 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. 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. When the boy said you wanted to see me. Yeah. Well, it better be important, mister. I don't make a habit of coming running with sudden saddle-punk whistles. Now, maybe you hadn't ought to make a habit of calling people saddle-punks. No offense. Just an expression. Sure. I came up from the Pekus country. Been here in Dodge about a week. Maybe you've seen me around. I've seen you. I've been talking to people. Oh. Everybody tells me you was a big shot back in Abilene. Had all the games sewed up with three or four saloons paying off, a couple of hotels and so on. Then the boom busted and you come here. Since you've been here, you got nowhere. You know why? You're talking. You tell me why. Dylan. Well, I named Matt Dylan. You tried to scare him, and he wouldn't scare. So he tried to buy him. He wouldn't buy. Tried breaking him, and he wouldn't break. So, be worth a thousand dollars to you if I kill him? It might. All right. Get it and go. Keep it handy. Yeah? Yeah, you're hired. Now, Chester, you haven't said three words in the last 20 minutes. It's not like you. Well... Mr. Dylan, did you ever get a funny feeling that somebody was keeping an eye on you? Ah, yeah, but... Well, I got one right now. You know, Chester, I think you got a touch of the heebie-jeebies. As far as I can see, there's nobody in the whole place paying any attention to it. Somebody is. I had the same feeling the day the Butler Brothers had come back to San Fee. Yeah? I didn't even know they was in town, but I knew somebody was getting ready to call us. And about six o'clock that evening, they made their play. Do you remember? Yeah, I remember. I was one of the Hall Bears next day. Well, it's the same doggone thing right now. You know, I think you've got the wind up over another, Chester. Now, town's never been quieter. Jail's been empty for two weeks. The only new faces around is that bunch of trail drivers that came up from the pickets. They're all strangers. Oh, Marshall, there you be. What? Been looking all over for you. Oh, hiya, Billy. Now, wait till it's Jail for nine hours an hour. I got to talk to you, Marshall. You know, Billy, every time I've given you money, you've bought yourself a bottle and stayed blind drunk for two days. Well, I take money this time, Marshall. I got something to tell you. A what? Something I heard. There's a couple of fellas talking over the lyrics table. They didn't see me. I was back at the water cross. Sort of. Well, the rest, you might say. Well, you know how it is, Marshall. Yeah, I know. A man gets dry in his furry country. What were they talking about, Billy? You went up and offered to kill you for $1,000 in gold, and the other one took him up on it. Oh, were they, Billy? You know what? No, sir. It is dark, and I didn't recognize the voices. They was already there when I woke up them and they left right after that. Well, maybe it was some kind of a joke. It didn't sound that way to me. There ain't no joke, Mr. Don. I felt it. There's somebody around who's been hired to kill you. Can you figure who you want to do such a thing, Mr. Don? I can figure a dozen or two, just... Well, I mean... Here we are. Come on. Good morning, Marshall. I haven't seen you since the robbery last month. Attempted robbery, Mr. Barkin. So it was, thanks to you. Well, Marshall, the bank's at your service. What can I do for you? Give me some information, if you will. Well, if it isn't confidential. It is, but I want it anyway. Well, I hardly know what to say. Perhaps we'd better step into my office. All right. What was it you wanted to know? Your customers has drawn a thousand dollars in gold from the bank in the last few days. Any particular person in mind? Well, that's what I want to find out. Well, I hope this won't go any farther, Marshall. Who was it, Mr. Barkin? I certainly wish to make it clear that I don't approve of this man, but after all, he is a good customer and it's not my place. Yeah, I know. Who was it? Lawson Hale. Lawson Hale? He took the gold out just this morning, as a matter of fact. Said he was working on a cattle deal of some sort. I do hope you'll regard this as confidential, gentlemen. Yeah, sure. Well, Chester, we know who one of them is now. But who's the other, the one who's actually going to do it? Some punk who wants a thousand dollars bad. Doesn't care much how he gets it. Make sure I don't narrow it down any. I know. Any people out? Not many. That moon's throwing quite a bit of light. Kindly makes a target out of a man. If somebody without the shoot somebody, this would sure be a good night for it. You might as well make a comment. Thought that's what you were doing, Chester. Let's go on back to jail and stay off the streets. This way, you're just asking for it. Look, Chester, if it's going to come, it'll come. I'd rather meet it halfway than to sit and wait for it. Asking for it? Asking for it? That's what you're doing. It's been two days now, Chester. It gets on your nerves. When you go out to bring a man in, you know you may have trouble and you're ready for it, but this way it's... Kindly bothers man. Yeah, let's walk on down to the long ranch. It's good to see you, Matt. You've been avoiding us the last couple of days. Been busy, kid. Want to sit down? I don't think so. Not right now, anyway. Something bothering you, Matt? What? Bothering me? Well, yes. She seemed to be on edge about something. Yeah, what? Lost mail just came in. Down the bar there. Yeah. I have a talk with him, Chester. Well, that's one way. That's the one I haven't tried yet. Excuse me, kitty. Sure, Matt. Now you be careful. Those good days are... Why don't you lie in the palm of my hand? Sit down, boys, grab her pay, and head straight for one of these. Tell me what I can do for you. Yeah. I want to talk to you. Well, I don't see nothing stopping you. Let's move down the bar ways. Sorry, but I'm fine right here. Why don't we move down the bar ways? If it's that important to you, pardon me, boys. Let's come back and finish that story. You had yourself a gunman. You sent him out to get me. You offered him $1,000 in gold. I don't know what you're talking about, Dylan. You wouldn't care to tell me his name, would you? No, I don't think so, because you see I don't know nothing about it. What's he waiting for? He's had two days now, and he hasn't made a move. Well, like I say... Why don't you do the job, Hale? And save yourself some money. You've got no quarrel with you. You mean you're yellow? I'm scared to call your own place. I said I've got a weaseling, no-gut cow at Hale. I looked that right for the time being. I thought you wouldn't. Let's get some fresh air. See you later, kiddie. Doc. All right, man. Yeah, I guess you just need the kind to take chances, Mr. Dylan. He doesn't need to, Chester. I've got a hair killer problem somewhere around. Forced to play myself. There's business to leave it up to the other man. Yeah, I saw the flash. Reckon you got him, Mr. Dylan? I don't know. Let's move in. Looks like he got away. Took one shot, and we're running for cover. But he'll be back. Chester! Stop squeaking that chair. He's gone by, and he hasn't made another move. Yes, sir. That cottonwood shore burns up faster. I guess I better shake down the stove and throw another. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Might be a way at that, Chester. Lawson Hale. That's the only fact we're sure of, Lawson Hale. It'd be kind of hard to prove anything, Mr. Dylan. Who said anything about proving it? I got an idea. Come on. Mr. Dylan, you ain't got no evidence to arrest Hale, I mean. I know, but I can scare him. If I figure him right, I think he'll scare easy. You sure? We're all the same. There he is now, Chester. Just came out of the long branch. I wonder who them two ladies are. Hang on. There's not an ounce of nerve and a dozen like that. Come on. Hale. Hold it, Hale, right where you are. What seem to be trouble now? No trouble unless you want to make some. You're under arrest. What for? I'll think of something. You're taking me in without even making a charge? I'll remind you there's witnesses here. Yeah, so I notice when they're not hanging around you, they're after somebody else. What have you done, Hale? Hired them, too. I asked you what the charge was, Marshall. Vagrancy. Vagrancy. As far as I know, you've never had any visible means of support as long as you've been in... I'll match any dollar of yours with a hundred better ones. Fine. That'll help pass the time. Now, look at here. Marshall, you think... Shut up. All right, boys. Break it up. The party's over. You had your last free drink out of this pump. Now, let's go to jail. Keep walking. It's the last cell on the left. Oh, Dylan. Dylan, I'll break you for this. Oh, help me. You've been trying it for a year, and I'm still around. You won't be after this. Shuster, unlock the door. All right, get inside. Make yourself at home. There's nothing to hold me on. Nothing at all. I'll be out of here by tomorrow noon. Without that, in fact, there's a pretty good chance you'll never get out of that cell, not alive, at least. What are you talking about? According to the law, I've got a right. The law, huh? You've broken out every chance you've got. Tried to break the men who serve it, but when your own neck gets caught, you start hiding behind the law. All right, fine. Right now, the law out here is kind of sketchy. Now, this little affair between you and me is one of the things the law doesn't quite cover. You're going to run it my way. Yeah, kind of talk isn't going to help you. You've hired a man to kill me, offered him $1,000 to get me out of the way. You can't prove that. He's made one try and missed. He's still around dark somewhere, waiting. Now, he'll try again. That's your problem. That's not mine. I don't know anything about it. You know what'll happen though if he does get me? The first thing Shuster's going to do is to come straight back here to the jail and pop a couple of bullets through these bars. Your boy may kill me, Hale, but you're not going to live to profit by it. He wouldn't. He wouldn't do that. Shoot down a helpless prisoner. One of you would do it. Shuster and I've been friends for a long time. Why don't you ask him whether he'd do it or not? You bet I'd do it. No, no, you wouldn't do it. You heard somebody shoot Mr. Dillon in the back. I don't see where you got any kick coming. Well, there's your answer, Hale. No, he wouldn't. Come on, Shuster. Let's go look the town over. No. No, well, it's tonight that he's going to... Tonight? Who's going to do what? I don't know. I don't know anything about it. Well, that's too bad. If I knew his name, I'd have a lot better chance. And so would you. See you later. Or any way, Shuster will. No. No, Dillon, you can't do it. Dillon, you can't go out in the street. He'll get you short. Dillon, no. Wait a minute. I'll tell you his name. All right. He came up from the fake us last week. His name is... His name is Ed Grainger. Ed Grainger? You've seen him around the bars. He's dark-haired, surly looking fella. He's got a scar across the cheek. Shuster, let's go get him. All right, Mr. Dillon, we'll live at the end of the bar. Looks like he's by himself. What are you going to do, arrest him? Well, there's no evidence, Shuster. Only one way I see is to make it personal. You stay out of it. Just cover me, that's all. Yes, Mr. Grainger. Your name, Ed Grainger? It might be. You know who I am? Judging by the star, I reckon you're a U.S. Marshal. You ought to do better than that. After all, I'm worth a thousand dollars to you. Who says so? Loss on Hale. Hale? The memory's getting better, huh? I don't know what you're talking about, Marshal. Sure you do. That deal you made with Hale. He told me all about it after I threw him in jail and persuaded him a little. I told you, I don't know any... You're wearing a gun there, Grainger. Why don't you draw it and go for the thousand dollars? Why don't you take a chance? This fella you're talking about's in jail. I reckon he wouldn't have anybody working for him now, would he? You tell me. I got no reason to draw on you, Marshal. Not unless my back's turned. I ain't drawing. Grainger, you tried to kill me the night before last. Can you prove that? If I cut you'd either be in jail or dead right now. Well, since you can't prove it, what's the argument? Just that I don't like the idea of somebody trying to shoot me in the back. If you're any man at all, we'll settle this right here and now. You leave me alone, Marshal. You still figure you got no reason to draw on me? I ain't drawing. Grainger, you got ten minutes to get out of town and when you're out, stay out. Don't come back now or ever, you understand? Yes, sir. You can start right now. We're nearly midnight, Mr. Dillon. Yeah, about that, I guess. Are you clear this is sure one day I'm glad it is over? Yeah, so am I. At least I can breathe a little easier now. I'll just get the power built up a little. No, I'll leave it, Chester. Take care of the prisoner first. You still ain't got no evidence. What are we going to do about him? Same as with Grainger. Turn him loose, run him out of town. It should have done it months ago. Go on and get him, huh? All right. Looks like he got Hale over at the winter for a talk and grabbed him and cut his throat right there. I figured Hale had sold him out. Got a bulletin on the wire, Chester. Wanted for murder at Grainger. All right, Mr. Dillon. I guess Hale got pretty much what he bargained for. He hired himself a killer in order to kill him. He got it. John McDonald stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshall. The story was specially written for Gunsmoke by Les Crutchfield with editorial supervision by John Meston. In the cast were Lawrence Dodkin, Big Karen, Ralph Moody, and Joseph Kern. Harley Bear is Chester, Howard McNeer is Doc, and Georgia Hawkins is Kitty. This is George Walsh inviting you to join us again next week when CBS Radio presents another story on Gunsmoke. M&FM CBS Radio in Los Angeles.