 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 U.S. Marshal and the smell of gun smoke. 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, the 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. These new boots off and pruning, rushing around like this. Hey, where's the fire, Chester? I'm sorry, Miss Kitty. I just ain't got time to stop and visit. I got to get over to the office and tell Mr. Dillon something. Well, it must be awesome. Of course it is. Yes, ma'am. It sure is. I'm sorry, Miss Kitty. I'll see you later. Come on, get me around here. Mr. Dillon? Mr. Dillon. Mr. Dillon. Mr. Dillon. I've got 35 cents in this pot. Cards, ma'am. Let me see. The doc, you're just going to have to hold up the game. Yeah, I'll be honest. Give me three. All right. One, two. There you go, ma'am. Mr. Dillon, I've got to talk to you. Hold it a minute. Will you, Chester? How about to win myself 35 cents? Yeah, and you might be about to get killed, too. And I'm taking one card, Matt. I'm taking one. Mr. Dillon, there's a fellow road in the town looking for you. I just heard him over at the Dodge House asking about you. And I'm raising another five cents. Praise, huh? You're losing your head, aren't you, Doc? He's currently young, but I think he's a gunman. Mr. Dillon, I think he's heading over here. Now, if you ask me, I think he's coming over here to kill somebody. Howdy. Oh, my goodness. One of you fellows, Marshall Dillon? Yeah, I am. My name's Crowley Tobin, Marshall. How are you, Mr. Tobin? Will you wait just a minute? All right, doc. I'm calling him. Two pair, Matt. King's high. I guess that's enough. Just a minute, Doc. Three sevens? That'll be three sevens. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. All the sneaky luck. Thanks, Doc. Chester, is this the fellow that's... Yes, yes, he is. What can I do for you, Mr. Tobin? Well, I'm a special deputy from California, Marshall. Oh, for the... I'm after a man who's wanted for stage hold up and murder. I got reason to think he's here in Dodge. Name's Jess Rickard. You know him? Yeah, we know him. He's been around for a couple of weeks. You know where I can find him? No, not right this minute at all. Tell you what, you leave the warrant with me, though. I'll pick him up for you sometime this evening. I'll do the picking up, if you don't mind. All I ask you is where I can find him. What about your authority? You're kind of out of your territory. I'll worry about authority after I get Ricky. You know what he's like? He's tough with his hands and fast with his... I didn't come here crying for help. How long you been a lawman? Two months, if it's any of your business. Uh-huh. Now, that's your first assignment. What difference does that make? What are you trying to say? I ain't big enough to handle it? Now, wait just a minute. You think I can't bring a man in without run to get somebody else to do my job? Nobody's doubting your ability. Look, Marshall, if you got the idea there's a reward out for this, fella. You're crazy. Are you? Yeah, easy. I never took any reward on a lot lower in my life. Well, then what's your reason for trying to horn in on this? None that you'd understand, Tobin. All right, I don't know where just Ricker holds up, but he always hits the saloons in the evening. Around nine o'clock. Either the lady gay or the long branch. Thanks. I'll be there. Good day, gentlemen. Oh, wait a minute. Before you go, maybe you better shake hands with Doc Adams, as the next time you meet up with him, you probably won't be able to. Doc's the coroner here. Thing happened today, Matt. I saw a green horse. Oh? Yeah, and it had purple wings. It was flying around up over Boothill. Oh, just so. Yeah, it was singing just like a metal art. Matt, did you hear what I just said? What? Oh, oh, yeah, sure, sure. Sounds great. Oh, come on, Matt. What's it all about? What? Well, what's what all about? You haven't heard a word I've said since you walked in here. What have you got on your mind? Oh, it's, uh... that fella over there at the end of the bar, kiddie. Huh? Well, you mean just Ricker? Yeah. You know him? Well, he comes in all the time. I try to avoid him as much as possible. Well, that's a good idea. How did he figure with you, Matt? Well, he doesn't. Not the way things stand. Well, then I don't see what's bothering you. Kitty, I want to ask you something. How do you keep somebody from making a fool of himself when he's dead set on doing it? That's easy. You don't. Yeah. Who is he, Matt? Well, a deputy from California. What? He's awful green, Kitty. He's on his first assignment. He's going around with his back up. He's touchier than a bear with a boil. Oh. And Jeff Rickers is first assignment? Yeah, so he says. He won't even show me the warrant. I'm afraid that I'd be asking for help. Well, without him I'm tired. There's no charge against Ricker here in Dodge. Not so far, anyway. Mr. Jones? Oh, yeah. What is it, Jeff? He's on his way over here, Mr. Jones. He got tired of waiting at the Lady Gay. The fellow you were talking about, Matt? Yeah. Just has been keeping an eye on him. Well, what are you going to do? There's nothing much I can do. There he is. There he comes. Good evening, Marshal. How are you, Tobin? You know, I've been waiting across the street there for an hour. He didn't show. Tobin, the two of us could take him without much trouble, you know? We already been through that, Marshal. Yeah, I know, Ed. All I want to know is where I can find him. Have you got any idea? Yeah. He's standing over there at the end of the bar. Which one is he? The big fellow with a scar across his jaw. But listen to him. I got a warrant to serve, Marshal. Thanks anyway. His trouble is he's just playing too big for his bridge. Your name, Jeff Ricker? What's it to you, mister? Well, you're under arrest for robbery and murder. Arrest? You hear that, boys? This little salt-off prairie dog says I'm under arrest. I mean it, Ricker. You have bothered me, mister. Put out your hands. And you really aim in to put them on me? I am. I've got my hands. One at a time. Now you put your hand on that gun, it'll be the last move you ever make. I was, I was just... Now keep those boots to yourself. You kick him and I'll drop you. I wasn't doing nothing, Marshal. I was standing here, minding my own business. And you jumped me. Shut up. Tobin. Chester, get some water and throw it on him. That's my little Sam. He hand me a bucket of water. Hey, Marshal. How come he's trying to arrest somebody here in your town? I told you to shut up. All right. Stand back, folks. Serve that warrant for you, now. What warrant, Marshal? Give it to me, Tobin. If I got a warrant to serve, I'll serve it myself. Is that what you're aiming to do? I'll get you if it's the last thing I ever do. Either dead or alive. I don't care which. Now, Marshal, he threatened my life. You heard it. Yeah, I heard it. Find law-abiding citizen like me that ain't got a single charge against his name here in Dodd City. And like me, he's got to protect himself. For instance, if he was to come walking up the street toward Delivery Stable about 10 o'clock tomorrow morning, I might, I might figure it was hostile, he just threatened my life. I'll be there, Ricker. And so will I, mister. Bring your handcuffs. I want to pin them through your hair. You know something, Tobin? You're a stubborn fool. I'm talking to myself about it. He's a grown-up man, ain't he? Now, he's old enough to be. That's what I mean. And so if he ain't, then who's fault is it? I don't know. Chester is on, I guess. And I just keep thinking. Gonna make the same fool mistakes when I started out as a lawman. Morning, Mac. Well, we sure couldn't have better weather for it. Better weather for what, Doc? Well, for the shooting, of course. Don't tell me you're heading toward Delivery Stable just by accident. I wouldn't try to tell anything to an old ghoul like you. Old ghoul? Oh, no, man. I'm here on an errand to mercy. I got my tool kit and everything. Yeah, sure. And it's probably stuff full of blank forms for your coroner's report. Well, I did bring a couple, just in case. Maybe Tobin won't fill up. You're wrong, Chester. He's already showed. He's coming out of the Dodge House now. You don't have to sound so joyful about it, Doc. Well, there's nothing I can do about it, Matt. You neither, for that matter. Yeah, I know. Well, I'd ding the screech or it's deserted, ain't it? Morning, gentlemen. Hope you're not planning to interfere, Marshal. Looks like the only way I could have been a jail you, Tobin. You wouldn't do that. I'll be too sure I've thought about it. Oh, no, you're too much of a lawman, Marshal. And it's too bad you're not. You're not half as concerned about the law as you are about your own half-baked pride. If Ricker gets me, you'll get him. So the law wins either way. Good day, gentlemen. Nice talking to you. I hope he's better with a gun than he was with his fists. He's not good enough for just Ricker. But if I horned down on him, they'd probably make him some man he'd go from me. What are you going to do, Mr. Dillon? Just watch him die, I guess. You've got to stop him. He's not my responsibility. That's right, man. I don't blame you a bit. What am I supposed to be, as nurse? Oh, no, no, of course not. Nobody can expect it. Yes, Ricker. Just come down to the labor stable, I see. Tobin's a fool. It's his own fault. Oh, you're absolutely right there. Oh, yes, he's bringing the whole thing on himself. I'll go back to the office and forget about him. That's exactly what you should do, Macau. If you'll glance down the street there, you'll notice they're not more than 100 feet apart. What are they? Doc, if you think for one minute I'm going to take any part in this, you hurt him, didn't you? He doesn't want any help. But that's true, Matt. Yeah, that's true. Oh, my. There's going to be some shooting any second. Ask him three times, and that'll be enough before it's too late. Matt, wait a minute, Matt. It's none of your responsibility if that young idiot wants to die. Oh, shut up. Darker man doesn't mean everything he says. So I'll notice. Ricker will try to make him draw first, so it'll make it self-defense and keep me out of it. And Tobin's just stupid enough to fall for it. It's too late, Matt. Tobin's seen you coming. Hey, Tobin! Stand back, Matt. Open the shirt here. That guy caught him high on the shoulder, Matt. He'll pull through, though. Tobin, can you hear me? Yeah. All right, then, listen to me. You had your show and it fell in on you. Now you give me that warrant, and I'll serve it for you. No, Marshal. Look, you've already proved yourself if that's what you had to do. I'll get over this. I'll get him yet. I mean, I'll be another chance. He's got a bedroll tied on his saddle, and he's fixing to ride out. Now you say he's a murderer. You're going to let him get away? I'll catch up with him. I'll find him again. Yeah, I suppose you don't. It's my job, Marshal. It's the law's job, and you're only part of it. Now what are you going to be? A stubborn kid or a lawman? I don't know what you mean. Make up your mind, he's on his horse. What are you, Tobin, a boy or a man? I've got a warrant inside my face. All right. Look after him, Doc. Now you be careful, Mr. John. Hey, Ricker, get off that horse. It's a trouble, Marshal. I thought we agreed it was self-defense. It's got nothing to do with that. I've got a warrant here for your arrest on the charge of murder. I'll order for help. Marshal, I don't think I've gotten to you serving that warrant any more than I did for him to. I don't much care what you've gotten to, Ricker. You shouldn't have tried it, Ricker. You broke my leg. Don't worry about it. You and Tobin can get well together. And I think he'd like the pleasure of taking you back to California. You'll never get me there. I'll get you there, all right, Ricker? If I have to drag you by the hair. You know something, Ricker? He's just stubborn enough to do that, if he has to. Produced and directed by Norman McDonald, stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshal. Featured in the cast were Parley Baer as Chester, Howard McNear as Doc, and Georgia Ellis as Kitty. George Walsh speaking. Join us again next week for another specially transcribed story on Gunsmoke. This is the United States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service.