 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. I sure would like to have me a two-bit piece for every time we've rode this way coming in and out of Dodge. I guess the horses would, too. Would what? Like a two-bit piece for every trip they've made. They're the ones that do the work, you know. Well, now, Mr. Dillon, you know horses can't spend money, but it'd be just your foolishness to give it to them. Yeah, I guess you're right. Well, of course I'm right, Mr. Dillon. My good Greek, it's alive. All right, all right, Mr. Dillon. Yeah, I mean, give it money to a horse. I ain't nobody wanting to do it. I wonder what that follows up to. What follows that? Over there to the right of that big tree. Well, I declare Mr. Dillon, it looks like he's stringing up a rope. Yeah, it sure does. That's what he's doing, all right? Stringing a rope. And he's got a noose on him. Yeah. Now, that ain't very polite, Mr. Dillon. Now, you look here, he's the U.S. Marshall. You better climb down from that tree right now. All right. They ever called me nothing else? All right, Claude, suppose you're telling me what you're doing with this rope. What? I'm testing and measuring and seeing that it's right and proper. What for? Well, for the hanging, Marshal. Oh, you're arranging for a hanging? Yes, sir, I am. Doesn't sound very law-abiding to me. I promised her, Marshal, with her lion in her coffin. I promised her I'd follow him and hear him speak. And then I'd hang him. Mr. Dillon, he must be crazy. When some folks say I am. But folks don't know about a man. Who are you waiting here for? Oh, I ain't waiting here, Marshal. He'll be coming along to dodge, and I'll see him in plenty of time. And then you'll hang him, is that it? Well, not till he speaks the killing, Marshal. I've been following him all over, waiting to hear him speak the killing. A man should say he's guilty before he hangs. Never mind, Chester, Claude. Yes, Marshal? Nobody hangs a man but the law. I don't want to cause no trouble. You cause any trouble, and I'll put you and your rope in jail. Remember that, huh? I ain't one to forget things, Marshal. That's good. I'm not either. All right, come on, Chester. Marshal? Yeah. I'm right pleased to make your acquaintance. Yeah. Come on, Chester, let's get out of here. Come on. I'll show you some new twist to that, Lou. You leave it to me. There are lots of ways to wrap news. Let me see it. Let it go. Some ropes is made for dragging, ain't it? Let it go there. Hey, Cal, Cal, you pull that away. It'll fall on it like this. We'll see how good this rope is. Turn him loose. Huh? I said turn him loose. He ain't doing no harm, Marshal. Just have a little fun. Try to drag a man's head off. And goes around wearing a rope with a noose on it all the time. He ain't right, Marshal. It's not up to you to judge. I go on, move along. You better do something about that, Marshal. The town's getting spooked at the sighting. I said move along. Well, move along. Thank you, Marshal. Well, I got here in time. It was dragging me for fear. This happened to you before? Yes, Marshal. Everywhere I go, folks try to pull on the rope. Why don't you take it off, then? Well, I gotta wear it, Marshal. I gotta wear it till hanging. I told you how it was. Yeah, you told me. You'd be safer without that rope. I ain't gonna harm nobody, Marshal. Not till the time. Hey, Chloe, there isn't gonna be a time for you to use that rope. I made it myself, Marshal. And I looped it just right. It ain't gonna be used but once. You better be sure it isn't used on you. There was a lot quieter in here than it was last night. Yeah. When those cattle drives hit, I sometimes wonder if it's worth it. You make a lot of money off those cowboys. I have to spend most of it putting the place back together again after they go. Now, they didn't do so bad last night, Kitty. To me, it looks pretty good around here. Sure it does. After we carted out the broken chairs and took down the mirror they smashed, we're still missing the window. Yeah. In this weather, they did you a favor to knock it out. You may be right back. Ah, there he comes, Matt. Oh. Ah, Chloe. Yep, and it's daily round. Good afternoon, Miss Kitty. Hello, Claude. Claude, you and Claude have much to say to each other, Kitty. No, Matt. Can't say we do. He comes in every day just like that and goes up his bar, but, you know, he speaks very quietly. Yeah. Well, I wish his good manners is making him take that rope off before he comes in here. It gives me the creeps, Matt. It'll be good for business. I don't care if it is or not. Isn't there some way you can keep him from wearing it? Kitty. I know. I know. There's nothing in the law that says a man can't wear a rope. Hmm. Well, my hope, whoever he's waiting for, it comes along so we can stop coming in here and looking around every day. The one drink he buys isn't worth it. See? There he goes on out. Gonna look someplace else. Bye, Miss Kitty. Marcho. Bye, Claude. So long, Claude. Matt, do you think he really is waiting for somebody? He's such a strange man. Yeah, Kitty, but I don't think he's strange enough. What do you mean? I mean, I think that he is waiting for somebody. A hopeful reminder of times past. This is Dennis James with something else worth remembering. It's this. You're so right to stay regular with Kellogg's all brand. See, it's the normal natural way to youthful regularity. The whole brand content of Kellogg's all brand supplies your system with all the bulk-forming food that you need every day. There's only one all brand. It's Kellogg's all brand. So relieve irregularity from lack of bulk, as millions do, with a bowl full of Kellogg's all brand each morning. A double L hyphen B-R-A-M. It's Kellogg's all brand. I'm glad to see you remember me. Oh, I remember you all right. Well, then I guess you recall I've been asking after a man who might have come in here to your hotel. You've been asking every day. A big fella, tall, straight fella named Acreal. That's who I've been looking for. Yes, yes, I remember. Well, then, Mr. Dolby, I figured maybe you'd tell me what room he was in. Well, now you listen here. I heard on the street out there that a fella like that come in here last night. A lot of folks come to Dodge House. Well, I'd just like to go up there in the stairs, Mr. Dolby, and look around. Well, now listen here. All I want to do is... Oh. Well, thank you, Mr. Dolby, but I guess I won't have to trouble you after all. Mr. Acreal? I've been waiting for you, Mr. Acreal. Get out of my way. I always promised her I'd find you. You remember that, Mr. Acreal? You just better remember to leave me alone. Well, I aim to leave you alone right now till you say you did it all... You say you did it, Mr. Acreal. One of these days, you'll say it, and I'll be waiting like I always am. Now, you get out of my way or I'm going to break your head open, gentlemen. Now, don't worry, Mr. Dolby. There won't be any trouble. I'll get out of the way. You just better. I can wait. Breakfast? Oh, hours ago, yes. I was at the Toddy place. Toddy place? Somebody sick? No, not sick, exactly. Martha had twins. Boys. Well, that makes a whole parcel of Toddy boys, doesn't it? Makes seven. Funny. Some men just don't seem to deserve having a girl. Yeah. A dog? I guess I might like to ask you about it. Good. Fireworks. Have you seen much of the Floyd fellow that's been wandering around town? Oh, yeah, sure. I've seen. Everybody has. He's in and out every place in town every day. Not any more. Not any more. What do you mean? At least found what he's looking for. A man named Creel came into town night before last. Now, Floyd only goes in and out of the places Creel goes. Oh, sticks right with him, doesn't he? Yeah, like a leech. What do you want to ask me? If a man like Floyd will really make a move, or if he'll just talk about it. Well, you mean make a move against Creel? Yeah. He says he's going to hang him. He's choosing a hard way of doing things, isn't he? Yeah, that's why I wonder if there'll ever be anything to it. He's quiet and polite and hasn't caused any trouble. But he says he's going to. Where's that blasted rope night and day? He doesn't seem to be in any hurry, does he? He's got a reason for that, too. He says he has to wait until this man Creel admits to whatever he's done. Then he's going to hang him. You think he'll ever do anything, Doug? Well, I don't know, Matt. I honestly don't know. These kind of things can go either way. Following right behind you, I aim to make it real easy to talk to me when you're ready. When you figure you'll be ready, Mr. Creel. Sorry, Mr. Creel, but when you stopped so sudden-like, I didn't mean to run into you like that. Afternoon, Marshal, Chester. Ain't always easy to keep my distance when I don't know where you're going, Mr. Creel. I'm right here, right here behind you. Mr. Dillon? Yeah, Chester, I know. Well, ain't that a mighty unnatural sight now of them two walking all over town, one behind the other, and only one of them doing any talking? He talks enough for the two of them. Yeah, sure he does. But if I had that fellow Creel, I'd have to say something. Yeah, that's what Floyd wants him to do, say something. Mr. Dillon, do you really believe that Floyd fellow has anything on him like he says he does? I don't know, Chester. I got a feeling we're going to find out. And I miss my, and I'll let you know when that new boat o'clock comes in. All right, thank you, Mr. Jonas. Good day. Bye, Miss Mike. Now, what can I do for you two? We ain't together. Oh? All right, then, what can I tell you? I can see how you'd think we was together, being so close and all. Oh, you shut up. Well, sure, I was just explaining to the man- Just shut up. Did you come in here to buy anything or not? Yeah, I want some cartridges. I just go where he goes. For what gun? This here, 45. Yeah, right back here. I guess your friend don't need any cartridges, at least not when he's wearing that robe. He's no friend of mine. Here I come, Mr. Creel, right behind you. Thirsty people everywhere prefer ice-cold Pepsi-Cola. And because it's light, it refreshes without filling. Charlie, be sociable. I am, Kay. Pepsi is a favorite of thirsty people from Maine to Hawaii, from Alaska to Florida. Charlie. It's perfect for parties or picnics, so serve Pepsi to your guests. That's helpful, but... This is the sociable part. Keep plenty of Pepsi ice-cold and ready. Remember, it goes fast because everybody likes Pepsi. It still sounds more inviting. May I be sociable? Pick up an extra carton of Pepsi today. Better yet, get a case. You do that. Don't think so. That beats me, Creel. Well, you played it smart. Good deal. Yeah. He's having a lot of luck today, ain't he? More luck than coming to him the way he's watching that door. Just you let me worry about that door. You are worrying about it, too, ain't you? Don't worry, he'll be along, Creel. He always is. Now, listen, you want to play poker or you don't? Well, sure. We was just thinking maybe you was missing your friend. Well, I ain't missing him. And if you ain't going to shut up about it, we call the game off right now. All right, we'll shut up, Creel. Go ahead and deal. It's just that I was wondering... Wondering what? Well, I was wondering what you must have done to have that little man following you around all the time. I ain't done nothing. It's cold. Come on. Come on, sit down. I ain't done a single much thing. All right. He ain't nothing like a choker, man. We'll have to watch the door any more, Creel. Here he comes. I didn't mean to be so long, Mr. Creel. Wasn't it, Creel? I told you to shut up. All right. Ain't my mess. If it was how to handle it by now, I wouldn't have let no crazy man with a rope chase me all over town. He don't have to let me follow him. You hear what he says, Creel? He says you don't have to put up with it. You stay out of it. All you have to do is talk, Mr. Creel, and it'll be all over. All right. All right, I'll talk. I'll talk good. You've been following me around ever since I left Missouri. Now, you ain't going to do it no more. All you got to do, Mr. Creel, is tell me you killed her. Then it'll be over. Oh, I never killed her. Lying there in her coffin, she told me you did. Oh, that's crazy. Now, it may sound crazy to you, but it ain't crazy to me. And it ain't crazy to her, neither. I watched her all the time, Mr. Creel. I wasn't big enough and strong enough for her to look at to marry like she did you, Mr. Creel, but I watched her all the time. Oh, George, you watched her. I've seen you come home drunk lots of times, and I ain't going to do it no more. I've seen you come home drunk lots of times, and I've seen her run from you too, not just once. I've seen her run and hide, and I heard her cry. You don't know nothing what went on between us. Yes, I do, Mr. Creel. I know I wasn't good enough for her to marry, but I watched over her just the same, and I know you killed her just like you've done it with a gun. Oh, now, would you shut up? I wasn't good enough for her to marry, but I was the one she spoke to from her coffin. Will you hear that? I was the one she told to follow you until you spoke about it, and you're following me around just to hear me say that? That's right. All right, then. All right, if that's what it is, I killed her. All right, now, you just take your rope and you go. The rope is going right there below you, Mr. Creel. Just hang off me. Go on. Get that rope off me. The rope ain't never coming. Get that rope off me. Somebody help me get this rope off of me. Get this rope off me. You just lay there. Right down there where I put you. You ain't had no call following me around all over the country wearing a rope like you were sent from the devil. It had never been none of your business what I'd done to her. I aimed to fix it so you don't do no more talking about it. I don't think you need to worry, Creel. I think he's dying. Now, you better get out of here before the marshal comes. I ain't scared. Nobody's going to take your rope off me. I'm through with listening to you. All right, hold it, Creel. You ain't taking me, marshal. Just stay with him. Yeah, sure, marshal. I'll get him. To have it with me, marshal. Good rope, marshal. It's a true rope. And made him speak his guilt. A man should speak his guilt, marshal. Guilty, marshal. Just like he used a gun just like he used it on me. You see that I have a rope. William Conrad as Matt Villan, U.S. Marshal. The story was specially listened for by gun smoke by Marion Clark with editorial supervision by John Messon. Featured in the cast were Vic Tarran, Lauren Stubbkin, Martha Robinson, Barney Phillips, and Harry Barcell. Farley's there is Chester Hart. Farley's there is Chester. Howard McNeer is Doc. And Georgia Ellis is kidding. This is George Walsh. Invite you to join us again next week when CBS Radio presents another story on gun smoke.