 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. Quiet night, Mr. Dillon. Yeah, except for that coyote. He's mad at the moon, I guess. Earn love, maybe. Oh? Well, I've noticed that any time you find a man or animal, you're going around in the dark, it's usually love. Yeah, but this one sounds kind of mournful, Chester. Love is mournful sometimes. So I've heard. Matt? What? Is that you? Good evening, Miss Morley. How have you been, Matt? Oh, fine, thanks. Chester? Ma'am? Uh, you down here on Front Street this time of night alone? I'm looking for Red Lawson. I've been waiting him sometime after midnight, and they're going out on a cattle-buying trip. I want to talk to him first. Are you satisfied? Well, there's no place for a woman alone. Maybe you better go home, huh? There are other women down here? Well, they belong here, Miss Morley. They work here. Don't be so stuffy, Matt. Call me Ava. Everybody else does. Well, your husband might take exception to that, Miss Morley. You are blaming me for what happened before. I'm not blaming you for anything, Miss Morley. I didn't tell them to get into a gunfight over me. It wasn't my fault. I didn't say it was. Uh, Chester, you better see that Miss Morley gets home all right, huh? Uh, Miss here? I can get home by myself. Good night. Miss Morley? She's pretty as a picture. Makes you wonder. Maybe you were right, Chester. A woman like that, love might be kind of mournful. What if for some time I jerk back on you? You're awesome. Oh, hi, Martin. I wonder if I can see you for a minute. Yeah, sure. I'll be right back, boys. OK. What's on your mind? I just ran into Miss Morley on the street outside. You did? Uh-huh. I suggested she go home. She's got no business being down here this time of night. Might be a good idea if, uh, you would tell her that. Seems to me that's up to her husband. You know you're new here, Lawson. I guess you didn't know, Fred Curtis, and the Santa Fe kid. I heard about it. A couple of fools as far as I can see. I sure they were, after they met Miss Morley. Look, Marshall, what's your stake in this? I got no stake. What Miss Morley does is her own business, as long as it doesn't cause any trouble. I feel kind of sorry for her, that's all. Now treats her like a dog. Uh-huh. Yeah, Fred and the kid used to talk the same way. Like I said, a couple of fools. I'm not. I hope not. I'll see you around. Yeah, sure. Kitty, can I speak to you? Oh, what a good man. Has Al Morley been in tonight? No, haven't seen him, Matt. Oh, not necessarily. He and Lawson are riding on her on midnight on a cattle buying trip. I thought they might be meeting here. Well, not yet, anyway. Jesse Wells didn't know what the plans are, though. Jesse Wells? Yeah, the new bartender down at the end. Young one. You met him? Oh, yeah, yeah, sure. Uh, why would he know? Well, he's going along. Al asked him to help out. They're gonna follow the lazy B wound up and try to get in ahead of the bios in Chicago. Yeah. He, uh... He's a nice-looking kid, isn't he? Yeah. Is, uh, he, uh... Yeah, he's another friend of Ava's. Al Morley is dead, Marshall. Knifed in the back. Well, you know who did it? Yeah, it was Red Lawson. He knifed Al and stole the money we were gonna use to buy cattle. You better saddle up, Chester. We got a ride. What's the trouble? The usual. Nothing new but the names. Red Lawson's turned out to be a fool in spite of himself. Built a fire and made some coffee and then turned in to wake the daylight. The lazy B bunch had planned to work their stock up this way. I see. Here, Chester. Wrap the knife in something and hang on to it. Yes, sir. Go on, Chester. What happened to the metal? Well, um, like I said, Marshall, we were all asleep. I guess it was the sound of the horses' hooves that woke me up. It was Red Lawson. He was pulling out. Yeah. I ran over to Al and shook him to wake him up and tell him, but... Well, then I saw the knife. He was dead. Why were you sleeping, Jess? Well, uh, right about here, I guess. Red was across the fire there. And Al, where he's lying now. And what about the money? How did you know it was gone? Oh, I thought of it right off. I figured that's why Red had done it. You see, Al was carrying about $10,000 in a leather sack and he'd stuck it under his blanket before we'd gone to sleep. I looked for it and it was gone. Now, you figure Red killed him for the money, then? Well, sure. I doubt if he meant to, though. No, I think Red was trying to ease the sack out from under the blanket and Al woke up and caught him. Yeah, it's possible. He'd be late enough to start tracking him in a few minutes, Mr. Dillon. Yeah. Which way did Lawson head out, Jesse? East. He seemed to be following the wagon tracks. He's got quite a start, fellas. Yeah, too much of a start. Well, we'll ride back into Dodge and take the train from there to Abilene and then work back from the east. Yeah, that's a good idea. Lawson probably won't be expecting anybody ahead of him. Well, I can't understand it. I just can't understand how anybody could do a thing like this. Show him that creek water tank right around the bend up ahead. How long do we stop there? Oh, about five minutes. Just long enough to take on water. Might as well relax, Marshall. It's a long way to get to Abilene. We're even 24 miles from Dodge City. Feels more like a hundred. These feet are harder than an iron saddle. Hey, this here fella you boys are looking for. I guess he's a real mean one, there. Yeah, I mean it up. Yeah, just like I always say, this very country ain't never going to be a law-abiding place to live in. Every time I pull out of Kansas City on a run west, I'm expecting every minute to be shocked, punk, or scalp. Chester. Good morning, Mr. Jones. I got the weather here. You're on the bend there by the water tank, see? Yeah. Looks like we don't have to go to Abilene. Oh, yeah. Some power waiting to catch a train, I reckon. Yeah. Hey, is he the one? That's him. His horse is tied there by the tank. He must have decided on a quicker way of traveling. Looks that way. All right, Chester. He won't be expecting us. Get out in the vestibule and then drop off and take him as soon as the train stops. Yes, sir. For Marshall. Whatever you do, don't let him own this train. Just keep the passengers away from the windows. In a way it's sad, Mr. Jones. Miss Morley would have really enjoyed that $10,000. You're guessing, Chester. Holly hasn't seen the shot. All right, let's go. Lawson, get your hands up. You're on a run west. Right. I said get your hands up. It's cutting an awful scene, Mr. Jones. You've been a man a couple of chances before you hauled down on him. We're still on our feet. He's not. Yeah, sure. He's pushing the odds, though. I guess. Pick up his gun there, will you? Yes, sir. Lawson. You're still alive. Yeah. Can you hear me, Lawson? Sure. Sure. I can hear you. You got the sack of money. Yeah, I see it. Lawson, there's no doctor on the train. Now we're going to try to stop the bleeding and do the best we can for you. There'll be a train back toward Dodge City in about a half hour. We'll wait for it. I guess. I guess. I don't want to have much choice, do I? No, I guess you don't. You made your choice last night. Was she worth it? It's a bad one, Matt. Right in against his heart. I try to just wing it, in fact. But you can't always call him, you know? No, I guess not. I'm afraid that's about all I can do for him, Matt. That's not enough. Is that it? He won't live another hour. Well, the stimulant might take effect. Might not. Well, this kind of occasion never know. What is it you're after, Matt? Ms. Morley. Accessory before the fact? She killed him. Wait a minute. Lawson, can you talk? Can you hear me? Sure. Was Ms. Morley in on it? Nobody was in on it. Did she know you were going to do it? She had nothing to do with it. Was she going to meet you somewhere later? She had nothing to do with it. It was my idea. Nobody else. You're dying. Do you know that? Yeah. I know. I can feel it. She wasn't in on it. That's why you wanted it. At least Al won't treat her like a dog anymore. What do you mean? I mean, a dead man can't bother anybody. You ought to know you killed him. No. No. What? He was asleep. I took the money and rode away. I didn't touch him. I didn't kill him. I only stole the money. I didn't kill him. I guess I was wrong, Matthew. The bullet was closer to his heart than I thought. I was wrong about something myself, Doc. I thought this was the end of it. Now it's wide open again. Wide open. You got me here just to ask me the same thing all over again, Marshall. I told you how it happened. Yeah, I know. He bought Red Lawson with the money on him. What more proof do you need? That only proves he took the money, Jesse. It doesn't prove he killed Al. Now what do you mean by that, Marshall? You killed Al yourself, didn't you, Jesse? You're out of your mind. You woke up and you saw Red steal the money and take off, and it gave you ideas. You slipped over in your knife, Al, and I sleep. You knew Lawson would get the blame for it. Sure, because he did it. He said he didn't. Of course he'd say that. Did you expect him to tell the truth? He was dying, Jesse. He knew he was dying. Tell the truth. I see. His word against mine, the word of a thief. I didn't say I could prove it, Jesse. You did it, though. We'd both know that. And sooner or later, I'll get you for it. Quiet night, Mr. Nunch. It was a quiet night last night. And two men who was alive last night is gone tonight. Make you stop and wonder. Well, at least one thing hasn't changed. Like Kyle's still there. I mean, I guess I'll always be Kyle's promise, don't... What you gonna do about Jesse Wells? I don't know, Chester. He's guilty. You could see it written all over him, but... If he know you was bringing him in, I have got one piece of evidence. Get evenin' this morning. This morning? Who you lookin' for tonight? Can't be Red Lawson. He's dead. So is my husband. Am I deepest sympathy? Don't bother. You know better. Sorry about Red, though. He was nice. You're the one who did it, aren't you? Yeah, I killed him for ya. I couldn't do anything else. I don't know why you say for me it wasn't my fault. Yeah, sure, I know. Oh, you know. You don't know anything, Matt. You don't know how it feels to sit in a house alone with your husband dead. No one in town coming near you like you were poison or something. Sure, I don't feel sorry for Al, but I would have once... He's the one who changed me. Made me feel different. I know it wasn't your fault. And you. You didn't even come to tell me that he was dead. Why not? It's part of your job, isn't it? I didn't come and tell you, Miss Morley, because I figured you'd... Chester. I sure. Would you mind walkin' on my head? I'll meet you in the long branch in a few minutes. Oh. All right, Mr. Don. You say so. Matt. Why did you send him away? It could be. From 10 o'clock. I'll be there. Chester and I were trying to think of some way to rescue you from Ava's clutches. Oh, one thing though, Miss Don, I... I wasn't sure you wanted to be rescued. Kitty, has Doc been in tonight? Oh, I haven't seen him yet. Chester, would you see if you can find him and have him meet me here? Yes, sir. I will. Don. Kitty, I wonder if you could find a rumor for me. What kind of rumor? A drop a hint to that new bartender of yours, Jesse Wells. But it might be smart to slip out of here and pay a visit to Miss Morley around. I'll say 9.45 tonight. Oh. All right, Matt. Is it anything you can talk about? I don't exactly know how to talk about it, Kitty. I got a murder on my hands. I know who the killer is and I can't touch him. So? So I'm gonna try to make him touch me. All right, man. I'll plant the rumor. Are you gonna be around for a while? Yeah, sure. I'll be here until 10 o'clock. A few minutes ago. I think the Marshal just wants to ask me some questions or something. Yeah, I do, as a matter of fact. About Jesse Wells here, for instance. He didn't tell me he was gonna be here, Eva. Well, I... What do you mean she didn't tell you? What about this, Eva? So you were expecting him. You knew he was coming. Well, but... Of course she knew I was coming. You and Matt Dillon. Just... For how long? And what kind of a fool does that make me? You were born a fool, Jesse. That's why she picked you. It would be so wonderful, you said, if only Al didn't stand in our way. Well, I didn't tell you to kill him. I didn't mention it once. No, you didn't have to. You just kept dropping hints and leading me on and all the time. You and Matt Dillon. She's so smart for you, Jesse. You should have realized that. Sure. But instead I played right into your hands. Both of you. Oh, Jesse. By killing Al, getting him out of your way, giving the two of you a clear field. You're under arrest, Jesse, for murder. Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you? Both of you would. You could sit around and laugh about it, waiting for me to hand it. I said you're under arrest now. Hand over your gun. No, you don't, Dillon. You're not taking me in for something both of you wanted me to do. Hand over your gun, Jesse. If you want my gun, you'll have to take it away from me. Get away from that door. Sure, I'll get away from it. You were close, but he missed me. Well, you two didn't miss him. I don't know which one of you fired first, but either both would have done it. I already got what you wanted, all right, Mr. Dillon? Doc and I heard most ever word. We should have. Only one thing, though, Matt, he didn't implicate the woman in it. Yeah, I know. Well, you take charge, Doc. Matt. All right, Chester, let's go. Matt, could I see you a minute before you go? What's it add up to you, Mr. Dillon? Three men have been killed since the same time last night. Yeah. And you know, Mr. Dillon, I think maybe it's kind of all hurtful, and you can't pin a thing on it. Well, one lucky thing, Chester. There aren't many women like her. By Norman McDonald, stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshal. The story was specially written for guns smoked by Les Bratsfield, with a tutorial supervision by John Meston.