This Plotline was written by Stewart Wright and is printed with his permission.

GUNSMOKE
Heat Spell
06/21/1952
Script by Lou Houston

EPISODE NOTE:
The cover page of the script for this episode, which contains cast, crew and production information, lists the title, Heat Spell.

PLOT
It's mid-July and Dodge City is having a long, dry heat spell. Matt and Chester go to the depot and see the new Parson who is arriving on the train.
Within seconds of its arrival, one passenger shoots and kills another. When the killer shoots at Dillon, he returns fire killing the man.
The newly arrived Parson Kirkland is irate that the Marshal has killed the man and calls Matt a murderer.

A short time later Doc reports a brawl in the Alafraganza that has left one man dead and a couple men wounded.
When Matt and Chester arrive they find out that the dead man is Wade Grider, the son of one Dodge's meanest citizens.
Old man Grider blames the young Parson for starting the brawl and Wade's death.

The Marshal soon realizes that he won't be able to find out who killed Wade, too many patrons were shooting.
Dillon remarks to the clergyman that Dodge has not been very peaceful since the Parson's arrival and tells him to stay out of saloons and practice his profession of saving souls in church.

The following Sunday Doc Adams stops by the jail to see the Marshal.
Doc tells him the new Parson just gave "the best doggone sermon that's ever been preached in Dodge!"
Parson Kirkland made quite an impression on the congregation in the packed church.

A few minutes later the Parson shows up to talk with Matt. After some small talk, the two men begin to find common ground.
Kirkland admits to being too eager to make good on his first posting and apologizes for calling Matt "a murderer."
The Parson feels directly responsible for the two killings at the depot because he was talking to the two men on the train; "expressing my views rather strongly."
The two men started to argue. The argument escalated and ended in tragedy. Matt replies that the Parson is needed in Dodge.

Just then Chester rushes up and tells them that somebody has set fire to the church.
Matt tells the Parson that there is only one man in Dodge mean enough to do this: old man Grider.
Both the Marshal and the Parson know that it will be unlikely that it can be proven that Grider did it.

A few days later the Parson encounters Grider and his son, Sut. Old man Grider strikes the clergyman, who turns the other cheek.
This infuriates Grider and he and Sut savagely beat the Parson and dump him in front of the jail. Matt asks the dying Parson if the Griders beat him?
He refuses to answer until Matt promises that there will be no retaliation.
Then Kirkland says, "Yes. No more killings, Matt - - vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord" and dies.

Matt and Chester search for the Griders. They find the drunken pair at the lumber yard.
Old man Grider shoots at Matt, but, because of his promise to the Parson, the Marshall won't return fire.
Sut climbs up on a lumber pile to keep watch on Chester. The pile collapses and kills the elder Grider.
Chester shows Matt a tag on the lumber: "For the new church." The Lord has had His vengeance.

As the Parson's burial ends, it begins to rain. The heat spell is over.

CAST
William Conrad as Matt Dillon
Parley Baer as Chester (Chester Proudfoot)
Howard McNear as Doc (Doc Adams)
John Stephenson as Kirkland (Parson David Kirkland)
John Dehner as Grider
Paul Frees as Sut (Sut Grider)
Paul Frees as Curly
Nestor Paiva as Jake
Jack Kruschen as Bill
Jack Kruschen as Voice