Gunsmoke (1955) s01e32 Episode Script

Gunsmoke starring James Arness as Matt Dillon.
Sometimes a man gets buried out here on Boot Hill for almost no reason at all.
Say he tried to walk out on a feed bill.
Or maybe he was a bartender who came up short with change for a dollar.
Men like that get killed fast.
But let a man be a real thief, let him take over banks, run off whole herds of cows and horses, then you got a man who's also smart enough to stay alive.
At least, if I can't manage to stop him.
Matt Dillon, U.
S.
Marshal.
Hold it, boy.
There's no need drawin' down on me.
I'm only a harmless traveller like yourself.
How'd you sneak up on me so quiet? Oh, it ain't my fault that the grass is so thick.
You ain't very friendly, are ya, boy? I'll be friendly to a man who comes into my camp with fair warnin' and iron showin'.
Anybody else risks a bullet.
Bacon's burning.
Keep your hands where I can see 'em.
You wouldn't turn away a hungry fellow traveler, now, would ya, boy? If you're travelin', where's your outfit? Where's your horse? Over in the next meadow.
I camped before I seen ya.
Ridin' into Dodge tomorrow? Maybe.
Puncher? Lookin' for a job? Maybe.
We might ride in together.
You alone? You don't see nobody.
You ain't the type to ride the plains alone.
You callin' me a liar, boy? Well, no.
Bacon's gettin' cold.
Help yourself.
Bread? Mm.
Thank you kindly.
If I ain't the type to ride alone, what type am I? Well, but for the guns, I'd say you was a storekeep'.
Or a gambler maybe, travelin' by request.
You don't fear to speak your mind, do you, boy? Say, that's good.
Get in the pan grease if you want.
Mm.
That's a nice-lookin' bay horse you got there.
Wouldn't consider sellin' him? No.
Didn't think so.
But, uh, what's wrong with his hoof? Huh? The way he holds it here.
What do ya mean? Are you crazy? I don't see nothin'.
Let that be a lesson to ya, boy.
Don't never trust a stranger.
Oh, marshal.
Marshal.
Hello, Moss.
I was just about to send word down to your office.
What about? Dutch George is in town.
That's his horse I'm shoein'.
Oh? Where's he now? Up the Long Branch most likely.
I thought you ought to know.
Didn't know whether he was still wanted.
No, that jury in Ellsworth had to acquit him.
He's free.
And him the biggest horsethief west of the Mississippi.
Well, with an operation as big as Dutch's that's pretty hard to prove, Moss.
Yeah, I know.
He has a hundred men all over the West workin' for him.
Yeah, and they do all the stealin' so Dutch is never in danger.
Yeah, it's a pretty nice-lookin' bay.
Yeah, I wonder who it belongs to.
Hmph.
Yeah, I wonder.
Well, thanks, Moss.
In fact, when his mother was 74 years of age, he took her out to the fields and made her stay near the house so she could get a drink of water now and then while she was doin' the chores! Would you look at that.
T'all clustered around him like he was a governor or somethin'.
I don't know.
Some poor fella steals one horse and they string him to a tree, and this 'un here steals a thousand and they make a hero out of him.
He'll get caught too, Chester, sooner or later.
Of course the judge that hung Bill was one of them low-down, picayunish men that- That parted his hair in the middle and only ate one meal a day.
You can't expect a fellow like that to understand nothin'- Hello, Matt.
Hello, Dutch.
Have a drink, for old times' sake.
All right.
I'll drink to that.
Pour him some.
I hardly knew you, you have grown into such a man.
To old times.
Old times.
They were all right, weren't they, Matt.
What I can remember of 'em, Dutch.
Yeah, that was a long time ago.
You were just a kid.
Some kid, always following me around, pestering me with questions.
You were bound to learn every trick I knew.
Wanted to be a frontiersman, just like me.
Yeah.
Just like you.
Must be a lesson to you.
It was.
Well, then I did you a favor.
Now you're kind of a hero yourself, with a badge and everything.
Guess that kinda puts us on opposite sides of the fence doesn't it, Dutch? Why? I got no trouble with the law.
I'm a legitimate businessman.
Dealer in horses.
Speakin' of horses, uh- You got a bill of sale for that bay you rode in on? I expect I could scare one up.
No doubt.
Well, sure I tell ya, I'm not concerned with the law.
Well, Dutch, let me tell ya somethin'.
You better be concerned with the law, around Dodge anyway, 'Cause if your business got illegitimate around here, I'd come after ya.
In spite of old times? Yes, I expect you would.
Have another drink.
No, thanks, Dutch.
Matt.
Don't worry, I'll be movin' on.
I just stopped for some supplies.
It was good to see you.
Sure, Dutch.
Matt.
Hello, Kitty.
I didn't know you knew Dutch George.
Didn't I ever tell you about him? No.
Yeah, he lived in our hometown for a while when I was a kid.
Till the sheriff caught up with him.
The funny part of it is, he's not really a bad man.
He learned horse-stealing back in the days when it was a game every frontiersman played with the Indians.
He just never gave it up.
Well, I only hope that when he does get caught it's not you that takes him.
So do I, Kitty.
Who are you, son? The name's Jimmy McQueen.
How long you been there? Well, sometimes after midnight.
Couldn't you find no better place than that to sleep? No, sir.
Got robbed.
Took everything but my outfit.
Why didn't ya knock? I figured it could wait till mornin'.
Well, I could at least have given you a decent bed to sleep in.
Come on inside.
Would you like a little coffee? Yeah, thank ya.
Well, where'd ya get robbed? Here in Dodge? No.
East, maybe ten miles.
A stranger came into my camp and slugged me when I got careless.
Thank you.
What did he look like? Oh, he was heavyset but strong-lookin'.
Dressed good like a gambler all in black.
Handsome, but he been around a while, his hair's gettin' gray.
And had an arrow scar on his temple.
You knew him, marshal? Took your horse, huh.
Yeah, and $30.
That ain't so important.
The horse is.
It's a good horse, marshal.
I aim to get him back.
Was he a bay, with a white blaze on his forehead? That's right.
You seen him? Come on.
We'll finish our coffee later.
No, marshal.
The bay ain't here anymore.
Dutch George took him right after I finished shoein' him.
Heard he left town before dark last night.
Well, then I guess we'll just have to go and bring him back.
Look, marshal, you just lend me a horse and I'll find him.
Oh, you needn't worry.
As long as I get my horse back I promise I won't hurt him too bad.
I think you got it turned around, son.
You sure have.
You know what kind of man you're after? Well, it don't matter.
He stole my horse and I aim to get him back.
You better let Mr.
Dillon take care of that.
Now, look.
I'll take you along to identify the horse, and that's all.
I don't know why you're so particular, marshal.
He's only a horsethief.
Yeah, but he's kind of a special one.
And for the first time, I may have some real evidence against him.
And there's a lot more to this than just gettin' your horse back for ya.
You understand? All right, marshal.
It's your play.
All right.
Look here.
Here's where he must have met up with the rest of the herd.
See the way the ground's all trampled? Yeah, look's to me like it must have been a couple of hundred head.
Maybe more.
You mean he's got a whole herd of stolen animals? Well, that's the way he does it, son.
By the herd.
Takes 'em from ranches, Indian agencies, anyplace he can get his hands on 'em.
Usually doesn't chance a single like yours.
He must like that horse.
Well, he's got good taste there, anyways.
What's he do with 'em? Well, he takes the horses west to the Colorado border, and he meets up with the other half of his men with horses stolen from Colorado territory and beyond.
They just trade herds.
They sell Colorado horses in Kansas, and Kansas horses in Colorado.
That fella may be smarter than I thought he was.
Well, judgin' from the looks of these tracks, they must be at least two hours ahead.
That'd put 'em up near Crooked Creek.
Yeah, we camp here.
Well, why not go on and come up on 'em in the dark? Well, 'cause we can do the same thing by startin' out a couple hours afore dawn.
These horses need the rest.
Not to mention me.
Marshal, you see this other trail? Tracks.
Travois poles.
That's Cheyenne sign.
Looks like they crossed south goin' before Dutch George.
Means they must be camped close by here too.
How come you know so much about Indian sign? I was raised with 'em, marshal.
My pa worked for the Cheyenne agency in Darlington.
Maybe I did underestimate you, McQueen.
Maybe you're not as green as you look.
Well, I told you I could handle this all by myself, but you just wouldn't listen.
Look, you just take care of the horses, will ya.
Chester and I'll get some firewood.
Sure, marshal.
Oh, here's a likely-lookin' snag.
Yeah, it's all right.
Hyah! Hey! Hey, come back here! Well, what'd he do that for? I'll bet he's headed for Crooked Creek.
Probably wants to handle Dutch George alone.
Alone? Yeah, and he'll get his self killed too.
Well, I've seen a man fight just 'cause another man rode his horse let alone stole him.
Well, that kid's just too proud for his own good.
We'd have helped him.
Well, he doesn't want any help.
Not after the way Dutch George made a fool out of him.
And all because of an old bay horse.
Well, like you said, he's proud.
Well, come on.
We gotta catch our horses before we can catch him.
Look.
I count four.
Three is sleepin', one's standin' watch.
You think that's all? Yeah, except for those two men ridin' night guard in the herd there.
Yeah.
Well, I don't see the kid around anywheres.
Yeah, but I'll bet he's hidin' around here somewhere in the dark.
Wait till I get down by that man standin' guard, then you make some kind of noise to draw his attention.
All right.
Who's there? That you, Tex? Tex.
Tex.
Now, just hold it, mister.
Drop your gun.
Hack? Where are ya, Hack? He's right here, Dutch.
With my gun in his back.
Who's that? Matt Dillon.
There's a rifle up on the hill coverin' you.
Throw your guns out by the fire.
You hear me? I hear you, Matt.
Better do as he says, boys.
Well, Matt, you got more nerve than I thought.
Mr.
Dillon, Is this all of 'em? Mm-hm.
Dutch, that boy's after you.
What boy? The one you stole the horse from.
And that $30.
Oh, that one.
He on my trail too? Well, you'd just better hope he's lost it.
It was a big mistake takin' that horse, Dutch.
Well, I never could resist a good horse.
Well, you better hope that boy's not out here in the dark somewhere waitin' to put a bullet in you.
You sure you didn't plan it that way, Matt? Save you a lot of trouble.
No, Dutch.
You're gonna stand trial.
Matt, I-I wouldn't want to see you get hurt.
But I don't want to go to jail either.
Well, can't have everything your way.
Even for old times' sake? Well, Dutch, I had to make my choice a long time ago.
And now I got a job to do.
For old times' sake, I'm sorry.
Well, I think I'll get a little sleep.
Wake me up when the boy gets here.
It's Indians.
Well, Matt, looks like somebody up and stole the candy.
Trampled, but he was dead before that.
Mm, and scalped, like the other one.
Must have been them Cheyenne McQueen was talkin' about.
You think he might have put 'em up to it? Maybe.
Well, Dutch, your night-herders are dead and your horses are gone.
Looks like your out of business this trip.
Hm.
So are you, Matt.
You got no evidence against me.
Even if you should find those horses it would be the Indians and not Dutch George who would have them.
Well, that's all right with me, Dutch.
I'd a whole lot rather it's somebody else finally puts you behind bars.
Nobody's ever gonna do that to me, Matt.
They will, Dutch, sooner or later.
Now, can't I talk you out of this business? Now, Matt, what else would I ever do? I don't know.
But do me a favor, will ya? Stay out of Dodge? I'll try.
Ya got a long walk ahead of you, Dutch.
Don't worry about me.
I'll find some horses.
Somewheres.
Yeah, I suppose you will.
All right, come on, boys.
Let's get the buryin' done.
That's Jimmy McQueen's horse, ain't it, Mr.
Dillon? Yeah.
Wonder how he got here? You don't suppose McQueen come back with him, do ya? Well, I don't know, Chester.
No, he wouldn't have the gall.
Well, howdy, marshal.
Well.
Hello, McQueen.
I brought back that horse you loaned me.
He's at the stable.
Much obliged.
Where did you get to, McQueen? Yeah, we never counted on seein' you again the way you took off.
Well, I'm sorry 'bout that.
But I just felt like leavin' so I left.
Mm-hm.
'Course, it couldn't have anything to do with gettin' your horse? You know, marshal, that's a funny thing.
I happened to come across him runnin' loose on the prairie.
Pretty lucky, I guess.
Oh, now, look ye here.
Lucky, my foot.
Chester.
I guess I did underestimate you, McQueen.
By a whole lot.
Well, I'm used to it, marshal.
It's my looks, I guess.
But I grew out of 'em.
See ya sometime.
Just a minute.
Who started that stampede, McQueen? The Cheyenne, or you? Now, marshal, Cheyenne don't need no help with a stampede.
Once they know where the horses are they can handle it.
Yeah, but they didn't know where the horses were.
That herd was behind 'em.
Well.
I guess somebody must have told 'em, marshal.
Two men died in that stampede, McQueen.
Well, a man gets trampled in a stampede.
Now, that's an accident, ain't it, marshal? Those men were murdered by the Cheyenne.
Were they, marshal? Now, look here, McQueen.
Can you understand that because of your wanting to get even with Dutch George two men died? Does that mean anything to you? Marshal, I don't know what you're talkin' about.
I told you I found my horse runnin' loose on the prairie.
You're a liar, McQueen.
You can't prove that.
So long, marshal.
You gonna let him get away with that? Well, there's not a thing I can do about him, Chester.
Except to remember somethin' I always seem to forget.
What? Never trust a stranger.