Gunsmoke (1955) s02e19 Episode Script

ANNOUNCER: Starring James Arness as Matt Dillon.
Hey, mister.
I was.
Well, we didn't cause you any trouble this time, did we, marshal? Nope.
Hope you boys aren't gettin' old.
You were good boys till you ran out of money.
You headin' for home? Yeah, got all our whiskey-drinking done for six months.
Get back to ranchin' now.
You know, I'm gonna be heading up your way in a day or two.
I gotta go to Pico Ben.
Might stop in and say hello.
Sure would be proud if you did.
You're welcome at our house any time you want, marshal.
That is, if you can stand my cooking.
I lived through it once before, Abe, and got fat.
Well, we'll be seeing you, marshal.
Goodbye, ma'am.
Bye.
So long, boys.
How'd you know they lost their money? I was there.
They drank too much and got cleaned.
Heh.
Well, I guess they had it comin'.
But they're good men, Kitty.
Mm-hm.
They're the kind that are gonna make something outta this country someday, if anybody does.
Well, they shouldn't start by makin' the dealers rich.
Hell, I'd win 'em one bet.
What's that? That they lost their money dollar for dollar, together.
They're like that, aren't they? Always together.
Closest brothers I ever knew.
Why don't you turn to ranchin', Matt? It must be a good feeling to own land and cattle and crops.
Well, you get me a brother to share half the load, and I might try it sometime.
I'll see you tonight, huh? All right.
Whoa.
Say, who's that over at our place, Morgan? Sure a fancy rig.
Yeah.
Looks like he's been hanging out some in Mexico.
Let's go.
You know this fella, Morgan? He's a stranger to me.
What are you doin' on our property? Feedin' my horse.
Why? This is our spread.
We don't like it for a stranger to ride in and help himself to anything he wants.
You got that hay out of the barn, didn't you? That's right.
Oh, well, I guess if he needed a little hay- But he gotta be more polite about stealing it.
Oh, I ain't polite enough for you? Maybe I oughta change my ways, just for you.
What are you, anyway? Some kid who thinks he's a man because he's wearing a gun for the first time? Mister, I've been wearin' a gun for eight years.
Ever since I was 18.
That'll make you about 26.
And you're still a kid that oughta be taken out to the shed and whipped.
You wanna take me out? Somebody ought to.
A lot of men have tried.
I guess it's about your turn now.
Go ahead.
You're wearin' a gun.
Now, wait a minute.
We're not gonna have any fightin'.
You watch your temper, Abe.
Kid didn't mean anything.
Name is Tom Clegg.
I ain't a kid.
All right, forget it.
You too, Abe.
Well, for that much hay Say you're sorry, mister.
What? You heard me.
You must be crazy- Now, wait a minute.
Maybe this will help you.
Now draw.
No, Abe.
No! You killed him.
And he didn't even- He started to draw.
Why don't you try me next? Abe was no gunfighter.
Neither am I.
Tell you what.
You practice a little, huh? I'll be in Dodge for a spell.
Come and see me.
Go.
Well, look at that, would you? I ain't seen a rig like that since I was down in the basada.
He's spent time in Mexico, that feller.
It's not the rig I'm lookin' at, Chester.
Oh? Why, you know him? Maybe I do.
What are you starin' at? Aren't you Tom Clegg? Matt Dillon.
Yeah, Las Cruces, wasn't it? About, uh, eight years ago? Yeah, exactly eight years.
I've changed some since then.
Looks like you did too.
Some.
This is Chester Goode here.
How do you do? Hello.
I suppose you're rememberin' how I didn't dare draw on that fella in Las Cruces.
Yes, I remember you were smart not to.
He'd have killed you for sure.
Yeah.
I left there.
I went down into Sonora by myself.
I practiced for two years, every day.
I got pretty good with a gun, marshal.
Did you? Now that fella's dead.
I went back and I killed him.
Now, that wasn't much of a quarrel.
Certainly not enough to keep you hating for two years.
I don't need much of a quarrel, marshal.
Killed a lot of men since then.
But don't worry about me.
Because they always draw first.
So you're a big gunman, huh? I've got a pretty fair reputation in New Mexico.
And now you wanna be known in Kansas, is that it? I didn't say that.
I know your kind, Clegg.
I ought to.
I've killed enough of 'em.
Not me, marshal.
You ain't gonna kill me.
I'm too fast for you.
And I'm too smart.
I'll show you someday.
You think he's as fast as he claims to be, Mr.
Dillon? Oh, I've heard some talk, Chester.
Well, I sure hope that you don't have to face him.
I've never liked it, Chester, whoever I've had to face.
Well, hello there, Morgan.
Where's Abe? I didn't know you two could find your way around without each other.
He's back at the ranch, Doc.
Oh Hi, Chester.
Well, what are you doin' back in town again so soon? Where's Abe? It's about Abe I've come to see the marshal.
Ah, is something wrong, Morgan? Marshal, you've known Abe and me for a long time.
Well, I sure have.
Would you say I'm a man that tells lies? Well, you know the answer to that, Morg.
Then I'll say it short.
There was a fellow out at the ranch when we got back.
Him and Abe got in a little argument.
Abe was willin' to call it off, but this fella slapped him.
And Abe went for his gun? He never had a chance.
I'm sorry to hear that, Morgan.
This fellow was the fastest man I ever seen.
Do you know his name? Tom Clegg.
I thought so.
He's a killer.
He made Abe draw.
That's what he meant about bein' smart.
No man can take bein' slapped.
That ain't self-defense, and he can't claim it is.
Hell, I'm afraid you're wrong about that, Morgan.
If Abe drew first, it's a case of self-defense.
You know that as well as I do.
Look, marshal, I ain't no coward, you know that.
Well, what's the use of my facin' him? He'd kill me just as easy as he did Abe.
What good would that do? That wouldn't do any good at all.
It ain't just me.
It's all the men he's gonna kill before he's through.
Somebody's gotta stop him.
Now, before he kills any more men.
It's just like poisonin' a wolf.
I don't know if you're fast enough for him, but you're the only man I know that might be.
Well, Morg, I'd like to see him dead as much as you would, but I'm not hired to gun men down.
Now, when he breaks the law, I'll go after him.
But until that time, my hands are tied.
He's got to be killed.
The law is the law, Morgan, and I can't change it just because I don't happen to agree with it sometimes.
Didn't you say something about him bein' smart? Well, we'll see how smart he is.
Marshal, Tom Clegg is going to die.
No matter what, he's gonna die.
If you're so interested in the game, why don't you sit in? Hit me one.
You want another beer, Matt? Nope.
One's my limit.
One? You must be expectin' trouble.
I didn't say that.
One beer said it.
Ah, you know me too well, Kitty.
Oh? Too well for what? Ever to have you as an enemy.
You know what I'm thinkin' just by watchin' me.
I never know what you're thinkin', Matt Dillon, and it's probably just as well.
Still don't know if you're right about me expecting trouble.
Mm? That? Oh, I knew about that.
I've been watching Morgan Curry following Clegg around half the afternoon and so far all night.
I can't figure out what he's trying to do.
I don't think he means to shoot Clegg in the back or anything.
He's not even carryin' a gun.
I know, that's, uh- His bein' unarmed, it makes Clegg helpless.
Hm.
Maybe he's trying to get him into a fistfight.
Clegg's too smart for that.
He knows he'd get torn in two.
I wish Morg would forget about the whole thing and go on back home.
Maybe he's just trying to shame you, Matt.
Me? What do you mean? Well, for not doing anything about Clegg murdering his brother.
It wasn't murder, Kitty.
Abe drew first.
Well, the way I heard it, Clegg made him draw.
And I don't care what the law says about self-defense.
Well, I have to care, Kitty.
Marshal, I wanna talk to you.
All right.
Go ahead.
It's about him.
I want him to stop following me around.
Why tell me about it? 'Cause you're gonna stop him.
Now, why should I stop him? He's not breaking any laws.
He's a dirty coward.
He ain't wearin' his gun.
There's no law says a man has to wear a gun, Clegg.
I don't like bein' stared at all the time.
You got a guilty conscience about something, Clegg? Shut up.
Why don't you take off your gun and make me shut up? Look at the size of him.
See what a coward he is? Sorry, can't help you.
Get him away from me.
You hear me? Yeah, I hear you.
Then do it.
Sorry, Clegg, it's none of my business.
All right.
You're wearin' a gun.
Are you a coward too? Morgan, come on outside a minute.
I wanna talk to you.
Why didn't you kill him in there? That was your chance.
Morgan, I am not a gunman.
I'm a lawman.
Aren't you ever gonna understand that? Maybe I'm beginnin' to.
Look, it's no use, Morgan.
I'm not gonna fight Clegg without a reason.
You can't use the law for your own revenge.
That's not what it's for.
Now, why don't you forget about this and go on back home, huh? Do you think I'm a coward 'cause I don't put on a gun and let him kill me? You're the one that seems to be doing all the thinking these days.
My brother was murdered, marshal.
Murdered! Are you afraid of Clegg? Is that why you won't do nothing? Morgan, I don't have the privilege of bein' afraid.
But there's nothing I can do for you.
Goodbye.
Mr.
Dillon.
Where is everybody? Why is the town so quiet? Well, there was trouble here this morning.
Shooting? Yes, sir.
Morgan? Yes, sir.
It was Morgan.
So he put his gun on after all, huh? No, sir.
He was unarmed.
Unarmed? Yes, sir, but he ain't dead.
At least not yet.
He- He's up at Doc's.
Where's Clegg? Well, I don't know for sure, but he ain't left town.
Not yet, anyways.
I think he's waitin' for you.
Well, I'm here.
Well, I got those two shotguns from Jonas' store that make handy street weapons.
Take him over to the stable, Chester, and then get outta sight, will you? Well Well, all right.
Hello, marshal.
I hear you killed another man today.
He deserved it.
Did he? I warned him about following me around.
He'd oughta be half crazy.
So you shot him, huh? I told him for the last time.
You know what he did? He slapped me.
No man can take that.
No, not even his brother Abe could.
Say, I plum forgot about that.
You told me once you were smart, Clegg.
I guess you forgot about that too.
Morgan was unarmed.
You're goin' to jail.
Now you're forgettin', marshal.
I also told you I'm too fast for you.
Drop your gun belt, Clegg.
Come and get it.
Now! You just gonna let him lie there? If he's got any friends, they can move him, Doc.
I don't suppose he's got any friends.
Man like that? Not anymore, anyway.
Oh, then it won't hurt people to look at him a while.
Might be a couple of former admirers among 'em.
A would-be gunman or two.
I didn't wanna do that, Doc.
You did the only thing possible.
I walked out there to arrest him, Doc.
I didn't mean to shoot him down.
Most people it won't make any difference.
You killed a man that needed killin'.
That's all there is to that.
That's the way they'll look at it.
How's Morgan? Two bullets in him, he's doing as well as could be expected.
Meaning? He's dyin'.
I-I just don't understand what's making him hold on like this.
I don't understand it.
Most men, they'd have died right on the spot.
Morgan? Marshal I hear- Heard sh-shootin', didn't I? Yeah, you did.
W-was you in it? I was.
And Clegg is dead? It's the way you wanted it, isn't it? That's how I wanted it.
That's what I've been hangin' on to hear.
Morgan, you knew he'd shoot you when you slapped him, didn't you? I had him on- On edge.
Planned it that way.
And you were willing to die, just to get me to face him? H-h-he- He murdered my brother.
He murdered me the same way.
But we got him anyway.
Didn't we? Didn't-? Well, he was right, Matt.
He won.
Even if he had to die to do it.
Yeah.
You know, Doc, Morgan made an executioner out of me.
I don't like that.
But right or wrong, you've got to admire the way he did it.
Yes, you do.
And in time, you'll forget the bad part of it.
Yeah.
One more thing to forget.