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 violin 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 chance a job and it makes a man watchful and a little lonely.
You know Kitty, when you start to think about it, Chesty has a mighty easy life, mighty easy.
I never thought much about it, Doug.
Ah, well that, pass the sugar with it.
Now you take today for instance, there they are, probably arriving in Abilene just about
now.
Nothing to do but pick up a prisoner and then catch the train back to Dodge.
Well according to Matt, that train ride to Abilene can be pretty unpleasant.
Dust, heat, squalling babies.
No that isn't the way Chesty sees it.
He spent the last three days talking about how he was going to sit back and enjoy himself.
I thought that boy would never stop talking about that trip.
Well Doug, I think you're jealous.
Oh no, no, Chester doesn't even have to pay for it.
That's the thing.
Yes sir, if I wanted to go to St. Louis or someplace like that, I'd have to pay.
Oh, but you don't work for a U.S. Marshal, Doug.
No I don't, thank heavens for it too.
I've heard Chester say that you have it pretty easy yourself sometimes, Doug.
Well that easy?
Oh no, while my life was nothing but a constant round of pills, collie, gunshot wounds, and
dispatches.
Sure.
Nothing but complaints, unpaid bills, and work.
Yeah.
And fed up with it too.
Stuck in that office of mine day in, day out.
Well what are you going to do about it?
Go fishing.
I figure the only thing that will cheer me up is catfish stew.
Doug, you're as big a fraud as any of them.
Come on now, have some more coffee.
Four twenty p.m.
Got in right on time, Mr. Jones.
Yeah, the railroad's getting better every month, Chester.
They're going to civilize this prairie yet.
Well I'm glad to hear it.
Yeah, let's go.
Well, everything sure don't change, Mary, does it?
Looks about like it did the last time I was here.
Well, we're getting most of the cattle at Dodge now.
The booms leveled off here.
Still a pretty rough town, though.
Mr. Jones, you think he'll put up a fight?
I don't know, Chester.
He's pretty mean from all reports he may.
We'll try to avoid it, though.
Of course, we're only guessing anyway.
He might not even be here.
He always heads for Abilene when he gets in trouble at his hometown.
He'll be here.
One good thing, Bill Hickok's town, too.
At least we'll have a local sheriff on our side for once.
I suppose that's some help.
Some help?
I'd rather have wild Bill along than anybody I know.
I suppose.
What's the matter with you, Chester?
You're acting like a man at his own funeral.
I've had an uneasy feeling ever since we left Dodge.
A hunch, you might say.
That's nonsense.
We're going to pick up a killer and take him back for trial.
And that's all.
Maybe. And maybe not.
You know, Chester, any man who lives by a gun knows down inside
that he's going to die by one someday,
but if he's got any sense, he keeps from thinking about it.
Of course, he can't help getting a hunch now and then.
I've had plenty of them myself.
Mostly wrong.
Come on, Chester, let's walk down to the last chance
and I'll buy you a drink.
As a matter of fact, I'll buy both of us a drink.
What'll you have?
Rye for me.
Yes, sir.
Make mine the same.
A bottle of rye and a couple of glasses.
Well, there's quite a crowd in here for this time, Vane.
Yeah.
Just looking around for a while, Bill, but I don't see him anywhere.
Reckon there are daggy kids in here?
At least spent most of his time hanging around the saloons while he was in Dodge.
There you are.
Could I have the sugar bowl, please?
Sugar?
Drink up.
Thanks.
By the way, you happen to know a kid around town, don't you?
Name a what?
Never mind.
He's here, Chester.
Hmm?
Down there at the end of the bar.
Hmm.
It's him, all right.
Well, Mr. Mullins?
He's what we're here for.
Are we going to wait for Mr. Hickoff?
No.
You come up on his left side, Chester, and watch his gun hand.
Yes, sir.
I tell you, it was the funniest sight you ever seen.
The bullet knocked that strongy hound dog in the rim.
The first shot of fire caught him right in the back of his head.
You're Jack Daggett, aren't you?
That's right, mister. What about it?
My name's Dillon. I'm a U.S. Marshal from Dodge.
You're under arrest, Daggett.
Hmm.
Well, you're kind of out of your territory, ain't you?
A Marshal's territory is anywhere.
I'll, uh, take that gun of yours.
You will, huh?
You know, all right.
Drop it! Drop the gun!
Drop the gun, I said!
You heard the Marshal!
No!
I know that it's the girl that did it.
Yeah, that was easy, Mr. Douglas.
A lot easier than I thought it'd be.
All right, Chester, put the cuffs on him.
Yes, sir.
Seems to me your partner acted a little high-handed there, Marshal.
It does, huh?
He had no call to slug that boy in the head that way.
Would you rather I had put a bullet in his belly?
Chester saved his life, that's all.
He was drawing on me.
Well, now, if you'd come around and seen me before you started anything,
you wouldn't have had this trouble.
My name's Rohr. I'm the town constable here.
I see.
Young Jack here told me all about that shooting out in Dodge.
Said they ganged up on him in a poker game,
tried to cheat him, and forced him to shoot his way out.
Well, that's a good story.
It's too bad it didn't happen that way.
All right, Chester, let's get him on his feet and go find the sheriff.
Eric and you won't be finding him.
Oh, why not?
Hickox up in Topeka won't be back for a week or ten days.
And in the meantime, I'm the law in Abilene.
Well, then I've got a favor to ask from you.
I'd like to use one of your jail cells until nine o'clock.
That's when the next train leaves for Dodge.
Sorry, Marshal. I got no authority to do anything like that.
What difference does that make if Wild Bill were here?
Yeah, but Wild Bill ain't here.
Oh, I see.
A lot of us folks here like to run our own town.
We don't like outsiders coming in and taking over.
It's four hours till that train leaves, Marshal.
I think you're going to find four hours is a long time.
Meaning what?
This young fellow you arrested has got a couple older brothers, the Daggett boys.
You've probably never heard of them, but you're going to.
They're not going to like this.
I don't much care what they like.
Maybe they'll teach you to care when they hear about this, and they will hear.
Like I said, four hours is a long time.
Look, I want you to get something straight.
I came here to arrest a killer and take him back to Dodge to stand trial.
I got him under arrest now, and I'm going to take him back, maybe.
All right, Chester, let's get him out of here.
You get a hold of his other arm.
Lift him up.
Yes, sir.
Mr. Jones?
Yeah, what is it, Chester?
Maybe this was too easy.
Yes, sir, gentlemen, what can I do for you?
Four hours, I see.
There, you sign the register here.
Thank you.
Your friend seems to have suffered quite an injury.
Yes, sir, he bumped his head.
Really?
Certainly a bad cut.
That's one of the Daggett boys, young Jack Daggett.
That's right.
I've got him under arrest for murder.
Where's the room?
You arrested Jack Daggett right here in Averlean?
Yeah.
And you're planning to keep him here in my hotel for the next four hours?
I can't stand out there on the street with him.
Marshal, do you know what's going to happen when the Daggett boys hear about this?
No, but I understand they may not like it much.
I'm sorry, sir, but you cannot stay here.
I will not let my hotel be made the scene of a bloody massacre.
Just a minute, mister, you've rented me a room.
I've signed the register and I've got the key.
Yes, I know.
I'm going to use that room until nine o'clock, whether you like it or not.
It's the second door at the top of the stairs.
Thank you.
Come on, Daggett, move.
Oh, there's just one thing, sir.
Yes?
It's not a question of your honesty, you understand,
but in view of the circumstances, I wonder if you'd mind paying in advance.
What time is it, Chester?
It's six twenty-three, Mr. Jones.
Now, I thought it was later.
Yes, sir, I know.
It goes pretty slow when you're waiting for something like this.
I wish it was nine o'clock.
I wish we was leaving on that train right now.
You're not leaving on no train, not alive.
Daggett, you've got a one-track mind.
So have my brothers, Dylan.
What they think about all the time is hands off the Daggetts.
That goes for you or anybody else.
I reckon we are stuck a pillar in his mouth, Mr. Dunn.
Why not be a bad idea?
Now, you won't think it's funny when they come around.
Yeah, but maybe they won't.
Maybe they've decided.
You cover the door from the other side, Chester.
Yes, sir.
Yeah, who is it?
It's me, sir, the clerk.
What do you want?
It's the Daggett boys.
They're across the street at the last chance right now.
You're hoping I'll go over there instead of waiting for them to come here.
Well, I...
All right.
I'd rather jump them than have it the other way around.
Chester, I guess we'll go over and talk to him.
What about him?
He's cupped hand and foot to a pretty solid iron bed.
I don't think he's gone anywhere.
You ready, Chester?
Ready when I were you, Mr. Dunn.
All right.
Let's go.
That must be them, Mr. Dunn, across the room there.
I guess so.
Quite a crowd around them.
Now, Chester, the only way to get it over is to get it started.
Yes, sir.
How are we doing, Mr. Dunn?
I haven't got a plan, Chester.
Just face them down, that's all.
Yes, sir.
You the Daggett brothers?
What if we are?
Jim misses him, misses the fellow I...
Shut up, Rourke.
You've been glad enough to stay out of it this far.
Stay out of it now.
My name is Dillon, United States Marshal from Dodge City.
I got your brother Jack under arrest for murder.
You probably heard about it.
Yeah.
Rumors got around.
Well, I'm taking him out of here on the 9 o'clock train.
He's going back to Dodge to stand trial, and my guess is he'll hang.
Now, the point is this.
What are you going to do about it?
Why didn't you wait?
We'd have looked you up.
You didn't answer the question, Daggett.
Still two hours and a half until 9 o'clock.
I reckon we got plenty of time here.
We'll wait.
Why wait?
What's the matter with right now?
We'd rather wait.
Huh.
Maybe you're trying to pick up some helpers among this bunch of hangers on, huh?
How'd you look at them?
Each one trying to sneak behind the man next to him.
You're counting on any help there, forget it.
You're pushing your luck, Dillon.
I don't think so.
You boys are full of talk, that's all.
You never even intended to start anything.
You're a dirty liar.
Hold it, don't move, either one of you.
All right, now, I'll have to take that gun.
Thank you.
Yours too.
Sure.
It's your play, Dillon.
The wait stands now.
Thanks.
Here, Chester, kick those back under the tables.
Sure.
All right, now leave them lay.
Now nobody touch them.
Here, Chester, hold onto my gun.
All right, Chester.
Just keep them off my back.
Yes, sir.
All right, you.
You come here.
Now you called me a liar, didn't you?
Yeah.
Why, you, team.
I thought you daggots were tough.
All right, you.
You're next.
I'll wait, Marshal.
I'll get to you later.
You're a no good coward, daggot.
All right, Chester, I'll take my gun back now.
All right.
Thanks.
Well, boys, the show's over.
Of course, one of you would like to take up where the daggots left off.
Any one of you still figuring on helping them try to take my prisoner away from me?
No, I didn't think so.
Because you're all fine, upright citizens now.
A pride and joy to Constable Rourke here.
That's enough, Dillon.
I thought I told you the show was over.
All right, now beat it.
Get out all of you.
Move.
Marshal, I'd say you overreach yourself there.
Step past the limits of your authority.
How I enforce the law is my own business.
I do things my way.
It's a way I'll get you killed someday.
Maybe.
I have to live in this town, Dillon.
You don't know those daggot brothers.
You cross them, you're through.
I've seen it happen.
Come on, Chester, let's go.
All right, Mr. Dillon.
What time is it, Chester?
Quarterly.
Time's dragging.
Chester, still an hour and fifteen minutes till that train leaves.
What difference does it make?
You're not going to be on it.
Neither one of you are.
Jack, the way I'm figuring, we'll all three be on it.
Wait and see.
You never get to that train.
My brothers will take care of you.
Well, I don't seem to be in any hurry about it.
You wait.
I sure do wish I hadn't had such an uneasy hunch about this trip.
Forget it, Chester.
They'll stop you.
You just wait.
Eight fifteen.
Seems to be going slower all the time.
Heads up, though, it won't be much longer now.
Forty-five minutes, if the train's on time.
And if we're lucky enough to get on it?
Oh, Chester, you're wearing yourself out.
Why don't you sit down and relax?
I just can't set my mind to it, Mr. Dillon.
No dagget will ever leave this town wearing handcuffs as long as the other two are alive.
Well, that's up to them.
Sure.
And they'll take care of it, too.
That's fair, Mr. Dillon.
I almost wish they would try something and get it over with.
Well, waiting's always the worst part, Chester.
You'll find out what the worst part is.
I could gag him, Mr. Dillon.
No, let him talk.
He's only got a few more weeks to do it in.
They'll never hang me.
I'll never even stand trial.
You wait and see.
Chester.
Hey.
How fast, eight?
All right.
Let's get started.
It's a little early, ain't it?
Won't take that long to walk from here to the station?
I'll admit if we have trouble.
Chester, I guess it might.
Oh, you'll have trouble.
Don't you worry about that.
Why don't you get on a new subject, Jack?
How are we going to take him?
Gag him?
If he wants it that way, otherwise he'll walk handcuffed to my left wrist.
You keep him covered, Chester.
I'll unlock these cuffs and get him loose from the bed.
Dillon, if you're smart, you'll leave me here and run while you still got the chance.
I've never been smart enough to run yet.
Stick out your right wrist.
All right.
On your feet.
You can put your gun away, Chester.
Starting now, he's only going where I go.
Come on, Jack.
We got a train to catch.
Oh, thank heaven, gentlemen, you're leaving.
Yeah, we're leaving.
I want to thank you for your hospitality.
I'll be glad to recommend your hotel to anybody who plans to stop over in Abilene.
I hardly know what to say, Marshal.
You simply don't understand.
You don't know these Daggett brothers.
No offense personally, Jack.
I have to live in this town and I...
Come on, Jack.
You boys must run quite a bluff.
You got everybody in town jumping sideways.
You'd be smart if you did, Dillon.
Good luck, gentlemen.
The best of luck to all of you.
All of us.
Let's hedge in his bet.
Look, Mr. Dillon, you need a soul on the street, quiet as a graveyard.
They're going to make a play, Chester.
Somewhere between here and the depot we can count on it.
Yes, sir, I kindly figured the word, especially after getting beat up over there at the Sloan.
They would have anyway.
Jumping them like that did one good thing.
It scared the pack off.
At least we only have to worry about the Daggetts, not a mob.
You think it's a mob, Chester.
You shut up.
From now on you keep your mouth shut.
If you don't, so help me, I'll slug you and drag you to the train.
All right, let's go.
Not a soul.
I never thought I'd see the main street of Abilene deserted at this time of night.
It's not the deserted, Chester.
They're inside behind the shutters.
At least they're staying out of it.
I wonder if coyotes is as lonesome as this, huh?
They couldn't be, Chester.
Watch that left side ahead of us. It's pretty dark along there.
That's right, Ian.
You know, they might maybe jump us from behind.
I don't think so.
Too many people watching. They've got to keep up their reputation.
I sure hope you're right.
Chester, they're at the corner of the bank. Somebody moved.
Yeah, across the street too, in the shadow of the bank.
Take the one in the shadow, Chester.
Yes, sir.
That's one. The other one's still there in the shadows.
Get him if you can, Chester.
You ain't gonna get...
What happened with Dylan?
He caught a bullet that was meant for me.
His own brother shot him.
Just keep firing, Chester.
Yes, sir.
All right, hold it, Chester.
I guess we got the other one.
Here.
Now get these handcuffs open.
Yes, sir.
Well, there's our prisoner, Jack Daggett.
Wanted for murder.
Killed by his brother.
Now let's take a look at the others.
Three men. Dead.
Look back down the street there, Mr. Dean.
All starting to crawl out of their holes.
Sure. They're all on our side now.
Oh, come on, Chester. The train's pulling in.
Let's get on it and get out of here.
Yes, sir.
Now let Rourke clean up this mess.
He ought to be good for something.
Yeah, that sounds more lonesome than the coyotes, Chester.
It's a man that creeps.
Yes, sir, it sure does.
Well, you were wrong on that haunch of yours, Chester.
It wasn't us.
Not this time.
Gunsmoke. Produced and directed in Hollywood by Norman McDonald, stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshal.
The story was specially written for Gunsmoke by Les Crutchfield, with editorial supervision by John Meston.
Featured in the cast were Sam Edwards, Harry Bartel, Joseph Kearns, James Nutter, Barney Phillips, and Vic Perrin.
Harley Bear is Chester, Howard McNear is Doc, and Georgia Hawkins is Kitty.
This is George Walsh inviting you to join us again next week when CBS Radio presents another story on Gunsmoke.
Latest news follows, then, Mitch Miller with tonight's guest stars on the CBS Radio Network.