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 US 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 chancy job and it makes a man watchful and a little lonely.
I think that comes from down there someplace, Mr. Dillon.
Well, let's take a look.
I don't know. There sure ain't no sign of nobody.
That was in back of the Dodge house between it and the livery stable. Come on.
It sounded like it. What in the hell did they shoot in there?
I don't know.
Well, it sure did sound like somebody yelled after that first shot.
Look, Chester, wait here and keep an eye on the street. I'm going to walk on toward the
back of the livery stable.
Well, all right, but you be careful back there in the dark, now.
Oh, no. No call to get spooked.
All right, come on out of there. You hear me?
You go mind your own business. You better drift, mister. If you buy more trouble than
you can handle.
Look, let go of me.
Give me that gun.
I don't have no rifle.
If you throw a rifle on somebody, young lady, it'd scare them more if you closed the breach
block and reloaded it, maybe, when it's a single shot.
Goddamn single shot. I'd have got him hadn't been for that. That and the bad light.
Got who?
Many of Goddamn business.
It might be. I'm the U.S. Marshal here in Dodge.
Marshal?
Chester.
Coming, Mr. Don.
How old are you, young lady?
Well, I passed my teens.
You don't live around here, do you?
I wouldn't live up here if I owned it. I'm panhandle and tired of it.
Long way from home, aren't you?
Depends on what you call law.
What's your name?
Sally Berkoff, if it's any of your business.
My gracious, it's a girl. She done that shooting, did she?
Yeah, it looks that way. Who was it yelled when you fired that first shot, Sally?
Maybe it was me.
It was a man's voice.
Goddamn single shot rifle.
Who's with you? Who'd you come up from a panhandle with?
Nobody.
How'd you get here?
I rid my horse. How'd you sink?
Far as it was stable.
I ain't got money for stable. He's bedded down back there under a tree.
With what? Did you bring hay along with you?
Some fell out through the fence there.
Fell out through the fence?
A horse that's been rode hard needs grain. Some grain fall out too, does it?
There's some left in the feed box over there.
Uh-huh, I see.
He probably drawed damp and spoiled for a morning. Other horses in the crowd had already
ate.
When's the last time anything spilled out for you to eat, Sally?
It's my business.
You gonna tell me who it was you shot at?
No, I sure ain't.
All right, come on.
I ain't done nothing, Marsha.
Moss Grimmick owns the stable. He might disagree with you.
It was gone to waste. Where you taking me?
To feed you. Then we'll see about putting you out for the night.
Put me up where?
In the only place where I can be sure of finding you come morning in jail.
In the early days of World War II, an organization was born. An organization which offered benefits
to all members of the United States Armed Forces. It was formally opened in April 1942
at Madison, Wisconsin and called the Army Institute. Its mission was to provide educational
opportunities for millions of American youths entering the Armed Forces. The response from
servicemen and women was immediate and enthusiastic.
Later that year, the facilities were made available to the Navy. And in February 1943,
the name was changed to United States Armed Forces Institute. This was the first USAPI.
Today there is a bigger, improved USAPI with five branches in various areas of the world.
But the mission is still the same. The number one client is still the United States serviceman,
giving an opportunity to develop power through knowledge with USAPI.
Oh my, that sure was a fine meal.
I bet better.
Was that so? Well just tell me where...
At home, that's where.
Oh well, that's different. At home, there'll be more...
My ma's too old and broke down for any other kind of work. She's a god darn good cook when
there's anything to cook.
Been kind of hard going, huh, Sully?
It's my business.
Yeah, I figured it would be. Well, here's your hotel, young lady.
Sure ain't much of a jail.
You been in better ones, have you?
I ain't never been in none before.
I'm gonna try no one goes to jail.
Ah, come on, it's not as bad as it sounds. Just haven't got any other place to put you.
Ah, hello, Decker.
Marcel, I want to report a shooting.
That's him! Give me that gun!
Grab her, set her back!
You little...
You let go of that!
Ow! You hurt me!
Now you sit down on that chair and you stay there.
Here's your gun, Chester.
Well, I'm sorry, Mr. Dillon. She grabbed it for me.
Decker, what's all this about?
She tried to kill me. Now you saw her do it. And that's the third time tonight.
I was waiting here to tell you. First time was about an hour ago near the Dodge house.
Yeah, I know. Why is she trying to kill you?
Just crazy, I guess. How would I know why?
You know why, all right, you sneaky, yellow dog.
Sit down, Sally.
He stole money from me and my... All we had, $600.
That ain't so.
Wait a minute, Decker. What happened, Sally?
He come up through the panhandle last fall, fetching a trail herd from his taxi.
Fine breeding stock, he said they was.
And he sold me a hundred head for $6 a head, $3 under the going price.
There, you see, nobody stole nothing from her.
I remember that drive of yours last fall, Decker.
You started out with $2,500 head and didn't get here with more than about $400.
I just had some bad luck, Wizzle.
Sure.
Them cattle had the chokes. Was all through the herd.
Cowpox, huh?
They was dying on him before he hit the panhandle.
Only I didn't know it, and he seen a chance to unload a hundred of them on me.
They started dropping before he had gone three days.
Last one died two weeks ago.
When the chokes gets in the herd, there ain't nothing you can do.
That's one of the risks of the cattle business. You can't blame me for it.
You know they had it when you sold them to me.
I don't suppose you told her that, does you, Decker?
Of course not. When a man's out to make a deal, he don't have to tell what he ain't asked.
Even when the buyer's a girl?
That was a legal sale. Now whose side are you on, Marshal? I come here for protection.
You mean to have the girl locked up or run out of town, maybe?
I sure do.
All right, Decker, you've made your complaint. Now get out.
Well, now wait a minute.
I said get out.
Marshal, I'm just gonna hold you responsible for anything she does.
You do that fine.
Standing up for that little wildcat?
Sally, if I was to let you go, what would you do?
Have another try at shooting Clem Decker.
That's what I thought.
I'm likely to miss him four times in a row.
All right, Chester, take her back and get her settled in one of those cells.
Yes, sir.
What are you aiming to do with me, Marshal?
I don't know, Sally. I just don't know.
Matt, you look worried about something.
Oh?
It's that young kid, Sally Burkhouse, right?
Yeah. Kitty, I'll be darned if I know what to do about her.
Well, Matt, as far as the letter of the law goes.
Yeah, sure, let her stand trial.
She's guilty of stealing from the livery stable.
She's guilty of attempted murder.
Why?
She'd probably go to prison.
Well, she's young. Court might consider that.
No, she's had a raw deal, Kitty.
You know, there are just three of them, her and her mother and her eight-year-old brother.
They couldn't make a go of farming their place, so she thought she'd try running cattle on it.
Losing that money wiped them out.
That Clem Decker ought to be strung up.
Yeah, but like he says, the deal was perfectly legal.
Oh, Matt, say, you want to play some draw poker with me and Chester and Miles McTagg?
Oh, not tonight, Doc.
Why not tonight?
I've been working all week on my bottom-of-the-deck deal and my up-the-sleeve holdout.
I'm ready for you, Matt.
That's what I'm afraid of.
Is he going to join us, Doc?
Nah, he says not. I think he's just sitting here worrying about that little Sally Berkoff.
I guess I don't blame him too much.
Well, you might as well sit in, Matthew. I'll likely lose to everybody at that kind of a day.
What do you mean?
You remember them ore concentrates, iron pyrites, the stuff I took in on account when the Black Hawk mine closed down?
Yeah, a couple of tons or so, wasn't it?
Three tons. And they allowed $150 for them.
Figured they might run twice that in silver.
Well, I got the assay report from my owner today.
What are they worth?
Less than $50.
Wouldn't even pay to ship them to the smelter, so you'd better come get in on the game, Matthew.
My day for losing.
Wait a minute, wait a minute, Miles here. Just a minute. I'm getting a lovely idea here.
Hmm?
Yeah, it's lovely. Does anybody else know about that assay?
Well, not yet, Doc. Why?
How would you like to get your $150 back?
I have a due and proper respect for money.
Good, good. Are you willing to let any money over that go to a worthy cause?
If I get my $150, I won't even ask whether it's worthy.
What are you talking about, Doc?
Now, who could I get to help? You know, a sort of kindly swindler who could fool somebody good.
Now look here, Doc.
There's just one person.
Me.
Matt, it couldn't work without me.
I'm not sure what couldn't work, Doc, but from the look on your face, it's larsen.
Come on, Miles. We've got work to do.
Another visit with Joe and Daphne Forsythe.
Hey, honey, I'm home. Daphne.
Drop dead.
Uh-oh, what's the matter, honey?
Don't you speak to me, you, you don Juan.
Don Juan? Daphne, I'm no don Juan. No habelespanol.
Very funny. Ha, ha, ha.
Well, it was no prize winner, but...
Neither are you, you, you lethario.
I've often wondered, what's a lethario?
I don't know, but that's what the wives on TV always call their husbands. I guess it applies.
Do you want me to go out and come in again?
As far as I'm concerned, you can go for a long walk, preferably on a short pier.
Well, oh, come on, Daphne, what's wrong?
Your good friend Harry called, and he spilled the beans.
Which beans?
He said, quote, tell Joe he was right about those blondes. They're great, unquote.
Blondes?
That's what he said.
Ha, ha, ha.
Well?
He didn't say blondes, he said bonds, savings bonds.
What?
Sure, I buy them on the payroll savings plan. And I told Harry he ought to do it too.
Savings bonds have a guaranteed interest that pays back four dollars for every three, which is a pretty good investment.
That's a pretty good story, too.
It's true, so help me. That's why Harry's so happy. Savings bonds are great.
Well, maybe you're right. You wouldn't really fool around with blondes, would you? You're too faithful and sweet and kind and...
...fast talking.
Well, it's had plenty of time all the way around, Mr. Dillon. I just don't reckon Doc's little diado is going to work.
Well, there's nothing certain in this world, Chester.
Doggone it. I sure wished it had, though. Do my heart good to see that low-down dyker get here.
Are you gentlemen alone?
Well, come on in, Miles, come on in.
Well, I'd never have believed it. I figured Doc and me ought to team up and do this every week or so.
Yeah, well, you do and I'll jail both of you. How much?
Oh, you wouldn't loosen up, would you, Matthew? Maybe let me take out just a little profit.
You get $150. Now, let's have the rest of it.
Ay, me, yeah. There you are. $820.
$820.
I... I think it'd even have gone another hundred if I'd held out.
Oh, this is enough. And it gives her a couple of hundred dollars extra to pay for her trouble.
Oh, he was hopping from one foot to the other. I never saw a man in my life with so much larceny in his soul.
Chester, go get Sally, will you?
Yes, sir.
They had three men in a wagon waiting outside. They started loading up the concentrates to haul away the minute he paid me.
I told the clerk to wait till he got them all on the wagon before he gave him that assay report from Ayola.
I figured he ought to have it, seeing that he owns the concentrates now.
I was real generous of you, Miles.
Well, at least I got my hundred and fifty back.
I think I'll attend to Lee Lowe for the rest of the day, Matthew.
He's going to be maddering the hornet when he finds out.
Yeah, I expect he will. I'll see you later, Miles.
You know, frown on him, there, young lady woman.
What are you aiming to do, Marshal? You got a time, Lee?
Well, that depends, Sally. I can't very well turn you loose and have you walk right out of here and start shooting at Clem Deiker again, can I?
Then you might as well take me back to that cell.
Now, wait a minute, Sally. Suppose that you did kill him. It wouldn't get your money back, would it?
No, but it sure give me a deal of pleasure.
Now, suppose you had your six hundred dollars back with a couple hundred to boot.
Oh, if there was a chance of that, I would have.
Yeah, but suppose it did. Would you be willing to get on that horse of yours and high-tail it back to the panhandle?
Marshal, you don't mean he's going to give that money back.
Here it is, all of it, and two hundred and twenty dollars, besides.
You mean, it's mine? I can take it?
You can take it, and get, and good luck to you.
Well, I'll be a son of a gun.
Am I busting in on something?
Now, come on in, Doc. Sally's just leaving to ride back to the panhandle.
The panhandle? Is that so, girl? Well, you be mighty careful.
There's a lot of mighty desperate characters down that way.
Oh, don't you worry none about me.
Sally, you give my regards for your maud, Billy.
Yes, sir, I will. And thank you, Marshal. Bye.
Bye.
Well, Matt, it was hook, line, and sinker. I never saw a man get taken in so easy in my life.
How's that so?
Yeah, you know, I was born for that kind of a game.
I may give up my practice and just start scheming my way through life.
That's a good idea, Doc. I hear that they need a doctor at state prison.
Marshal, I've been robbed by a pair of swindlers.
Oh, how did it happen, Diker?
You ask him how it happened. He's one of them.
Him and that storekeeper, Miles McTagg, nine hundred and seventy dollars.
Why, Diker, now all I did was come and asked you to loan me a thousand dollars.
Now, you talked like you'd found a good thing, something you could buy cheap because the owner didn't know what it was worth.
And then you let that phony assay report fall out of your pocket when you left.
Oh, why, oh, now that was just scribbling it. It wasn't a real report.
I know that now. Nine hundred dollars a ton, it said.
Why, them concentrates ain't worth fifty dollars.
I just saw the real report after I bought the whole three tons.
Well, my, my, my, well, you certainly did jump to a hasty conclusion, didn't you?
Marsha, Miles knew they was worthless when he sold them to me. Now, I want him arrested.
Did you ask him if he'd had a mass-aid, Diker?
Well, of course not. If I had, he'd have known. Well, he'd have known...
That you were trying to swindle him and Doc, too, huh?
I'm sorry, Diker, I don't see that you've got much of a case.
But he knew that I thought it...
Well, he... I should have known I'd get no satisfaction here.
Well, it depends on whose ox is being gored, doesn't it?
I'm going over and talk to Judge Bent.
Yeah, you do that. Oh, and by the way, Diker, you can stop worrying about the girl.
I, uh, just ran her out of town.
I don't care if you...
Wonder how she'll make out down there in the panhandle.
Don't you worry, Chester. That kid will make out wherever she is.
That old political character, Elijah Cuddlestone, was tremendously proud to be a part of the government of the United States.
That pride shows through in this excerpt of one of his speeches.
And it is my sincere belief.
I say, I believe that the United States of America is without doubt indisputably the most successful experiment in democracy that is in democratic rule that the world has ever known.
Well, democracy, of course, means rule of the people.
It's from the Greek demos, people, and kratos, meaning rule, strength, or power.
Most forms of government owe their names to the Greek.
For instance, anarchy is from the Greek word anarchia, composed of an, meaning no, and archos, ruler.
An anarchist wants no king, emperor, or president above him.
An oligarchy is a form of government where a restricted few have supreme power.
Oligarchy comes from the Greek oligos, meaning few, and arco, which means rule, rule by a few.
The Greek word heros meant holy, and the word hierarchy once meant a government by officers of the church.
Hierarchy now represents a system of graded authority, and the strange word oculocracy means mob rule.
In Greek, oklos means crowd or mob.
Words like these literally make politics Greek to most of us.
The Greek word oculocracy means a system of graded authority, and the strange word heros means mob rule.
The Greek word heros means crowd or mob.
Words like these literally make politics Greek to most of us.
Gunsmoke, produced and directed by Norman McDonald, stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshal.
The script was specially written for Gunsmoke by Les Brutchfield, with editorial supervision by John Meston.
The music was composed and conducted by Rex Corey. Sound patterns were by Ray Kemper and Bill James.
Featured in the cast were Parley Bear as Chester, Howard McGeer as Doc, and Georgia Ellis as Giddick.
George Walsh speaking.
Join us again next week for another specially transcribed story on Gunsmoke.
This is the United States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service.
The United States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service