Gunsmoke (1955) s02e09 Episode Script

ANNOUNCER: Starring James Arness as Matt Dillon.
They tell me that back East, there are a lot of book writers and newspaper people who picture a frontier lawman as somebody pretty near perfection.
He always guns his man down, never makes a mistake.
He's at the top of the heap on every play.
Well, that may be, back East, but I've never met a man like that out here.
And knowing this job the way I do, I don't think I ever will meet one.
Matt Dillon, U.
S.
Marshal.
Mornin', Matt.
Well, hello, Kitty.
What are you doing up so early? Well, you're not very observant.
Look at me.
Ah.
You forgot to comb your hair.
Oh.
A riding skirt.
I've been clear out to Sand Springs and back.
And before breakfast too.
Alone? I like to ride alone.
Jumped a big herd of antelope.
Must have been a hundred of 'em.
Really? Well, it's, uh, too bad you weren't packin' a gun, huh? Shoot one of 'em? Never.
Well, now, wait a minute.
I've seen you eat antelope often enough.
That's different.
Oh, well, it's just as well.
You know, you probably couldn't have packed one back anyway.
That smell makes a horse kind of nervous, you know? Not the one I was ridin'.
I think he was asleep most of the way.
Why don't you go with me some mornin', huh? Me? Go ridin' for pleasure? Why not? Listen, gal.
I took this job to keep me out of the saddle.
There was a time there I was beginning to think I'd forgotten how to walk.
You just don't wanna get up early, that's what.
Mr.
Dillon! Miss Kitty.
Morning, Chester.
Mr.
Dillon, it's Earl Haney, that new fella that banks faro over at the Long Branch.
Something happen to him? Well, it sure did.
Sam Noonan went out back this morning when he come to work, and found Haney laying there.
Somebody's busted his head open.
Was he dead? Well, not yet, but it don't look too good, according to Sam.
Can I help, Matt? No.
Thanks, Kitty.
Anybody tell Doc about this? Doc went out to Markham's ranch.
He won't be back till this afternoon.
Agh.
Town could use two doctors.
Glad you got here, marshal.
Has he been conscious at all, Sam? He comes to every once and a while, then passes out again.
You got any idea what happened? No.
The last I saw of him was when we closed up the place.
I left him countin' the money at his faro table, alone.
Haney.
Haney, it's Marshal Dillon.
Can you hear me? Marshal.
Hey, you're gonna be all right, Haney.
Don't worry.
Who did this to you? Slugged me.
With his six-gun.
Kept hittin' me.
Who was it? Red shirt.
Red shirt.
Took all the money.
Well, what did he look like, besides wearing the red shirt? Black hair.
Mustache.
That could be Jim Bostick.
He's always wearing a red shirt.
That's just what I was thinkin', Chester.
And he's no good too.
I know his kind.
He's been nothin' but trouble ever since he came to Dodge.
And spendin' a lot of time gamblin' at the Alaphaganza too, you noticed? Yeah, and I understand he's been losing a lot of money over there too.
Tsk.
Well, that's a terrible way to get it back, ain't it? Look, Chester, we gotta try and keep Haney alive till Doc gets back.
Well, the condition he's in, I don't think we ought to try to move him.
Do you? No.
Look, do what you can for him, will you? And let me know if he comes to again.
I'm going after Jim Bostick.
There you are, gentlemen.
King-high straight.
Bostick.
I wanna talk to you.
Hello, marshal.
Take a hand.
I said I wanna talk to you.
Now, while I'm winning? Now.
Deal me out this hand, gentlemen.
This sounds important.
It is.
Hope it doesn't break my luck.
Been runnin' pretty good for the last couple of hours.
All-night game? It started just before midnight.
And you've been sittin' with those men ever since? Just about.
Why? You know Earl Haney, don't you? I ain't proud of it.
Oh? I got no use for him.
Nothin' in particular.
I just never did like him.
What are you asking me about him for? He was robbed and slugged this morning.
He was? You think I had something to do with it.
I don't know.
Well, what did Haney have to say? He must have seen who did it.
Said it was a dark man with a moustache, and wearing a red shirt.
He's lyin'.
He's tryin' to put it on me 'cause we don't get along.
You think he'd do that? Haney would do anything to get me in trouble.
Well, the man is dying, Bostick.
That'd be going pretty far to get you in trouble, wouldn't it? Maybe for you and me, marshal.
But not for a man like Haney.
You know, there's something I don't understand about you, Bostick.
What's that? You're making a lot of ruckus about Haney lying to get you in trouble, when you got four men sitting over there to alibi for you.
Well, I wasn't in the game all the time, marshal.
I left for about an hour.
What time? Oh, about, uh Mm-hm.
Oh.
I take it that's the time Haney got it.
Just about.
Well, I hate to disappoint you, marshal but I've still got an alibi.
Well, you better have, mister.
Who was it? Doc Adams.
Doc Adams? That's right.
I had stomach cramps.
Real bad.
So I left the game and went over to Doc's, and woke him up.
Fixed me up some stuff, and we sat around and talked.
I'll say one thing for you, Bostick.
You don't think straight, but you sure think fast.
Haney come to again, Mr.
Dillon.
He says he's got somethin' to tell you.
But you better hurry.
All right.
Get going.
What for? You're goin' with us to see what Haney has to say.
You're just a couple of minutes late.
Did he name anybody, Sam? No.
He was trying to say something, but I couldn't get it.
Well, that's too bad.
Through with me now, marshal? Through with you? You're under arrest, mister.
Under arrest? Take him to jail, Chester.
Yes, sir.
Now, look here, marshal, all you have to do is ask Doc, he'll tell you.
Doc was out of town, and you knew it.
No, I didn't.
When will he be back? This afternoon.
I can't wait that long.
I'm starting out for Coldwater in an hour.
I gotta be there tomorrow.
You're not goin' anywhere, mister, till Doc gets back.
And probably not then.
Lock him up, Chester.
Yes, sir.
This is wrong, marshal.
Let's go, Bostick.
Shall I get the hearse to haul him away? Yeah, Sam, I'd be much obliged.
Did he have any kin at all? Never talked about any.
Too bad.
He was a good dealer.
What took you so long? It's been almost an hour.
My rheumatism's been troubling me lately.
Boot Hill? Yeah, I'm afraid so.
Nobody to pay for anything better.
Wish we could have a regular funeral with one of these fellas.
It's been a long time since we have.
Sam says you got the fella that did it.
Yeah, looks that way.
Well, a lot of mean cusses around.
Who's gonna pay for the rig? Looks like this one's on you.
Oh.
Mr.
Dillon, is that you? Yeah.
I'm locked up in the cell.
Bostick's gone.
He had a derringer hid out, and he got the drop on me just as I was unlockin' my cell.
I know.
I should have kept his gun on him the whole time instead of havin' it stuck in my belt.
But, well, who would have thought that he was carryin' another gun hid out.
It's all right, Chester.
It's my fault.
I should have searched him.
Well, he's headed southeast towards Coldwater.
Yeah, I know.
I heard him say that.
Look, uh, get the rifles, will you? Yeah, but he told me again before he left.
He said he knowed you was gonna be awful mad at him, but he said he had to be in Coldwater by tomorrow.
Besides, he said it wouldn't make any difference, you know, once that you talked to Doc.
He knew Doc was out of town, Chester.
He was just using that as an alibi to stall for time.
Here.
Don't suppose we ought to check and see if Doc's back yet, do you? Chester, there'll be plenty of time to talk to Doc when we get back with our man.
Now, let's go.
Howdy.
Howdy, marshal.
You happen to pass a man on the trail this morning? Dark-haired fellow with a mustache.
He's wearin' a red shirt.
Yeah, I did.
About an hour and a half back.
Hour and a half, huh? He was headin' onto that shortcut trail to Coldwater as I was comin' off of it.
Thanks.
What's the matter? Is he in trouble? Thanks for your time.
Yeah.
How are the horses, all right? Oh.
Mine got tangled up in his tie rope.
Never seems to learn.
Sure would be nice to have a fire, wouldn't it? Yeah.
But we can't risk one.
Bostick could be camped anywhere within a mile of us here.
Well, yeah.
I didn't really mean it about a fire.
I was just talkin'.
Chester I just don't like the idea of a man thinkin' he can kill somebody and ride off scot-free.
Yeah.
You know, Mr.
Dillon, we really don't have too much proof that Bostick did it.
Well, he's the only suspect we've got.
Besides, if he's not guilty, why'd he run away? Well, he- He could have had an awful good reason for gettin' to Coldwater.
There's nothing important enough to make an innocent man break jail, Chester.
Yeah.
Here.
Chew on a piece of this jerky, that'll keep you warm.
Plate of hot pinto beans keep you a lot warmer.
You know, all mixed up with chili peppers, like they do on the Bravo.
Chester anybody who likes to eat the way you do should have been a cook.
Well, I was a cook once.
You were? Where? In the Army, back in '65.
Spring at Richmond Fell.
I quit.
You quit? Yeah.
I didn't quit the Army.
I quit cookin'.
Oh.
Why? Well, we run out of supplies.
You can't very well cook nothin' if you don't have nothin' to cook.
Go keep ours quiet.
Whoa.
You be quiet.
Give me a rope, will you, Chester? Yes, sir.
He was hobbled.
Hobbled? Well, I wonder how far he's traveled.
About a mile.
How do you figure that? Well, it's been dark for about an hour and a half.
I figure that whoever was riding him probably unsaddled him then.
Let's go back the way he came, huh? Well, you think that it's Bostick's horse, do you? Well, I sure hope so.
I'd hate to surprise an innocent man into a shooting out here.
Oh, it's no use.
I've lost the trail.
Well, at least it's a little warmer moving around.
Yeah.
Well, come on, let's go back to camp and get what sleep we can, anyway.
We'll turn the horse loose in the morning and let Bostick come to us.
Well, I hope we can find camp.
Well, anyway, it beats stumblin' around in the dark all night.
Yeah, I was hopin' we'd be lucky though, Chester.
If we could've found him asleep, we could have taken him without a fight.
You mind if I stretch out for a minute? That sun feels awful good.
Sure, you go ahead.
Doggone him.
He probably slept all night.
All cozied up in his blanket someplace.
Yeah, you go ahead and get some sleep, huh? Ugh.
Ugh, what? Hold it! Stay right there.
Now, what did you come chasing clear out here for, marshal? What'd you think? Me? But I ain't done nothin'.
You haven't, huh? All right, maybe I shouldn't have run off from your jail the way I did but I don't like being locked up.
You know it.
Besides, I wanted to get shut at Dodge.
Plumb tired of the place.
Well, now, that's too bad.
Now, look here, marshal.
I gotta get over to Coldwater.
I told you I was going.
You know, for a man under arrest for murder, Bostick, you sure got easy ways.
But I didn't kill nobody.
I keep tellin' you that.
Well, you don't make it very easy to believe, mister breakin' jail and runnin' off like that.
Now, don't come no closer, marshal.
I ain't goin' back to that jail.
Yes, you are.
No.
Not when I'm innocent, I ain't.
I'm telling you I'm not gonna get locked up.
Now, I don't wanna fight you but if I have to I will.
I'll take that gun, Bostick.
You're drivin' me to it, marshal.
You're gonna make me draw on you.
Now, don't be a fool.
One more step and I'll draw.
Well, that's your choice, Bostick.
But you're goin' back.
Think you can ride a horse? I can try.
You wrap this up.
I don't think it's broke.
There's some stuff in one of the saddlebags, Chester.
Get it, will you? Yes, sir.
All right, let's go.
Go get Doc, will you, Chester? Yes, sir.
There's nothin' the doc can do for me.
Shoulder will heal.
Just be stiff the rest of my life is all.
Inside.
Sure gettin' tired of this town.
Right back there.
Long, miserable ride for what we're all gettin' out of it.
And what do you expect to get out of it, Bostick? Nothin'.
I thought you were gonna talk for a minute.
Uh, I got nothin' to say.
Except I'd sure like to get shut at Dodge.
Well, that's just all there is to it.
It's all I know about it.
Doc's, uh, just outside.
He's talkin' to somebody.
Did you tell him I wanted to see him right away? Yes, sir.
Well, what's so important, then? Wellman got killed.
A man got killed? Who? Well, uh I don't know.
Well, did you tell him about Bostick? Yes, sir.
I told him he got shot clean through, it didn't look too bad.
I don't mean that.
Well, I know.
Well? Well Oh, Mr.
Dillon, I'd- I'd rather the doc told you hisself.
Hello, Matt.
Hello, Doc.
Chester tell you? Tell me what? Well, Ken Scoles got killed.
Well, who's Ken Scoles, Doc? Well, he's that new faro banker that Sam Noonan hired to take Earl Haney's place.
And he got killed same way Haney did, same time about.
Same fellow must have done it.
He had a red shirt and black curly hair.
Everything the same, except just one thing.
Ken Scoles, uh, lived just long enough to make sure the fella never did it again.
He put two bullets in him, killed him.
Who was he, Doc? Well, I don't know who he was but Sam Noonan said that, uh, he got a few words out of him while he was dying.
He said the fella mumbled something about not really meaning to press his luck, but with you out of town, he figured it'd be kind of easy.
Well, I don't suppose there's anyuse in asking you about Bostick, is there? No, Matt, he was with me, just like he said.
Go get him, will you, Chester? Yes, sir.
Matt, I don't know what to say to you about- Oh, it's all right, Doc.
What is there to say? Well, hello, Doc.
How are you? I'm fine.
How about you? Well, I reckon it'll be a little stiff.
There's nothing we can do about that.
Bostick I guess I owe you an apology.
I was mistaken.
I'm sorry for what's happened.
Thanks.
Well, I guess I can ride on now, huh? Marshal, you ever get to Coldwater I'll buy you a drink.
Much obliged for your hospitality.
Mr.
Dillon, are you- Uh- I-I shou- Matt, I- My golly, I know how you feel.
Both of us do.
But there's just no sense in takin' it so hard.
Well, my goodness, Mr.
Dillon.
It's- It's somethin' that might happen to anybody.
I mean, it's- After all, it was just a mistake.
Why, sure.
Yeah.
Yeah, Chester, just a mistake.
But it was my mistake, and it was a bad one.
I can't wish myself out of it with a few words.
Well, no.
No, of course not.
That's- That's true, Matt.
Buthere, let me tell you something.
Like Chester says here, anybody can make a mistake.
Anybody can.
But it's a rare man that don't try to weasel out of it when he does.
Yeah.