 Around Dodge City and in the territory on West, there's just one way to handle the killers in the spoilers, and that's with the 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, United States Marshal, the first man they look for and the last they want to meet. It's a chantsy job, and it makes a man watchful, and a little lonely. I swear, Mr. Dillon, that Cusset Hayes City kindly reminds me of a popped-up Marie Toad. Ah, how's that, Chester? Well, what I mean is, it's all blowed up clean out of proportion. People run around every which way, nobody knowing where they're running to. Well, I guess that's what happens when a town grows fast. I might just soon spend a week in a Buffalo ward. Mr. Dillon, look down here. Yeah, I see him. Hmm, seems like them folks whose wagon broke down, don't it? Uh-huh. Oh, come on, maybe we can give him a hand. Well, came over to see if he could use some help. I'll let you fly safe with that, Mrs. Treadwell's my name. Cool Treadwell, and this is my Mr. Beth Ann. Hello. How do you do? I'm Matt Dillon, that's Chester Proutford. How do you do? It's a real pleasure. Say, you're the Marshal in Dodge, aren't you? That's right. Isn't that something we're headed there? Oh, that's all? That wheel hadn't froze up, I expect we'd be there by now. You could still make it before dark if the wheel's all right. Oh, yeah, it's fine now. I cooled it off and greased it up good as new. Trouble is, it's a mite heavy for me to set back on. One man just can't get the job done. Well, the three of us won't have no trouble, Mr. Treadwell. How about a cup of coffee before you men stop breaking your bag? Beth Ann's a great gal for making coffee. The minute we stop, she gets a pot on the fire. Well, it's got a right good smell to it. Well, there's plenty of it too. Oh, thank you, ma'am. I sure wouldn't want to pass up a good cup of coffee. I don't get one very often. What? There you are, Marshal. This is Proutford. Thank you, ma'am. Thank you. Oh, that is good. Are you folks just traveling through? You might say so, Marshal. We do a lot of that. Traveling, I mean. Stopping a town here and a town there. You mean you ain't got no home or nothing? Someday we'll find ourselves a place that seems right. Then I guess we'll settle down for good. You see, my husband is a parson. Well, I declare him. Beth Ann, you shouldn't have said that. What's wrong with being a parson, Mr. Treadwell? Well, there's nothing wrong with it, Marshal. It's just that I'm not truly a parson. I'm not ordained, never had the proper schooling. Well, Dodge City is one place that could use a parson, ordained or not. You and I have always wanted to see Dodge City. Well, there's some mighty nice folks in Dodge. Ain't there, Mr. Dillon? Sure. There are nice people everywhere. Hold on now, Beth Ann. You start lecturing the Marshal and Mr. Proudfoot. They may change their mind about helping me with that blame wheel. Well, my apologies. Thank you for the coffee, Mr. Treadwell. Without pleasure, Marshal. Well, come on. Let's get to work on that wheel or it'll be dark before we hit Dodge. It's sober by now. You want me to take care of the horses first, Mr. Dillon? No, I'll do it. I want to talk to Mars about a saddle he has done at the stable. All right, sir. Oh, well, I'll give Nate his gun back. Yeah, I might as well. I'll see you later. Yes, sir. This fleet fan. You got any fleas, Nate Bush? You had them long before you got those in that cell. Well, come on, you've gone so long anyways. I could starve to death. Oh, if you wasn't so horny, you wouldn't be in jail in the first place. And besides, Dale Monaco's brung your meals while we were going. We'll call that slop food. I want pit for a hog. I wish you had it. It's your concerned pleasure to get rid of you. Well, just you let me tell you something, Chester Broadfoot. You ain't rid of me. No, sir. Not by long sight you ain't. And just what's that supposed to mean? I've got a special hate for a smart Alex. Well, if you've got such a special hate, you better tell Mr. Dillon about it. He's the one who throwed you in here. And you was the one who told him I was raising a rook because he was the one who caused me to be here. What? That's the craziest piece of thinking I ever had. All the same, you just better watch yourself because I might have a score to settle with you next time we meet. When friends drop in, let your hospitality show your sociable in the modern manner. Pepsi, you know, is the favorite of the smart and young at heart. Have you tried a Pepsi lately? Miss McCoffee? I think I should tell you something. What's that, Doc? The bear grease you put on your hair was running down the back of your neck. I'm afraid he's right, Chester. That ain't bear grease, Miss Kitty. Huh? That rose pomade from the Tom Sorrel parlor. I paid Mr. Teeter's 15 cents for that bottle. 50? Well, you were cheating. Besides, why put on so much of this stuff? Well, it's my dang colic up there. I've been having trouble keeping it down. Well, I think you've got to beat now, Chester. Chester, we're in the world that you're headed for. I'll dress up that way. That coat, boil shirt, must be something pretty special, huh? Well, as a matter of fact, it is. You know, Mr. Treadwell's been mighty busy and he asked could I escort Miss Treadwell to prayer meeting? Oh, well, no wonder you're so slick, Doc. Yeah, she's a mighty attractive woman. And a good cook, too. And he's the best checker player in town. He beat me last night. Well, I do declare. I didn't know anybody could do that. It beat you, I mean, not as sly as you are. Sly? Just what do you mean by that? Well, I better be going. Don't want to keep Miss Treadwell waiting. Thank you for the breakfast, Doc. Yeah, welcome, Chester. But next time, no rose pomade. Nice of you to escort me, Mr. Proudford. I sure do wish you'd call me Chester, Miss Treadwell. Everybody else does. Well, all right, Chester. I swear, I think the whole town turns out now when they hear that school bell of a Sunday. I never seen nothing like it. It's wonderful the way everyone's treating us. Letting us use the schoolhouse for a church and all. Well, my land, it was just going empty on Sundays. You know, if we could build a home and settle somewhere, Cole could finish his school and then truly become a minister. Well, you ought to settle in, Dodge. You've been here more than six weeks already, and the folks would be mighty disappointed if you was to up and leave. Well, we have been thinking about it. Hey, you. Chester. Who in the world is that? Chester. Just keep on walking, Miss Treadwell. Don't pay no attention to him. I'm talking to you. Now, look at here. I told you I was going to fix you, and now I'm ready. Think I'll start by pinching your nose off. Nate, you better just go on home. Hey, who this you got for you? Well, what a little thing, ain't she? Miss Treadwell, you best go on without me. Oh, ain't you brave now? You're going to send the lady away so she won't see no blood, is that it? You're a bully, Nate, and you're drunk, too, and you don't scare me one bit. But this is a lady I'm with, and you keep talking like you are, and I'm going to kick your belly right out through your back bone. Please, Chester, don't fight on my account. Let's walk on. Well, I'm not going to stand by you. Please. All right, man. You sure might a big talker, Chester, but that's all you are just a talker. I was sure it doesn't need a lesson. If you pay any attention to him, Chester, a fight doesn't prove a thing. Maybe not. But it sure would make me feel better. Is there anything else now, Miss Treadwell? Got some real nice calico here. Oh, my, that is pretty, but... No, I don't think so. I'll give you a real good price on it, five cents a yard. Well, maybe just two yards. No, you won't be sorry. Oh, be with you in just a minute, sir. I want some four-to-four shells. As soon as I finish here. I want them now. You'll have to wait until I finish waiting on Mrs. Treadwell. Mrs. Treadwell. And I've seen you somewhere before. I'll take my packages now, Mr. Jones. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. No, I remember. You was with Chester the other day. Now, listen here, boy. Shut up, storekeeper. May I get by, please? Oh, now you ain't going to run off. Leave me, are you, ma'am? Please, move out of the way and let me by, Mr. Bush. Why, for? You ain't got no Chester with you now. Ain't nobody else round fool enough to tell me what I can do. Man, look at me. Is you? Oh. Just what do you think you could do, storekeeper? Nobody talks to Mrs. Treadwell that way, Bush. Not in my store or anywhere else. That effect. You know, Mrs. Treadwell, you are beginning to interest me. You really are. See, my most everybody want to protect you all the time. Now, maybe there's a good reason for that. Hello, Mr. Jones. Hello. Oh, Cole. Is something wrong? Take me home, Cole. What is it? Nothing, please, Cole. Hey, hold up there. Cole is the first half of your name. What's the last half? Who are you? Bush, Nate Bush. I asked you what your last name. Treadwell? Treadwell. You her husband? That's right. Huh. You dressed like maybe your preacher, what you are? That's right. Ain't that something? Hey, you better watch his little wife for your preach. I seen her out running around the man the other day. Be careful, Mr. Bush. And you know, I was even thinking about her drink just now myself. I bet she took me up on it too. You hadn't come in. You ought to be ran out of town, Bush. Now, just who's going to do that, storekeeper? You? Hmm? What, a preaching man? Now, you know I got me a notion to take little miss Uppity out here with me right now. Just so I can see which one of you peacemakers is going to stop me. Come on, Beth, and we're leaving. Hold on. Take your hand off me. I ain't finished talking to you. Yes, you are, Mr. Bush. You're through. I'm sorry you made me do that, Mr. Bush. But I want you to understand something. Nobody mistreats my wife. Nobody insults her. Mr. Jonas, I'll pay for any damage. You forget about partial. It's worth it just seeing that. Come on, Beth. Hold it right there, preacher. I call. I don't carry a gun, Mr. Bush. That's the only reason you ain't going to die now. But you're going to get a bullet in both your legs. Maybe it'll keep you from standing up preaching for a while. You better think real careful before you pull that trigger, Bush. Because the second you pull it, I'm going to blow you in two with this shotgun. Now, you put that gun back in your holster real easy. Oh, sure. I'm going to argue with no scatter gun, storekeeper. Now, you get out of here. When you walk out that door, you better just keep right on going. Because if anything happened to the Treadwells, you might find yourself hanging from a treaty. I got me something to say to Mr. Treadwells. Are you just getting out? That's all right, Mr. Jonas. Let him speak. There's something about you. I've seen you somewhere before. I can't remember where. But I don't think you was no preacher. You want some of this miserable coffee I make, Mr. Dillon? At least it's hot. Oh, thanks, Chaucer. Say, did you hear about the freakest part in Treadwell and Nate Bush had Mr. Jonas's story yesterday? Mm-hmm. I heard. I sure would like to have saw that. I guess Bush got what was coming to him. You ought to be running out of time. Hey, Marshall. Speak of the devil. What's on your mind, Bush? Tell you what's on my mind. That preacher Treadwell? Oh, what about it? Well, he ain't no preacher. What in his name ain't Treadwell? His name is Trankin, Cole Trankin. He's a wanted man, Marshall. He's a gun fighter. Well, that ain't the craziest thing I ever heard. Look, Bush, you've been nothing but trouble ever since you came to Dodge. Why don't you get out of here? Well, no, it's true, I tell you. I've been thinking on it all night till it finally come to me. Look, Marshall, I served time once, a long time ago. Arizona Territorial Prison. The Lane's Press hit him. And Cole Trankin was there, and he busted out of that prison. And this is him, Marshall. It's your Cole Treadwell. He's the one. Get out of here, Bush. Huh? All right. But you ought to check on what I told you, because it's sure enough true. Well, I declare, I never heard such a tale in all my life. Now, he's mad just because of that beating Cole gave him. Yes, sir, but there sure ain't no truth in what he says. Are they? No. You sure don't believe him, do you? I don't know. Well, I sure wouldn't believe nothing Nate Bush told me. No. But would you believe what the Arizona Territorial Prison told you? I guess you do have to check. Don't you, Mr. Dillon? Yeah, I have to check. I'm working in the yard. Chester, what are you two doing out here? We came out to see you, Cole. Come on inside. I'll have Beth Ann make some coffee. Uh, maybe you better read this first. Telegram? Mm-hmm. Trankin escaped from his prison eight years ago. It's still at large as date. Your description, Cole Treadwell, fits. Nate Bush said that he's seen you in prison. I guess I shouldn't have hit Nate like I did. He said he'd get me. You mean you are Trankin? And you did escape from prison? Do you have to take me in? I'm sorry, Cole. I didn't do what they said. I was innocent. I'm not the judge of that. No. No, of course not. Matt, what about Beth Ann? You mean she doesn't know about this? But you're being Trankin? She came from gentle people. She's never known me as anything but a traveling preacher. I couldn't tell her. I just couldn't. Well, you're going to have to now, Cole. I know, but please let me do it alone. If it came any other way or a killer, I know it would. Will you come down to the office afterwards? As soon as I talk to Beth, I promise you I'll come. All right, Cole. Come on, Chester. I couldn't tell her. I just couldn't do it. Well, she has to find out, you know that. No, it'll kill her if she knows. Don't make it worse than it already is, Cole. All my life I wanted to be a minister. Ever since I can remember. But my pa and brother, they didn't hold with preaching, so they taught me to use a gun. Soon as I was old enough to hold one, they taught me. Do they teach you good? Too good, maybe. I got into some scrapes later on, and then I was put in prison for killing a man, only I didn't do it. After you broke out, you turned to preaching, huh? That's right. For the first time in my life, I started doing what I really wanted to. And it's been that way ever since. I've done a little good, I think. You're having this, Tom? Well, the people are going to be disappointed. Matt, do they have to know? Does anybody? Can't you send a telegram to Arizona and tell them I'm not tranking? You know I can't. I only came back here to your office because I promised you I would. Now I'm going to ask you just one favor. Let me get Beth Ann and leave Dodge. Give us a head start. That's all I ask. Just that one favor, please. I'm sorry, Cole. Beth Ann's not going to know. I won't let her know. There's no way to keep it from her, not now. There's one way. That'll be a fool. Even if you kill me, do you think Beth Ann won't find out? I'll keep it from her somehow. Don't do it, Cole. I'm sorry, Matt. Please. You can make up a story? Anything, no, don't tell her. Anything at all, but... What am I going to say to her, Cole? He didn't tell me. Oh, well, sure. Cole's gone into town for a while, but he should be back soon. You just come right on in and I'll make you some coffee. Mrs. Treadbull. What is it? Something wrong? There was an accident. Accident? Cole's dead, Mrs. Treadbull. Oh, no. Cole was with me. I was cleaning my gun. I went off. Cole. Can I tell you how sorry I am? Marshall, how long have you been using your gun? What? Ten years. Twenty. And you left a bullet in the chamber while you were cleaning it? Well, I... Yes, that's what happened. You're lying to me, Marshall. Mrs. Treadbull, I... You found out, didn't you? About Cole breaking out of prison. You mean you knew all about it? That's what happened, isn't it? You had to shoot it out with him. Why did he do it, Marshall? Why? He didn't want you to know. He took a chance to die rather than let you know. That's... That's kind of funny. I knew about it before we were married. The only thing Cole ever kept from me, and it was the only one thing I wanted him to tell me. I hoped. I prayed he'd tell me. Then everything would have been all right. Yes, ma'am, I guess so. But now he'll never be able to tell me. Really, Marshall. That's another story on Gunsmoke.