Gunsmoke (1955) s01e15 Episode Script

ANNOUNCER: Starring James Arness as Matt Dillon.
Hold it.
Who are you? My name's Dillon.
Oh? Marshal Dillon, eh? Good.
I'm a deputy sheriff.
This here little rat's wanted down in Mingo for murder.
That any reason for shooting an unarmed man in the back? You aimin' to take a hand in this? That's right.
Let's go.
See if the coffee's warm, Chester.
I sure will, Mr.
Dillon.
What's your name? Hank Springer.
And yours? Brake, marshal.
August Brake.
Sit down.
Marshal- I'll stand.
This won't take very long.
I said, sit down.
Now what's all this about? You can't do it, marshal.
If you let him take me back there, they'll hang me, sure.
Ah, you oughta thought of that before you killed Dobey.
I didn't kill anybody.
You know that, and so does the sheriff back in Mingo.
I never even seen Dobey that night.
Sure, I know, you got a witness.
Some drunk you scared into being a witness.
I've seen it happen too many time before.
The sheriff don't care who's guilty, he never does.
All he wants is to get somebody convicted, anybody.
And this time, he picked me.
Well, if you're innocent, how come you ran out? I- I wouldn't have had a chance, marshal.
I wouldn't have got no trial.
Not a fair trial.
The sheriff runs things the way he wants, and anybody that tries to stop him gets killed.
You don't know how it is in Mingo.
And now they're sayin' I shot Dobey in the back.
To rob him, they say, of some money he won in a poker game.
But they're lyin'.
I never killed nobody, nor took no money that I didn't work for, in my whole life.
I don't even pack a gun.
Maybe that's why they picked me.
They figured I'd be easy.
And that's the way the sheriff likes it, easy, so it don't interfere none with his drinkin' and his gamblin'.
Sure is full of it, ain't he, marshal? And I got to listen to that all the way back to Mingo.
No.
Just a minute.
Don't let him do it, marshal.
They got a sayin' down there: "When the sheriff handcuffs a man, you can start diggin' his grave.
" If he takes me back there, they'll kill me.
Now don't let him do it, marshal.
Well, there's been a legal charge made against you.
There's a warrant out for your arrest.
They never bother with a warrant.
There weren't no time.
We knew he was guilty.
Chester.
Yes, sir? Take Hank back and lock him up.
What? You'll be safer there than you will walkin' the streets, Hank.
In there, Hank.
Get him a couple blankets, Chester.
Yes, sir.
What are you doing here? That man is my prisoner.
Show me a warrant, we'll talk about it.
There's no railroad into Mingo, no telegraph, you know that.
It'll take the best part of a week to send word by stage.
Then we got nothing to talk about.
Not for the next week.
You know, for a lawman, it's kinda hard to figure out what side you're on.
Ask the sheriff in Mingo when you send for that warrant.
Should be back before evening, Chester.
All right.
I'll take care of things, Mr.
Dillon.
Where's the marshal? Well, the Pueblo stage was five hours overdue, and he- Why? What do you want him for? I don't want him.
There's been a fella hurt bad in the gunfight up at the Dodge House.
There's gonna be plenty more hurt if it ain't stopped soon.
Oh, well, I- I guess I better get up there and see about it.
Reckon that's what Mr.
Dillon'd want me to do.
You can eat them eggs if you want 'em, 'cause they're gonna be ruined by the time I get back anyhow.
The key's in Mingo, Hank.
Come on.
Let's get started.
We don't wanna keep the sheriff waitin'.
Come on! There wasn't nobody down at- Stay back.
What have you done? I killed him.
They lied and called me a killer.
Now I am one.
Don't make me hurt you.
Now, look, Hank, tryin' to run away ain't gonna help you none.
No matter where you go, th-there gonna be somebody out to get you.
You ain't gonna have a chance.
I can fix it so somebody else gets a chance, though.
I can fix it so that sheriff can't ruin nobody else like he ruined me.
Now, look, Hank.
I'm goin' back to Mingo, and I'm gonna kill him.
Don't you try to stop me.
I'll kill anybody that tries to stop me.
Come in.
Hello, Matt.
Chester.
Ah, he'll live, all right.
Not gonna look too good.
Well, he never did look too good to me, Doc.
Oh? Understand he's a very important man down in Mingo.
Sheriff depends on him.
Hm.
He shoulda had sense enough to leave well enough alone.
Well, I just feel terrible, 'cause this ain't the end of it.
Hank thinks he's a killer now, so he figures he's got nothing else to lose.
He's half out of his mind.
He is gonna kill somebody, unless he's stopped.
So long, Doc.
So long, Matt.
He couldn't have gotten far.
That'd burn itself out.
All right, that's enough.
What? You ain't him.
What? The feller that shot me.
Stole my horse.
His done throwed a shoe.
Well, let's get you up.
I'm obliged to ya.
Ca- Ca- Ca- Careful now.
Oh! Ooh.
How long ago'd this happen? 'Bout an hour.
Figured my horse played out on him.
He's comin' back.
I wasn't fixin' for him to get the jump on me a second time.
He's a mean'un.
Well, I've been trailin' him for a hundred miles.
Yeah? I'm a marshal outta Dodge.
Wasn't him, huh? No, Hank did this to him.
Oh.
And he's got an hour start on us with a fresh horse.
Heh.
Might be a fresh horse, all right.
Ain't no better than the one he's riding.
Huh? That horse of mine got his lungs frostbit last winter.
He won't carry him as far as Mingo, if you push him too hard.
What's this side? Anything? Any place you could steal another horse? Nope.
Nothin' over there but a family of nesters about ten mile off.
All they got's a mule.
Husband's off summers on a trip.
His woman's staying home alone this week.
And that's the only- Bless Bess.
And he's an hour ahead of us.
Well, we can't take you with us, but we'll send somebody back to help you.
Chester, make him comfortable.
I'll get you a canteen.
Looks pretty quiet.
Yeah.
Maybe that horse wasn't as bad off as that fella thought.
I'll bet Hank rode straight into Mingo.
Didn't even come near this place.
Well, he might've.
We'll see.
If you're lookin' for my man, he ain't here.
He might come back tonight.
More'n likely, though, it'll be tomorrow sometime.
Who are you? Well, I'm the marshal up at Dodge City, ma'am.
We're out lookin' for a prisoner escaped from jail.
He's a small man, about- No.
Ain't been nobody through here all day.
Foot or horseback.
Well, it's just like we figured, Mr.
Dillon.
You can't tell about them horses once their lungs gets touched.
You know, sometimes they work out of it.
Yeah, I guess you're right, Chester.
He musta shoved right on through.
Yeah.
Well, we won't bother you any longer, ma'am.
But would you mind if we wait here a couple minutes while our horses get their wind? Well, i-if you's a mind to have some coffee Some chicory, that is, uh T'ain't real coffee.
I'd be more'n pleased to fix you some.
Tastes mighty fine, Mr.
Dillon.
While we wait.
Wouldn't take no time at all.
Please stay.
Well, maybe just for a minute, while the horses rest.
Might nice of you to take the trouble, ma'am.
Oh, it's no trouble.
Come on in.
We sure appreciate your trouble, ma'am.
It's no trouble.
It's a pleasure.
It's good to have someone stop by.
Good to have someone to talk to.
You can get awful lonesome livin' way out here.
Well, it's, uh.
.
not far into Mingo, is it? I don't go to Mingo.
Not anymore, I don't.
Why not? It's that sheriff.
A woman ain't safe, not any woman.
Not as long as he's running the town.
I see.
What he wants, he takes.
If it needs killin' t-to get it, that don't bother him one bit.
He's mean, and he's rotten.
I almost hope that little fella- Even hate to see my man go into town, to get supplies and all.
Just don't know what'll happen.
Well, Chester, I, uh, think we better get started.
He's gettin' farther away from us every minute.
Yes, sir.
Thanks again for your trouble, though, ma'am.
First chance we've had to rest since early this morning.
It's no trouble at all.
He come up before- Just before you got here.
He- When he rode up he- He got behind the curtains- He said he'd kill me if I let you know.
I-I didn't know what to do.
Well, you did just fine, ma'am.
He said he was going to Mingo.
H-He wanted a horse, but I- I- I didn't have none.
Well, he's got two now.
Yeah.
I don't think you have any more to worry about, though, ma'am.
He won't be coming back here.
Thank you, marshal.
Well, come on, Chester.
Well, it's ten miles to Mingo, and there's only one way to get there.
Oughta make it in four hours.
A man can work pretty hard makin' a noose for himself.
Goodbye, ma'am.
Looks like the sheriff manages to keep real busy.
Yeah.
Hardly has a minute to call his own.
You lookin' for the sheriff, he ain't here.
More'n likely, you'll find him up the street at the Golden Nugget.
Well, we're mainly lookin' for Hank Springer.
Spends more time in that saloon than he does in- You say Hank Springer? You seen him tonight? You a lawman? That's right, outta Dodge.
Now what about Hank? Oh, my.
Well Who did that? I don't want no trouble, mister.
I'm leavin'.
Got my stuff all packed.
I seen too much in this town.
I'm gettin' out.
Hank tried to get out too, you know.
Now, who shot him? The sheriff? That's only what I heard.
I didn't see myself.
And who killed Dobey? I don't know.
Most folks figure it was the sheriff.
Dobey'd won a lot of money off of him in a poker game, and they figured he wanted to get it back.
Dobey had a pretty wife too.
But that's just the talk I heard.
I don't know myself.
Chester.
Yes, sir? I guess it's long overdue.
Yes, sir.
Let's go.
You got somethin' on your mind? There's a man named Hank Springer lyin' dead in that jail of yours down the street.
You don't say so? Who shot him? Let me see.
Come to think of it, I guess I did.
Why? Maybe he tried to draw on me.
Maybe I just didn't like his looks.
Maybe I don't like the way you answer questions.
Get up.
Maybe you'll be lucky.
You wanna try? Hank Springer was shot in the back.
That seems to be a habit of yours.
You're under arrest for murder.
You've got no authority here- You had your chance to argue.
Put 'em on.
Put 'em on.
Any of you men see Hank Springer shot? Yes, sir.
I did, marshal.
I was there.
There's a circuit judge coming around this way next week.
You gonna testify to what you saw? Yes, sir.
I will.
I'll be glad to, marshal.
You got a prisoner.
Lock him up.
Next time you pick somebody to hang that on maybe it'd be a good idea to look him over first.
Get going.
Come on.