 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. Marshall and the smell of gun smoke Gun smoke scarring William Conrad story of the violence that moved west with young America The story of a man who moved with it Matt Dillon United States Marshall a long time since I've been in Dodge Paul this is why you stay out of dodge will man's whole lot better off on a ranch than in a town He's a whole lot of lonelier to then get married place needs a woman anyway And I got my eye on the Sutter girl Paul But she won't be old enough for another two three years. You settle down will It's your brother print worries me He's as steady as you Brent heads strong. That's all Now you go get the wagon and load it up the store our stuff's already I've got a little business here in the lawyer's office, and I'll join you. Okay, Paul But keep your eyes open with that rab. I hear he's a sharper. I can handle him You go along now sure pa John after What are you doing in town? I Drove in with one of my boys I have after supplies Not often you get the dodge. Oh, it isn't that's a good thing. I came in this time. Why's that? Well last night I ran into the clerk in the land office We got to talking about this and that and one thing and another and then he happened to mention that paper You fixed for me here the one I signed a few weeks back Oh the transfer of title you mean the one that said my boys own the ranch now And they don't have to wait till I die What about it? You wrote it out legal and I signed it That's right aspirin and you said I'd have to wait a while before I could give it to the boys. I did Well now rab the clerk told me I didn't have to wait any time at all. It clerk is wrong aspirin. I'm a lawyer I know the law may be so rab But anyways the clerk can read and he told me that paper I signed says it my boys don't own the ranch at all It says you do All right, the deed is in my name aspirin, but I don't aim to do anything about it for the moment So don't you get all upset? You cheated me didn't I should have known better than to trust you rab Everything's perfectly legal aspirin. Oh Only you own my ranch. Well, I told you you can go on living there for a while. What if I? Went the court about it grab all right it takes forever and it cost you a lot of money and you couldn't win anyway That's just about what I figured so you might as well just forget about it aspirin I wanted the boys to own that ranch right now so they take a bigger interest working it And it seems their old Paul went and huddled everything You got outsmarted that's all yeah, I sure did Well rab I Brought this here gun long And I'm gonna kill you with it right Huh put that gun away as per You can't do that last man. I killed was in the spring of 69 made up my mind then I wouldn't be killing any more men And I sure hate to do it But I got now look here aspirin just ain't any other way rab Like you say it's all legal. There's nothing I can do about it. So I've got to kill you and get it over with You're crazy. You'll hang for this. Sure. I will But I'm old and it won't matter much and I guess might earn you a lesson. No I'll give you a few seconds to pray rab, but that's all the way wait wait. Ask me listen to me You can have the deed back. I'll fix it up right now. I don't want you ranch That wouldn't be much use rab you just go tell Marshall Bill and I Forced you to sign it back and then they wouldn't re-record. No, I won't I swear I won't then I just have to find you and shoot y'all the same It's just easier. I do it now. No, no, no The deed I'll fix it right now and you can go file it yourself Look, I'll do it now. You know, I can't read and then we'll take it over together and record it Oh, no, the clerk can read it for you Well All right, rab Go ahead fix it. Yes There Are you satisfied as soon as we get it recorded? Maybe I will be come on then we'll do it right now You're a pretty smart lawyer, rab I think this is about the last job. I'll ask you to do for me and if you didn't do this, right? I'll kill you sure now. Let's go find out Where have you been all week Matt? We've missed you around here a dodge been peaceful enough kitty According to Chester anyway, at least nobody's been shot. I know us. I've come close to it a time of truth Oh, well arguing doesn't sell any grieves Yeah, maybe someday men will learn that I doubt it Yeah You don't think very high of men. Do you not very after what I've seen of them Maybe the trouble is you've never seen them when they were working They aren't so bad man. That's what they're always telling me Matt, I'd like to go to St. Louis or somewhere for a while. I need a change. No Why don't you go? Oh I don't know. It wouldn't really be any good alone. Oh, yeah, Chester. Oh, hello, Miss Kitty Oh, you just say I just come from Docs. Mr. Dillon. You better get over there right away. Rabb's been shot Rabb the lawyer. Yes, sir right in his office. Doc isn't sure how long you'll be conscious who shot him I don't know sir. Some men heard the shot and they found him there all alone. Whoever it was had got out the back way I'll see you later. Kenny. Come on, Chester Can they talk Chester? Yes, sir But doc told him not to waste his strength number you got there. I came right away, Mr. Dillon. Yeah sure now doc Doc, how is he? He's alive Matt and still conscious I've done what I can, huh? The marshals here, Rabb. Yeah, if you like talking now Hello, Marshall. Who shot you? Asper. Oh John Asper shot me. John Asper? Have a fight with him? He shot me in the back, Marshall. I never even saw him. How do you know who it was if you didn't see him? I was sitting in my office and he shot me through the window in the back. But how do you know it was Asper? A couple of days ago he threatened to shoot me. That's why. Oh, he said he'd kill me. Well, why did he threaten you? Well, it was about his ranch, Marshall. I made a little little mistake and got the title transfer mixed up. But I fixed that. You can ask for a clerk at the land office. Everything was made OK. Asper was right there with me. When was all this? Four days ago, Marshall. A man's crazy. That's why he shot me. He's kind of crazy. No, no, no, no, that's enough. That's enough now, Rab. You'd better not talk any more now. Doc, what do you think? How does he look? He might pull through, Matt, but he cannot get excited. OK, we'll go. Let me know how he is, will you? More sure, man, sure. I'd like to talk to him again when he's able. His story doesn't make much sense so far. What's up, Mr. Dillon? He was just closing up the land office. For a clerk, he works pretty late. What'd he say? Well, sir, he said the same thing Rab did. Only it wasn't no mistake. What? Rab didn't make any mistake. Somehow he got old Asper to sign the deed to his ranch over to him. All clear and legal. Then, four days ago, they came in again and signed it back to Asper. The clerk thinks Rab fooled the old man somehow on the first one. He can't read, you know? Maybe Asper did threaten him after all. Yes, but if everything was made OK, why would Asper shoot him? I don't know. Maybe we better ask him. Are we going to write out there tonight, Mr. Dillon? No. No, I know John Asper. He's not going to run. Anyway, I'd like to talk to Rab again first. Yes, sir. How are the eggs this morning, Chester? They've gone up both in price and age. How's Rab, Mr. Dillon? He's still alive. Couldn't talk very long, though. Did you find out anything? No, same story. Oh, say, I nearly forgot. The old man Asper was in here a few minutes ago. Huh? But where is he now? He said he'd be right back. I told him you'd like to see him. Yeah, yeah, I would. Thanks, Chester. Well, that's all right, sir. Oh, I ordered some eggs for you, too. Oh, good. And coffee. Here's Asper now. Good morning, Marshal. Hello, Asper. You, uh... Want to see me? Yeah, yeah, I did. Won't you sit down? All right. But I can't stay long. I just rode in from cold water, and I want to get on out the ranch before noon. No? Then you weren't in Dodge last night? No, I'd had to ride mighty fast to be in Dodge last night, Marshal. It seems as how I didn't leave cold water till after supper. Maybe I should have waited till morning, but I figured it'd be easier on my horse to travel at night in this hot weather. Yeah, yeah. Um, who did you see in cold water, Asper? Shanghai Pierce, himself. Made a deal with him for some cows, too, when he comes up with his next herd. Won't be for two, three months, though. I see. Uh, Asper, tell me something. Did you threaten to shoot that lawyer, Rab? How'd you know about that, Marshal? What did you? Yes, I did. Why? Well, somebody shot him last night. They kill him? Now, he's still alive. You got any idea who might have done it? Yeah, I might have. But you didn't. No, but I would have. He's a crook, Marshal. I thought I was signing the ranch over to my boys, and he put his name in instead. He changed his mind about it, though, once I got him freed. Do, uh, do your boys know about this? Nary a word. No, now they didn't do it, Marshal. Isn't, uh, your younger son, Brent, uh, isn't he the wild one? Well, Prince of Mike Wild, you could say. His mother didn't live long enough to have a hand raising him, that's why. But he didn't know about Rab, Marshal. He knew nothing at all. I'd have found out somehow. I sure don't know how. I never told him. And he ain't even been to town since this started. Neither of the boys been here? Well, he came in with me the other day, but he didn't talk to Rab. Ah, I see. Well, Marshal, I don't want any suspicions about them boys. Now, you just write out with me and we'll clear this up once and for all. I told Rab I'd kill him, and I would have. And then I'd come down and told you all about it, and you could have got me hung. I expected that. But the boys weren't in on it, and I don't want anybody thinking they were. Now, you come talk to them. All right, Asher. All right. I'll write out with you. Sure you will. And I'll tell you about Rab. If he pulls through this time, somebody will just shoot him again. That man's no good at all, Marshal. We will return for the second act of gun smoke in just a moment. But first, young women are needed to enroll as student nurses and to take their places as graduate nurses in an ever-expanding field where opportunity unlimited await. Older women should seek careers as practical nurses where fine living and fine working conditions are in prospect. Ask at any hospital at the nurse's registry desk or at any qualified school of nursing. And now the second act of gun smoke. You've done a lot of work on this place since I was here, Asher. It's coming, Marshal. It's coming. I don't blame you for not wanting to be cheated out of it. Well, life's always uncertain. Full of boils, Marshal. Never did have it easy on this ranch. I don't see the boys around. Maybe they're in the house. Come on, we'll have a look. All right. We've got company. Hello, Will. Marshal. Where's Prince? I want both of you here. He'll be around later, maybe. Well, go get him, Will. I got some coffee on the stove. Come on for a cup, Marshal. Will. Yes, Pa. You know where Prince is. No. When did you see him last? Yesterday. Morning. All right. We'll find him later. Will. Rav got shot last night, and the Marshal here is looking for the man who shot him. Did you do it? No, I didn't shoot him. You're telling the truth. I've been off the ranch. That's the truth. Satisfied, Marshal? Yeah, I'm satisfied. What about Prince? I think Prince might have done it, Will. Ask him. You know more than you're telling me, don't you? Yeah, well, I'll be. Now, what do you know about me and Rav? Tell me now, Will. I know what I heard. I was curious, so I went around back and listened at the window while you and Rav was talking to me. I heard you say you went and fuddled everything, and I left. I told a friend about it, too. Then why didn't you listen some more since you were snooping around? I was going to shoot him all right, but he fixed everything up. This is your ranch, now yours and Prince. You understand? That's so. But now it looks like Prince got hot-headed and rode to town. Doesn't, Marshal? That could be. Anyway, I think we better find him. I'll find him. No, son of mine is going to go around shooting people. You just said you were going to shoot that lawyer yourself, Pa. Sure I was. It would have been the first time I've killed, but that's different. You boys wasn't raised that way, and you ain't going to start now, do you? Now, wait a minute. Wait a minute. We don't know that Prince did it. I know dang well he did now. But if he shows up, I'd like to talk to him. But I'm not going to go on a hunt for him unless... Well, unless Rav dies. You can find me in Dodge. Bring him in if he comes back, Marshal. All right. All right. Well, so long, Will. Bye, Marshal. I guess I was just going to write out after you, Mr. Dillon. Well, why? What's happened? Rav got shot all over again. What? He's dead for sure now. Yeah, right in Doc's office, Mr. Dillon. We were sitting down here and me and Doc couldn't rehearse it. But by the time we got upstairs, he'd gone. Whoever'd done it, and Rav was dead. Shot him right on the couch and jumped out Doc's back window. Nobody saw him that I could find him. Well, he sure was determined, wasn't he? Chester, go see if you can find out if Brent Asper's been in Dodge in the last couple of days. Old Asper, young man? Well, he's 18, Doc. Oh, well, yes, yes, yes. Oh, yeah, he's old now. Yeah, go on, will you, Chester? Yes, sir. And Chester, I'll be at the Texas trail. All right. Doc, you've known John Asper for a long time. Boy, I've been in Dodge, man. Yeah, well, so have I. I just hope for his sake, Brent didn't do this. Oh, yes, man. Asper's a crafty old buzzard, but he's straight as a comb. Yeah, sure is. Well, I'll see you later, Doc. Yeah, sure. Sit on, Matt. Thank you. Yeah, the place looks kind of deserted tonight. Oh, surely. Most of the boys haven't slept off last night yet. Uh, Kelly, tell me something. You know Brent Asper? He's been in a couple of times. When? Oh, not for a couple of months, Matt. Why? Uh, I'm looking for him, that's all. Is he in trouble? Yeah, I think so. What are you doing? Yeah, Charlie at the stage office sign this morning. The first place is stopped. Was he sure? Yes, sir. He said Brent walked right down the street, but wouldn't even say hello to him. He went right past him. All right, Chester. Matt, over there by the door. Isn't that old man Asper? Yeah, it sure is. Here he comes, you know. The doc told me I'd find you here, Marshall. Yeah. He's going to ride out to take care of Will. I want you to go after Print with me. Take care of Will? Well, what's happened? And I'll just about a half hour after you left, Marshall. I was out at the barn, and then I heard Print and Will arguing, and I started with the house. But before I got there, Print pulled a gun on Will and shot him. Then he rode away again. I did what I could for Will, and then I come for the doc. Well, as Will heard that, I don't know, Marshall. But doc can fix him if anyone can. Let's go now. We'll get fresh horses at the ranch. Yeah, all right, all right. Chester, go get our horses, huh? Yes. I taught Print everything I know about the prairie, Marshall. It's going to be a long ride. Asper was right. It was sure enough a long ride. We cut Print's trail just beyond the ranch and followed it west for two days. The old man tracked like an Indian. To determine how fresh the trail was, he'd spent a long time at certain places just looking at grass blades or scrutinizing the fine little marks made on bare ground by insects or calculating on the age of a doodle bug hole. He was slow, but as certain as death, and we never lost the trail once. On the fourth day, he announced that the tracks were just a few hours old. He rode faster. About noon, we stopped behind a small hummer and walked forward to where we could see a cabin 100 or so yards off surrounded by high-brown prairie grass. He's in there, Marshall. Are you sure? Yes. He's decided to make his stand from there. It's a good spot. You sure he is. You've got a clear field all the way around. Well, let's surround him and wait it out. That's too slow. And I'm in a hurry to get back to Will. He's still alive. I'll put a couple of shots in there. Maybe he's ready to give up. I doubt it. But go ahead. He'll never give up. Let's spread out and rush him. No, Marshall. That'll just mean more bloodshed. He'd get one of his shore. I've got a better idea. Oh? We'll burn him out. What? Look at that grass. It's as dry as tinder. All we have to do is fire it and take him when he comes out. He'll come out shooting. I know. I'll be waiting. Look, Asper, Chester and I will stay here and starve him out. Why don't you ride on back? No, I don't figure that way. Marshall, thank you just the same. The cabin's downwind. We can fire it from right here. Okay. You and I will move out a little, Chester. And let go any time. Yes, sir. Look, Asper. I'll do the shooting, huh? I can knock him down without killing him. He'd only hang. We'll all shoot, Marshall. Okay. I bunched up a handful of brown grass and lit it. And the wind did the rest. And carried the flames springin' higher and higher toward the cabin. It started down from Chester, too, and from where the old man lay. It was four or five feet high when it reached the cabin, which caught fire at once and was soon burnin' fast. No man could live in there for long. And after a minute, the two print ran out the door and came toward us past the flames. Go down, you gun print. You're caught there. All right, Marshall. Chester? All right. Come on, Chester. Oh, watch it. He may not be dead. Is he? Is he dead, Marshall? Yeah. I'm sorry, Asper. I was afraid he'd kill one of us if I didn't get him first. I saw your shot, Marshall. You hit him in the shoulder on purpose, I figure. I killed him. I had to. Now, let's get him buried. I want to get back to Will. We buried print near the charred ruins of the cabin and then started the long ride back to the ranch. On the way, the old man never mentioned print, but talked endlessly of the prairie and his long life on it. He knew the land the way a preacher knows the Bible, and he accepted it in its ways with the same mixture of faith and fear. When we finally reached the ranch, Chester and I waited outside the house while the old man went in alone. After a moment, Doc appeared on the porch, smiling, and then the three of us rode back to Dodge. Gun Smoke, under the direction of Norman McDonald, stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshall. Tonight's story was especially written for Gun Smoke by John Messon, with the music composed and conducted by Rex Corey. Featured in the cast were Joseph Kearns, John Dana and Sam Edwards. Harley Bear is Chester, Georgia Ellis is Kitty, and Howard McNeer is Doc. Gun Smoke is heard by our troops overseas through the facilities of the Armed Forces Radio Service. Join us again next week when Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshall, fights to bring law and order out of the wild violence of the West in Gun Smoke. Next Monday night, the lure of the wilderness will be your luxe radio theater feature attraction starring Gene Peters and Jeffery Hunter in their original screen role. And remember, too, Radio's outstanding theater of thrills, the fence is heard Monday evenings on the DBS Radio Network.