Gun smoke.
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 U.S. Marshal and the smell of gun smoke.
Gun smoke starring William Conrad.
The 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.
Music
Oh my. Why don't we take the day off tomorrow, Matt? See if we can shoot us a deer.
Oh, that's not a bad idea, Doc.
Looks like we might get a light snow tonight. Make it easier to track them.
You couldn't track a three-legged buffalo in a box, can you?
Oh, is that so? Let me ask you, who tracked that antelope we shot just before Christmas?
It wasn't an antelope, it was a deer.
Yeah, well that's not the point.
And you didn't track it, Chester did.
Hey, you want to stop in the office for a while?
I don't know what I do. Matt, I recollect that antelope just like it was yesterday.
Dear, Doc. Good morning, Chester.
Oh dear. That fellow is back there waiting to see you, Mr. Dillon.
Oh, good morning, Marshal.
How about Burke? I thought you were back in Washington.
I was. Coming on a train last night. Got a job for you, Marshal.
Is that so?
Yeah, it goes out and through.
What's he saying?
You know Doc, don't you, Burke?
Yeah, we've met.
Sure, isn't it? I've been warning him for years about that blasted temper.
He just mind your own business.
Yeah, look at him right now. You see veins swelling up in his neck, his face getting red as a beach.
So help me, Doc, enter back.
Just keep on like that, Burke Craig. One of these days I'll make a coroner's fee off of you.
You mark my words now.
I didn't come here to listen to their half-baked opinions or some broken down old quack quack.
Now wait a minute, you just wait.
Now both of you, wait a minute. Doc, you quit trying to drum up business.
What's the job, Burke?
These papers ought to explain it pretty well.
Let me see them.
That's what I've been doing back in Washington.
I don't mind telling you, it gives me a lot of satisfaction when I finally got them to issue them papers.
Court order the United States Marshal in Dodge City, Kansas for service of eviction notice.
Look at the second one, Marshal.
It took me pretty near three years to get just this gun.
Eviction order from Federal Lands Commission, Washington, D.C., to one Sloak Carson.
Yeah, I'm finally getting them off my back.
Guilty of illegal homesteading a portion of the Crager Ranch located in section 246 Township.
I see.
Are you sure that this is Justice Burke?
That's the papers right there in your hand, Marshal.
It was issued according to law.
I was talking about justice, not law.
You aiming to separate the two, are you?
How much range are you running now, Burke?
Just over 30,000 acres.
Uh-huh.
That Sloak Carson's got a measly 360 acres in that homestead.
Is he going to break you to let him go on farming?
That's got nothing to do with it. The law has decided the land's mine.
It's your job to get him off it.
You've been driving yourself for ten years now, Burke, without a lead-up.
You've got every inch of land between Briar Ridge and Walnut Creek,
except for this piece that Sloak's living on.
And I got it too now. Once you serve that order.
Why? What are you out to prove, Burke?
It's what I have proved, Marshal, that I'd own the whole valley someday, every last foot of it.
And with Sloak Carson out, I do own it.
I've gone along all these years keeping the old name Blue Sage Valley,
but now that I own it complete, I'm changing that name, Marshal.
It's the Crager Ranch now, from here on out.
Yeah, yeah, from here on out won't be very long if you up and bust the blood vessel.
For my son's name Crager too, I'll remind you.
Burke, Sloak's put a lot of work into that place of his.
He's sure he won't think it over.
You've got them papers, Marshal, and it's your duty to serve them.
All right, I'll serve them. I've got no choice.
Then I bid you all good day.
There is a downright mean man, Mr. John.
Yeah.
Well, if he doesn't change his ways, he's going to be a dead one.
You may be right, Doc, but not for the reason you think.
Hmm? What do you mean?
Sloak Carson's a peaceful man, but that doesn't mean he'll take the being pushed off that land of his.
[♪music playing on trumpet and trumpet playing on flute with a
drum beat and a horn playing on the trumpet.
Hello, this is Marvin Miller with another page from your American Heritage Scrapbook.
It was a portrait of the French hero Lafayette painted in 1825 that marked the zenith of the artistic career of Samuel Finley Breeze Morse.
Yes, the first dots and dashes ever wrought by Morse were blended in oil on a piece of canvas.
But lack of funds forced him to abandon his art studies in London, and he accepted America's first professorship of fine arts at the University of New York City.
While at the university, he lived in the Tower Garret, and it was there that he experimented with wires and batteries,
hoping for an inventive success that would free him financially so he could contribute to the arts of America.
Even while conducting his electrical experiments, Morse tried to make his art a paying proposition, but without success.
In 1837, he put aside his brushes and constructed the first working model of his telegraph.
Symbolically, he used one of his wooden canvas stretchers in the process.
His promising career as an artist was sacrificed, yet he performed perhaps a greater service to mankind in another way.
Samuel Morse became one of the world's great inventors.
["The Star-Spangled Banner"]
There's no smoke coming out of the chimney, Mr. Dunn.
I reckon maybe he ain't the home.
He's probably working out in the barn that's right over there.
It's just a crussed shame, that's what it is.
There can't be a hope, Chester.
But Craig, you don't need this land no more, and he needs a second head.
He's got a devil on his back, Chester.
Craig or ranch are the only three words in the world that mean anything to him.
Well, there's a mighty poor reason for putting a man off land. He's proved that.
Well, Marshall! Chester!
How are you, Sloat?
So-so.
It's good to see both of you.
You haven't been up this way for quite a spell.
A man gets caught up in things, Sloat.
First he knows all his time's been taken.
It's a fact, all right.
Come on up to the house, I'll set the coffee on there.
Oh.
How you making on?
Oh, tolerable.
The crop wasn't too bad last year.
The next year, though.
The next year's going to be my best one yet.
Uh-huh.
That's there in North AD, you know.
I had to let it lay fallow the last two years for lack of time.
And by golly, I got in there last fall, plowed the whole darn thing.
Before the snows hit, I had to work 18 hours a day to do it.
But now it'll be in shape to plant right when the thaws come.
It gets to melt off in the spring rain.
Sloat, I want a...
Caffer. Caffer, Marshall.
That's the best feed crop in the world.
Spend too dang much for seed, maybe, but in the long run, that'll pay out.
The...
Hey, Marshall.
You're all mighty serious for some cause, are you?
Well, there's a reason for it, Sloat.
This isn't just a neighborly call I'm making.
Burt Crager just got back from Washington yesterday.
That's so.
I guess you know what he was doing.
Oh, same thing he's been trying to do three, four years now.
Steal my land away from me.
Yeah.
Well, he's finally done it.
What?
I got an eviction notice with me.
And an order from the Land Commission to serve it on you.
I don't believe it.
You're joking, Marshall?
I wish I was, Sloat.
I'm sorry.
Well, nobody can grab a man's farm away from him.
After he's put his sweat and blood, his whole heart into it.
The order gives him a right of prior occupancy.
But he never run ahead of stock on this ground when I filed on it.
There's nothing I can do about it, Sloat.
Don't them fellas back there even care about my side of it?
Don't they even want to hear my story?
And according to the order, they notified you by mail.
Oh, I got some kind of paper through the post.
I couldn't tell what they was all about.
I just figured it was some more of Burke Craigerson and some kind of bluff.
It wasn't bluff, Sloat.
And them two, them papers said come to a hearing in Washington.
Now where did I get the money to go to Washington?
I don't know, Sloat, but the court's decided.
Mr. Dillon, here comes old Craigerson.
Crowdy Craigerson coming here?
You just take it easy, Sloat.
Morning, gentlemen.
Are you Crowdy?
Ain't you Cragers done enough? What'd you come here for?
Maybe I come to undo some of it, Mr. Carson, if it ain't too late.
I'm aiming to undo it myself, Crowdy.
I'm figuring to use a gun.
Now wait a minute, Sloat.
I ain't a man to hunt trouble, Marshal. You know that. You know it as well as anybody.
But I ain't letting four years of my life get took from me without putting up a fight.
Kellen Burke Craigerson won't change a legal decision, Sloat.
What did you mean, Crowdy? If it ain't too late.
You served that eviction notice yet, Marshal?
No, not yet.
The law say you gotta do it today instead of tomorrow, maybe?
No.
Then I'd like to talk to you, Mr. Carson.
Why?
I may be able to tell you something that'll save your farm for you.
I'll listen to you, Crowdy, but I won't promise nothing.
You don't have to.
Marshal, I think it'd be better if you wasn't a party to this.
Why are you doing this, Crowdy? What's your reason?
If you'd lived around my paw your whole life, you wouldn't have to ask.
Carson, could we walk you into the barn?
All right.
Excuse us, Marshal.
Looks like there won't be any bloodshed after all, Mr. Jones.
I don't know, Chester.
I wouldn't count on it.
Another visit with Jill and Daphne Forsythe.
Joe, honey?
Uh-huh?
Joe, darling, put down the paper.
I've got something important to ask you.
Okay.
Joe?
All right, all right, what?
How many savings bonds do we have?
What kind of a question is that?
A good one. How many?
I'm not sure. I'd have to count.
And I'm reading the paper.
Now, what do you want to know for?
Have we got enough to make things comfortable for us?
Very comfortable.
That's why I buy on the payroll savings plan.
A bond a month will give us quite an estate for the future.
Enough for a college education?
Eventually.
But who's going to college?
Our children, silly.
We don't have any yet.
Oh?
What do you mean, oh?
Better buy some more bonds, honey.
Daphne, you mean?
We've got a new investment.
How about that?
Evening, Doc.
Oh, Matt, when did you get back?
This afternoon.
How come you're still sober?
Oh, well, now that's one distinction I hold, Matt.
I may not be the best doctor in the West, but I'm the soberest.
Well, then maybe if you took the drink in a little bit, you'd...
Oh, Doc, you never did give a man credit for anything, did you?
I guess I'm in a bad mood, Doc.
Yeah.
Evict Sloat Carson, did you?
No, not yet.
No? Why not?
Well, let's say tomorrow's soon enough, huh?
It's too soon if you ask me.
Have a beer.
No, thanks. I was just looking around. Have you seen Kitty?
Well, she was here a while ago, but she went to bed.
Said she had a headache.
Oh?
She didn't have a headache, though.
I know Kitty. She just wanted to get out of here for one night.
Well, I can't blame her much.
A girl like Kitty ought to be married, Matt.
Settle down, having children.
Why don't you talk to her about it, Doc?
I will. Yes, sir, by God, I will.
You should have studied for the ministry.
You know, I thought about that, but the pay's bad.
Now, there's a real Christian.
I wouldn't talk fire you, Matt Jones.
But at least I don't go around telling people how to live their lives.
Well, don't you?
You know what I mean.
Yeah, I would admit.
You know what you need, Doc?
I don't know.
You need some old woman to rail at, a nice fat wife to take it out.
Oh, no, you don't. You don't turn it on me like that.
You know, there's Widdle Liffey's got that house at the edge of town, you know.
I've seen how she stares at you when you drive by.
You might do yourself some good there, Doc.
Oh, I'm not saying the word.
I hear she's a good cook, too.
Yeah, the only woman who cooked the railroad ever had,
until they found out she was a woman.
Well, it took them six months. You've got to admire her for that.
Oh, sure, I admire her for that.
All right, if you're going to be stubborn about it.
I blow my brains out when the day comes when I've got to take a woman that crops her hair,
and wears men's boots and men's hats.
All she needs is a beard and a rifle, and she'd make a good buffalo hunter.
Female charm sure wasted on you, Doc.
Hers is.
Mr. Jones.
Oh, yeah, what is it, Chester?
Well, I figured I'd better bring these over to you right away.
Judge Bent stopped by the jail and went,
Hello, Doc.
Yeah, Chester.
What's this about Judge Bent?
Well, he left these here papers, and I thought you'd ought to know about them.
Yeah, let me see.
U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon in junction against service of eviction order numbered
Order in U.S. District Court enjoining one Burke Krager from attempting to assume possession
of land parcel known as Section 246.
Plaintiff, Sloak Carson.
Yeah, looks like Sloak's kindly out-boxed old Krager, Mr. Jones.
Yeah, sure does. With young crotties help.
Well, Judge Bent says the Land Commission's only got jurisdiction in case nobody don't take it to court.
He says Sloak could keep this dragon on for years.
Well, Chester, it looks like we write out tomorrow and serve papers on Burke Krager instead of Sloak.
There'll be trouble, sure.
Yeah, there probably will.
Deming, Marshal.
Cheers to you.
Thanks, Burke.
Morning, sir. Maybe I can rustle up part of coffee.
Ah, no, don't bother. We're not going to be here long.
Well, I'll take a minute.
You served them papers on Sloak Carson, did you?
No.
Why?
Why not?
As a matter of fact, Burke, we're here to serve some papers on you.
What's this underation you're talking about?
Judge Bent issued this late yesterday afternoon. You better take a look at it here.
What's that old fool doing poking his nose into my business? What is?
Pretty clear if you read it.
I don't have to read it. I know what it is.
The only blasted way in the world, Carson, could have beat me and he stumbled onto it.
In case you're interested, Judge Bent handed down a rolling at the same time to prevent me from serving the eviction of this.
Then I'll run him off. I'll take a gun to him.
I wouldn't advise that you try that, Burke.
Marshal. Chester.
Good morning.
How are you, Crowley?
What's the trouble, Pa?
Trouble? Ten years. That's the trouble.
For ten years I've fought for this valley foot by foot.
And when I get it right in my hand the last square inch you had the Crager Ranch,
this fool Sloak Carson blunders onto the one way of blocking me.
He didn't blunder onto it. I told him about it.
You what?
I told him about that loophole in the Land Commission's order.
You mentioned it one time. You remember?
Are you sneaking, young whelp?
Here now, you know what Doc said about you getting mad?
I'll have to hide off your back.
I'll beat you till you scream to have a bullet put in your head.
Burke.
Stand back, Marshal.
Put down that horse.
I'll cut the daylights out of you.
You hurt me, Burke.
Yellow curb, pump hurt.
Mr. Crager.
Oh, what's wrong?
Here, wait a minute, Crowley. Let me have a look at him.
What happened to him? We've got to get Doc out here right away.
It's no use, Crowley.
He's dead.
Dead?
Doc said it was going to happen like that if he didn't stop looming near Tampa.
But he can't be dead. I didn't mean for this to happen.
It wasn't your fault, Crowley. You were trying to do the right thing.
It was your father who was doing wrong.
I can't even claim that excuse, Marshal.
I didn't care what happened to Sloak Carson.
I was just trying to hit back at Paul for all the years he bullied me.
I don't guess he was easy to live with.
But I didn't aim to do this. I just didn't.
I'll send Doc out when we get back to town and make up his coroner's report.
I'll break this ranch up and sell it off every foot of it.
I guess we'll be frightened, Crowley.
Crager Ranch. I'll blot that name out if it's the last thing I ever do.
Come on, Chester.
Crager Ranch.
I'll show him how long that name will last and two years nobody will ever remember.
A man sure don't live long after he's dead.
Well, I guess that depends on how a man lived his life, Chester.
Oh, ow, ow.
What's the matter?
My wife has a toothache.
Your wife has a toothache and you're moaning?
Well, she hit me when I complained about her yelling.
Why didn't she go to a dentist?
Outside the United States, dental care is available for dependents at all uniformed services facilities on a space available basis.
No kidding. What about inside the United States?
It's available for medical or surgical conditions.
And in an emergency to relieve undue pain and suffering.
How are they on a broken jaw?
For more on Medicare, get the pamphlet Dependents, Medical Care Program.
Gun Smoke.
Produced and directed by Norman McDonald, stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshal.
The music was composed and conducted by Rex Corey.
Sound patterns were composed by Ray Kemper and Bill James.
Featured in the cast were Parley Baer as Chester, Howard McNear as Doc, and Georgia Ellis as Kitty.
George Waltz speaking.
Join us again next week for another story of the Western frontier of America in the 1870s on Gun Smoke.
This is the United States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service.
Music.