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 a 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
I'm so dry I'm spitting cotton, Mr. Dillon.
Hey, you can fill up at the long branch when we get back to Dodge, Chester.
Yes sir, but right now I'd even settle for a drink of water.
You can't be that thirsty.
I declare I'm about to stampede.
You think there might be a spring in that clump of elder up yonder?
Yeah, it might be.
I swear next time I'm going to carry me a water bag.
Keep it wrapped in your pillow, I suppose.
You know, town life has made you mighty soft, Chester.
That's far enough.
You've got a rifle, Mr. Dillon.
Yeah.
Who are you men?
We're looking for water. Is there a spring in there?
I said who are you? What's your name?
My name's Matt Dillon.
And I'm Chester Proudfoot.
You don't worry me.
And I never heard of no Dillon.
Then you shouldn't mind if we get a little water.
Okay.
But you'll have to drop them gun belts first.
I'm sorry.
You hurt me.
You can't shoot both of us, mister.
Who is it, R?
One of them's called Dillon.
Dillon from Dodge?
That's what he says.
Bring him in here. He'll help us.
He's a U.S. Marshal.
A Marshal?
Yeah, that's right.
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 Spinner.
I never heard of him either.
What's the matter? Has he been shot or something?
Busted his leg.
No? Well, there's a doctor in Dodge.
Well, I can't get him there alone.
We'll help you if you'll put that rifle down.
Well, okay.
I found him lying out there on the prairie this morning, Marshal.
Horse throwed him and I drug him into the shade here.
You mean you're not traveling with her?
No, I just stopped to help.
You really, Marshal Dillon?
That's right. I don't remember you.
Well, I ain't never been to Dodge.
Heard your name, Moe.
You live around here, Spinner?
No, I've been working in a saloon down Tascosa.
Wanted to change, so I bought me a horse and rode north.
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 ain't to drag me there.
Well, I've been drug as far as I'm gonna be.
I had to get you out of the sun, Spinner.
He's mighty rough about it.
He saved your life, mister.
Why shouldn't he save my life?
Oh, ungrateful, mean, tempered people.
He's been like that all day.
But I figure it's cause his leg hurts.
Of course it hurts.
I busted mine once. I know what it feels like.
Poor fellow.
Harp, you want to help get him into Dodge or you want to keep going?
Well, I got no place special to go.
I'd kind of like to see Dodge anyway.
All right, then let's get busy.
Luckily, Spinner 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 then 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.
He seemed honest enough.
Six weeks later he was still in Dodge, gambling some but not causing any trouble.
Doc and I were talking about him one day in my office.
You know what he did, Matt? About three or four weeks ago.
What, Doc?
He came and offered to pay Spinner's bill.
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.
What, did you take his money?
I did not. Spinner can pay me himself.
And he'd better go to work too, pretty soon.
He's already walking around without a cane.
I take it you don't like Spinner much, Doc.
Do you?
Well, nobody does and I know of.
You know, I don't believe he's even thanked Joe Harp for saving his life, man.
Well, time to feed his coming into the mail, Mr. Dillon.
Oh, hello, Doc.
Yeah, it's just, see that brown piece of mail looks official.
It is.
Want to open it up now, Mr. Dillon?
Yeah, I guess I better. I might have my paycheck in it.
Here you are.
Thank you.
Yeah.
No.
No checks.
Just some new wanted circuits.
What's the matter?
Hmm.
Here, Chester, take a look.
Oh, my goodness.
Here, look at that, Doc.
Let me see.
Wanted, dead or alive, reward $500 for bank robbery and murder while escaping.
Joseph Harp.
Age 32, sandy hair, six feet tall, blue eyes.
That's him, all right.
Signed by the sheriff, city of Denver, Colorado territory.
You going to arrest him, man?
Can't you pretend you didn't get it or something, Mr. Dillon?
You can stay here if you like, Chester.
No, sir, I didn't mean that.
All right, and you take the Texas Trail, the Longhorn, and the Oasis,
while looking at this boarding house at the edge of town,
and I'll come back to the Long Branch.
You'll meet me there if you see him first, huh?
Yes, sir.
All right, get going.
Kitty?
You look like you've been eating cockleburrs, Matt.
I don't see Joe Harp around.
Well, he left. Why?
Chester got here yet?
No.
Is there some kind of trouble, Matt?
I'm after Harp, Kitty.
How long ago did he leave?
Oh, just a little while ago.
He was over there gambling, as usual, and then that Spiener came running in
and said something to him, and they both left.
Spiener?
Somebody ought to take him out and bury him somewhere.
Well, I couldn't find him, no worries, Miss Bill.
Poor Miss Kitty.
Chester, what's this all about, anyway?
Harp's wanted for murder, Miss Kitty.
For murder? Joe Harp?
That's just what Spiener said when I told him.
He just couldn't believe it.
You told Spiener?
Yes, sir. I ran into him, and then 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?
Yeah, what?
I guess I just wasn't thinking when I told Spiener about Joe Harp.
I didn't know he was going to run off and warn him.
Well, next time I'll send you out with a potato rammed in your mouth.
Yes, sir. I just wish you would.
Oh, forget it, Chester.
At least it shows Spiener 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 done it.
Yeah.
Now, hold up a minute.
Look there.
Oh!
Spiener. He's got his hands up.
Yeah. Get your rifle out, Chester, and keep your eyes open.
All right, come on.
Don't shoot, Marshal. I ain't done nothing.
Where's Harp?
In that draw by me.
Any tricks and you'll die, Spiener.
I ain't no outlaw.
And Harp ain't gonna pull no tricks neither.
You just follow me.
I swear I don't understand this talking to Mr. Dillon.
Just follow him, Chester.
Yes, sir.
There's his horse.
Yeah. There he is.
Well, he's been hurt.
Yeah, he sure has.
Well, there's your man, Marshal.
Did you do this, Spiener?
I tried to talk him into giving himself up, but he wouldn't listen.
And then he tried to draw him.
I can tell from the way he's lying that you shot him in the back, Spiener.
What difference does it make? He's an outlaw, ain't he?
Yeah. $500 worth of outlaw, Spiener.
If you live to collect it.
We buried Joe Harp on the prairie where he'd been killed.
And then rode back to Dodge.
That night I wrote out a wire to the sheriff in Denver claiming the reward for Harry Spiener.
Then I showed it to Spiener and I told him to keep it quiet.
And also to stay out of my sight.
He did.
About a week later I had to send Chester to find him and bring him into my office.
Here he is, Mr. Dillon.
Come over here, Spiener.
Like you said, Marshal, I ain't talked to nobody.
I had a wire from Denver this afternoon. Everything's all right.
The money will be here in another week or so.
Oh. I thought it'd come now.
There it is.
Well, I thought you said it wasn't here yet.
I'm paying you out of government funds.
Oh. Well, that's fine.
I didn't think you'd mind very much how you got the money.
Marshal, I only done my duty.
Count it.
That's all right. I'm sure it's all here, Marshal.
I said count it.
All right.
One, two, three, four, five.
You satisfied?
Five hundred. That's right.
Spiener, nobody knows about this. Yet they think I killed Joe Harp.
But before they learn who did, I advise that you clear out of Dodge and stay out.
Why? I didn't do nothing wrong.
I want you to tell me something. Is Harp the first man you've killed?
Of course he is.
You know, there are men around here who 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.
Well, they can't do nothing about it. It was plum legal.
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, Spiener, I warned you.
I'm going to get rich, Marshal.
I'll show them. Real rich.
Get out of here.
I'm going.
["The Star-Spangled Banner"]
Sit down, man.
Thanks, Kitty.
Did you drink?
No, no thanks.
Spiener was in.
How 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 do you keep it such a secret, Matt?
What were you protecting him from, that milk-liver little sneak?
The law doesn't separate people that way, Kitty.
Now 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 Harper saved his life.
I'd have caught Harp anyway.
Well, I know, but somehow that's different.
Yeah, it's a lot different.
That's a pretty dress you're wearing, Kitty.
Close your eyes, Matt.
What?
Go on, close your eyes.
Okay, but what's this for?
Now, tell me what color this dress is.
Color? Well, it's...
It's blue, Matt.
Blue, yeah, yeah, sure. I was just about to say that.
Yeah, I know.
Blue.
Speaking of colors, look what's coming.
Ah, Spinner. I don't know about a shot of him yet.
It's never too late.
Marsha Dillon?
Yeah, Spinner.
I just tried to buy a drink over to the Texas Trail.
And they wouldn't serve you. Good.
I ain't talking to you.
Marshal, two men threatened to kill me right there at the bar.
That's funny.
What do you mean funny?
Now, most men around here don't waste much time on threats.
Look, I demand protection.
And I won't spend the night hiding in jail, neither.
Okay.
Then you'll come with me.
No.
What?
I can't protect you any more than I already have, Spinner,
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 to you.
I am a citizen, and I demand...
Get out of town, Spinner. Get out now.
Mr. Dillon?
Yeah?
Mr. Dillon, could you loan me a dollar?
I kind of went broke last night.
Oh, gambling, huh?
Yes, sir.
All right.
Here you are, Chester.
Thank you.
Wait a minute.
You told me you swore off gambling a week ago.
You even took an oath, didn't you?
I did. I sure did.
Well, then how come you went broke gambling last night?
No, sir.
Look, I said I went broke, and you said gambling?
And I said yes, but I didn't say I was gambling.
All right, all right, Chester.
Just keep the dollar and go spend it somewhere.
I won't get there, but look, you don't understand.
You see, I got it all figured out.
I swore off gambling, all right, but what I do now is to hire a fella,
and I give him the money, and then he goes and sets there and does...
Marshall Dillon?
Oh, hello, boss.
Marshall, my horse come back.
Oh, what horse?
With the one Spinner bought off me when he left town.
Spinner's been gone five days.
I know, but my horse come back, Marshall, alone.
It's a saddled?
Yes, sir, but it ain't my saddle. It's Spinner's.
That means somebody must have caught up with him, Mr. John.
All right, we'll start looking for him.
I can tell you where to look, Marshall.
What?
That horse has got red mud all over his legs,
and there's only one place I know where he'd get into red mud around here.
That water and hole, Granby Springs?
That's right, Marshall.
See, do I get to keep the horse?
I don't know, boss. I'll tell you when I get back.
Mr. Dillon, I just thought of something.
What, Chester?
Well, Granby Springs is only about 30 miles from Dodge.
Spinner could have made it easy the first morning he left.
So?
Well, if he was killed there, how come nobody's found him and reported it yet?
I don't know, Chester, but there are the springs. We'll find out soon.
Sure.
Hey, look down there.
Yeah.
That's him, Mr. John.
He sure does look dead.
I don't see no bullet hole.
No.
He's still breathing, Chester. Go get some water.
Spinner.
Spinner, can you hear me?
All right, Chester, pour a little on his head. Maybe that'll do it.
That enough?
Yeah.
Spinner?
Marshall?
Marshall.
What happened?
What's the matter? You sick?
A horse kicked me in the belly. Busted me all up inside.
No?
I...I hate horses.
What of this happen?
First day.
I got off to get me a drink here.
I hung on to the reins till yesterday.
But I was too weak.
Mr. John?
Down what?
These fresh tracks all around here. And not just that horse of his, neither.
Sure there's fresh tracks.
Three, four men been by here.
Three, four men?
They just sat and looked at me, Marshall.
They didn't say nothing.
Just sat and looked at me.
And then they rode off.
Every one of them.
They seen who it was, Mr. Dillon, that's what.
Yeah.
Marshall, I'm gonna die.
We'll try to get you back, Spinner.
Oh, no. It's too late.
There went something.
Spinner?
He's dead, Fester.
Has he?
They just left him here to die.
That was a pretty cruel way of showing their sense of honor.
But that's just what they did.
They just left him.
Gun Smoke.
Produced and directed in Hollywood by Norman McDonald, stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshal.
Marley Bear as Chester, Howard McNear as Doc, and Georgia Ellis as Kitty.
This is George Walsh inviting you to join us again next week when CBS Radio presents another story on Gun Smoke.