 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 guns 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 chance they job, and it makes a man watchful, and a little lonely. I'm just out in the floor to buy you a drink. Ah, thanks, but I hear Doc Adams has been looking all over for me. I better go find him. He was in here a while ago talking to you. If he comes, maybe she knows where we went. Matt? Oh, hello, Miss Dodge. Hello, Judy. Doc had to leave, Matt. They called him up the fifth place when they moved into the base. He asked me to give him a message. Oh. You know, Ed Thorpe and his wife? Yeah, sure, I do. I got a little piece of land right on the south edge of my ranch. They're not doing very good, though. Well, they sure aren't, according to Doc. He was out there last night, and the plan is to go back for him today. To go back for him? Yeah, they have to be brought into town, Matt. They've got spotted fever, both of them. Gee, ain't got a little baby out there, too. Well, that's why Doc says somebody's got a special treatment to dodge, where they can be taken care of. I'll find a wagon and go out after him tomorrow. He couldn't get back tonight, anyway. He wants some help, Marshall. I'll get a whole parcel of cowboys who ain't earned their feed. Oh, thanks, Bowers. The Chester and I can manage. He might need help. And what do you mean? Ed Thorpe. The secret he may be, he'll get a gun fight before he lets you carry him off that place. I know him. Well, then he can stay there, but I'm going to bring his wife and that child in. All right. You keep an eye on him. He can be a bad man. This ain't Ed Thorpe's place. I know, Chester, but I want to meet these people. They must be new. Come on. But still, how do you know they're new? You ain't been out this way in over a year. All the more reason to meet them. I was walking around back. I thought I saw somebody there. Nothing but a sod huttin' bloater. I'm nothing. Doesn't look like it, Chester. Well, you think he'd butcher in a calf? Now, where'd he get that? Well, he sure didn't raise it on those weeds this woman's trying to hoe. What are you men doing here? I'm Marshall Dillon from Dodge. This is Chester Proudfoot. Is something wrong, Marshall? No. Except your hat's going to get all bloody where you put it on this calf. You leave it be. Here, you'll get sunstroke without a hat. So I was trying to cover up Emmett Bowers' brand. We're starving out here, Marshall. I had to kill that cat. You ain't going to risk my husband, are you, Marshall? No, ma'am. Not unless Emmett Bowers complains. So Joe had to do it, Marshall. We...this can't go on without something to eat. Look, sniff over there while I've been hoein'. I couldn't plant enough seed for hardly anything to come up. And we can't afford no more seed. Our credits run out in Dodge. The ground doesn't even look plowed. Well, I've done the best I could. That ain't easy. No. Not for a woman. The Ed Thorps, I guess you know that they got spotted fever. I was there this morning. Ed Thorps dead. What? Died in the night, I guess. Well, you didn't tell me that, Joe. You mean you left Mrs. Thorpe alone with that baby? I ain't going to chance catch you no fever. But Joe, the baby... My woman here is always worrying about babies. It's only because she can't have none, I guess. She's like one of them there, dry gourd. Don't, Joe. You're puttin' shame on me. Uh, Chester. Yes, sir? Come on, let's get out of here. Ms. Nailer. Yes, Marshall. Next time you're in Dodge, you come see me. I'll see that you get some seeds. And I thought we wouldn't never make dogs tonight. How's the baby, Chester? Well, it's asleep anyway. I guess I've been proving it right, huh? Yeah, just like a mother. Oh, there's Doc waiting for us. You sit tight a minute, Chester. We'll help you with the baby, huh? We hope it don't wake up. Where's Ed Thorpe and his wife there? Well, Ed died before we got there. Doc, Mrs. Thorps lying down and back there. We covered her up good. She's not asleep most of the way. Mrs. Thorpe, she's still asleep. Give me a hand, Doc. Yeah, sure. What's the matter, Doc? She's not asleep, Matt. Huh? She's dead. She's died on the way in, I guess. Now we got a baby to take care of. You know, Doc, I think she knew she was gonna die. And why? I guess before we left her place, she told me that if anything happened to her, the baby was to be put in Ma Smalley's care. Ma Smalley was to have complete charge over him. What she says goes. Well, Ma is a widow. She's had kids herself. That was a good choice. Yeah. But she's too old to raise him herself, Matt. I don't have to worry about that later, Doc. All right, now let's get busy. And right in front of the store. Why wouldn't they come to the office, Chester? Well, you know how Ma Smalley is. He don't think his lady likes to go to any man's office. What she's doing with Ms. Nadler, she didn't say. Well, you're going down to get the mail, Chester. I'll wait here for you. Thank you. Hello, Marshall. How've you been, Ms. Nadler? Pretty good, Marshall. Ain't everybody concerned for the Marshall and bring him on the run? Oh, now, Ma, you know your words always have been law with me. Oh, listen to him. He had care of Mrs. Nadler. Well, that's true, Ma. Marshall? Mrs. Nadler wants to adopt the thought baby. Well, Ms. Thorpe left the baby in your charge, Ma. It's all up to you. I've had him over a week, Marshall. And I'm going to keep him a while longer so he'll be near Doc, just in case. But Mrs. Nadler here seems like a mighty fine woman to me. And I'd rather take that baby. Only I'm worried about one thing. I've told her the truth, Marshall. And she thinks maybe Joe and I can't make a go of it out there. You remember what you said when you were leaving that day? Yeah, as I said, to come see me and I'd help you get some seed to plant. Well, now, that's all I need. I'll get a little corn up. I might even raise a few hogs. I work awful hard, Marshall. I promise I will. She gets started and she can have the baby, Marshall. I'll pay you back. I ain't begging. I'll pay you back every cent, Marshall. Mrs. Nadler, you come by my office before you leave town. I'm going to go into the story here and have a talk with Mr. Jonas right now. Oh, Marshall, I do thank you. I do thank you. You can look at him a little while longer. Hello, Marshall. Hello, Jonas. What can I tell you today? I came to see you about Mrs. Nadler. You know her, don't you? Of course I do. Joe Nadler's out back in the stock room right now. Oh, he is? Nadler, come in here. He's buying himself a new pair of boots, Marshall. I thought their credit had run out. Joe, Nadler's doing better now. You started bringing meat into Del Monaco and a couple other eating places? Pay that part of his bill already. Ain't you, Nadler? I don't know as I like you talking about my private affairs, Jonas. No harm, it's only Marshall Dillon. Hello, Nadler. Those are good-looking boots. Well, they ought to be. Them's the best I stock. Them are $20 boots. $20, huh? I'll buy a whole wagonload of seed, Nadler. You're telling me how to spend my money? Does your wife know you've been doing better lately? Family matters, ain't no concern of the law. Oh, yours are. And if it weren't for your wife, I wouldn't bother just warning you, Nadler. But because of her, I'm telling you to take those boots off and buy some seed and whatever else you need to grow corn with. Now, look here, Marshall. I'm giving you a chance, Nadler, in three days from now, I'm going to be riding out to see what you've done with it. It's up to you whether or not you'll be riding back with me. Well, today is Thursday, Miss Dillon. And we're going to ride out with Nadler's. Well, we can wait another day, Chester. You know something I don't think you want to go tall? Yeah, you're right. I don't. Well, Marshall, Chester. Oh, Miss Bowers. Oh, Bowers. Yeah, I was just up with Joe Monaco's. Marshall had myself a feed. Oh, good. How was it? It was fine. Till I went out back and got a talking with a cook. No. Marshall, I reckon any man's got a right to complain when he goes to a restaurant and finds himself eating his own beef. Yeah, well, I know about that, Bowers. You do. And why haven't you done nothing about it? Oh, because of Miss Nadler, I guess. Look, Marshall, I'm a rich man. I don't mind a nester slaughtering one of my calves when he's starving, but nobody is going to start selling my beef. I'll kill him, he keeps that up. I'll handle it, Bowers. I admire that woman in his, Marshall, but letting him get by with Russell is going to help her. Oh, by the way, Ma Smalley brought some pies down to the kitchen while I was there. She's waiting outside here. She wants to talk to you. She'll be right out. Uh, you riding out to the navel of Marshall? That's right. Then you tell her I'm sorry. Tell her I think she's a good woman, but I just can't let that baby go into the home of a cow thief. That will break her heart, Ma. Well, I got a trust to put on me, Marshall. All right, I'll tell her. Oh, Marshall, hello, Chester. All right, ma'am. What brings you out here, Marshall? Is your husband home, ma'am? No, he's been gone since morning. Miss Nadler, do you know that he's been slaughtering Emmett Bowers' beef? Oh, so he's complained about it. About that cat? No, it's more than the one cat, Miss Nadler. He's been selling meat around Dodge lately. Oh, no. It's true. So that's what he had in the wagon. He wouldn't let me look. I know you've had nothing to do with it, Miss Nadler, but I hate to tell you this, but Ma Smalley isn't going to let you have the baby. She's right, ma'am. So it wouldn't be fitting. Of course, don't look down at Emmett Bowers. I'll be back in his name where I'll go talk to him. All right. Come on, Chester. The mother can not be righted in his. Yeah. Here, Marshall, something wrong, Bowers? One of my men's been murdered. That's all. I found him out yonder, about five miles. He's been left for dead. But he talked a little. What happened? He's gone now, Marshall. So you'd like to take our word for what he told us. All right. You run across Joe Nadler, slaughtering another steer. And Nadler shot him? That's what he said. Anything else? Only that Nadler got on his horse and headed for Dodge. I guess he figures he'll get caught. Might as well get drunk one more time. He'll get caught. I promise you that. In there, getting drunk. Bar. That's taken us long enough. Everybody in Thomas know I'm after him by now. He ain't been trying to hide. You just been looking in all the wrong places. Stop there, Marshall. Don't you come no closer. Put that gun away, Nadler. I saw Chester. I knew you'd be in here next. Why, Nadler? Why would I be after you? You don't fool me. You know all about it. You admit killing that rider? I knew when I shot him I couldn't get by with it. This is tracks. We're all over the place. Oh, don't make it any worse than it is. I told you not to come any closer. Put your gun on the bar, Nadler. You watch what I'm going to do with it. No, Nadler, don't. Why not? I hit you, didn't I? Now I'm going to kill you. You hurt bad, Miss Dylan? He hit me in the arms. Chester will be all right. You killed him? Yeah. Then what about here? I'm going over to the docks. Yes, sir, I will. Marshal Dylan? All right. Oh, you've been hurt. It's not bad, Ma. What about Joe Needler? He's dead. Well, I figured you would be. I heard you was looking for him. That's why I followed you down. Well, my arm's bleeding some more. I better get on over to the docks. You'll hear me out first, Marshal. Yeah, of course, Ma. Go ahead. You'll be the one to tell Mrs. Needler about him, won't you? I guess so. Take a waken with you, Marshal. What? A woman can't live out there alone. I've got an extra room at my house if you'll help with the work. Well, what about the baby? It'll be her baby, Marshal. And tell her I won't interfere none. Yeah, sure will, Ma. I'll tell her all that. I'll go out the first thing in the morning. You won't go nowhere. You stand here gabbing all night. Why, that arm's bleeding, Marshal. You ought to go get it fixed, you hear? Yeah, you'll ride them off. But then you pretty off on hire. Hector and Hollywood by Norman McDonald stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshal. The story was specially written for Gunsmoke by John Meston. Featured in the cast were Virginia Christine, John Daner, Vic Perrin and Morrison and Harry Bartel. Farley Bear is Chester, Howard McNear is Doc and Georgia Ellis is Kitty. This is George Walsh inviting you to join us again next week when CBS Radio presents another story on Gunsmoke.