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 Gunsmoke.
Gunsmoke, 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, the 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.
One, let's see what comes after one.
Two, one, two, one, two, one, two.
Hi, you know who this is?
This is old Foobert and I've got a simple exercise for them
what simply cannot keep in shape, you know.
It is called the toe toucher.
Here's what you do.
You stand with your feet at shoulder width.
I mean, don't put your feet on your shoulders because it's impossible.
It's not worth the time you're going to waste, you know.
Just stand with your feet at shoulder width and your hands over your head, see.
Like it was a stick up.
Now keep your knees straight and bend down and touch your left toe with your right hand.
Now your right toe with your left hand.
And now back to hands over your head.
This is a stick up, remember?
Well, that's all there is to it.
Of course, I don't care if I never do it again.
Some of you guys may have a little trouble with this exercise,
especially you individuals who cannot see your toes when you look down.
But a few weeks of exercises like this and one called pushing yourself away from the groaning board
or the table as the Poveyian folks say.
And you'll not only see your toes, you may even see your knees.
They're kind of pretty, ain't they?
All it takes is like, you know, 15 minutes a day.
So don't wait, un-wait.
Get the slogan?
I want to tell you something, boy.
Madison Avenue lost a great mind when I went in the Army.
So get your service pamphlet on physical fitness today.
Move it.
One, two, one, two, one, two, one, two.
Hello, Matt.
Morning, Doc.
There's some coffee on the stove.
Help yourself.
Thank you.
And how was the show last night?
I got there late, so I didn't see it all, but Chester said I was fine.
I suppose Chester got up on the stage and made a fool of himself.
Well, he probably would have, but he didn't get the chance.
Claude Marsh took some of the gas and wanted to fight everybody in the place.
And he started crying and busted up all the equipment.
It's a good thing those Ornway brothers of his were down at the Long Branch instead of at the show.
They'd have busted up the whole store.
Yeah.
You know, Matt, nitrous oxide's a dangerous thing to mess with.
Too much can be fatal.
I remember this boy at the medical school that took this...
Hey, Doc.
Doc, I've been looking all over for you.
What's the matter, Chester?
It's Mr. Stafford. He'd been hurt bad.
What? How?
Well, Miss Stafford didn't say.
Just that he got beat up and she needed a doc down at the store right quick.
Take me a minute to run up and get my bag and I'll meet you out in front.
All right, Doc.
Where'd it happen, Chester?
When?
Oh, I don't know, but it could have been too long ago.
Miss Stafford said her husband was out back at the store with a wagon and she heard a ruckus and ran out.
And she seen all three of them running off.
All three who?
Yeah, Cloud Marsh and them two brothers of his.
He just ought to be tired and feathered, Mr. Dillon. All of them could.
Yeah.
What in the world was they after beating Mr. Stafford near to death?
Well, I told you last night that some men can't stand being laughed at.
Come on, Matt. Let's go.
Chester, you better come along, too.
There's nothing to do now but let him rest, Mrs. Stafford.
How long's he going to be like that, Doc? Unconscious, I mean.
He's had a bad concussion.
Sometimes it takes only an hour or so.
Sometimes days.
Just have to wait and see.
But isn't there something I can do for him?
Just let him rest.
Mrs. Stafford, are you ready to swear out a compromise?
I'm ready to swear.
Mrs. Stafford, are you ready to swear out a complaint against the Marsh brothers?
Earl and me don't want no trouble, Marshal.
Yeah, but they almost killed your husband.
We sign a complaint now and the Marshes would really come after us.
Earl wasn't always a man to run from trouble.
What?
I know who Earl really is, Mrs. Stafford.
I've known him ever since you first came to town.
But how?
He's Ernie Stubblefield, isn't he?
That's all behind us, Marshal.
He's forgot about being Ernie Stubblefield.
Matt, what's this all about?
Earl Stafford's real name is Stubblefield, Doc.
He had quite a reputation up on the Red River.
Four killings.
And he did some time for the last one.
Marshal, after Earl got out of prison, he come to me in Missouri.
He was sick with his self.
Sick with all the fighting and killing.
He pleaded with me to marry him so we could start over.
And when I found out he really meant it, we got married.
As Mr. or Mrs. Stafford, huh?
As long as he was Ernie Stubblefield, there'd be no peace.
Huh? Does he still have his gun?
He keeps it in the trunk, but he's changed.
He'd never use it. Not no more.
I see.
No, you don't.
If he ever used that gun to kill another man, even in self-defense,
the whole terrible business would start all over again.
So he ain't gonna use it. Never.
Sure.
Well, I take it you're not gonna sign a complaint then, huh?
Marshal, I ain't gonna sign nothing.
All right, ma'am.
But I'm still gonna throw Cloud Marsh in jail until you leave town.
And I'll tell you, I was right there in Pottawatomie County and I seen you.
Now, Andrew, them Marsh boys, they don't like that kind of talk.
John Brown come down to Creek and murdered all fire settlers.
Now you ask what over there, he ought to know.
That's what he was named for. Pottawatomie County.
Hey, come to think of it, old man Marsh named the other two boys for the counties that he was born into.
Talk to for you're gonna get in trouble and sit and listen to you old man. You sure feel your liquor don't you?
Yeah, I didn't mean nothing against you and your brother's cloud. No, you didn't mean nothing, but you do like to drink
Don't you well, he'll just have one or two to get started in the morning
I don't figure one or two is enough for old man. So I'll just give you this whole bottle. Hold them
What? Oh no
We ain't doing nothing Marshall just giving old Andrew his morning bottle let go of him
You're coming with me club where jail
Well, what for disturbing the peace breaking up the show last night. How do you want to walk or you want to be carried?
Okay, I'll go with you Marshall, but I'll tell you something
You ain't gonna keep me in jail long
Marin J Bennett again with another little-known item of American military history
The general wished he had said it and the reporters gave him credit in the headlines
But it was somebody else who made the greatest ad-lib of the first world war
Lafayette we are here
It happened when the first American expeditionary forces reached Paris and the French asked general John J
Blackjack Pershing to deliver an address commemorating the event at the tomb of the military hero
Lafayette
Pershing however
Designated Colonel Charles Stanton to handle the oratory and the Colonel Dooley delivered and concluded his speech
We pledge our hearts and our honor in carrying this war to successful issue
then
Remembering the Frenchman's great help and friendship for America in revolutionary days. He saluted the tomb and called out
Lafayette
We are here
General Pershing was persuaded to speak briefly after that and
Somehow the newspaper men put the famous line into his remarks
But the general himself later wrote I have often wished it could have been mine
But those words were spoken by Colonel Stanton and to him must go the credit
Incidentally Lafayette is buried in American soil that he brought back to France
after the Revolutionary War
Cloud Marsh was right. He didn't stay in jail long within an hour what an Osage walked into the office with a writ from Judge Ben
They paid his bail and I had to turn him loose. There's nothing I could do. I
Had hoped to hold him in jail till the Stafford's got out of town. But since I couldn't I told Chester to keep an eye on him
Well, nothing happened all that day and that evening. I was sitting over coffee with Doc and Kitty and Delmonico
Well, nothing like a good dinner to cheer you up
Even if it is a little greasy
You always see the bright side. Don't you duck? Of course. How's mr. Stafford tonight?
I guess he's coming along. All right, he opens his eyes for a couple of minutes late this afternoon and he dropped off again
His wife hopes they can leave town
Yeah, what is it Chester I've been looking all over for you
I thought maybe you'd be over at the long branch, but you wasn't well
You don't mind if Matt buys me a dinner now and then do you oh my goodness
No
But I sure did waste a lot of time trying to find him and they already left the Texas Trail 10 15 minutes ago
Oh, that's them Marsh boys all three of them. Are they drunk? Oh my yes
And he was talking about giving somebody some of that gas a dose of his own medicine
They said stuff Matt that could kill him in his condition. Yeah, come on Doc Chester. Let's go
Put on a show for you
You're gonna put on a show for us
Mr. Stafford please you may sing you may dance you may make the pool
Calling him laying down conscious in the back room like he ain't about to help you do this
Please like mighty thoughtful leave all the equipment out here on the table, mr. Stafford
Sit down
sit
You take his mouth. No
That's it
Breathe in breathe out
You need a little more gas to put on a good show for you
Why you just ain't nowhere near happy yet?
Give another way
Well, looky there old man Stafford got up out of bed you filthy pigs now that ain't no way to talk
Can I go with my wife? He's got a gun. Don't shoot. Don't worry
He ain't going to don't shoot. He ain't got the strength stand away from not likely
Don't you forget? I've got a gun in her back. All right, hold it all of you
I'll handle this Stafford. You stay out of it Marshall, but if your guns both of you
There's three of us Marshall. There'll be a fool cloud. I'll turn her loose
All right
I'll turn her loose
He's dead man clouds dead
How did you kill him? Oh, he didn't let Stafford. It was my bullet that got him
It was my bullet that got him
Is that true
You shot him yeah, that's true your aim was off Stafford free to hit your wife I guess
All right, you two what those sage you find your horses and you get out of town you keep on riding
Mr. Stafford you'd better get aero back to bed
Yes, oh
My mr. Dillon
Did you see the look on miss Stafford's face when she found out Earl missed cloud that he didn't kill him
I'd admire to have a picture of that. Yeah
There was a nice thing you did Matt
What thing what do you mean doc?
Chester
Matt's bullet hit cloud Marsh in the hand
The shot that killed him came from the other direction
You were aiming for his gun hand Matt and you know it. It was Earl Stafford that killed cloud Marsh
Why we dug up?
Yes
Am I a nice thing you did for both of them?
Oh
Gun smoke
Produced and directed by Norman McDonald stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon US Marshal
Featured in the cast were parley bear as Chester Howard McNear as doc and Georgia Ellis as Kitty
George Walsh speaking
Join us again next week for another specially transcribed story on gun smoke
This is the United States Armed Forces radio and television service