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In 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 U.S. Marshal and the smell of Gunsmoke.
Gunsmoke starring William Conrad, the transcribed 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.
That's a chancy job that makes a man watchful and a little lonely.
Shut the door, Chester.
It's fly time.
Yes, sir, I know, but I think you'd better come...
Shut the door, will you?
Mr. Dillon?
All right, Chester, now what are you so riled up about?
Pless Braeden and Howard Rabb.
Braeden and Rabb?
It's too hot for those two to be causing any trouble, isn't it?
It sure is hot, sir, but that don't bother them.
They get a chance to bully somebody.
They do it in the middle of a blizzard.
We were talking about heat, not cold, Chester.
Yes, sir.
But don't let that stop you.
No, sir.
So why don't you start right from the beginning, huh?
Yes, sir.
Good.
Well, sir, there's a little Chinese fellow with a pigtail and all, a real Chinaman.
He just come in to dodge on a freighter's wagon, and right now, Braeden and Rabb, they
got him pushed up against the wall out there.
What for?
What are they doing to him?
Well, they're not hurting him, but they're kind of deviling him and poking fun at him,
and I don't think they are.
I told them to leave him alone.
But Mr. Dillon, I sure do wish you'd go tell him.
All right, Chester, I'll go tell him.
I do declare, if there's anything I hate, it's a bully.
Well, maybe they're just curious about him, Chester.
I guess he's the first Chinaman that's ever been in dodge.
Wait till you hear him.
There they are, I under.
I don't think he understand a word they're saying.
He's just backed up there staring at him and holding tight to that little box he's got.
Maybe that's what they want.
That little box?
Well, there couldn't be much in it.
Probably just his medicine or something.
He's not an Indian, Chester.
No, sir, but maybe them Chinese fellas have medicine, too.
Look there how he's hanging on to it.
He sure don't talk very good, do you, Rat?
Somebody must have split his tongue.
No, Chinese boys always sound like that.
Here, now look, fella, I'm just going to ask you once more, what you doing here in dodge?
Me come catch a job.
Me all time work hard.
Job, huh?
Well, you're the first Chinaman I ever seen around here.
I sure hope you ain't brought your family with you.
No family.
One mom, one boy, all the same meat.
No family.
Well, that's one good thing.
Why shouldn't the man have a family, Rat?
Oh, hello, Marshall.
Why shouldn't he have a family?
Well, you want a lot of Chinaman running around loose here?
No, got family.
Got cousin, one cousin, San Francisco, him very good Chinaman.
What's your name, fella?
Shen Long Wong.
Me good boy.
Got place dodge city.
All time work hard.
Well, you go all time work hard in San Francisco because we sure don't need no Chinaman here.
Shen, I'm the Marshall here and you're welcome in dodge.
You can stay here just as long as you like.
What are you mixing in this for, Marshall?
Ain't no law says we got to have China boys around here.
You ain't got no right protecting him.
He's just a dirty foreigner.
Except for the Indians, we're all foreigners here, Brayden.
And I told you you're welcome and you are.
And if either one of these men bother you again, you come tell me about it, huh?
No fight.
Very bad men fight.
Whoever heard of the law standing up for China...
I don't care if he's an Eskimo rap, you leave him alone.
Well, look at that box, Marshall.
It's probably full of money he stole somewhere.
No money.
Shen's a very good boy.
No steal money.
Oh, who's going to believe you?
Get out of here.
What?
Both of you, go on.
Move.
See about this later.
I never heard of nothing like it.
Me, the sad Marshall, Shen no right bring trouble.
I'll worry about the trouble, Chen.
Tell me, what kind of work do you do?
We cut a place, very good cook.
A cook, huh?
What kind of cooking do you do, Chen?
All kinds.
Chinese cook, American cook, all kinds.
Say now, I never ate no Chinese food.
What's it like?
Very good.
You see, when I cut the job...
You know what, Mr. Dillon, we ought to take him over to the Dodge house.
Huh?
Why?
Because he even fired the cook he had yesterday.
Might be he ain't found another one yet.
All right, Chester.
You take him over, huh?
I got to do some work back at the office.
Okay, sir.
You come on along with me, Chen.
Very good.
We come.
And remember what I said about Rab and Braden, Chen.
You come tell me if they give you any trouble.
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Mr. Green at the Dodge house took a chance and hired Chen Wong that day.
And it turned out he wasn't lying about being a good cook.
He was about the best that we'd ever had in Dodge.
And neither was he lying about working hard.
Mr. Green let him sleep in a storeroom off the kitchen and there he stayed, out of sight
and for a while out of trouble.
There was some talk about Heath and Chynee and how we didn't need any of them in Dodge,
but nobody did anything about it.
And I was hoping everything was going to be all right.
Until one day when I happened to go up to Doc Adams office just to kill a little time.
Oh, hello, Matt.
Come in, come in.
How are you, Doc?
I'll be right with you, man.
As I finish with Chen Wong here.
Oh?
Oh, what's the matter with Chen?
There, lying right there.
That's what was the matter with him.
Oh, you lost the tooth, huh?
Well, Chen, you'd have been better off doing the job yourself.
Doc's as likely to pull a good one as a bad one.
Forgiveness isn't one of your greatest virtues, is it, man?
You know, I lost a perfectly good tooth that day, Doc, and you still charge me for it.
And why not?
I took the bad one out too, didn't I?
Oh, yeah, sure.
Finally, once you got sobered up.
When I got sobered, oh, I had been 48 hours without sleep.
I delivered two babies, 30 miles apart too, and in the dead of winter.
I should have let your jaw go on aching.
Might have taught you a lesson.
What kind of a lesson, Doc?
Humility.
Well, I always figured I was a pretty humble man.
Oh, yes, you did.
You humble.
Oh, you're about as humble as a Bronco Apache.
There you are, Chen.
I am too.
But you'd better let me take a look at that in there too.
Thank you, Doctor.
I'll come back.
How much do I owe you?
Five dollars.
May I pay you next time?
You see, I won't get my salary from Mr. Green until Saturday, and I have no money except
for that.
Why, sure, Chen.
Of course, any time.
Well, I'll be here.
Chen, the first time I saw you, you were being a belly good Chinese boy, all the time working
hard, catching job, that kind of a thing.
Is that not how a Chinese is supposed to talk, Marshal?
Well, I thought it was till just now.
Most of my countrymen do talk like that, Marshal.
English is a very difficult language for us.
Well, what about you?
I was more fortunate than most.
When I first came to America, I worked for a man who was very kind.
He taught me and made me study and practice several hours every day.
I see.
But why were you talking the other way when I first saw you?
Experience has taught me that many men resent a Chinese who does not talk the way they expect
him to.
I wish to avoid trouble.
Chen's on his way to China, Matt.
He's going home soon as he can save up enough money for his passage.
Oh, is that right?
Well, I wish you luck, Chen.
Thank you, Marshal.
I must get back to work now.
Good day, gentlemen.
So long, Chen.
So long.
Oh, you, uh... he's a nice fella, isn't he?
Yeah, he is, Doc.
You know, I believe him about being broke, too.
Oh, why shouldn't you?
Well, haven't you heard?
Heard what?
Well, that, bless Brayden and Howard Rab.
They've been saying Chen's got lots of money.
They say he keeps it hidden, that little box he has.
Huh?
No, I hadn't heard that, Doc.
Well, I don't believe a word of it.
I think he's broke, just like you said.
Well, it doesn't matter much.
Why?
What do you mean?
Well, that kind of talk going around, he's going to be in trouble.
There are men besides Brayden and Rab who would murder Chen for his money and not even
think it was a crime.
Yes, I suppose you're right, Matt.
I'd better go have a talk to Chen, Doc.
I'll see you later.
I had a talk with Chen, tried to get him to put his box in the bank and then let everybody
know that he'd done so.
But he said he wanted the box near him and that he'd keep it hidden in his room.
I couldn't argue him out of it and I knew there'd be trouble.
Sure enough, a couple of days later it happened, though not the way I'd expected.
It was noon and Chester and I were headed for the Dodge house to have a little dinner.
Mr. Dillon, you know what old Teeters has went and done?
Now what, Chester?
He has started charging 30 cents for a haircut.
Now can something be done about that?
Well, I can think of one thing, Chester.
What's that?
To get your hair grow.
Hello, Marshall.
Hello, John.
Let my hair grow and look like a buffalo hunter.
Hey, the restaurant looks mighty deserted, Mr. Dillon.
Maybe it's closed today.
Let's find out.
There's Mr. Green.
Hello, Green.
Are you closed today?
Hello, Marshall.
Chester.
Hello, Mr. Green.
I'm closed, Marshall.
I haven't got a cook.
What?
Chen.
He won't cook today.
I don't know what's the matter with him.
He won't cook today.
I don't know what's the matter with him.
He won't even talk.
Where is he?
Sitting in his room back there on the floor.
Just sitting there and staring at his hands.
Maybe he's sick.
No, he isn't sick.
But there's something wrong with him.
Maybe you can find out where it is, Marshall.
He might talk to you.
Okay, I'll try.
You better stay here, Chester.
All right.
It's the storeroom right off the kitchen, Marshall.
The door's open.
Yeah, okay.
I'll find it.
Thanks.
Hello, Chen.
Hello, Marshall.
Can I come in?
I'd like to talk to you.
Come in.
What's the matter, Chen?
Are you sick?
No.
Tell me something, do you have any problems with him?
Huh.
Tell me something, Chen.
What, Marshal?
Do you consider me a friend?
I believe you are.
Good. Well, then maybe you'll let me help you.
In what way?
Well, I don't know. You're gonna have to tell me what's wrong first.
It would be difficult for you to understand, Marshal.
Well, maybe, but tell me anyway.
I am Chinese, Marshal.
I have lived many years in America, but I am still Chinese.
Yeah. But, go on.
Years ago, my country was overrun by a tribe of tapas called the Manchus.
As they took each city, they required the inhabitants to shave around their heads, leaving only a long strand of hair to be braided into a queue.
It was a sign of subjugation, but that has been forgotten, and now the queue, or pigtail, as you call it, is of great importance to us.
Wait a minute, Chen. I just noticed. Where's yours?
To lose the queue is a great disgrace to us, Marshal.
Yeah, I've heard that. Well, who did it, Chen?
Two men. The same two.
The braiden and the rab?
They came here last night. They wanted my treasure box.
And you wouldn't tell them where it is, so they cut off your pigtails, had it?
They took it away with them, Marshal. That makes my disgrace even worse.
Ah. Chen, I think maybe I understand how you feel about this. Would it help any if I get it back for you?
I am a peaceful man, Marshal, but if I do not get it back, I must kill those two.
No. No, now don't you go kill them, anybody. You let me handle this, huh?
I am very sorry, Marshal, for all the trouble.
You wait here, Chen. I'll see what I can do.
You find them, Tesser?
They're in there, Mr. Dillon. Standing over at the bar.
Good.
Place is about empty except for braiden and rab.
Are they drunk?
I don't know. I didn't talk to them.
There they are.
They are.
Well, it ain't Marshal Dillon.
Hey, you gonna buy us a drink? Hey, Marshal.
I thought I told you you were meant to stay away from Chen Wong.
Chen Wong? Well, now what's he yelling about?
His pigtail. He wants it back.
I don't know what you're talking about, Marshal.
We ain't seen Chen since the day he first come here.
He went to his room last night and Jen cut off his pigtail
when he wouldn't tell you where his treasure box was.
You know he didn't, Marshal. I don't even know where his room is.
Chen's been lying to you, Marshal. All them heathen foreigners is liars.
I want that pigtail, rab. Now, where is it?
I don't know nothing about it, I tell you.
What are you standing up for him for? He ain't even a citizen.
I don't care what he is. I'm standing up for him.
Well, it wasn't us. Honest, Marshal, we didn't do it.
Well, maybe I ought to beat the truth out of you, huh?
We're telling you the truth now, Marshal.
I don't believe you.
Now, you get that pigtail back to Chen or you're in trouble.
What do you mean trouble? You'll find out when it's too late.
And there's nothing I can do to stop it.
I went back to Chen and tried to explain things to him.
He didn't say much, but I could see that his mind was made up.
And so I told him what had happened if he killed anybody.
But that didn't bother him.
He said he'd kill himself when it was over.
And then I got mad at him for being so stubborn.
And I was sorry for it right away.
I guess he figured I didn't understand the truth.
I guess he figured I didn't understand after all.
So I left him feeling pretty helpless.
Well, that night he made his first move.
I found out about it at the Texas Trail where I dropped in to say hello to Kitty.
It sure has been a long day, Matt.
I'm worn out and I got the whole night ahead of me yet.
Oh, what happened today, Kitty?
Oh, Sam over there got the bright idea of offering every other drink on the house
to any soldier that walked in here.
Well, that's one way of keeping this saloon full.
Sure is.
If it goes on, I might as well move out to Fort Dodge and join the Army.
I think it'd be easier.
You know something, I think they'd be glad to have you, Kitty.
I mean as a soldier.
Hey, that's an idea of lady soldiers.
There are darn few jobs women couldn't do anywhere.
Marshal Dillon? Marshal?
What's on your mind, Rap?
That Chinaman, that's what.
He's haunting us, me and Braden.
If he don't stop it, I'm going to put a bullet in him.
What do you mean he's haunting you?
Well, all afternoon he's been following us wherever we go.
He just stands around staring at us.
Drives a man crazy after a while.
I'm warning you, Marshal, I'm going to shoot him.
Good, then I can come to your hangin'.
What's the matter with her anyway?
Rab, I told you before to give Chin back his pigtail.
He won't bother you if you do.
You still believe him, don't you, Marshal?
Yeah, I believe him.
It's a fine thing when the U.S. Marshal takes the word of a stinkin' dirty little...
Shut up!
Get out of here, Rap.
Go on.
All right.
I'm going.
Matt, you better do something about that.
I'll kill Chin, sure.
Unless he kills him first, Kitty.
I'll go tell Chester to keep an eye on him.
I'll see you later.
Music
We will return for the last act of gun smoke in just a moment.
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Nancy, why do you smoke Chesterfield?
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Gracious, I sure am sorry, Mr. Dillon.
Where did you lose them Chester?
Well, sir, they were in the alley for games of having a drink.
And I was watching them like you told me.
Then a fellow came up to me and we started talking.
And next time I looked, they were gone.
All three of them.
So I came after you.
I will find them.
Yes, sir, I sure do hope so.
Ken was carrying his little box, Mr. Dillon, right under his arm.
Hey, look over there.
What?
What's everybody crowding up the alley for?
Go see.
All right, fellas, let the marshal through here now.
Stand back, everybody.
Stand back.
Mr. Dillon, he's chance.
Yeah.
He's been strangled, Chester.
Strangled?
With his pig tail.
They gave it back to him, all right.
Hey, look there.
It's a knife.
It's got blood all over it, too.
Yeah, give it to me.
It's a butcher knife.
Ken must have cut one of them.
Maybe both.
That'll make it easier to crack them.
Yeah.
All you men stay here.
I don't want anybody following us, you understand?
All right, come on, Chester.
Easy now, they may be waiting for us.
Yeah.
There's something laying over there by that rain barrel.
Huh?
It's man.
Yeah.
That's Howard Rab, Chester.
Looks like Chen cut him up pretty bad.
Is he dead?
Yeah, he's dead.
Well, now let's find Braden.
Get out, Chester.
Go on back, marshal.
You ain't gonna kill me.
I'm not gonna kill you.
I'm not gonna kill you.
Go on back, marshal. You ain't gonna take me.
He's out by that shed there, Mr. Dillon.
Yeah.
Now look, you stay here, Chester, and keep down.
I'm gonna crawl up to where I can see him.
I'll yell at him a little to keep his attention.
Okay.
You ain't got a chance, Braden.
Go on back, I tell you.
That's mighty poor shooting, Braden.
You must be awful scared.
Did Chen get his knife into you, too?
You stand up, Chester. I'll be happy to kill you.
All right, drop your gun, Braden.
No! No!
Okay, Chester.
Did you kill him?
Yeah, I killed him.
Oh, sure, I guess you had to.
Now, there's Chen's treasure box. Chester, pick it up, will you?
Here it is, sir.
I guess that's what they killed him for.
Must be full of money after all.
Yeah, let's take a look.
Yeah, sure, by golly, it is money.
Yeah, this much is money, Chester.
Four dollars.
Four dollars? Is that all?
Yeah, that's all.
What's that other paper?
It's like a match, Chester. Will you hold it over here?
Well, looks like kind of a document, don't it?
What's it say?
I can't see it very well.
Yeah, something about Chen Lang Wong,
who was of invaluable service, intelligence,
General McClellan's army of the Potomac
and then she'll her campaign, March 1862.
In recognition...
Chen Lang Wong is hereby granted full citizenship
of the United States.
I'd you list as grand president.
Well, I'll be doggone.
Yeah, looks like Chen wasn't exactly a foreigner after all,
doesn't it?
Poor little fella.
Chester.
Yes, sir?
I'm gonna take this letter out to Colonel Mast at Fort Dodge.
I got an idea he might want to give Chen Wong a military burial.
Oh, that'd be fine.
And while I'm gone,
you can drag these other two off and
throw them in a hole on Boothill.
Here is our star, William Conrad.
Whether you like a long cigarette or a regular-sized smoke,
it's my opinion your best bet is Chesterfield,
regular or king.
You can't beat him for a good taste, for a mild smoke.
Try Chesterfield.
Gunsmoke, transcribed 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 Edgar Berrier, Lawrence Dobkin,
Paul Dubov, and John Dana.
Harley Bear as Chester, Howard McNear as Doc,
and Georgia Ellis as Kitty.
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.
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Next week at this same time, Chesterfield will bring you
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This is the CBS Radio Network.