 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. Starring William Conrad, the story of the violence that moved west, William America, and the story of a man who moved with it. I'm that man, Matt Dillon, 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. Mr. Doby? Good afternoon, Chester. Mr. Doby, I ain't got no time for no idle talk. I want to see that drummer. What drummer is that, Chester? The one that sold me that derby hat the other day, the one with the gold tooth in front, that drummer. Ah, Chester, you know I can't let you go around bothering the guests of the Dodge House. I got a right to bother him. That cussed hard hat he sold me like to kill me. Oh, no, Chester. Well, it did. I wore it yesterday for the first time yesterday being Sunday. Oh, I know what day. And that sudden shower come up, and, well, I couldn't get that hat off my head. It was stuck on there, pressing in on my brain, something terrible. Felt like everything was being ouched over all to one side. Give me a awful headache. You should have had better sense. Well, Doc said it was a very delicate operation. Operation? Yes, operation. He had to cut that hat right off my head. He said if it had been on any tighter, he'd have had the floor for me. Oh, for heaven's sake. It's the gospel truth. He... My... Pardon me, gentlemen. Well, sure, man. Oh, something I can do for you, Miss Milton. I don't want to interrupt. Oh, my land, don't you worry nothing about that. I'll just leave her average age. You speak right up, man. Well, I was wondering if either of you gentlemen might know a friend of mine. Well, I expect we know everybody in town, all right? Well, I heard he was somewhere in Kansas. His name is Matt Dillon. Mr. Dillon? Marshall? Well, then you know it. Oh, Matt Dillon's the Marshall of Dodge City, Miss Milton. The Marshall? Oh, fancy that. Well, then he's probably too busy to bother with me. Oh, no, ma'am. Oh, I know he'd be proud too. Now, you just let me tell him you're here. Well, if you know him... Well, I should just say I do. How very interesting, Mr.... Proud foot, ma'am. Chester W. Proud foot, but nobody don't use my last name. All right, then, Chester. I wonder if you'd be so kind as to take a message to Mr. Dillon for me. Oh, you bet your boots, ma'am. I mean, yes, ma'am, I sure would. Would you tell him Miss Dolly Milton is here from Texas, staying at the Dodge House, and that she'd be pleased if he'd find time to call on her? Yes, ma'am, I'll do that, Miss Milton. I sure will do that. Thank you for your kindness. Good afternoon, gentlemen. Good afternoon, Miss Milton. Good afternoon, ma'am. She sure is a pretty little thing. Now, Chester, about that drummer... Oh, my gracious, Mr. Doby, don't bother me about that drummer. Can't you see I got something important to tend to? Here, if you will bear with me, is a quote from a speech rendered by that old political character, Elijah Cuddlestone. Now, I mean to say, clearly, that is, that this man is a radical. A radical, mind you. Why, talk about change. He's used enough platform planks, even planks, that is, in this campaign alone to build you a new courthouse. I say, a new courthouse, and still have enough planks left over to construct a warehouse for all of you past mistakes. Well, Elijah was a bit outspoken, and that's how he used the word radical. Radical comes from radix, the Latin word for root. Actually, today, radical isn't much more than a term of abuse. Before the 18th century, radical essentially meant a person who wanted to get to the root of a matter. Toward the end of the 18th century, a group of English politicals became known as radical reformers because they wanted to revamp the existing political setup. They became a hated crew because folks didn't like change, and radical became a term of low reproach. I'd like to see you again. Oh, it's good to see you too. Please, come in. Oh, thank you. Well, you look as though you've prospered. Oh, I get along. That's about all. But you're a U.S. marshal. You've done yourself proud. Just a job. Well, it agrees with you. I must say you're looking fine, Matt. I can say the same thing for you. I guess that's as close to a compliment as Matt Dillon ever did come. Won't you sit down? Oh, thank you. What are you doing in Dodge? Oh, I don't know, Matt. I'm kind of restless. I guess I'm looking for another place to settle down. I thought you'd be married and settled on long before this. I am married, Matt. Well, I thought Justice said your name was Milton, same as he used to be. I won't use that man's name. But your husband's? I don't acknowledge him as such. He's a cruel man, Matt, a brutal man. I had to run away. Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, darling. Is there anything I can do? You can be my friend. A woman can be mighty lonely, Matt. You always have been your friend. I guess I knew that. But thanks for saying it, Matt. I still don't quite understand why you came to Dodge, though. Why not, Matt? Well, it isn't much of a town for a woman. How'd you think St. Louis would be much better for you if you're looking for a place to settle? Maybe I wanted to be near a friend. Maybe I wanted to know the Marshal. It's going to be wonderful being with you again. Knowing you're close by. I just hope I get to see a lot of you. Miss Kitty? Oh, hello, Chester. Mind if I sit down? No, of course not. I just kind of had the feeling you might not mind some company. Huh? Well, I mean a few words with an old plan and all like that. Well, thank you, Chester. That's very nice of you. Well, I know how it can be. I mean, well, Mike can get kindly lonesome like me. Don't you worry about it, Chester. I'll make out all right. Well, sure you will. But I swear I don't know what's the matter with Mr. Dillon. Oh, yes. He's got a pretty face and all that. There's nothing the matter with him except that he's a man. I guess you're right. But I sure do wish he... You sure wish he'd watch, Chester. Hello, Kitty. Hey, will you... Nothing, Mr. Dillon. Hello, Matt. Well, I guess I better get on back to office. Oh, what's your hurry? I got a feeling there's something I forgot to do around there. Goodbye, Miss Kitty. Bye, Chester. Yeah, you mind if I sit on? Go ahead. You look about the same. You haven't changed much. Oh, what does that mean? Since I last saw you. Kitty, it's only been three or four days. They tell me you've been busy. Yeah. She's very pretty. She's an old friend, Kitty. I'm sure she is. She's in some kind of trouble. I haven't been able to figure it out. It's something to do with a man. Is that a fact? No, no, Kitty. Well, no, it's your business, Matt. Of course. But I'd like to tell you something. Oh, what's that? I'm a pretty good judge of men, and I'm an awful good judge of women. And this woman, this dolly. Well, Matt, I'll bet the last bottle in this saloon that she's not what she's pretending to be. Do you know her? I've seen her. That's an awful lot of whiskey to bet on somebody you never even talked to, isn't it? The bet still goes. But I guess you'll have to find out for yourself. Yeah, Kitty. I guess I will. Would you like anything more, dolly? Oh, no, thank you, Matt. I had a great plenty. Would you like any more coffee, maybe? Oh, please. All right. You know, Delmonico's cooking isn't exactly fancy, but it keeps us alive anyway. Oh, it's fine. Just fine. And I can't tell you how much I enjoy being with you. I'm not very fancy either. No, but I don't have to be afraid of you, Matt. I don't scare many women. Some men do. Some men scare them and hurt them. Like your husband? Yes, like my husband. Oh, Matt, I can't bear to think of a terrible thing. Well, you just better forget them. Oh, man, I'd like that, you know. Oh, I know. And you have great comfort to me. Matt, you'd know if there were any strangers in town, wouldn't you? I usually know. I know for sure if they get into any trouble. And you'd know about people moving to, wouldn't you, living out in the country? You'd know where to find them, wouldn't you? Are you thinking that maybe your husband might follow you? Is that it? Well, I can never be sure. But you protect me, wouldn't you, Matt? You'd stand up against him. I'd have to know who he was first. I guess I ought to tell you. Forgive me, Matt. I had to be sure I could trust you. Oh, hello, Matt. Oh, Doc. Hey, Miss Milton. Hello. Oh, well, I see you're just finished. Oh, we are, Doc, but you're welcome to sit down with us if you like. Please do. No, no, thanks. I think I'll just have a quick bite and turn in. Now, a rough day? Well, it's been a messy day, Matt. I had to treat a badly injured woman out at the Meadows place. Meadows? Oh, what happened to her? She fell off a ladder. She lost her baby, Matt. She smashed a couple of ribs, broke her arm, and bruised her head to toe. It was a hard thing. Doctor, do they live near here? They just do worse a couple of miles. They're new. They haven't been there long. Any help? I don't think the husband says he can handle it by himself. He's one of these big independent cusses. He doesn't talk much, though. Well, I'll just sit down at that clean table over there. So good night, Miss Milton. Good night, Doctor. Good night, Doc. Matt. Matt, that's him. His name's Meadows. Red Meadows. He's here. Oh, dolly, take it easy. Maybe it's not the same man at all. This one's got a wife. It is a same man, Matt. And that woman, she's not his wife. She couldn't be. Well, we're pretty far away to be sure. I am sure. Now, I'm sure something else. She didn't get hurt, fallen over any ladder. He did it to us. Dolly, dolly, calm down. Look, I'll take a ride out there tomorrow and look things over. He should be stopped. He should be killed. He's a terrible man. Dolly. Matt, I'm frightened. Well, just don't worry about it. Look, I'll tell you what. You stay right in your room till I get back and nothing will happen to you, huh? All right. Yeah, come on on. I'll see you at your hotel. Are you starting off already? I ain't even boiling the coffee yet. I want to get started, Chester. I got to ride out west of town. Oh, following Miss Dolly Milton again? What do you mean? Well, she headed off west just a few minutes ago, driving a buggy as needed, please. Are you sure of that? Of course I'm sure. Ain't nobody else around here looks like her. Why in the world would she be heading out of town all by herself at this hour of the morning? That just don't make sense. I'm afraid it does, Chester. Come on. You mean you want me to come along, too? Yeah. Well, but I thought you and Miss Milton... I said I wanted you to come, Chester, and I'll put down my coffee pot and go get the horses. Yes, sir. I have a lot in common, and yet they're each one of a kind. Take, for example, Condon, Oregon, and thereabouts. Each summer, the famous Pendlesville Roundup lass souls folks from Condon, Arlington, Fossil, and Hepner and draws them closer together at rodeo time than they ever get to be the rest of the year. By the time the Condon Globe Times has announced the event, the harvesting is done. The elevators have received the grain, and a quick shopping trip has been planned to the dolls. It's summer in Condon, the county seat of Gilliam County, and the center while lilac bushes and yellow roses is in the air, and there's going to be a rodeo. Some will take the family car, others will catch the train or greyhound in Arlington, and everyone who wants to be where the dust is thick and the Broncos fight you all the way will be there, because no one misses the Pendleton Roundup. Even the Columbia River Rapids run quicker, but if your hometown is Condon or thereabouts, you already know this. We only wanted to remind you, it's still there. I swear I don't understand, Mr. Dillon. If she's so afraid of this rad metter, why'd you come out here all by herself? That's what I hope to find out, Chester. Looks like she got here all right. Here's your buggy out by the barn. Yeah, well, let's ride over there. Horses, Chester. Yes, sir. Well, I see about not as... Yes, sir. Did you come with Dolly? I'm the U.S. Marshal from Dodge. Me a favor, Marshal. Get Dolly out of here. Chester. Yes, sir. Take her out to the buggy. Come on, Dolly. I'm not going to stop trying, Rad. Not as long as you live with any woman but me are here. Next time I'll kill you. Come on on, get moving, Dolly. I got to... got to get into the house. Got to tell my wife I'm all right. Mattos. Huh? You never were married to Dolly, were you? No. No, Marshal, she liked to chase me all over Texas, but I never felt that way about her. And she never forgave me. Yeah, I see she didn't. She claims that you treated her pretty bad, and beat her and all that. Oh, they tell you the truth, Marshal. I never even touched her. I think that's what she couldn't stand. Yeah, maybe. I don't ask you to believe me, Marshal. There are ways of checking. Folks down in Texas way will tell you she's pretty well known down there. I think I do believe you, Mattos. Well, come on, I'll help you into the house. We'll get Doc Adams to come take a look at you. Make you feel real proud, Matt? Locking a woman up? Nothing about this makes me proud, Dolly. You are mighty silent on the way in. Oh, just thinking. Thinking about how you were taken in by an old friend? Yeah, maybe. Well, you're lucky, Matt. When I first heard that Rad was up this way, I had in mind you might do my shooting for me. Well, I might not have been quite that obliged in, Dolly. But once I found out just where he was, I wanted to do my own shooting. What are you going to do with me? I'm not going to do anything with you. I'm just going to hold you until Mattos gets well enough to decide whether he wants to sign a complaint. And that'll be up to the jury. Are you really going to leave me here? Yeah, Dolly. I really am. Well, this must go kindly hard for you. No, it's all right, Chester. Such a pretty little thing to go gunning for a man. Yeah, she's pretty all right. Well, good night, Chester. You going out someplace? Yeah. I lost a bet, Chester. It's a kitty. It looks like I'm going to be supplying the whiskey for her saloon for quite a spell. Your time to quote from a speech by an old political character, Elijah Cuddlestone. Thank you. And so I say that my opponent is, I say he's a mugwump. A mugwump, that is. In 1936, 1936, Albert J. Engel said, he said, and I quote, a mugwump has his mug on one side of the political fence and his wump on the other. Engel said that. Yes. Well, that's a pretty good definition of what mugwump implies, but do you know where the expression originated? Mugwump was an Algonquin Indian word, meaning great man or chief. The word first found political use in 1884 when there was a split in the Republican Party and a great many members refused to support James G. Blaine for president. Party regulators accused him of assuming a superior attitude and hurled such epithets as Pharisees and mugwumps at them. And that's how another political term was added to our language. Produced and directed by Norman McDonald, stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshall. Featured in the cast were Parley Baer as Chester, Howard McNeer as Doc, and Georgia Ellis as Kitty. George Walsh speaking. Join us again next week for another specially transcribed story on gun smoke. This is the United States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service.