 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 US Marshal and the smell of gun smoke Barring 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 chance they job, but it makes a man watchful But a little lonely The little dab coffee that mr. Dillon would like me to pour you tough I'm not that tough to not this time of night besides that stuff practically boils solid by now, isn't it? That's when I like it to be Good day something there stewing away Give the man a lot of in here Yeah Well, I'd rather get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning. That's it. All right, don't I'll walk up by that I think it's coffee. All right Don't yeah, we better take a look come on I should have noted was too quiet around here nice. Wait a minute. You recognize I'm just it. No, sir I didn't the dark and all I I seen there's two of them. Oh, yeah, well I left one behind Down there on the street You think that's what them shots was I will know in a minute. I don't smell like bad whiskey He heard I don't think so Chester. He hasn't been shot anyway You think he's with him other two that rode out of town. I don't know Maybe we better put him away for tonight so we can ask him in the morning Feeding hog. All right. Now you just hold on there. I cook that up myself. I wouldn't brag on it none Leaping it off for ain't helped your disposition man. I'll say that for you Well, I've been cooking up the food around here before you get it out of here Good enough for anybody Trouble Chester. Oh Well, it ain't exactly trouble mr. Dumb, but that prisoner says my food ain't good enough for him nerf her hog He probably doesn't feel very good Chester not after all that whiskey you drank last night Anyway, you can't suit everybody Without food, you know, I'm out of my cooking ain't all that bad Yeah, I'll just set these things up front. Let's do it It's all right. You I'll be back and wash them up in a little bit. How are you going? Well, I thought I might go get me some breakfast or to Del Monte cause Pretending to choose that stuff I cook this morning fit for hog Marshall He's Marshall don't come on in. That's him. What can I do for you? You've got my boy locked up here Oh, yeah, the aim is your sire Crandall Yeah, he's locked up Crandall don't belong in jail We're not particular around here. Mr. Crandall of that. We don't care what a man's name is what they do On him lying on the street last night We dragged him here Yeah, no You catch him in the act of violence how he was too far gone for that and you ain't got no case against him Look, mr. Crandall, I know the law I also know that any time a man is lying dead drunk in the streets of Dodge I got a right to lock him up whatever his name is I ain't come here to argue your rights Marshall and suppose you told me what you did come for it Find out what he done Get him home when you're through with him keep him away from this place It's full of trouble and violence. He's a grown man. Mr. Crandall Might be hard to do. I'll do it Somebody sure this to me Marshall I Spent the last years of my life making sure His two brothers dead to violence one in the war one in the bar room I Packed up and brought this boy west when he was little I wanted him to grow up peaceful I ain't aiming to let him get away again I'll keep him out town Marshall. Don't you worry nothing about that you figure to hold a pretty tight rain on him I know if I do that's my affair Yeah, I guess it is All right, I'll let him out mr. Crandall. His son hasn't done anything to make me keep him here any longer You won't be coming back Well, I'll be here mr. Crandall Doesn't case he does and kitty. Yeah, whatever happened that funny little whiskey drummer Hank will it that's it. Yeah, I Told him to try and pedal that bad whiskey at the other place We have enough trouble in the long branch when we saw good stuff Well the last decent whiskey I drank was the day Lincoln died and it sure didn't come from behind that bar Well, if you hate the long branch so much talk, I don't see why you spend so much time Kitty kitty. He doesn't mind it a bit. He's just an old honor a grouch and he's got a complaint about something There wasn't a whiskey it'll be the heat. There wasn't a heater to be fly I'll tell you one thing for sure about this. There's nothing bigger and meaner than the Kansas blow fly How about another bear doc might make you feel better. No, no, no, I've had my siesta for today I got things to do. I can't sit around on it. You coming Matt And no doc, I think I'll stay here for a little while. Oh and forcing the law on the long branch, you know, doc Yeah, something like that Some people have work to do for a living Oh Long time You know, I wouldn't hurt him to sit around and waste time for what I guess it wouldn't get it Doc works awful hard. He gets mighty little thoughts. Yeah And I guess I'll go over and get that beer. You want one? I'll be right back down there. Young fellow that just come in Does he come in here often? Yeah, but I have a talk with him I ain't breaking no law Marshall No, you're not. I'd just like to talk to you. What about? You're a father. No, you're here What if you don't? Well, you may be in for trouble Listen Marshall, a man's got a right to find out about trouble for himself Anyway, don't make no difference. Oh, what do you mean? Ain't nothing I can do the old man. Don't think of his trouble He don't want me off the place. He don't want me where he can't see me He don't want me to do nothing. Maybe he thinks this is a way to keep you alive This ain't being alive. Not much it ain't Yeah Well, if I were you, you ain't mean Marshall And I ain't gonna stay here and listen to no lectures. I'm getting out of here now. It's your business It sure don't seem like it. Look at that He comes big as life. The boy who wanted to ride with it That'll look like a nice and jail. Heard of none Do you mind if we walk along with you kid? You can do what you want Very very friendly and not even given at the time of the day Maybe ain't got nothing to say He might just tell us about that trouble he got in the other night. Never mind about that Maybe it's sore late because we rode out on that way. Yeah, maybe that's it I tell you kid, this time is when you just got to get moving You wasn't exactly able to move now, was you? I ain't complaining. Oh, that's nice. It's real nice This was that I'm gonna give you an invite to another little ruckus. We got plan. Yeah, you come along on this one You really feel road up. I ain't riding with you What's the matter boy? You scared of going to jail again? I ain't scared Just ain't riding. That's all you can quit following me. It's an head. No, never mind. Oh, you let him go a Papa's boy like him. You can't count on him for nothing. Go on get out of here Get you change your mind though. You get tired of listening to Papa. You know where we are After all boys, you got to grow up sometime Where you've been? I've been to town the Dodge City Had me a drink of beer and a drink of whiskey and then I come home You wasn't to go. I know Town of sin and violence you wasn't to go Paul I'm full-grown. You're still my son a Man's got to find out things for himself If I don't know it a little more, I wouldn't have got into jail at last time I got to learn things the way your brother's learned. Oh I know that ain't never stop rankling you Paul what happened to Jess and ab but it ain't gonna happen to me It's the gospel that ain't gonna happen to you. I ain't gonna let it happen I've brought you out here to grow up in peace for ways Ain't gonna see you start off in the ways of Ireland. I've done nothing wrong Oh, I ain't aiming to do nothing wrong. That's me that I'm gonna stay hard-tired to this place neither Catch me that whip Now you listen here Paul catch me the whip off the wall. I ain't gonna fetch it on up no more All right, then I'll get it myself. Don't you use that pop some lessons are hard-learned. I ain't a little boy no more Put it down Stay on the place Hand me back that whip I hand it back as long as you're my son as long as you live under my roof He's like I got a choice Paul. I can wrestle you for the whip every time I come home Or I can walk out of it you ain't to leave I'm leaving and I ain't coming home to no more weapons I ain't coming home at all. I got to see you All right, come on inside. What's the matter? I come to tell you something You weren't too anxious to talk to me the other day at the long break. I know my but I gotta tell you this All right, then tell me it's about the morning stage. There's a gold shipment. Oh, what about it? It's gonna be held up out at Ryder's corner. How do you know about it? I was with him late Burns and Joe York. They was planning it out the shack. What were you doing there? I walked out on my old man last week. He whipped me, but I didn't mean to walk into nothing like this Burns in New York, huh? Why would they take you in on a job? Well, I was supposed to stand to look out, but I didn't bargain for nothing like that So you're right in to tell me about it instead. It's the truth. That's where it's the truth It's kind of hard to believe that they'd let you get away if you knew so much They're out there with a jug and they're drinking pretty hard. They ain't gonna know I was gone Rob You willing to write out there with me in the morning? Show me the plan. I'm willing Marshall. Maybe you are telling the truth. I Just to be sure that nothing goes wrong I'm gonna keep you here tonight In jail. Yeah, I'm jail Well, that's all right with me Marshall Tell me something Rob. What? I've made you change your mind I've made you decide not to look for trouble after all. Oh I I'm strictly against trouble Marshall, but I ain't got nothing against those folks on that stage Thanks for somebody getting hurt. I Guess I ain't for violence anymore in my old man is All right, kind of you remember where the cells are you'll stay there until morning I'll start walking right up here boys. That's me. Have a new lagging back there Lagging leave him alone. He's right. All right. Well, I'd feel a lot more comfortable if we just left him back in jail He can help us. I'm sure Rob Yeah, right his corners is just beyond that next rise up there. Yes Burns in York. We're gonna come down the West road. Is that it? That's right, Marshall They're gonna hide behind them big rocks one on one side one on the other. All right, Chester You go ahead and watch them across the road over there. Yes, I'll take a boy with me You think them fellas is out there yet? I don't know shouldn't take long to find out and I get going Come on Rob. We'll head for the rocks on this side All right, Martin. Well, we got there you take my rifle, huh? Yes You know how to use it Well, I'm a good shot, Marshall only Only what? I ain't never a shot at a man before Maybe you won't have to you stay close behind me and stay low. Yes, sir. Oh, they Should be coming down that way You better hope you're telling the truth, son. I am Marshall. I swear We'll see you soon enough off there. There's horses Yeah You watch until you're sure those are the men Then I want you to get down and stay down. You understand. I understand. I ain't quite close enough yet Yeah, Marshall. That's him. That's me. All right. I'm gonna climb down to the road But you stay here. I'll come with you. I said for you to stay here Rob. Now. Don't you give me any trouble? All right, Martin. Get your hands up That's it. Now you sit real still. Come on out and get that gun but come easy. We've been told out that kid That's not the boy done. It's all the more so. There he is Sitin' up on that rock like a white pumpkin. Head on, Crambo. You're out in a little sleep. Take it easy I'll give you a shot. You got him Both of them. Come on, Chester. Let's see about the boy. You couldn't help it Chester He didn't give you any time. We better get him in the dark I'll help you. No, never mind Chester I'll take him. He lying drunk again He hurt. Bad hurt. Bring him in. Put him down on the bed. No doctor can do anything about violence I'd like to tell you how it happened. No use, Marshall. No use The boy did My third boy, but you might feel better about it if you knew. I had three sons They all sought violence This one didn't. He tried to stop it He died by it. Yes, Mr. Crandall, he did, but he died because he was trying to keep people from getting hurt He died trying to stop a stage holdup All I wanted was to bring him up to think in the ways of peace All I wanted was to keep him from wanting to mix in the world at trouble Mr. Crandall, he just wanted to mix in the world The world is wicked He's full of island. Not all the world, Mr. Crandall If I had a son who risked his life to save others, I'd find it in my heart to be proud Even if he was my last son For use and directed by Norman McDonald, stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon of U.S. Marshall The story was specially written for Gunsmoke by Marion Clark with editorial supervision by John Messon Featured in the cast were Sam Edwards, Ralph Moody, Ken Link and Barney Phillips Harley Bear as Sesser, Howard McNeer as Doc and Georgia Ellis as Kitty This is George Walsh inviting you to join us again next week for another story on Gunsmoke