 Gun smoke brought to you by L and M filters. This is it. L and M is best. Stands out from all the rest. Around Dark 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 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. It's a chancey job, and it makes a man watchful, and a little lonely. Come over and sit down. Well, I guess it won't hurt for a minute or two just to sit here. Oh, might as well be sitting out here on the street and just loafing around your office. Oh, now, isn't that so low? If I continued, I didn't mean nothing, Doc. I wasn't even thinking. I can believe that. What's bothering you, Chester? Mr. Dillon. I'm kind of worried about him, Doc. You are? Why? Well, look, you're just near dark, and you ain't showed up yet. I don't even know where he is. Well, I think Matt can take care of himself, Chester. Sure, but usually he leaves a note or something, Doc. Well, a man doesn't have to do things the same way all the time. I know all that. Now, for instance, it's like Mrs. Hall the other day. She came to ask me how to get her baby to sleep at night. Now, for example, what would you have told him? Oh, Doc. Now, you think, you just think not just after all you were a baby once. How'd your mother get you to sleep? She didn't have no trouble. Well, the usual way is to rock the baby. But you know what I told Mrs. Hall to do? I really ain't interested in that. Well, you're going to hear it anyway. I told her to take the baby and smear its little fingers with thick molasses. What? Yes, and then I told her to give it a half a dozen chicken feathers. What for? Well, I figured he'd pluck the feathers from hand to hand until he fell asleep. And then if I woke up again, all she had to do was to give it some more molasses and feathers. Oh, seems to me that only make the little baby mad. Oh, man, that shows how much you know about babies. Oh, my goodness gracious. Can't we talk about something else, Doc? Hey, wait a minute. There's Mr. Dillon. Riding up street there, leading that horse with a pack on it. Oh, yes. Doc, look, there ain't no packies got tied on that horse. No, no, that isn't it. That's a man. A dead one. Who do you suppose it is? Well, I don't know. Hi, Mr. Dillon. Doc. Hello, man. Where you got there? Mel Hornby. Mel Hornby? I went out to ask him some questions about that sod buster that got murdered last month. Oh, Jake Reeves? Yeah. But Hornby took a fence and he tried to kill me. We think he had something to do with the Reeves murdered, man? He did it, Doc. He admitted it just before he died. A big grandchild like old Mel Hornby killing a poor half-starved little homesteader? That's the best of him. The way it did today. But how come you brought the body to dodge, man? As you think Mrs. Hornby had worn him out there? I didn't find him at home, Doc. He was way out on a prairie, handling some stock. I'll get a wagon in the morning and take him back. Take him? Oh, I don't envy you. Oh, Mrs. Hornby's a pretty mean woman. Yeah, I know. You better let Chester do that. She can't blame him for anything. No, I'll do it, Doc. I'll kill him. It stands out from all the rest. Miracle tip, much more flavor. Ellen M's got everything. It's the best. Ellen M is best. Stands out from all the rest. Ellen M's got everything. Everything? Everything. Best flavor? Ellen M stands out for flavor. Easy. Let you enjoy all the taste. Best filter? Ellen M stands out for effective filtration. No filter compares with Ellen M's pure white miracle tip for quality or effectiveness. Best tobaccos? Highest quality tobaccos. Low nicotine tobaccos. L and M tobaccos. Light and mild. Every way. Ellen M is best. Stands out from all the rest. How mild they are. Ellen M is sweeping the country. It's America's best filter tip cigarette. Adjust it. I heard a team wagon for you standing outside. No, thanks. Near 10 o'clock already? Yeah, well, I'll get started here. There you are, Marshall. Ms. Hornby? Where's my husband? You got him here? Won't you sit down, then? I've been sitting down since dawn on a saddle. My husband didn't come home last night and he didn't see you. Yes, ma'am. I found him. Well, where is he? You got him in jail on some fool charge. I want to know what's going on, Marshall. I should have made you tell me when you come by. Ms. Hornby, your husband is dead. What? He tried to kill me. You shot him? I had to. You killed my husband? I wanted to talk to him about Jake Reeves. But as soon as I mentioned Reeves' name, he went for his gun. I'm sorry it happened that way. I don't believe you. Why would he do that? What he cared about Jake Reeves? He killed him, Ms. Hornby. I didn't know that, but he admitted it before he died. Is that true? Yes, ma'am. That's true. Well, he should have had a trial. He'd have got off. Who cares about a man like Reeves? You murdered my husband, Marshall. He didn't have a chance against you. He had a gun and he tried to kill me with it, ma'am. It's too bad he didn't. But you're going to die anyway, Marshall. What? I said you're going to die. I've got money. I'm going to hire you killed. Now, wait a minute, ma'am. A thousand dollars that ought to do it and you can't stop me. There ain't a thing in the world you can do about it. So you can be watching for him or maybe go right out after him. No. He's going to work that way, Marshall. It ain't one man I'm going to hire. It's a whole army of men. You won't have a chance anymore than my husband did. Now, where is his body? I'm going to get him buried and then go to work on getting you killed. No, thanks, Kitty. I think I've had enough. That was a good dinner, wasn't it? That's your awful calm for a man who's been threatened the way you have. Miss Hornby? Don't you think she meant what she said yesterday? Well, I don't know where she's going to hire an army for a thousand dollars. But I suppose it is some kind of a compliment and she thinks that I'm all that hard to kill. You're not taking this very serious, Matt. Now, there's nothing I can do, Kitty, until I find out what she's up to. Well, maybe she's just crazy. She sure sounds like it. Yeah. Yeah, maybe. Where'd she bury him, Matt? Is she taking him back to the ranch? No. Now, she buried him up on Boothill. Boothill? She said if that's the way he got killed, that's the place he was going to get buried. Sounds like she was mad at him. I think it was a shame, Kitty. She wasn't very proud of her husband getting shot down. Like an ordinary lawbreaker. That's a pretty easy word for a murderer. I don't think his killing Jake Reeves meant a thing to her, Kitty. He might as well have shot a horse for all she cared. All she cares about herself. Mr. Dillon? Hello, Miss Kitty. Hello, Chester. Sit down and have some coffee. Well, it's that. There ain't no time for no coffee. What's that poster you got, Chester? That's what I come to find you about, Mr. Dillon. I throw this poster off the board down at the depot. But there's more of them. Come up all over Dodge. Here. You read it. A thousand dollars' reward to the first man that can prove Matt Dillon is dead. He doesn't have to prove anything else. Money is unsafe at Dodge House and will be paid in cash immediately. Signed Mrs. Mel Hornby. Matt, she can't get by with that. You can put her in jail. And I'll go around and tear down the rest of them posters. No. No. No. Chester, too many people have read them by now. And some of them are probably already thinking about it. And put her in jail till she takes it back, Matt. Make her print up some more, saying it isn't true. You think she'd do that, Kitty? Miss Hornby? Matt, you're gonna have every greedy bum in Dodge out trying to ambush you. Yeah. Yeah, Kitty. A whole army of them. I spent the next couple of days looking over one shoulder everywhere I went, sitting with my back to the wall, keeping away from witness. And come evenings I tried to get set somewhere before it got dark, so I wouldn't have to walk past alleyways or through patches of light on the street. Strings of man tight livin' that way. Too tight. I found that out one afternoon when Chester and I were sittin' on the porch and I locked the door out back, Mr. Dillon. At least ain't nobody gonna come up on you that way. Oh, God, Chester. Wouldn't you be better off sittin' inside? Out here, I can see what's goin' on. You couldn't see a man with a rifle if he was hit out in one of them buildings across the street. No. And I can't dig a hole and hide in it, either. Oh, sure. Look down there, that fool kid. He's gonna run somebody down right in that way. He's tryin' to ride like an Indian. Hey, Doc Chester! Mr. Dillon? You hurt Mr. Dillon? No, he missed me. But he was shootin' mighty close. Well, you got him. Yeah, I got him. That kid must be crazy. Riding by like that and tryin' to shoot you? Yeah. See, you don't suppose... I don't know, Chester. He's still alive. I'll carry him up to Doc's. He's awful young, ain't he? Yeah. He's awful young. I don't know how long it'll last. You better hurt if you want to talk to him. How you feelin', son? Bad. Real bad, Marshal. Doc, I'll take good care of you. Who are you? What's your name? Can't tell you my name. Well, why not? My name don't matter. But you tried to shoot me. Why? Reward. A thousand dollars. We needed that money. We needed it bad. Who needed it? I seen you sittin' there. Then I went and got my horse. I almost killed you. But I'm sorry I did it. I'm real sorry. Don't worry about that now. Everything's gonna be fine. I want... Son. Doc. I'm right here, Matt. He's dead. Nobody could have saved him. No. How old would you say it was, Doc? Oh, 15, maybe. It's not your fault, Matt. I killed it. No, Matt. I'm going over to the dodgehouse, Doc. Mrs. Hornby? Yeah. It's you. I thought it was somebody come for their money. Somebody almost did, Miss Hornby. That's old? I killed him. You kill a lot of people, don't you, Marshal? Then I have to. Or maybe the next one will get you. Maybe. Where'd you come to see me for? I thought maybe I could get you to change your mind. What's the matter, Marshal? Getting scared? I don't enjoy knowing somebody might shoot me any minute. But I don't like the idea that I might have to shoot somebody any minute, either. Well, shouldn't bother a man like you. I told you your husband tried to kill me. Don't you understand that? I don't care about understanding it. You know who you hired this afternoon? It don't matter. Except I wish he'd been a better gunman. He wasn't a man, Mrs. Hornby. He was a boy. 15. He was poor. He needed the money for somebody else. I don't even know his name. I thought you killed him. How do you know he did it for the money? He didn't die right off. How does it make you feel, Mrs. Hornby? The next one won't be a boy, Marshal. Or the one after that. Mrs. Hornby. What? You're a terrible, selfish old woman. I've got Ellen M. I've got Ellen M. I've got Ellen M. And Ellen M's got everything. Best filter. No filter compares with Ellen M's pure white miracle tip for quality or effectiveness. Best flavor. The miracle tip draws easy. Let's you enjoy all the taste. Best tobaccos. Highest quality tobaccos. Low nicotine tobaccos. L and M tobaccos. Light and mild. Today by Ellen M. It's sweeping the country because it's America's best filter tip cigarette. Yes, today, why don't you get Ellen M? Because Ellen M's got everything. This is it. Ellen M filters. Ellen M's got everything. It's the best. That night a drunk snagged it up to me on the street. He had a gun in his hand. But I buffaloed him before he could use it. And I threw him in jail. Later about midnight it was different. A mule skinner tried to shoot me from behind a water barrel. His first shot missed. And a second later he discovered his mistake. The barrel was empty. And he died there. And nobody else seemed willing to take a chance. At least that night. The next day about noon Chester and I were on our way to Delmonico's when we saw Ms. Hornby coming up Front Street. She's looking right at you Mr. Dillon. She's probably going to complain about how I treat her hired hands. Too bad she's a woman ain't she? Things would be a lot different if she wasn't Chester. Maybe she's thought it over. Maybe she's going to change her mind. It'll take more than a couple of killings for that. She don't seem to care at all with her husband murdered poor old Jake Reeve. If she ain't the one meanest looking woman she's waiting for it. Oh Ms. Hornby. I want to talk to you Marshall. I hear you killed another man last night. The first of your men I killed was a boy Ms. Hornby. Still harping on that? Doesn't bother you at all does it? He was a fool to try it. That money meant a lot to him. Find out who he was? No. Well it don't matter. No, not to you. Marshall. I'll make you a deal. A deal? That's what I said. I'll withdraw the reward if you get out a dodge. Leave the country and don't ever come back. Why? It's my business. Why? It's beginning to bother you all the blood that's being spilled on. Never mind that. You're going to do it? You know Ms. Hornby, you haven't thought straight since your husband got shot. Got shot by you? By me. What's your answer, Marshall? Ms. Hornby, I hate killing. I hate it as much as you hate it losing your husband. But I'm not leaving. You sure, Marshall? I'm sure. Who's that? Let's see what she wants, Justin. Yes, sir. I'm coming, lady. You just kill more men if you stay here. Tell one of them gets you. You're the only one who can stop that, Ms. Hornby. Well, I ain't going to stop it. And some man that knows what he's doing will be along soon. Maybe today, Marshall. You're not helping anybody this way. Yeah. This lady is looking for you. She drove that wagon all the way to town to find you. Near 20 miles, she said. Oh, is that so? Well, what can I do for you, ma'am? I don't want to bother you if you're busy, Marshall. No, it's all right. I'm looking for my boy. Your boy? He's going to get himself in trouble less than I stop him. Bad trouble. I know it. Oh? What's he planning to do, ma'am? Well, I'm ashamed to tell you this, Marshall. But he took his gun when he left home yesterday. So? There'd been talk about that $1,000 reward for you, Marshall. How old was your boy, ma'am? Going on 15. He doesn't know what he's doing. I've got to find him and stop him, Marshall. He's only doing it because we're about to starve out there, him and me and my little girl. Ma'am, I... Wait, Marshall. You've got to understand the boy first. Why he's doing it. Why? My husband got killed a month ago, shot. And since then, we've been there starving to death. The boy tried, but we ain't been making it. Excuse me, ma'am. Ma'am, I want to ask you something. Why, sure. What's your name? Mrs. Reeves. My husband was Jake Reeves. Did you know him? No. No, I didn't. But my husband, he knew him. Didn't he, Marshall? He did? That's what he told me. Well, what's your name? Never mind my name right now, Mrs. Reeves. I don't understand. Marshall. Yes, ma'am. You were right about me being a terrible selfish old woman. But would you do something for me? I think so. There'll be an envelope at the Dodge House. It'll be in your name. You know what to do with it. Yes, ma'am, I think I know. I'm going home now. Goodbye, Mrs. Reeves. Goodbye. I don't understand what you were saying, Marshall. Mrs. Reeves, you want to come to my office and I'll try to explain it to you. I'll try to explain a lot of things to you. And now our star, William Conrad. Thank you, George. Mild and plenty quick on the draw. That's L&M for you. And the pure white miracle tip on the business end of every L&M filters out everything but the taste of the world's finest tobaccos. All you have to do is pick up a carton of L&Ms and you'll see what I mean. L&M stands out from all the rest. Stood by Norman McDonald, stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshall. Our story was specially written for Gunn Smoke by John Meston with music composed and conducted by Rex Corey. Sound patterns by Tom Hanley and Bill Jane. Featured in the cast were Jeanette Nolan, Sam Edwards and Helen Clee. Barley Bear is Chester, Howard McNeer is Doc and Georgia Ellis is Kitty. Start smoking with a smile with Chester Field Smiling all the while with Chester Field Put a smile in your smoking just give them a try Light up a Chester Field They satisfy Put a smile in your smoking by Chester Field So smooth, so satisfying Chester Field You'll also enjoy Chester Field's great radio show Very Como sings all the top tunes on CBS Radio every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Check Webstars in Dragnet on Tuesday nights. Check your local listings. Listen to Gunn Smoke again next week.