 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 the U.S. Marshal and the smell of 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. Oh, Matt, thank heaven you're here. Jeannie, what's the matter? Good morning, Miguel. Hello, Chester. Matt, I've got to talk to you. All right. You folks will have to excuse me. I can't be puttin' around the office all day. I'll be in the back if you want. What is it, Jeannie? Matt, he's here in Dodge City. Ed Bodre. I just saw him. He came in on the morning train. He's here? Yes. It's been four years, Matt. I'd begun to hope he'd forget, or hope he wouldn't find us. But he's come here looking for Bert to kill him. He swore he would. Oh, Matt, what are we gonna do? Now, wait a minute, Jeannie. Wait a minute. Just take it easy. Now, what does Bert think about it? He doesn't know yet. He's busy at the blacksmith shop. Oh, Matt, you've got to help us. You're the only real friend we've got out here. Well, I'm supposed to maintain law and order in Dodge. That's my job. It doesn't leave much leeway to mix in on personal quarrels. There's no quarrel? It's just that Ed Bodre's a hot-tempered fool. Bert never did anything to him. He married you, didn't he? Woman has the right to change her mind, Matt. Well, maybe Bodre doesn't think so. Matt, you... you promised me once a long time ago. Yeah. Yeah, I know, Jeannie. All right, you go on home. Don't say anything to Bert. I'll talk to Bodre. Thank you, Matt. Bye, Matt. Chester. Yes, sir, Mr. John? Did Mrs. Wells leave? Yeah. They sure are a fine couple of wells. Do you know them for they come on out west? Not Bert, I know Mrs. Wells. Well, I guess we'd better drop over the long branch, Chester. There's a man in town who may be planning to do some killing. Want to drink, Matt? I'm not right now, Kitty. I'm looking for somebody I thought he might be. Stranger? Yeah, his name's Ed Bodre. Oh, yes. Oh, there at the bar mass. Third from the end. Next to Tulsa Jim Nixon. All right, thanks, Kitty. Come on, Chester. All right, bartender. Set up another round for the house. Yes, sir. Your name, Bodre? That's right, mister. I'm Matt Dullin. I want to talk to you. Well, fine. Go ahead and talk. Tulsa, suppose you move on down the bar for a couple of minutes. Well, now, Marshal, what's the idea? This man's a friend of mine. Well, you're not very particular about your friends. Go on, Tulsa Drift. You came here to kill Bert Wells, didn't you? Did I? Well, here's some advice. You take the next train and you get out of town. Is that official? What's the charge? None yet. Murder if you go through with it. Murder is one thing, calling a man in a fair fight is another thing. Bodre, I'm the law here in Dodge, and I don't see it as a fair fight. Bert's a blacksmith, and he's not used to handling a gun. You are. So I'm told. Now, who told you, Marshal? I don't know anybody here. Wait a minute. Bert's wife, Jeannie. Yeah, I've heard Jeannie mention you. Said you knew her back in Louisville. That was before she ran off. Well, leave her out of this, Bodre. So that is it. This isn't official. You're just doing a personal favor for an old friend. Probably a very close friend. Jeannie always did have a weakness. All right, get up, Bodre. That was a mistake, Dylan. I'm not a blacksmith, Bodre. I'll look you up as soon as I finished with Bert Wells. If you'll kill Bert, you won't have to look me up. You come in. I want to talk to you, Bert. About what, man? Ed Bodre's in town. In some time. Jeannie just happened to see him get off the train this morning as she came and told me. She shouldn't have done it, Matt. It's not your problem. Well, maybe it is, Bert. The law doesn't like the idea of personal grudges ending up in a killing. What do you aim to do? Prevent it? If I can. Well, I wish you luck. You haven't worn that gun for two years, Bert. Why start now? I got no choice, Matt. Do you know that? You got no chance. If you let Bodre call a showdown, he'll kill you. Maybe. Look, Bert, why don't you take him to the prairie? Hold up for a week or so. Well, I figure some way of running Bodre out of town, huh? Would you do it, Matt? Hide out and let somebody else do you fighting for you? What I'd do is... That's beside the point, Bert. There's a law against killing and it's Matt's job to enforce it. If you went away, there wouldn't be any fight. Wouldn't be much honor either, Janie. A man can't run, still call himself a man. He can run from a mad dog, and that's what Ed Bodre is. He never had any claim on me. But it appears he thought he did. You know, were Bodre staying? Well, I talked to him in the long branch. He probably took one of the rooms upstairs. You like to walk over there with me? That's the way you want it. No, Bert, you... I'll get my hat. Be right with you. Matt, you've got to stop it. Ah, Janie. I don't know, but there must be something you can do. Yeah, the way it's shaping up, I can probably arrest the survivor. Turn back, Bert. Braden out, Matt. He'll be back there in Kentucky five years or so. Janie wanted to run away and avoid trouble. She was so beautiful, it's hard to argue with it. Be hard on her if anything happened to you. Life's always hard on a woman, I guess. I won't draw unless he does. I was just going out to your place to call on you, well, and decided you'd had plenty of time to look me up. No reason to, Bodre. Most men had figured they had reason. Somebody in the local saloon's been telling their wife's history. Bodre, you... All right, hold it. You're fast with that gun, Dylan. Fast enough, Mr. Bodre. You make a good bodyguard. Too bad you can't ride herd 24 hours a day. I told you what to expect if you kept pushing things this way. Now, use some sense, get out of town while you're still alive. I've been in a lot of towns, Dylan, and I left them all alive. Well, I've been planning to kill you for nearly five years. Plans don't always work out. This one will. You got till sundown. After that, I'm going to shoot you on sight. All right, Mr. Bodre, you've spoken your peace, and I'll move along. Well, sure, Marshall. See you later, Will. Still a couple of hours before sundown. I think I'd like to spend them with Jeannie. I'll see you, Matt. Yeah, sure. Goodbye, Bird. You're nervous as a cat. There's nothing you can do now. Well, maybe not. Another killing. You in the middle again. Why, Matt? Why do you do it? It's a job, Kitty. Somebody's got to do it. Why you? There are other things in life that you look around for. Maybe I will someday. Sure. Well, Matt, I brought my kit all prepared. We're the victims. No victims yet, Doc. Good jumping the gun. Well, I understand it's going to be a real showdown. The boys get the fire off in two to one on Thursday. Well, that's about the odds, I figured. The shooting really starts. Well, it'll start all right. There's not a thing in the world that can prevent it. Yeah, Chasse, what are you doing in here? I told you to watch the street, didn't I? I guess I knew he did, but I guess he ain't going to be no fight. What? They just found Baudry laying in the alley down the block. Somebody snuck up behind him with a hammer. He's dead. No, and he might have skipped out. What about his wife, though? I don't know, Chester. I can't figure any of this. It's not like Bert to pull a trick. Hold it! Don't move! I got Chester with me. Official, Matt? Official. Oh, here. Why did you do it, Bert? What do you mean? If it had been a gunfight, the law couldn't have touched you. The circumstances were all in your favor, but this way they'll call it murder. Now, what are you talking about? It's no use. You left the hammer line right beside his body. It's got your shop brand carved in the handle. Whose body are you talking about? Baudry. Matt, you're making a mistake. I went looking for Baudry, yeah, but I didn't find him. And I come back here. I'm afraid to leave Jeannie in the house alone. I didn't do it, Matt. You're wrong. It's not up to me, Bert. It's the court's job. All I can do is take you in. I got no choice. What about Jeannie? I've got to tell her. Chester will take care of it. You'd better if you'd do it, Matt. Your friend, that'd make it easier. I, uh, I'd rather not if you don't mind. Now, let's go. All right, Bert. Four years, we've been friends, Matt. I never thought I'd come to this. Neither did I. You see, you didn't find any money on him. Could've been robbery. I made it look like robbery. Either way, there's nothing I can do. Now go ahead. I'll bring you some blankets and tobacco. If you want anything else, let me know. I wish I knew how Jeannie was taking it. She'll be all right, Bert. She's a fine girl. Look out for her, would you, Matt? You know, a man's job is one thing. Friendship is another. This prairie country is rough and wild at best and without the law, nobody could survive on it. And that means putting friendship aside sometimes. But a man still doesn't forget, Bert. Yeah, get your prisoner tucked in safely, Matt. Yeah. What about Baudry, Doc? He's dead. A blacksmith hammer makes a mighty fine weapon. At least we're sneaking up behind him. I can't figure Bert doing that. It's not like him. I can't figure it either. What would you say his chances are? Bad. The straw's all point one way. Maybe somebody's been messing with a straw stack. That's a good question, Matt. The court will ask it. If he ever gets there. What does that mean? Kitty came and told me a while ago that some of the boys down at the long range are kind of riled up. They're talking real loose. They're just mad because they've lost their source of free drinks. Maybe so. But you better keep your eyes open, Matt. Oh, I know that pack, Doc. They hunt in the dark and pull down stragglers and mostly they just talk. Don't worry about it. Bert's in jail and that's where he's going to stay. Well... but for you, I'd still keep my eyes open. I'm here. What were you doing sitting here in the dark? Jenny, you shouldn't have come. I want to see Bert. No visitors after dark as a jail rule. Rules don't have to be enforced. Well, mind you, Bert's a prisoner the same as any other prisoner. He's charged with murder. He didn't do it, Matt. That's not for me to say. You know he didn't. You know Bert, you know he wouldn't do a thing like that. Sneak up behind a man in the dark. Jenny, I'm not the court. I know. And they'll believe he did it. And the night train's coming in. Help us not bring it in trouble. The night train came in and trained it. Matt, I want to see Bert. I told you that little fool. Now Jenny, give me that gun. No, now warn you, Matt, you stay back. Give me that gun. No, Matt, so help me. I said, hand it on. But what did you hope to gain by that? Oh, no. Get Bert out. Maybe I don't know. You feeling? Yeah, what is it, Chester? I just come from a long branch. I think there's going to be some trouble. Yeah, that's what Doc said. The bunch of hangs around there's doing a lot of drinking and talking up the idea coming over here at the jail. Oh, no. Maybe we ought to go over there and do some talking ourselves. Jenny, you go back home and you stay there the whole morning. Don't worry about this. Nothing's going to happen. But, Matt, you can't handle that crowd alone. I've been handling things alone for a long time. All right, Chester. You over there, been in the bar? Yeah, he struck up an acquaintance with Baudry when he first got off the train. Guess he figures he's an old partner by now. I got some business with the boys at the bar. But that's what I mean. Tell us, well, Jim's been buying them drinks for the last two hours. They're in a pretty nasty mood. So? So be careful, Matt. Let's all just be careful. Kitty and the carefulest man you know. But what kind of a law is it that lets a man sneak up behind somebody in the dark and murder him in cold blood? I don't know, Tulsa. You tell me. Dylan. Now, don't let me interrupt you. You were doing fine. And this is quite an audience. You've got all the panhandlers, bums and barflies and dodge. That's quite a collection. Call the names. We'll change the facts. What facts? A friend of yours, Burt Wells, that sneak and cowardly murderer. That's for the court to decide, Tulsa. The court. He'll turn him loose. They'll work hand in glove with you. Dylan, we're not going to stand for it. So you're not going to stand for it, huh? Just what are you planning to do? You'll find out in due time. Bartender, set him up again, all around. Now, you've turned into quite a free spender, Tulsa. I never knew you to... a double-eagle gold piece. You mind if I take a look at it? It's good. Don't worry about that. Where did you get it? That's my business. So you're the one who killed Bodrie? That's a lie. I thought Robin name was just a cover-up, but it wasn't. There aren't many double-eagles around Dodge. Bodrie had a lot of them. And now you. Where would you get a pocket full of gold pieces, Tulsa? Wells killed Bodrie. That blacksmith ammo was lying right beside it. Yes, right where you left it. Tulsa Jim came into my husband's shop late this afternoon. His horse had thrown a shoe. He had plenty of chance to steal her ammo. She's lying. Where did you get the gold, Tulsa? I won in poker game last week when the trail herd was in. Tulsa, you're under arrest for murder. Oh, no, you never take me. You better get up on end quest. Oh, I'm sorry, Max. You never give me any chance to practice on live people. You wouldn't know what to do with them. Well, I do get fewer complaints this way. Max, Max, does this mean Bert's free? You shouldn't have come here, Jeannie. Yeah, he's free. Chester will go with you over to the jail and let him out. Oh, thank you, Max. Thanks for everything. You told me one time in Louisville that... Louisville? That was a long time ago. A long way off. Goodbye, Jeannie. Goodbye, Max. What's it all about, Max? What's anything all about, Kenny? You knew her before, didn't you? I saw quite a lot of her for... and then I... tripped it out west. And then Mrs. Out on things by drifting? I told her then that... she ever needed help. She could call on me. Well, she called and you helped her. I guess. Well, anyway, that's... Max. Yeah, Kenny. When are you gonna help us?