 Gun Smoke. Brought to you by L&M, the modern cigarette that lets you get full exciting flavor through the modern miracle of the pure white miracle tip. Live modern. Smoke L&M. A round-odd city and in the territory on west, there's just one way to handle the killers and the spoilers, and that's with a U.S. Marshal and the smell of 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, 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. Matt, that was the best gall down in breakfast I've had since way last spring. Yeah, it was pretty tasty, it's that one I got. I could eat two pounds all by myself. You did eat two pounds, Chester. Dear, that's the best thing about wood is coming on. You start getting some decent food for a change. You get antelope, you get venison, prairie chicken, mallet. Oh, instead of that stinking salt pork every morning. Doc, you're a lucky man. You only got two worries in life, your next meal and for your next fee. Worries? Oh, those are both pleasures, Matt. Now, speaking of fees, there hasn't been a killer in town for quite a spell. Why don't you stick to curing people, Doc? Because I can't live on fine promises from starving sodbusters. That coroner's fee is cash in the pocket. Oh, well, here we are. This is where I leave you, gentlemen. See you later, Doc. What are you aiming to do, Matt? Go down to your office and prop your feet up and cheat the government for the next 12 hours? Now, I'm going to write out to the trade place. He's been losing some stock the last few nights. You're talking about old Silas trade, sir? Uh-huh. Yeah, he called me out there three years ago when his wife died, after it was too late to help her. And he talked me down to half fee, and then he didn't even pay me. Well, I admit he's not too easy to get along with. Hey, Doc, look, up there in front of your office. I've got a patient already. That's just a kid. He's hanging on to the door. He can't even stand up. Come on. Well, that's a young Indian boy, Matt. Yeah. Here, now take it easy, son. Here, let me give you a hand. Get his other arm, Chester. Yes, sir. Let me open the door here. Yeah. Let's set him down here, Chester. That's all right, boy. There. What do you think's wrong with him, Doc? Well, I don't know. He doesn't seem to be cut up or shot, any. What's the trouble, boy? What happened here? Maybe he just don't know the language, Doc. Yeah, that could be. He kind of gives the impression he knows what we say to him, though. Is that right, boy? Hmm. Looks like a coy away from his Marcusons and that head man. About nine years old, wouldn't you say, Doc? Yeah, eight and nine. His pulse is jumping like a scared rabbit. Nobody's going to hurt you, boy. Chester, go to the dodge office and see if there's a scout or a buffalo hunter in town, huh? Somebody who can speak coy away. All right, here. It's funny. He won't even try to talk. He keeps his mouth tight shut. Yeah. Now, wait a minute, Doc. What is it, man? Son, open your mouth. Come on now. Open it. Somebody's cut his tongue out. Free yourself of old-fashioned ideas. Why don't you live modern? Free up, freshen up your taste. Smoke and L&M. Why are more people changing to L&M than to any other cigarette? Because only L&M lets you enjoy full, exciting flavor through the pure white miracle tip. L&M draws the taste richer. Smokes cleaner. So, free up, freshen up your taste. Get full, exciting flavor. Live modern. Smoke L&M. Make today your big red letter day and start your lives a modern way. Live, live, live modern. Smoke and L&M. It's America's fastest growing cigarette. It isn't often you have a drink before noon. No, no. I guess it isn't. Then, then, boy. Rumors get around fast, don't they? Chester stopped in. Have you found out anything more about it, Matt? Not yet. Chester's asking around town trying to get some line on him. Does Doc think he's gonna live? Yeah, he'll live of it. Might be better if he didn't. It's always better to live, Matt, no matter what. Yeah, I guess so. Take up monster to do a thing like that. That might even have been some of his own people that did it. I like him, though. Kyle was no ordinarily mutilate that way, even in battle. He had patches, wasn't he? But there aren't any this far east. Besides, I'd only treat a warrior like that. There's kids only eight or nine years old. All right, well... He's still in pretty bad shape. Have been looking all over Dodge for you, Marshall. Well, that's where I've been, Mr. Trich. All over Dodge. First, I can see now why you ain't been on the job. If you'll excuse me, Matt. No, stay here, kitty. Why don't you stick to business, Trich? No offense, Marshall. I expected you out at the ranch this morning. Yeah, I know. I lost six more head last night, calves and yearlings. Oh? It was killed and butchered right on my range. Your hide's throwed into a gully. You might have trailed the ones that done it if you got there before the frost melted off. They were the rest of the cattle you lost, huh? They've been killing and dressing them. That's right. Now, it could be Indians. Meat wrestlers couldn't sell and dodge, not to get away with it very long. It's engines all right, of course it's engines. That doesn't make much sense, though. This time of year, there's too much game around them. There ain't no engine going after game as long as there's meat around for them to steal. Do you find any wagon tracks? Of course not. Why? Meat wrestlers would have to haul this stuff somewhere. The job of the engine's not more than six miles south of my place, camped along the river bottom. One of my riders seen him last week. Are they cowards? I don't know. They all look alike to me. They're all a sneaking pack of thieves. That might be where the boy came from, Matt. What boy? Young Indian boy, somebody nearly killed him. That's why I couldn't get out of your place this morning. You're fooling around over some engine wealth while I'm losing stock? Wait a minute. You think a cattle are more important than human beings? Human beings? I thought you said he was an engine. Get out of here, Trich. I said it real plain. You get out of here. What about my cattle, Marshal? Whenever I get time off. The more important jobs. The fine thing when the law spends its time with engines and dance all girls while an honest rancher gets robbed. It takes all kinds, Matt. I'll argue that with you sometime, kitty. I'll see you later. Let me tell the chief, Marshal. It's his own son. He's going to take it hard. Yeah, I imagine. How'd you find out the boy was Koto if he can't talk? Just smiley's been buying game for his restaurant from a Kiowa boy by that name. He came over to Doc's office and identified the kid. That's where the boy was headed this morning. He left camp here just before dawn with a dressed antelope carcass he was taking into smiley. We've been trying to sell all the game we could to get some rifles and ammunition. Right now, we have to hunt with bows and arrows. What do you mean, we? I am Pot Kiowa, Marshal. I scout for the 7th Cavalry most of the year and I live with a gray feather clan for the winter. You make it hard with just bows and arrows, huh? You getting enough meat for the tribe? Right now, this river bottom is filled with game. Later, I don't know. Two men came down here in a wagon night before last. Had eight or ten carcasses of young beef. They wanted to trade for horses. We laughed at them. They left mad. You know who they were? No, Marshal. But they must have rustled the meat someplace. Now, the trade ranch about five miles north has been losing stock. They must be the ones getting it then. They're hanging around here somewhere. Look, when Koto took game at a dodge, which way to usually ride? He would head out north, cut through the trade ranch, then pick up the Simeran stage trail. The two men said they'd get even with us, Marshal. Yeah. Looks like they did. Here's a holiday hint from L&M. This year, why don't you live modern and give modern? Give L&M holiday cartons. In gay holiday cartons, L&M's make an exciting gift. L&M's are the favorite cigarette of people who like to... Live and modern. Live and modern. Live, live, live, modern. Free up, freshen up your taste. Smoke and L&M. Live modern, smoke modern. Change to L&M. Enjoy full, exciting flavor through the miracle tip. It's no wonder more people are changing to L&M than to any other brand. So smoke modern L&M. And remember, you are sure to please when you give L&M holiday cartons. Live, live, live, modern. Smoke and L&M. Getting pretty close to old trade's ranch, Mr. Jones. We're on it, Chusson. The house ought to be about four miles north of us. Could be 400 feet, and we'd never see it in this cussed underbrush. That's the way the kid came. When his trail leaves the bottom land, we'll leave it, too. There's another patch of soft ground, Johnny. Yeah, let's go take a look. Yeah, those are his pony tracks, all right. Dug in deep, too. Still have that antelope carcass with him. Let's take a breather. That's a mighty welcome word, Mr. Dillon. Goes right along with payday and soups on. That's right, Chester. There's nothing like having ambition, keeps a man on his toes. Listen to that. Wait a minute. It's a wagon. Coming this way. You reckon it's him, too, fella? I don't know, but let's get these horses off the trail. Come on. This far enough. Get your rifle. Yes, sir. Let's get as close to the trail as we can. The boy's got a row down from somewhere here in the bottoms. It kind of figures, all right. Now, keep that rifle on him when I step out, huh? Yes, sir. I sure will. What's the trouble, Mr....? Get down off that wagon. Down on the ground, both of you. Come on. Now, keep your hands up. Chester, come on out. Take our guns. We ain't got nothing worth stealing. Stealing? He's a U.S. Marshal. A Marshal? That's right. Where are you heading? Whoa. We was just going through. Going through from where? Look, Marshal, we ain't done nothing. What are you hauling back there? My eyes is old. Keep them covered, Chester. Well, you're making a big mistake, Marshal. It ain't the way it looks, Marshal. Can you explain a half dozen beef carcasses in the back of your wagon, Mr....? We bought them from a ranch down south. One of them still got to hide on it, showing the treacherous breath. Well, Marshal, I'll tell you this straight of it. We got that beef real cheap from a tribal coyote down the bottom of the ways. I reckon they stole it, all right? Those coyotes got nothing but bows and arrows, Mr. That calf in the back of the wagon was shot with a rifle. You've been hanging around here killing trait stock for the last two weeks. Now, where have you been selling the meats? To the quartermaster before we told him we was commission agents. Then you're under arrest for cattle theft and I get back in the wagon. Chester will stop at the ranch house so Trich can identify that calf and sign a complaint, huh? All right. And then you're going into dodge, Mr. and I'm going to tag you with the real charge I came out here on. Well, what do you mean? You're late in that Indian boy. I don't know what you're talking about. We ain't even seen no Indian boy. Well, he's going to see you, and I think he'll remember you. It seems so he can't talk, but he can still point his finger at you. Now, come on, let's go. What's up, that team? You wait here, Chester. Yes, sir. You finally did make it out here. Yeah, I made it, Trich. I got the two men who've been stealing your beef. You have? They've been selling it over at the fort. Chester's got them up there in their wagon. Well, you guess I won't need this rifle, then. I'm about to ride out and have a look around. What's the matter, Marshall? I, uh, just noticed that antelope carcass hanging there in the barn. Looks like a good, fat one. I shot it early this morning down in the bottoms. I was just fixing to cut it up. You shot it, huh, Trich? You sure did. With a bow and arrow? That's not a rifle wound. I don't know what you mean, Marshall. So you're the one who hurt that boy, huh? It was a mistake, Marshall. One anybody might make. I seen him riding through the bottoms this morning with that carcass on his horse. I thought it was one of my calves. So I roped him off in the horse run on, and, uh... He took a knife to him. I figured it might teach all them thieving engines a lesson. I didn't find out till later it was an antelope he had. Trich, you were the rottenest man I ever ran into. Now let's be reasonable, Marshall. There ain't no harm done. He's just an engine brat, worthless, sneaking. You're under arrest, Trich. I reckon I ain't gonna go along with you on that, Marshall. Not while I got a rifle in my hands. And maybe you just better come to your senses. I said you're under arrest. You're talking mighty brave for a man with a gun on him. Don't do it. You haven't got a chance. I can try. Glad you tried. What you doing? You all right? Yeah, I'm all right, Chester. What? Well, that's Thomas Trich. What happened? What'd he do? What did he do? That little boy back in Dodger'd, Teddy Chester. If he couldn't. In a moment, our star, William Conrad. The world is in a chaotic state these days. Maintaining world peace requires much more than military strength. It takes moral strength, too. That moral strength can come from our spiritual advisors, our ministers, priests, and rabbis. Educating our children in the right way, teaching them to love and fear God, can help to build morally and spiritually strong young men and women out of them. Many of us have personal troubles, some of which seem insoluble. Contact with God will provide the necessary comfort and strength to carry on under even the most trying circumstances. Get into the habit of attending your church or synagogue regularly, and don't go alone. Take a friend with you, or better still, take your whole family. Families who worship together, stay together. There come times in all our lives when we feel the need of advice or comfort from a spiritual advisor. How much more helpful he can be if we are in regular communication with him through weekly worship. Make America spiritually strong. Send your church or synagogue each week. And now, William Conrad, you're now on the frontier of man's reputation, sometimes based on his ability as a gunfighter, and the number of men he'd kill. But next week, Dodge watches a man lose everything he values without a shot being fired. And that was the West. Gun smoke, produced and directed by Norman McDonald, stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshal. The story was specially written for gun smoke by Les Crutchfield, with editorial supervision by John Meston. The music was composed and conducted by Rex Corey, sound patterns by Ray Kemper and Tom Hanley. Featured in the cast were Harry Bartell, Vic Perrin and John Daener. Harley Bear is Chester, Howard McNeer is Doc, and Georgia Ellis is Kitty. Join us again next week for another story on gun smoke.