine.
Harley Bear is Chester, Howard McNair is Doc, and Georgia Ellis is Kitty. Christmas Seals
give your cards and packages that holiday look. Help fight tuberculosis. Buy and use
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Join us again next week for another specially transcribed story as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshal,
waits to bring law and order out of the wild violence of the West in gun smoke.
Dr yes.