 city and in the territory on west there's just one way to handle the killers in the spoilers and that's with the u.s. Marshall and the smell of gun smoke 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 Marshall Chester and I had left Dodge about nine that morning it was a good day clear with a snap in the air the horses felt it too and they wanted to move fast not in the loop that we were holding them to Chester took a couple of deep breaths and liked what he smelled is a fine day Mr. Dillon a fine day I had some government papers to take over to Bill Holton with the post office in Pierceville place about 40 miles west of Dodge Chester and I figured we'd stop overnight and right back the next day we followed the trail along the Arkansas and stayed with it as it left the river at Cimarron and cut across the prairie looks like a big wagon paint up ahead there at the crossing Mr. Dillon yeah sure looks like a chester Chester was right but thus cloud we'd seen became 30 and more wagons taking the Cimarron crossing it was a shortcut of the Santa Fe Trail leading on southwest toward Ratone Pass we passed them and our trail swung back to the Arkansas again we rested what are the horses a couple of times and by afternoon we could see the warehouse the store and the post office a few of the other buildings of the town it wasn't a big place Pierceville maybe 50 people regularly living there funny peculiar yeah I just don't rightly know sir just funny it's peculiar you mean nobody around yes so that's what I was thinking that's what I thought Mr. Dillon what do you figure them horses are doing down there it ain't right they should wander around like that without it Mr. Dillon they got their saddles on too the horses were down the street and as they heard us their heads jerked up and they wheeled about and trotted off away and around out of sight and we stopped they listened there was nothing to hear an empty place nothing to see but there was a feeling in the town you couldn't figure what we walked the horses over to Bill Houghton's post office maybe everybody in town is sick mr. Dillon no or maybe dead no couldn't be that no crows and their buzzards mr. Dillon look down to the safe so fun but he wouldn't leave the place like this come on there's a funny thing mr. Dillon I swear it gives me the will he was I never seen anything like it not a living soul in Chester did you hear something I'm not sure just wait a minute they're kid crying I didn't we ought to try the storm mr. Dillon huh hey uh all right keep your eyes open Chester yes we'll take a look in the saloon first the saloon was about 200 feet back up toward the end of town but we didn't get that far they stepped out behind us as we passed the livery stable and we never had a chance to draw get your hands up hi we did and I felt my guns lifted away and then we got a look at what had crawled into Pierceville there were three of them and they were killers man gets to know the look in the eye of a killer if you're lucky you see it in time now we weren't lucky that day it's the law bril yeah are you from mr dodge dodge that's Dylan no it sure is you Dylan Marshall Dylan from Doug yeah you want to try that again we will won't fret yourself about that Dylan you move in taking the warehouse bril yeah besides better to get rid of them if you asked me I don't think so not right now they might be able to help I've always wanted a U.S. Marshall to help me isn't well take away his gun you watch him he'd be on his belly begging to help they took us to the warehouse and we found out what had happened to the folks who lived in Pierceville they were all in there the kids the six months old baby the women and the men inside there were six more heart-faced men leaning against the wall near the door where guns held lazily in their hands they'd taken over the whole town and for some reason they were holding it the one of you shut up to keep that kid quiet you want me to do it for you mr Dylan be quiet can you again which one of you shot my kid brother you hear what I'm saying which one maybe you know this fellow just walked in here of this pal he's a U.S. Marshall out of dodge his name is Dylan I'm gonna make him countable for what you make up to do the man does a kill on his countable ain't that so much that's so okay one of these folks killed my kid brother nonetheless he talks up there's going to be a lot of killing around here you get that you talk to him Dylan you explain the law I'm a fair man I'm going to give you a couple of minutes don't nobody try nothing because we'll be right outside don't try nothing hey Chester there's Bill Holton over there come on hi Matt how are you Bill could be worse I guess Mr Holton your fakes what'd they do to you I was the first one they worked on will you tell us what's happened Bill well they rode in early this morning whole outfit I figured them for trouble when I saw them straight off I knew a couple of them held me knocked me around others grabbed three women kind of a hostage I guess Brill he's the leader he cleaned out the safe what about the killer three or four of our boys came up saw what was happening started in shooting and these snakes hauled the women folk over the post office door and kept them in front for shields hear boys stop shooting them yeah sure drop the guns where they stood Brill's kid brother was already dead then Brill kind of went crazy swore he'd kill the women burn the town in the outfit rounded up a couple more women after that everybody else none of us wanted to see the women hurt I guess we gave up too easy on account of his brother he calls it murder you heard they've kept you locked up in here ever since yeah yeah he says he'll take us out two at a time and shoot us if we don't tell do you know who it was no no like I say three or four fellas were shooting even they don't know which one of them it was listen Marsha I'm Dave Maxon I got a place outside of town but listen we gotta do something quick yeah yeah sure take it easy but my wife that's her over there she's she's got the baby we come in this morning to get something at the store you gotta do all right Mr. Maxim I just take it easy will you look just 30 of us the man with we we could rush him and some of us had to kill now listen we gotta get to the Marsha I'm thinking all of us are get killed and that's not the way we gotta do something yeah I know well this baby she came what's it gonna be delin step over here well what do you say I don't know seems to me you came here and broke the law it's the chance your brother took when he got killed that was murder he was shot in the back maybe he got turned around looking for somebody to kill himself it was murder I'm gonna stand here arguing with you mister who did it you think I'm bluffing I tell you I ain't bluffing if I have to wipe out this whole stinking town I'm gonna do it that doesn't get your brother back you and the habit of killing women and kids you shut up Santa's cargo start with two of them take them outside crazy you do this and they won't even hang you you'll be torn to pieces you won't be around and see it all right go on get them outside well anybody got anything to say anybody gonna say who killed my brother I'll tell you something yellow anybody else still need to look the two men out and we stood there some of us looking at the body of Maxon with his wife sobbing over others staring at the closed door it happened so quickly there wasn't time to think to figure anything there wasn't any way to shut out the sound of what happened outside I gotta do something no Bill don't you will return for the second act of gun smoke in just a moment but first a skid can be tragic if the road is wetter icy a faulty windshield wiper that's a nuisance in a shower can be your nemesis in a snowstorm the summoned substance of our message being take extra care when you're driving under winter conditions make sure your cars prepared for winter and then drive it with twice your usual caution now for the second act of gun smoke except for Maxon's wife and another woman whose husband had died there there was a quiet now in the warehouse the killers didn't come back in again maybe for what they've done they didn't have the nerve right then takes nerve to look at the faces of the ones who are left I found out that there've been 12 of them who've written in now with the one who was gone over 11 I talked to the boys who had done the shooting at the gang two of them were willing to give up but two others weren't and I didn't blame them we waited Chester Bill Houghton and me in a corner trying to make a plan an hour went by an early evening chill found its way into the warehouse I think they'll do it again two more of us now for a while maybe that kind will get liquored up first it makes them brave I still think that maybe now's a chance to get outside mr. Della yeah it might be what scares me though is they'll start with the women and kids yeah there's always a chance somebody'll ride in maybe see what's happening it's in for help like us some sizes that take too long mr. Dylan let me try it I don't want to hear no more of these women doing that just let me thank Chester they're coming back but all right come on quick there's two of them you can see through the crack yeah it's the ones that got our guns Braille listen with them Chester get on the other side of the door yes you mr. Bill behind me right now when they come in grab them time now look I want everybody to keep real quiet do you understand yeah all right now wait until they're inside you think that this might be around the bank I don't know we'll take the chance whoever gets hold of them don't let him yell let me have a drink what do you think what in there how should I know we shouldn't hang around too long figure we ought to start riding you know Brill it was a kid he thought a lot of yeah yeah hey hey there's one woman in there though did you see her torn oh no with the old man the pretty one that little oh yeah yeah maybe we get her out here and the others will talk might be I ain't saying it will make them talk but a lot of men in there are soft about women what about Brill nah he don't care he wants to find out who killed the kid maybe maybe we can get him to talk sure it might be fun miss now I'm none of you over there come on we won't hurt you we want to talk to you outside come on he said come here she don't want to cover me will you I'll go get her oh this one's got two all right which one of you here can handle a gun right don't leave yes sir here we'll split up the cartridges just to get over by the crack there and keep a lookout yes one of the kids following eggs behind those empty crates a good see if you can find anything else yeah well three of us now nine of them with guns yeah except that we know that and they don't don't leave you're gonna have to stay here Chester and I'll try to get some more guns now you got a good chance to knock out a couple more of them if they come in shoot to kill them you understand I understand wait a minute man I'm coming with you no listen I used to throw an expert a good I get close enough to one of them boys I can split them I'm coming with you it's our only chance you start shooting and the whole bunch will be on your neck this is quieter okay let's go you see anybody Chester oh sure he must be up the saloon all right then open the door now if we hear any shots back here don't we will come running take it easy now we got outside and made a run over to some dugouts up the street we could hear the killers still drinking their courage back they're just been the three of us against them we might have taken a chance but well the women and kids in the warehouse we couldn't do that we'd have to pick them off if we could one by one the first shot we fired there was gonna be trouble out to the left of the warehouse in the evening shade I saw the bodies of the two men they shot down a dog was moving around whimpering a couple of minutes went by and then we started around the back and made our way up behind the saloon if we get in by the back door Mr. Dillon you think we get surprised we can't take the chance Chester not with only two guns they get us and you know what'll happen yes one of them is coming out look yeah it's the fellow shot Dave Max he's heading this way you think he's oh Bill yeah I think you can get him from here a little closer maybe not from here he's got two guns on him we need him stay in line with the post we'll cover you okay I saw Houghton's big fist tighten around the axe handle they moved out and down the alley in line with the post my killer never looked up he just stood there head down swaying a bit and their Houghton stopped his arm raised up back and the axe caught a gleam of light and must have thrown it into the killer's eye he had just time to look up and see the thing before it caught him square I haven't done that for a long time I only throw trees and boards I never did it to me before I never killed a man like that Chester got the other gun yes all right here here Bill take this all right we got four now that ought to fix us now look I don't like what we're going to do but it's the safest way we go in there shooting get them fast in the leg anywhere try not to kill but don't give them a chance to shoot back yes sure man you okay Bill you want to wait a minute drink up we're going back now and see if they change their minds all right with me thinking Marshall Dylan out this time and that deputy yeah too many marshals around this country anyway that's enough keep your hands where they are bro all right Chester take their guns yes sir I'm arresting you for murder bro arrest them with you killed my brother got him in the back my brother they murdered him you know something if I wasn't a marshall I do the same thing to you right now it's too bad I can't I hope it hurts when they hang you bro and it was over and I got a feeling like it never happened that there hadn't been time for it to happen but the dead men's women knew that it wasn't a dream the next day a half a dozen of the fellows Chester and myself took the odd laws back to dodge most of them had been hit back in the saloon one died and simmer on before we could get him to the dock but not Brill he was alive when he went to Hayes city with the rest of the boys I was there when they tried him and I was there when they hanged him gunsmoak under the direction of Norman Mcdonnell stars William Conrad as Matt Dylan US Marshall tonight's story was specially written for gunsmoak by Anthony Ellis with music composed and conducted by Rex Corey featured in the cast were Lawrence Dobkin Vic Perrin Bob Sweeney John Daner Lou Krugman Michael Ann Barrett and Ted Bliss parley bear is Chester gunsmoak is heard by our troops overseas through the facilities of the armed forces radio service join us again next week as Matt Dylan US Marshall fights to bring law and order out of the wild violence of the west in gunsmoak tomorrow night CBS radio raises the curtain on a new dramatic treat the theater of stars on the network that brings you Lionel Barrymore Sunday night playhouse and thrilling stories of escape tomorrow night for the premiere performance over most of the same CBS radio stations here lovely Joan Fontaine in the Guardsman it's a sprightly peppery adaptation of Franz Bonard's great french comedy a romantic experience you will certainly enjoy remember theater of stars tomorrow night premiere performance on CBS radio this is Roy Rowan speaking America now listens to 105 million radio sets and listens most to the CBS radio network