 Gunsmoke brought to you tonight by Plymouth with an invitation for you to visit a Plymouth dealers tomorrow. Meet the new Plymouth and enter the big $25,000 contest. Throughout Kansas and in the territories on West, there's just one way to handle the killers and the spoilers. And that's with a US Marshall and the smell of Gunsmoke. The excitement of low-priced cars, the exciting 53 Plymouth, completely new, completely beautiful. Yes, it's the new Plymouth for 1953, the first truly balanced car in the low-priced field. More glamorous lines, more powerful engine, more luxurious comfort. What a beauty. The new 53 Plymouth is lower to the road with a lot lower look, new color schemes and two-tone color harmonies available in all models. How does she travel? Ma'am Plymouth puts out the best ride in the business, smooth sailing even in a backseat and the Plymouth engine's been stepped up to 100 horsepower for pickup with plenty of flash. Visibility? Say, there's a one-piece curved windshield, a new type with no troublesome distortion and you sit chair height in a Plymouth so you get the full benefit of Plymouth's new down-sweeping hood. You really see right down in front of your car, bigger side windows too and a huge wraparound rear window so everyone gets a view as big as all outdoors. The new 53 Plymouth's an exciting car any way you look at it. A great advance in car value at no advance in price. In fact, four new Plymouth models actually cost less than last year. So don't put off seeing it. Meet the new 53 Plymouth at your nearby Plymouth dealers. If you go in tomorrow, you may win one, free in the big meet the new Plymouth contest. And now gun smoke starring William Conrad, the story of the violence that moved west with young America, the story of a man who moved with it, Matt Dillon, United States Marshal. The cook sure must have had a bad night Mr. Dillon. Well, how do you figure that Chester? Well, sir, I never saw so much chili pepper on a couple of poor eggs. You must figure everybody's got a hangover this morning. Almost everybody usually has of a Sunday around here. Well, now I clean up forgot all about it being Sunday. So that's why Jim Cobbett's all dressed up over there. First time I've ever seen him with his hair combed in. I haven't heard about Jim Chester. He's going to get married. He's got his wife to be coming out on the train from back east today. Jim Cobbett. Yeah. And now what sort of a woman would that be? Mr. Dillon, who'd come clear to Dodge City to marry a fella like Jim? Jim's a good man, Chester. It's just that, well, living out on that homestead of his year after year has made him grow a little off center. So loneliness will do that to a man sometimes. Morning, Marshal. Chester. Morning, Hank. Well, what do you think of that old go Jim Cobbett getting his self hitched? It's a fine thing, I'd say. Well, Jim's no older and you are Hank Luz. No older, maybe. A lot less respectable. How you talking your usual nonsense, Hank? Am I, Marshal? Well, about Jim's first wife who disappeared off of that place he had up north on Hackbury Creek. Just plain disappeared, she did. Jim never explained that and nobody ever saw her again either. Oh, you're a worse than an old woman with your gossip hands. Jim's never done anything to you, Hank. Nothing except steak his homestead on the only spring south of the smokey that didn't dry up. Cheated me out of it, that's what. He filed his claim two weeks before you did, Hank, and everybody knows. Sneaked into town, that's what he did. Sneaked into town behind my back. Still telling your lies, ain't you, Hank Luz? Now, you keep away from me, Jim. Keep away. I've never bothered you, Hank. But I hear you talking around Lila when she gets here, I'll hurt you. I'll hurt you bad. Well, this is if you want to hide from her, Jim. Maybe that business about your first wife. All right, don't touch that gun, Hank. Not a move. You arrest her, Marshall. You saw it. Get up. Put him in jail now. I didn't touch him. Shut up. Now, you're just lucky you weren't killed. Now, you get out of here and stay away from Jim. It's his wedding day. And if I find you bothering him again, I'll throw you in jail. Now, go on, move. Fine, fine, Lola. We got around here. Can I get him? Sorry to make trouble, Marshall. But I won't hold for his making that talk around Lila. Forget it, Jim. Just keep clear of him for a while. What time's the wedding? About 3 o'clock. At least that's when the preacher said he'd come down. It'll be at the church, won't it, Jim? Well, no. The preacher thought maybe it'd be better to do it somewhere else because of it. Yeah, yeah, church him. You know, Dodge City House would be a fine place, wouldn't it? That's just what I'd plan, Marshall. I brought a jug of corn in with me in case anyone came around, maybe. Jim, I wouldn't miss it for the world. I'm going to be there for sure. Yeah, me too, Jim. I certainly do enjoy wedding. I never got married myself, but I sure do like to watch. See you later, Jim. Sure, Marshall. We'll be there, Jim. Bye. Jim's bride, Lila, turned out to be a handsome, high-strung woman with nervous black eyes and a manner that he spoke of gentle breeding and background. I watched her, and I wondered how she'd ever make out in this crude, raw country she'd chosen to come to. It was never mentioned how she and Jim had got together, but the few friends who gathered for the wedding didn't care. We were all pleased that Jim finally had a wife to break the loneliness that he'd set upon himself for so long. And after the brief ceremony at the Dodge City House, we told him so. Well, it's about time, Jim. If you don't mind my saying so, ma'am, you should have filed on him long ago. Why, yes, I mean, of course. Open the jug on the table there, Si. It's good corn. Thank you, Jim. The throat is, you're my dusty. Help yourselves to the liquor, boys. Thank you. Well, congratulations, Jim. And Ms. Cobbett, my best wishes to you, man. Thank you, Marshal Jim. Now, you make Jim bring you to town and see us once in a while. He never came in much when he was alone out there. Oh, I'm sure he will, Marshal. I sure hope so, ma'am. Help yourself to the jug there, Chester. Well, thank you, Jim. If I can get it away from Si long enough, I will. You stay in here tonight, Jim. Well, no, Marshal. I brought the wagon on account of Lila here, and it's a slow way of traveling. It'll take a day and a half as best, huh? But where will we sleep tonight, Jim? Oh, I've got some blankets, Lila. We'll be fine. You mean out on the prairie? Sure. We'll bed down in the wagon if you're afraid of snakes. Oh, snakes can't get to you if you're in the wagon, ma'am. But what about everything else? No engines have been seen around here for months. Oh, no, you're wrong, Jim. A man from Walnut Creek told me he run into some Pawnees a couple of weeks ago. Only about a dozen, though. Pawnees? Well, they didn't bother him, did they, Si? No, no, they didn't, Marshal. Yeah, you see, Lila? Well, they didn't bother him because he saw him first. He hit himself under a bank in the creek. Are there many Indians around? Oh, no, very few, ma'am. The army's been after him pretty steady ever since them crows raided the Gillette place. The engines have been making themselves scarce last few months. What happened at the Gillette place? They had a little trouble, that's all, Lila. Little trouble to kill Bob and road off a Mrs. Gillette and a child, that's all. Oh, no. Si, why don't you go get yourself another drink, huh? Yeah, well, I was just thinking about doing that. Well, I suppose it'll be easier than Mrs. Gillette once she learns to talk crow. But still, it's a hard life on a white woman to suddenly be a maid of school. The chug's almost empty, Si. You better hurry, huh? My golly day, fillers! I got another swatter coming along. Lickers working on Si, Lila. Don't pay no more. Jim, is it true what he said about that poor woman? No, Lila, don't you fret about that. Is it true? I want to know, Jim. Yes. Jim, if you stayed in Dodge City tonight, well, you could start out before dawn tomorrow. No, no, Marshal. Jim thinks it's best we leave tonight. There's nothing to fear, Lila, but if you'd rather stay, we could go. No, we'll go, Jim. If you'll excuse me, I'll go change into something more suitable. Goodbye, Marshal. Goodbye, ma'am. We'll see you in Dodge City real soon, I hope. Of course. I'll be down shortly, John. Maybe it was best that way for Lila to face out her first night on the prairie not far from Dodge. Nothing to bother them at close to town and it would make it easier for her on the next night. And they left. And that's all we heard about them for a month or so. Dodge City was fairly quiet except for one week when a Texas herd arrived. Two boys were killed the next night and another a few days after. But then things cooled off and became peaceable again. In town, Mr. Dillon? Oh, no, Chester. Well, there ought to be a law against it, that's all. He said he was coming here to see you in a few minutes. Look, you talk to him, Chester. I think I'll go upstairs and pick on the dock for a while. Oh, he doesn't want to see me, Mr. Dillon. I'll send him up when he comes. Chester? No. Yes, sir, but he'll ask me where you are, sir. And then what am I going to tell him? How shall I want to talk to you? You think I was lying about Jim Cobbett, don't you? Well, listen to this, Marshal. Lila's disappeared, too. What? I saw it with my own eyes. I mean, I saw she isn't there. What are you talking about, Hank? I'm telling you, Marshal, Lila's gone, just like Jim's first wife up on Hackberry Creek. She's plain disappeared. Well, go on. Well, I got a runny bay mare that's always running off, and I rode by Jim's place to see if he'd seen her. Jim was just sitting there, and he hardly paid me any mind at all. He was all alone, and when I asked him about Lila, he just walked off, wouldn't say a word. Well, maybe he was just out on a prairie somewhere. Then she stayed a long time. I was back next day, and still didn't see her. Stock's gone, too. When was this, Hank? About a week ago. Now, Marshal, I think you ought to get out. I do my own thinking, Hank. All right? But you better get out there, Marshal. I've told you now. You've told me, and you can forget it. Just stay away from the Cobbett place. You understand? All right, Marshal, I've done my duty. You better do yours. Goodbye, Hank. Well, I... Goodbye. What are you going to do, Mr. Dillon? The only thing we can do, Chester, is go settle our horses, will you? I got some things to clean up around here. Yes, Mr. Dillon. Greetings, and all Plymouth dealers. Tomorrow, go in and meet the new Plymouth, the new kind of low-priced car, and enter the big $25,000 Meet the New Plymouth contest. All you do is look her over, compare, ask questions. There'll be people on hand to explain the new body design, new type suspension, new springing, how they combine to give you a ride that's unbelievably smooth, the first truly balanced ride in the low-priced field. Believe me, you'll be enthusiastic. So just transfer that enthusiasm in 50 words or less to a contest entry blank. Tell what you like most about the new truly balanced Plymouth for 53. That's all there is to it, and you may win a 53 Plymouth or one of hundreds of cash prizes. But entries must be mailed by Monday midnight, so hurry, get an official entry blank containing all the easy rules tomorrow when you go in to meet the new 53 Plymouth. Now the second act of gun smoke. They're probably inside. You think Lyle is here, don't you, sir? I'll soon find out, Chester. Chester? Hello, Jim. How've you been, Jim? Hank Luz told you, didn't he, Marshal? Where is she, Jim? Hank Luz said I killed her, didn't he, Marshal? Now, Jim, you know I don't pay any attention to what Hank Luz says. Then why'd you come here, Marshal? To help you, if you're in trouble? Lyle isn't here, and I'm in trouble all right. Well, what happened, Jim? Where is she? I don't know. What? Well, Injun's party of crows. They took her. They took her. Injun's? My goodness. You mean you were raided here? Maybe 10 days ago, a war party, about 12 crows. Well, what happened? Lyle was out there with a spring. It was just getting dark. I was sitting on the floor right there. Men in the saddle, I'd torn the stirrup off open. I heard her come running up the path, out back. She's all sweat and yelling. Oh, Jim! Jim, I think he was an Indian. Come inside. Get on the floor, he's cornered there. How many did you see? Oh, just him. I saw his skin. Oh, Jim, don't let him get me. It's getting dark, I can take him off easy. Oh, Jim, Jim, they'll carry me off like they did their other woman. Wait a little more, they'll come too. The Injun's gone, Rila was gone too. Were you shot, Jim, or what? The Injun must have got behind me somehow and clubbed me, that's all. Did you try to follow him? How could I, Marshal? They run off, the horses stole him. Anyway, I was out a long time. I wasn't assigned to anybody when I come to. They could be in the Rocky Mountains by now. We'd never find him. I'll report this to Colonel Jenkins of Fort Dodge and he can spread the word for the Army post. Thanks, Marshal. I'm sorry, Jim. But I guess that's all I can do for you. Sure, Marshal. Come on, Chester, let's take a look around outside and get back to Dodge City. Yes, sir. So long, Jim, I'm sure I am sorry it happened. For all. Jim's pretty broke up, Mr. Dillon. That's terrible. You're a squaw now. Yeah. My, aren't those pretty, Mr. Dillon? What? They had a bunch of Columbine there, growing right in a row. I think I'll just put one in my hat. No, wait a minute, Chester. I wouldn't pick them, Chester. They're too pretty to pick, huh? Well, all right, sure. Jim's stock is gone, all right. You know, Mr. Dillon, Jim Carbet ain't the luckiest man in the world, is he? Well, he sure isn't, Chester. Come on, let's get out of here. It was the day after we got back to Dodge City that the trouble started, as I expected it would. Chester spread the story about the Indians kidnapping Lila Cobbett, and it wasn't long before some of the men began to question it. And a group of them, headed, of course, by Hank Luz, came to see me. Marshall, we want to know when you're going to arrest him. Hank, it'd be better if you'd let somebody else do the talking. Your record against Jim Cobbett's pretty strong. Marshall's right, Hank. He always did talk too much anyway. I want justice done. That's all. And I mean to get it. Oh, shut up, Hank. Marshall, Hank sort of talked us into thinking you don't need to do anything about Jim Cobbett. Is that true? Well, what's your idea, Merrick? Go out there and arrest him and find Lila's body if you can. Do you think Jim murdered her, is that it? Looks that way. You sure don't believe his story, do you, Marshall? No, not all of it. Jim did her in just like his first wife. That's what? It's a sure thing Marshall know engines would have stolen the woman left Jim lying there without scalping him. Engines just being made that way. Merrick, I don't know what happened out there, but I'm going to find out. Then what are you waiting for, Marshall? The dock. The dock? What's he got to do with this? Well, Ms. Prill, if you had a baby this morning, the dock was up all night, and he's sleeping today. We're going to ride out to Jim's tomorrow. Well, I don't know what you need the dock for, but we'll wait and ride out with you. You won't ride anywhere, Hank. Well, I need a posse. I'll ask for it. I don't want a single man of you anywhere near the cobbitt place. Is that clear? All right, now get out of here. I got work to do. What a lovely looking place, Matt. I wonder what Lila Cobbett thought when she first saw it. She must have been mighty fond of Jim to come here tall, seems to me. Yeah. Well, I hope Jim's still there. Isn't that him there down by the Crowley, isn't it? Oh, yeah. Yeah. He's got a new horse. I had to bring the dock, Jim, to perform a sort of autopsy. Autopsy? Oh, Ms. Cobbett, it's necessary, Jim, or I wouldn't do it. Marshall. Now, don't do it, Jim. You wouldn't have a chance. Take his gun, Chester. Yes. All right, Jim, let's you and me go on into the household. Don't imagine you want to watch this. Where is it, Matt? You want to tell him, Jim? Over there, under that row of Columbine. Well, I'll. So that's how you wouldn't let me pick any, Mr. Dillon. I watered the ground a lot to make it hard. It was a good job, Jim. Come on, let's go in the house. Shovels out back in the corral. I'll get it. All that water didn't do me good. The house, Jim, sat with his back to the wall, his hands clasped tightly across his knees. He was so gaunt and leathery that I wondered if he'd bothered to eat anything at all since this had happened. He just sat there as if waiting to be sentenced and not caring very much one way or the other. Finally, Doc and Chester were finished and they came into the house. We put her back, Jim, right where you had her. It wasn't easy, Matt. Yeah, I know. But what did you find? Well, she was killed by a .45, fired at close range, bullet into her head, just under. Never mind, Doc. Jim's gun here is a .45, Mr. Dillon. You want to tell us about it, Jim? You think I killed her, Marshall? Well, it looks that way, Jim, but I still can't believe it. Thank you, Marshall. If you did it, Jim, you're going to hang for it. The crows didn't attack the house, Marshall, they never aimed to. They just dodged around out there. Some of them covered for the ones that ran the stock all. They didn't want to fight just the stock. It's happened before. Lila screamed and screamed. I guess she went kind of crazy. Then I heard a shot. First I thought she was shooting at the engines, then I saw her on the floor there. I didn't care after that they could have come right in there, they could have done anything they wanted. I didn't care. You have given her your six guns, is that it? Yes. The crows didn't bother you after that, they just took the horses and left? I didn't care about them. I buried Lila out there right away. I sat there on the ground all night. Everything had been all right, Marshall, because when Hank Luce came by, I got scared. I didn't want to talk to him, but I knew what he'd say. So I put water on the grave and tried to hide it. Except for the flowers I planted. I just couldn't not have planted flowers there. He's telling the truth, Matt. Jim isn't lying. No, I'm not sure he's certain it isn't. There's no reason I know of why Jim should stand trial. What about Hank Luce, Mr. Dillon Hill? He'll make trouble. The three of us here have heard the story and seen the evidence. Hank's talk doesn't mean a thing, I have no cause to arrest Jim. Then I can go, Marshall. Go? Go where? I don't want to live here anymore. It's like the other place up north after my first wife rode off. She just said goodbye and rode off one day. I was ashamed of that, so I never told nobody what happened. I left the place. I can't believe in this one. Well, you gotta settle down sometimes, Jim. No, no, I don't. I've got bad luck both places. I won't settle down no more. We won't stop you, Jim. I think I'll go now, Marshall. I don't want to spend another night here. I'll get my things together. Yeah, we'll wait outside. Come on, Chester. A half hour later, Jim was packed and ready to go. Silently shook hands with each one of us and then mounted and rode off. The purry had dealt hard with Jim Covey, but the man was too tough and dry not to survive somehow. He wouldn't try again to be happy, but... he'd live, he'd make his way. We watched him disappear while the sun went and the land cooled and became still and quiet. The contest closes Monday midnight. Your last chance to win a new 53 Plymouth free or a big cash prize. Go to your nearby Plymouth dealers tomorrow. Meet the new Plymouth. Look it over, stem to stern. Ask questions. Find out all about this new kind of low-priced car. Then, on an official entry blank in 50 words or less, tell what you like most about this great new beauty. But remember, entries must be mailed by Monday midnight, so be sure to visit your Plymouth dealers tomorrow to pick up your contest entry blank and meet the new 53 Plymouth. Gun smoke under the direction of Norman McDonald's stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshall. Tonight's story was specially written for gun smoke by John Maston with music composed and conducted by Rex Corey. Featured in the cast were John McIntyre and Jeanette Nolan with Paul Dubois, Jack Krushen and Harry Bartel. Polly Bear is Chester and Howard McNeer is Doc. Gun smoke was brought to you by Plymouth, along with a reminder that you visit your Plymouth dealer tomorrow and enter the Meet the New Plymouth contest. Remember, entries must be mailed before Monday midnight. Clancy Cassel speaking.