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, the story of a man who moved with it, Matt Dillon, United States Marshal.
I'm that dry I could spare a spit cotton, Mr. Dillon.
You can fill up at the Olla Fragonza when we get back to Dodge, Chester.
Yes, sir, but right now I'd settle for a drink of water.
You can't be that thirsty.
I'm about to stampede.
You think there might be a spring in that plump elder up ahead?
There might.
I swear next time I'm going to carry a water bag.
And keep it wrapped in your pillow, I suppose, huh?
You know, Chester, time life has made you mighty soft.
That's far enough for it.
He's got a rifle, Mr. Dillon.
Yeah.
Who are you, man?
We're looking for water.
Is there a spring in there?
I said who are you?
What's your name?
Matt Dillon.
And I'm Chester Proudfoot.
You don't worry me.
And I never heard of no Dillon.
Well, then you shouldn't mind if we got a little water.
Okay.
But you'll have to drop them gun belts first one at a time.
Sorry.
You heard me.
You can't shoot both of us, mister.
Who is it, Harp?
One of them's called Dillon.
Dillon?
From Dodge?
You from Dodge?
Yeah.
That's what he says.
Well, bring him in here.
He'll help us.
He's the U.S. Marshal.
A Marshal?
That's right, Harp.
And instead of us standing here about to shoot each other, why don't you tell me why you
need help?
I'm Joe Harp, Marshal.
Okay, Harp.
Who's your friend?
Harry Spiener.
I never heard of him either.
What's the matter?
Has he been shot or something?
He busted his leg.
Oh.
Well, there's a doctor in Dodge.
I can't get him there alone.
I will help you.
If you'll put that rifle down.
Well, okay.
I found him lying out there on the prairie this morning.
Horse throwed him when I drug him into the shade here.
You mean you're not traveling with him?
No.
I just stopped to help.
Are you really Marshal Dillon?
I am.
But I don't remember you.
I ain't never been to Dodge.
I heard your name, though.
You live around here, Spiener?
No, I've been working in a saloon down in Tascosa.
Wanted chains, so I bought me a horse and rode north.
But I shouldn't have come alone.
I don't know nothing about horses.
I hate them.
Well, we better get you into Dodge.
I suppose you aim to drag me to Dodge.
Well, I've been drug as far as I'm going to be.
Why, to get you out of the sun, Spiener.
It was mighty rough about it.
Well, he saved your life, mister.
Why shouldn't he save my life?
Well, of all the ungrateful mean temper he's been like that all day.
But I figure it's because his leg hurts him.
Of course it hurts.
I busted mine once.
I know what it feels like.
Poor fellow.
You want to help get him into Dodge, Harper?
You want to keep going.
No.
No, Marshal, I'd kind of like to see Dodge anyway.
Okay, then let's get busy.
Luckily Spiener had broken only one bone in his leg, and after we rigged up a splint for
it, we managed to get him mounted.
It was night before we reached Dodge, but by the time he got there, he was too weak to
complain.
Anyway, I was more interested in Joe Harp.
But all I could find out was that he was a cowboy, drifting aimlessly through the country
like so many of his kind.
He said he had a little money from his last job, and that's why he'd been so wary of
strangers.
And he seemed honest enough.
As six weeks later, he was still at Dodge, gambling some and making friends with most
everybody in town.
Doc and I were talking about him one day in the office.
Do you know what he did, Matt, about three or four weeks ago?
What, Doc?
Why, he came and offered to pay Spiener's bill.
He said the poor fellow wouldn't be able to work for some time.
As long as he'd saved him, he felt he ought to help take care of him.
Well, did you take his money?
I did not.
Spiener can pay me himself.
And he'd better get to work soon, too, because he's already walking around without a cane.
I take it you don't like Spiener much, Doc.
Oh, do you?
Well, nobody does what I know of.
I don't believe he's even thanked Joe Hart for saving his life, man.
Well, there, mister.
Santa Fe just came in with the mail, Mr. Dillon.
Hello, Doc.
Hello, Justin.
Oh, see, that brown envelope looks official.
It is.
You want to open it now, Mr. Dillon?
Yeah, I better might have my paycheck in it.
Here you are.
Thanks.
Ah, no check.
Just some new wanted circulars.
What?
What is it?
Here, have a look, Chester.
Oh, my goodness.
Look at that, Doc.
Huh?
I didn't see this.
Uh, was it dead or alive?
Reward, $500 for bank robbery and murder while escaping.
Joseph Hart.
Joseph Hart?
Age, 32, Sandy here, six feet tall, blue eyes.
That's him, all right.
Signed by the sheriff, city of Denver, Colorado Territory.
You're going to arrest him, Matt?
Uh, can't you pretend you didn't get it or something, Mr. Dillon?
No, sir.
You can stay here if you like, Chester.
Oh, no, sir.
I didn't mean that.
All right, then.
You take the alapraganza, the longhorn, and the oasis.
I'll look in this boarding house at the edge of town, and I'll come back to the Texas Trail.
Meet me there if you see him first.
Yes, sir.
All right, good moving.
Kitty.
You look like you've been eating cockleburrs, Matt.
Uh, I don't see Joe Harp around anywhere, Kitty.
He left.
Why?
Has Chester got here yet?
No.
Is there trouble of some kind, Matt?
I'm after Harp, Kitty.
How long ago did he leave?
Just a little while ago.
He was over there gambling, as usual, and then that Spinner came running in and said
something to him, and they both left.
Spinner?
I thought I'd take him out and bury him somewhere.
Well, I couldn't find him nowhere, as Mr. Dillon.
Hello, Miss Kitty.
Chester, what's this all about, anyway?
Harp's wanted for murder.
For murder?
Joe Harp?
That's just what Spinner said when I told him.
He just couldn't believe it.
You told Spinner, Chester?
Why, yes, sir.
I went in to him, and I...
Go get our horses, Chester.
I'll pick up the rifles, and hurry.
They've had time to get out of town already.
Mr. Dillon?
What?
My...
I guess I just wasn't thinking when I told Spinner about Joe Harp.
I didn't know he was gonna run off and warn him.
Next time, I'll send you out with a potato rammed in your mouth.
Yes, sir.
Oh, I feel so bad.
I wish you would.
Oh, forget it, Chester.
At least it shows Spinner isn't as bad as we all thought.
I guess he was just waiting for a chance to do Harp a real good turn.
Well, he sure did it.
Hold it up a minute.
Look.
Hello!
Why, it's Spinner, Mr. Dillon.
He's got his hands up.
Yeah, come on.
Get your rifle out, Chester, and keep your eyes open.
Yes, sir.
Now, don't shoot, Marshal.
I ain't done nothing.
Where's Harp?
He's in that drawer behind me.
Say tricks and you'll die, Spinner.
I ain't no outlaw.
And Harp ain't gonna pull no tricks neither.
You just follow me, Marshal.
I swear I don't understand this at all, Mr. Dillon.
Just follow him, Chester.
Yes.
There's his horse.
Yeah.
And there he is.
Oh, he's been hurt.
He sure has.
Well, there's your man, Marshal.
Did you do this, Spinner?
I tried to talk him into giving himself up, but he wouldn't listen.
And then he tried to draw on me.
Spinner, I can tell from here the way he's lying that you shot him in the back.
What difference it make?
He's an outlaw, ain't he?
Yeah.
$500 worth of outlaw, Spinner.
If you'll live to collect it.
We will return for the second act of gun smoke in just a moment.
But first, the Red Cross campaign for this year is nearing an end.
Have you answered the call?
Remember, this year the Red Cross needs you as well as your contribution.
Go to your local Red Cross chapter and while you're there, join and serve.
Now the second act of gun smoke.
We buried Joe Harp on the prairie where he'd been killed, then rode back to Dodge.
That night I wrote out a wire to the sheriff in Denver claiming the reward for Harry Spinner.
Then I showed it to Spinner and told him to keep it quiet and also to stay out of my sight.
And he did.
About a week later I had to send Chester to find him and bring him into the office.
Here he is, Mr. Dillon.
Come over here, Spinner.
I've been waiting like you said, Marshal.
I ain't talked to nobody.
I had a wire from Denver this afternoon, Spinner.
Everything's all right.
The money will be here in another week or so.
Oh.
I thought it would come now.
There it is.
But I thought you said it wasn't here yet.
I'm paying you out of government funds.
Oh.
Well, that's fine.
Yeah, I didn't think you'd mind very much how you got the money.
Now, Marshal, I only done my bit.
Count it, Spinner.
That's all right.
I'm sure it's all here, Marshal.
Count it, I said.
Yes, sir.
One, two, three, four, five.
You're satisfied?
Five hundred.
That's right.
Spinner, nobody knows about this yet.
They think I killed you, Harp.
But before they learn who did and how it was done, I advise you to clear out a dodge and
stay out.
Why?
I didn't do nothing wrong.
Tell me something, Spinner.
Is Harp the first man you've killed?
Of course he is.
Oh, there are men around here who've killed ten or a dozen and think nothing of it.
But I won't guarantee how they're going to take to your having killed one man.
They can't do nothing about it.
It was plum legal.
Yeah, yeah, it was legal.
I earned this money and before I leave Dodge, I'm going to double it gambling.
And there ain't nobody going to stop me.
Okay, Spinner.
I warned you.
I'm going to get rich, Marshal.
I'll show them.
Real rich.
Get out of here.
I'm going.
Sit down, Matt.
Oh, thanks, Kitty.
Drink?
No, no, no thanks.
Spinner was in.
Oh, is that so?
He left, though.
They closed the game on him when he started bragging about how he got his money.
I kind of figured they might.
Why'd you keep it such a secret, Matt?
What were you protecting him for, that milk-libered little sneak?
Now, the law doesn't separate people that way, Kitty.
But now that he's been paid and he's been warned about what might happen, he's on his
own.
Well, I hope somebody does shoot him.
Just think, Matt.
It was Joe Harp who saved his life.
Not a cop Harp anyway, Kitty.
I know.
Somehow that's different.
Yeah.
That's a lot different.
You know, Kitty, that's a pretty dress you're wearing.
Close your eyes, Matt.
What?
Close them.
Go on.
Okay.
What's this for?
Now, tell me what color this dress is.
Well, it's, uh...
It's blue, Matt.
Blue, sure.
I was just about to say that it is.
I know.
Speaking of colors, look what's coming.
What?
Oh, it's Spina.
Well, nobody's shot him yet.
Never too late.
Marshal Dillon?
Yeah.
Marshal, I just tried to buy a drink over at the Alifer Gans.
And they wouldn't serve you good.
I'm not talking to you.
Marshal, two men threatened to kill me right there at the bar.
Now, that's funny.
What do you mean?
Well, most men around here don't waste much time on threats.
Marshal, I demand protection.
And I won't spend the night hiding in jail either.
Okay.
And you'll come with me?
No.
Why?
I can't protect you any more than I have already, Spina, but I'll tell you one thing.
If you take off your gun, nobody can claim self-defense for shooting you, and I'll have
to go after them, if that's any satisfaction for you.
Marshal, I'm a citizen, and I demand-
Get out of town, Spina.
Get out now.
Mr. Dillon?
Yeah.
Could you tell me what you're doing?
I'm just trying to get a little bit of a sense of what you're doing.
Mr. Dillon?
Could you lend me a dollar?
I went broke last night.
Oh, gambling, huh?
Yes, sir.
All right.
Here you are, Chester.
Thank you.
Hey, wait a minute.
You told me you swore off gambling a week ago.
You even took an oath.
I did.
I sure did.
Well, then how come you went broke gambling last night?
No, sir.
I said I went broke, and you said gambling?
And I said, yes, sir, but I didn't say I was gambling.
Well, Chester, keep the dollar.
Just go spend it somewhere.
Yes, sir, but you don't understand.
You see, I've got it all figured out.
I swore off gambling, all right?
So what I do now is to hire a fella, and I give him the money, then he goes and sits
in the game for me, you see?
Marshal Dillon.
Oh, hello, Clay.
Marshal.
What horse come back?
What?
What horse?
The one Spiener bought off me when he left town.
Well, Spiener's been gone five days, Clay.
I know, but my horse come back, Marshal, alone.
Saddle?
Yes, sir.
But it ain't my saddle.
It's Spiener's.
That means somebody must have caught up with him, Mr. Dillon.
All right, we'll start looking for him.
I can tell you where to look, Marshal.
What?
That horse has got red mud all over his legs.
There's only one place I know where he'd get into red mud around here.
Now, that water and hole, Grandee Springs, huh?
That's right, Marshal.
Say, do I get to keep the horse now?
I don't know, Clay.
All right, I'll tell you when I get back.
You know, I just had a thought, Mr. Dillon.
What, Chester?
Well, Grandee Springs is only 30 miles.
Spiener must have made it easy the first morning he left.
I don't know, Marshal.
So if he was killed there, how come nobody ain't found him and reported it yet?
I don't know, Chester.
There it is, right over there.
We'll soon find out.
Yes.
That's him, Mr. Dillon.
He sure looks dead.
Yeah.
I don't see no bullet hole.
No.
Hey, he's still breathing, Chester.
Go fill up your hat and throw some water on him, huh?
Yes, sir.
Spiener.
Hey, Spiener.
Spiener.
Can you hear me?
Oh, uh, pour a little on his head, Chester.
Maybe that'll do it.
Bad math?
Marshal.
Marshal.
Yeah, yeah.
What happened, Spiener?
Well, what's the matter?
What happened?
A horse kicked me, kicked me in the belly.
Busted me up inside.
I hate horses.
Oh, when did this happen?
First day.
I got off to get me a drink here.
I hung onto the reins till yesterday.
But I was too weak.
Mr. Dillon.
What?
There's fresh tracks all around here.
Not just them, maybe that horse of his, neither.
Sure there's fresh tracks.
But three or four men been by here.
Three or four men?
They just sat and looked at me, Marshal.
They didn't see it.
They just sat and looked at me, and they rode off.
Every one of them.
They seen who it was, Mr. Dillon.
That's right.
Yeah.
It's too late now, Marshal.
I'm gonna die.
We'll try to get you back, Spiener.
No.
It's too...
He's dead, Justin.
Yes, he...
He wasn't as lucky as when he busted his leg, was he?
But you'd think one of them riders might have helped him.
You know, except for us.
And I guess there isn't a man of the contrary to them.
Gunsmoke, under the direction of Norman McDonald, stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshal.
Tonight's story was specially written for Gunsmoke by John Meston, with music composed and conducted by Rex Corey.
Featured in the cast were Harry Bartel, James Nusser, and John Danaer.
Parley Bear is Chester, Howard McNear is Doc, and Georgia Ellis is Kitty.
Gunsmoke has been selected by the Armed Forces Radio Service to be heard by our troops overseas.
Join us again next week as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshal, fights to bring law and order out of the wild violence of the West in Gunsmoke.
Later tonight, hear Herb Schreiner on Two for the Money.
Remember, one for the fun, two for the quiz.
Hear Two for the Money on most of these same stations later tonight.
George Walsh speaking.
Stay tuned for Gangbusters, which follows in a few minutes over most of these same stations.
For Mystery Mixed with Merriman, join Mr. and Mrs. North Tuesday evenings on the CBS Radio Network.