Gunsmoke (1955) s01e26 Episode Script

ANNOUNCER: Starring James Arness as Matt Dillon.
Out here I remind myself how violence ends.
Buried on the rim of a nation.
The edge of a wild frontier.
Some of these Boot Hill men are the victims of aimless slaughter.
The rest I killed myself.
I'm a lawman.
United States marshal.
Well, the law comes hard to the frontier.
Men like these didn't want it.
And more men still alive.
They're in Dodge City.
They don't want it.
They're the drifters, the killers and the spoilers.
And they have to be met.
It's a chancy job.
Makes a man watchful and a little lonely.
But somebody has to do it.
Sometimes a marshal's job takes him hundreds of miles away from his headquarters.
And a man who doesn't count on a little luck in a job like this, doesn't know much about his job.
It happened for me on my third day out after Lee Timble.
Luck in the form of a slight but sharp movement off to my right.
You can chase him all day, and he'll never let us near him.
Where's your horse? Broke his leg in a prairie dog hole.
What about yours? Empty too, Lee.
Fifty miles to water.
Then you'll be cheating the rope.
Get up.
Whoa.
Welcome back, Mr.
Dillon.
Hello, Chester.
You got my brother in there, marshal? Come on out of there, Lee.
You made a wrong move this time, marshal.
Hello, Dolph.
Don't you worry none, Lee.
He ain't gonna keep you in jail.
Course he ain't.
Shoot him, Dolph! He told you to shoot.
I don't make wrong moves, marshal.
No.
You hurt him kind of bad.
He'll come around.
Do you want me to take Dolph's gun, Mr.
Dillon? He is wearing one, isn't he? There's nothing wrong with wearing a gun.
There is the way you wear one.
What do you mean? You might run into somebody sometime didn't know you were afraid to use it.
He might shoot you before he found that out.
Nobody else ever called me a coward, marshal.
Just because I'm not as quick as you.
Chester.
Yes, sir.
Messenger's shotgun, borrow it.
Yes, sir.
When Lee comes around, herd him over and lock him up.
Yes, sir.
And if Dolph tries to stop you shoot him.
I don't like that kind of talk, marshal.
You don't? You'll find out I don't.
Get out of here.
Oh, there's a fella waiting for you over at the office, Mr.
Dillon.
Who is he? Why, he's a stranger to me.
I'd hate to make that trip over again, Chester.
Heh.
Don't you worry, Mr.
Dillon, he ain't gonna get away.
Oh, come on, Lee.
Get up.
You ain't hurt.
Huh.
I don't see my picture.
Surprise.
Hack.
Hack Prine.
Ha-ha.
Ha-ha.
How are you, you old son of a gun? How are you? Sure is good to see you.
Matt, been a long time.
A U.
S.
marshal? Well, if that don't beat all.
Well, man has to earn his keep somehow, Hack.
Sure.
But it's kind of sudden to find an old friend a U.
S.
marshal.
Yeah, I suppose it is.
Sit down.
You want a cup of coffee? No thanks, had some.
Surprised to see me? Well, it's been at least seven years.
Yep.
A man ain't born to kill me.
At least I ain't run into him yet.
Well, I guess we all got a share of luck coming, Hack.
Then you have had yours.
You thinking about Santa Fe? Uh-huh.
Hey, you know that scar is pretty well haired over.
I sure had a long headache.
Oh, what a fight that was.
Nothing but a whiskey bottle in your hand.
Three of John Chisholm's drunk cowboys about to make yourself bleeding inside too.
Yeah, and they could have done it too.
They was off to a good start.
Three bullets.
He got every one of 'em.
Mm-hm.
Yep.
Sure surprised him, didn't it? Tsk.
Hey, hear Chisholm's been after you ever since.
Ah.
They were just the first of John Chisholm's men I've killed, Matt.
Oh? Been riding with Billy the Kid till about a half a year ago.
Why did you quit? Never could make out whether Billy was working for or against Chisholm.
Besides, didn't pay enough.
What are you doing at Dodge, Hack? Don't know yet.
Been over in Wagon Springs stretching the legs, sleeping in a real bed and, heh, playing me a little poker.
And some fella from here sent for me.
Ain't seen him yet.
But if it's a job, I sure need the money.
Ha.
Ah, good luck with it.
We'll get together later and have a drink.
Sure thing.
Keep walking, Lee.
The cell's right out back.
What's that? Prisoner.
He murdered a man.
Oh, that's bad.
That's real bad.
Well, murder's always bad, Hack.
No, I mean being locked up.
I couldn't stand it.
I'd as soon be hung as locked up.
You better stay sober tonight then.
You taking it back about that drink? You'll be safe as long as you're with me.
Safe? Oh, I've been with you when it wasn't so safe.
You know, I keep forgetting, if I was to shoot somebody here, you're the man who'd come after me, ain't you? See you later, Matt.
Evening, Oley.
How are you? I- I feel terrible, marshal.
Your eye bothering you? Told me I was a hero.
That's what they said at Vicksburg.
That- Everything is getting rusty now.
Here, Oley.
This will help get the bother away from you tonight.
Uh, no, thanks.
Eh- This time I ain't just bothered about myself tonight, marshal.
What's the matter? I-I-I come looking for you.
Oh? I- I hate informing on people.
Look, Oley, we're friends.
If you're in trouble, I'll help you.
Well, it ain't me needs helping.
It's you.
Me? I-I heard him in the saloon, marshal.
He's setting up a meeting.
Well, who's he, Oley? E-eh, Dolph Timble.
Uh, I-I figured maybe you ought to hear what's he got to say about you.
Where is he? I-in the Long Branch.
Hey, they'll be there by the time you get there.
Eh- They'll shut up if they see you coming.
Eh, that's why I figured an idea.
Uh, how you could hear him.
How? Uh, around the back.
I-I know a way.
Well, what's the matter with you men? Are you so cheap you're gonna let a few dollars stand on your way? Alone, I've already put in 100.
And it'll cost you another 100.
What? But think what it'll mean to you.
You're the one it'll mean the most to.
Getting you brother loose and all.
But how come all of a sudden the price has been doubled? Because he didn't know it was Dillon he'd be facing.
Costs double to kill a man like Dillon, huh? That's right.
Double.
That's a lot of money, Dolph.
Too much for me.
You can't back away from it now.
It's worth the money to every one of you here, and you know it.
What do you want, marshal? What are you doing here? We're just talking.
There's nothing wrong with talking, is there? Well, is there? All right, marshal, I'll tell you myself.
Lee ain't gonna stay in jail.
He's innocent.
And we're sick and tired of your kind of law.
And we're going to see to it that legally- Get out of here.
All of you.
We got as much right in here as you.
I said get out.
Why? Because I said so.
All of you.
Move.
He had no right to order us out.
My money goes to you in the morning, Dolph.
Mine too.
Right.
Have one on me, Oley.
Thank you, marshal.
Thank you.
I-I sure need one.
Hello, Matt.
Kitty.
Let's sit down.
Want a beer? Uh, not now.
Dolph Timble? He's hiring some help.
So that's what that was all about.
Yeah.
Matt? What's the use.
You worry too much.
Sure.
I might oversleep any morning and miss your burial.
Now, Kitty.
Well You look very pretty tonight.
Is that a new dress? You like it? Mm-hm.
I ordered it by mail all the way from St.
Louis.
You did? Yeah.
It came in on the Santa Fe.
Four months ago.
Oh.
I, um- I heard you caught Lee Timble.
Now, you hear everything.
Men.
They're gabbier than women.
Maybe they are when they're with you.
Matt, do you think if I closed my eyes and prayed real hard, that they'd all go away.
And what would you do for a living? Tsk.
Oh, I don't know.
Bust up sod with some skinny homesteader maybe.
You'd hate it.
Of course I would.
Evening, Miss Kitty.
Any objections this time, marshal? Well, are there? I didn't think so.
I hope I'm there to watch.
Who's that man with Dolph, Matt? Hack Prine.
I never heard of him.
He's a stranger to Dodge.
How come you know him? We're old friends.
We used to be real close.
You didn't look at each other like old friends.
He saved my life once.
Then what's the matter? Guess he wants it back, Kitty.
Dolph Timble's hired him to kill me.
Oh, Matt.
See you later, Kitty- Matt Hack? You following me, Matt? Yep.
What for? Where you staying, Hack? Dodge House.
Wanted to talk to you.
Street will do.
Was Dolph Timble sent for you.
Didn't know what my job was this morning.
But you do now.
Yeah, I do now.
You gonna take the job? He had to double the pay.
Why? Eh, you make your living one way I make mine another.
I see.
Turn his brother loose.
Might I get paid if you do.
What? But I don't get paid if he stands trial.
I guess Dolph didn't tell you the whole story.
What do you mean? There are other men in on this deal, for their own reasons.
Their reasons aren't good.
What do I care? Long as Dolph pays me.
I don't wanna fight you, Hack.
How'd you get to be marshal anyway? It's a job, I took it.
I've been offered a job too.
I took it.
How much Dolph paying you? Eight hundred.
That's a lot.
Maybe.
From what I hear you're somewhat handier with that gun than you used to be.
I'll borrow the money, Hack.
I'll give you the 800.
Sorry, Matt.
I back out on this, and my reputation wouldn't be worth crow bait.
Tsk.
I'm down pretty far, Hack.
Huh? I don't think I'd sell my gun against you.
No matter what.
No use holding off, Matt.
Let's see how good you are.
Wait.
Dolph tell you how his brother murdered that man? Dolph says he didn't kill anybody.
I got two witnesses who saw him.
The man was a hide skinner, unarmed.
Didn't even have a knife on him.
Unarmed? Lee shot him in the back.
Shot an unarmed man in the back? Think about it, Hack.
My daddy came west To Kansas I'll make his home In Kansas But all that he made Was his own grave When he crossed the path of Killer Dane Well, throw it or put it away, Chester.
I was sharpening it, Mr.
Dillon.
That's fine.
Keep it sharp.
My brother Magnus once killed a cinnamon bear with a knife.
Well, "Wild" Bill Hickok claims he did too.
Well, it's the truth.
I saw the hide.
There's no bears in the high plains, Chester.
Lock up the guns, we're going to breakfast.
I already got 'em locked.
Morning, Matt.
Chester.
Morning, Doc.
You had breakfast? No.
No.
We'll, uh- We'll have breakfast later.
Maybe.
What's going on, doc? Clerk over at the Dodge House just sent a boy after- Well, send him back, and let's eat.
If you're not hungry, we are.
I got a dead man over there, Matt.
You know who he is? No.
Clerk didn't say.
Well, the clerk thinks mighty high of your ability, doc.
Hm? Sending for you after the man's dead.
Yes, I got to admit, I never brought anybody back to life.
But I killed a few maybe.
Never brought anybody back to life.
Well, you better come on along anyway.
Anyway? Sure I will.
There's an autopsy fee in it.
I thought there was something wrong the way that man walked out of here, marshal.
What man? Number 22.
Is the body in 22? That's right.
Up the stairs and down the hall.
Right-hand door.
And you didn't hear a shot? No, sir.
I didn't hear a thing.
He must've killed him with a knife.
That's the way I figure it.
Now who was he? Well, I'm new in Dodge, marshal.
Yeah, but you must have got his name.
No, I didn't- Never saw him before.
Well, how did he get a room here? Oh.
I thought you meant the dead man.
No, we'll look at the dead man.
Well, the man whose room the body's in, that's number 22.
He's registered as Mr.
Prine.
Hack Prine.
Oley.
He sure is dead, ain't he, doc? He's dead, Chester.
Bullet through the abdominal wall just below the lower rib, marshal.
About two inches left of the midline- You mean, he got shot? That's what I'm telling you.
Talk like a lawyer.
Don't get sore at me.
I didn't shoot him.
Oh, why do you want to kill poor little Oley? Why who'd want to kill him? That Pine fella.
Prine, Chester.
Hack Prine.
Well, go and arrest him, Matt.
I'll- I'll take care of Oley.
Mr.
Dillon, I'll bet Hack did it just to make you fight him.
That's an admirable reason to murder a man.
He ain't in there.
Maybe he left town.
No, he's here.
You want me to look in that saloon? Yeah.
If he's in there, tell him to come out in the street.
I don't want to meet him inside where people would get hurt.
Yes, sir.
Mr.
Dillon? Won't you let me get you a shotgun? Go on, Chester.
Mr.
Dillon? Get out of the way, Chester.
Good morning, Matt.
Hello, Hack.
I just killed a man.
Dolph Timble? I gave him a chance, but he wouldn't draw.
So I killed him anyway.
That's too bad.
Hm.
No man's gonna frame me.
I knew you didn't kill Oley.
You did? Oley never carried a gun.
Hm.
That's right.
So while you were out playing poker last night, Dolph killed him.
Dragged him in the back way and dumped him in your room.
Last night I told Dolph I changed my mind.
Couldn't kill you, Matt.
Dolph knew I wouldn't let you leave town if I'd thought you killed Oley.
He picked a mighty mean way to get us into a fight.
He was a fool to try it.
But everything's straightened out with you and me, ain't it, Matt? You admit Dolph didn't draw? I told him to.
Tsk.
Hack I'm arresting you for murder.
No.
You'll get a trial.
But you'll have to wait in jail.
No, Matt.
I couldn't stand that.
You know I couldn't.
I'm a lawman, Hack.
I- I got no choice.
It's all right, Matt, I understand.
Well, let's go.
Let's see what happens.
No.
You- You're a lot faster than you used to be.
Yep.
Like you say you got a job to do.
You can do it pretty good.
I can't hardly see you no more.
It's like being un- Underwater.
Matt.
Matt! You got him, Mr.
Dillon.
I sure was scared.
That was the fastest thing I'd ever seen my whole life.
I though he'd never go down.
I almost died myself waiting for him.