Around Dodge City and in the territory on West, there is just one way to handle the killers and the spoilers, and that's with the U.S. Marshal and the smell of gun smoke.
Music
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 Matt, oh Matt, anybody here this morning?
Right in, Doc. All right, man.
The girls grow tall in Kansas.
Poor man is so busy. The girls grow tall in Kansas.
That's a poor way to start the day, Doc. And what's a poor way to start the day, man?
Getting up in the morning. I'm not going to talk to you. Where's Chester? I'd rather talk to him.
No, he's due back any time now. He's due back? Well, he took a prisoner over to Wichita a couple of days ago.
Oh, Doc, if I'd have known that, I'd have gone with him. Oh, what for? Oh, just to get out of Dodge for a while.
Well, you've been out of Dodge for the last two days. Oh, yes, delivering a baby in a mud dugout isn't exactly what I was thinking about, man.
I know what you were thinking about.
Morning, Mr. Dillon. Ah, you're back, Chester.
Well, how was Wichita, Chester? A big town, Doc, real big. But it wasn't there long. The Santa Fe going east got there at noon.
The next one coming back here left at two o'clock. Oh, you could have stayed another day, you know.
Heavens yes! Why didn't you? Oh, how often does a man get a chance to have a little fun?
Well, I would have, but the sheriff there had some news he wanted me to tell Mr. Dillon.
Oh, some news? Yeah, it's about the Karp brothers. The sheriff said he heard they was headed this way.
I don't even know the Karp brothers are in Kansas. I thought they worked in the Dakota Territory.
Hmm. Bank robbers, aren't they, man?
Ah, so I've heard, Doc, but nobody's caught them at it yet.
Well, we'll catch them if they come to Dodge.
Yeah, maybe. They could be here right now.
How come the sheriff didn't send me a telegram, Chester? It'd been a little faster.
Well, I don't know. By jing, I didn't think to ask him.
I'm going to go down to the bank. I'll be back directly.
Good morning, Kitty. Hello, Matt.
You're up early this morning. I went to bed early last night.
Oh, where you headed? Delmonico's. I heard they got some fresh eggs in.
You're spoiled. But I'll go with you if you like.
I'd like it fine, Matt.
Well, I've got to see Mr. Botkin at the bank here first. Why don't you go on ahead and I'll join you, huh?
Well, how long will you be?
Oh, just a couple of minutes.
Oh, well, then I'll wait in the bank for you.
Okay.
But if you're longer than a couple of minutes, you can find me at the restaurant.
I'm feeling pretty healthy this morning.
You ought to go to bed early every night.
If I did, I couldn't afford breakfast.
The place is deserted. You must be the only people up in Dodge.
Except for the cashier. Maybe you ought to wait till after breakfast, Matt.
No, Kitty, I'm afraid this business has waited too long, as it is.
Come in.
Well, Marshal Dillon, come in, come in.
Morning, Mr. Botkin.
You come to deposit money, Marshal, or to borrow some?
Oh, neither. I came to protect it.
What?
Mr. Botkin, do you ever hear of the Karp brothers?
Oh, no, Marshal, I don't believe I have.
Well, they've never been around Dodge. All I know is that they're brothers, and the older one's name is Joe.
So why are you telling me this, Marshal?
Well, I've heard they're headed for Dodge, and I've also heard that they're bank robbers.
Bank robbers?
Yeah.
Well, what do you plan to do?
Well, I can't hire deputies until after a crime's been committed, Mr. Botkin, but if you'd like to, it might be a good idea to let a half a dozen of them loaf around here for a while.
Certainly, certainly, Marshal, I don't mind a little expense.
What's that?
That's them now. Where's my gun?
Don't shoot or we kill the woman.
We're not shooting.
It killed the cashier.
Hank, get around there and start filling that stack.
Okay.
All right, lady. You walk in.
Either one of you try something, she dies.
He's coming this way, Marshal. Shoot him.
Don't be a fool, Kelly. He's on the way. Besides, he's got a gun in her back.
They're robbing my bank.
Oh, shut up.
Yeah. Yeah.
Well, I'll be. I caught the Marshal himself, or I will have as soon as I get his gun. I don't move, no.
I'm not moving.
That is the first time I ever disarmed a lawman. Feels good.
Joe Carp?
How'd you know my name?
I heard you were headed this way, Carp, but I didn't hear it in time.
You sure didn't, Marshal.
That's your brother you came in with?
What difference does it make?
Look, take your money, Carp. Take it and I'll ride out with you. Nobody will bother you.
No, Matt.
Shut up, Kelly.
Oh, I see.
Nobody will shoot at you if I'm along.
Not while we're in Dodge, maybe, but we'd be followed.
All right, then take me with you as far as you like.
No, no, Marshal. We'd be followed anyway.
I got a better idea. We're taking her, Kitty.
I'll do it, Carp.
Of course I'll do it.
First sign I see we're being chased, whoever it is is gonna find Kitty laying right in the trail, fresh killed.
And if you don't think I'll do it, I'll tell you something.
First person I ever killed was a woman, so don't let nobody follow us.
Nobody else will follow you, I promise you that.
I hate to lose such a pretty girl.
Matt, it's all right.
Sure, Kitty.
Come on, Joe, let's get...
You go in that office and sit down, Marshal. Hank's got the money ready and we're leaving.
So long, Kitty.
So long.
Hey, Marshal, if I do shoot Kitty, I promise you one thing.
What?
I'll do it with your gun.
Mr. Jones?
Yeah, what, Chester?
You reckon they'll give her any breakfast?
I don't know, Chester.
People don't need much food, Chester. They can go for days without any at all.
I know that, Doc, but...
Well, Miss Kitty just ain't used to it.
Water people need it, and they'll have water.
They will if they took any with them.
Might be dry out on the prairie this time of year.
Oh, it's not that dry. Any fool can find water sooner or later.
Sure he can. If he pollards a buffalo herd long enough, a week maybe.
There's other ways, Chester.
Like what?
Do you ever hear of a divining rod?
Oh, what's outlaws doing with divining rods?
I wasn't talking about outlaws, Chester.
Well, what were you talking about?
Chester, Chester.
Yes, sir?
I guess we've waited long enough.
They must have covered three or four miles by now, huh?
Yes, sir.
Everything ready?
Everything I could think of, Mr. Jones.
Let's get going, then.
Good luck, Mac.
Oh, thanks, Doc.
Keep an eye on things, huh?
Maybe a long time before we get back.
From the bank window, I'd watched the Carp brothers ride north on a Dodge.
Though Chester and I started in the same direction.
On the other side of the Arkansas, we picked up their trail and followed it easily all morning.
But we were careful to stay far behind them and out of sight,
although we probably could have run them down in a few hours.
That was the hardest part of it, forcing ourselves to hold back and go slow.
Mr. Dillon, you think Carp would really do it?
Do what, Chester?
You know.
Do you?
Yeah.
Oh, my.
Chester.
Yeah?
Look up ahead there, on the ground.
Mr. Dillon.
Let's go see who it is.
It's a man, Mr. Dillon.
Must be some cowboy.
He's been shot.
Bring your water bag.
Yes, sir.
He's still breathing.
Yeah.
Let me have that.
You want a drink?
You thirsty?
Drink some water.
Here.
Who are you?
A Marshal Dillon from Dodge.
Tell me what happened.
Marshal?
And I was right.
Right?
Them two men and that girl, all my head up.
There.
Is that better?
I'm full of blood, Marshal.
They hurt me bad.
Yeah.
My knee is bling.
What happened?
Them two men, Marshal, they're after the midship.
How after them?
I seen them in the road up.
And then I asked them who they was.
They didn't like that.
No.
I knew something was wrong.
That girl and all.
But I ain't no gunman.
They shot me right out of my saddle.
Both of them at once.
We'll get them, Blaine.
If that's any help to you.
No matter.
No.
But that girl shouldn't be with them.
Could you hear them?
Did they say anything?
Something about a cabin.
A cabin.
Look, Blaine, my partner here, Chester, he'll stay with you.
Sure I will.
I'll take care of you, Blaine.
Thanks.
Won't do no good.
You better go help catch him, promise.
I'll handle him.
Take whatever you want off my saddle, Chester,
and get a fire going here, huh?
Yes, sir.
You're gonna be fine, Blaine.
So long.
I rode ahead, tracking slowly for a couple of hours,
and then Chester caught up with me.
He looked at me for a moment, and then without saying a word,
we continued on the trail across the prairie.
We traveled in silence until dark, and then we saw a cabin.
I couldn't chance going up to it, so we unsettled
and turned our horses loose and crept into a little draw
about 100 yards away and got down and waited.
And we waited all night.
Dawn came, and then the sun, hot as ever.
Ain't they never coming out of that cabin, Miss Dillon?
Sooner or later, Chester.
Look, they got a fire going now.
Smoke coming out of the chimney.
Breakfast, I am so hungry.
Well, a man can get along without food, Chester, like Doc said.
Well, at least Miss Kitty's gonna get something to eat.
Yeah.
Mr. Dillon, what in the world are we gonna do?
Right now, there's nothing we can do but sit here
and wait and keep quiet.
You know, what'll happen if they find out we're out here?
I know, but I ain't thinking about it.
You better get back down now.
I'll stay up here where I can watch.
Yeah, but they can see us, Mr. Dillon.
No, I got a little bunch of buffalo grass in front of me.
It's enough.
Yes, it sure brings getting hot.
Just be sure and keep your voice low.
I will.
You know, if it wasn't for them in the cabin,
it'd be awful peaceful out here when they...
Yeah, it would.
Mr. Dillon.
What?
Rattlesnake.
Hmm?
He's behind you on top of the hole,
about five foot back your head.
Chester.
Yeah?
Whatever you do, don't move.
He's a pretty big one.
Maybe three and a half, four foot.
Look how far are you from him?
Far enough.
Unless he uncoils and moves up.
All right, just keep very still.
He may go away.
See, he ain't about to go away.
Did you just move?
A hand, just a little.
Well, don't do it again.
Mr. Dillon, he's stretching out.
He's moving.
What?
Which way?
Toward you.
Steady now.
He stopped.
He's coiling again.
Chester.
Yeah?
If that snake strikes at me,
don't yell, they'll hear you at the cabin.
Just start thinking about it now.
If he strikes, you close your eyes
and stop breathing.
Do you hear me?
Well, I'll try, Mr. Dillon.
Well, you do it, you understand?
Yes, sir.
He's looking at me again.
You moved, Chester.
You must have.
I got my rifle aimed at him.
Will you stop it?
Will you get your finger off that trigger right now?
I can't sit here and just watch that rapper strike.
If you shoot Kitty, you'll die.
Don't you know that?
I didn't move, Mr. Dillon.
I honestly didn't.
Wait a minute.
I got an idea.
What?
Chester, are you chewing?
What?
Chewing.
Chewing?
Oh, the back?
Yeah.
No, sir, but I got a fairly fresh quid in my shirt pocket.
OK, well, chance it.
Get that quid into your mouth, but do it slow.
Slow and as steady as you can manage it.
Once you start moving your hand, don't stop, you understand?
All right, go ahead.
OK.
I already got fingers in my pocket.
There it is.
Slow and steady now.
I'm trying.
Here.
It's in my mouth now.
All right.
Now juice it up, huh?
Get a big mouthful.
I am.
All right, Chester, I've heard you brag about how good you can spit.
Can you hit that rattler from there?
Maybe.
OK, do it.
But I only got one shot.
I can't make it.
I just can't do it.
Wait a minute.
Wait a minute, Chester.
You got a mouthful?
Yes, sir.
All right.
Take your time now.
Move and make him look at you.
And then you sputter him right in the eyes.
OK.
Go ahead.
Snake?
Hey, Snake.
Look.
I got him, Mr. Dillon.
I got him.
He's leaving.
There he goes.
He's gone.
It worked.
Well, they can't stay in that cabin forever, Mr. Dillon.
They'll die of the heat cooped up in there.
It's only about 10 o'clock, Chester.
Oh, my.
I hope they gave Miss Kitty some breakfast.
Chester.
Let the doors open.
Are they coming out?
Get your rifle.
Take it easy now.
It's Miss Kitty.
Yeah.
Joe Carp's behind her, and there's his brother.
They're all outside now.
What are we going to do?
We're going to have to kill them, Chester.
You mean just shoot them down from here cold blooded?
Well, how would you want to do it?
I'm ready, Mr. Dillon.
All right, then take the one on your side.
I'll take Joe.
Miss Kitty's standing a lot more close to him.
Yeah, I know she is.
When I say hold your breath, you do it.
Then you count to yourself one, two, three, and then fire.
I'm safe.
All right.
Hold your breath.
All right, come on.
Let's go, Chester.
Kitty!
Get back inside!
Joe Carp's still alive.
Mr. Dillon's reaching for his gun.
Come on.
They're dead.
They're both dead now.
Okay, Kitty.
Are you all right, Kitty?
Good to see you, Matt.
You too, Chester.
I said, are you all right?
Shot him down like dogs, didn't you?
Yeah, you bet we did.
Thank you, Matt.
Matt.
Here, here.
She paid it, Mr. Dillon.
It's a good thing you caught her.
Yeah.
I'll carry her inside, Chester.
Come on.
We've got some breakfast going.
They probably didn't feed her after all.
Gunsmoke.
Produced and directed by Norman McDonald, stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshal.
The story was specially written for Gunsmoke by John Meston.
Featured in the cast were John Danaer, Vic Perrin, and Harry Bartel.
Harley Baird is Chester, Howard McNear is Doc, and Georgia Ellis is Kitty.
Join us again next week for another story on Gunsmoke.