Gunsmoke (1955) s03e26 Episode Script

starring James Arness as Matt Dillon.
It's a long, mean ride up the trail, breathing the dust of half-wild Texas cattle, feeding poor on salt meat and beans, drinking branch water for months at a time.
You don't wonder when they hit Dodge, they load up on cheap whiskey and go on to shoot for each other and for me, Matt Dillon U.
S.
Marshal.
I'm a wild bull tonight! I'm big! I'm fierce! I'm all tooth and claw! Whoo-hoo! You drunk already? Drunk? I'm already drunk.
Whoo-hoo-hoo Whoo! Then get out in the brush and do your hollering! Not around here! Oh! Whoo-hoo! Colpitt, when are we going to Dodge, anyway? When we shoot some more buffalo and get some more money.
We got plenty of money.
You want to split it right now?! No, no, I didn't mean that.
All right, then.
Whoo-hoo! Whoo! You got the rest of that stuff, Nelson? I guess I must have fell asleep.
You was drunk, Dooley.
Terrible drunk.
Yeah, I-I do recall swallowing some of that whisky.
Moving out, huh? Where's Faber? Faber's dead.
Dead? We just finished burying him.
But why'd he die? What happened? You killed him.
What? You come roaring and bellowing over to the wagon, you picked up the Winchester and you shot him with it! No.
No, I wouldn't kill nobody.
You did.
And we're leaving you.
I won't have no murderer working for me.
Oh, no, no, please?! I wouldn't kill nobody! Pull it out, Nelson! I wouldn't kill nobody! I never killed nobody! Colpitt! I wouldn't! Whoa, boy, whoa.
Morning there, Doc.
Morning, Chester.
Doc, you don't look like you had too hard of a trip there.
A trip? But I've only come from the stables.
Oh.
And even that's probably farther than you're gonna get the whole day.
Matt, I'm on my way out to Little Mountain.
Little Mountain? Yeah.
Well, that's a mighty long ways.
Yeah, I know it is, but old man Wheeler's a mighty sick man, and I just thought I'd let you know where I'm gonna be.
I'm glad you did.
You, uh, looking for me? You the marshal? Yep.
Oh.
I've got something to tell you, Marshal.
What's that? First, I'd better say my name.
It's Emmett Dooley.
How'd you do, Emmett? Better call me "Dooley," Marshal.
Nobody since my ma ever call me Emmett.
All right, Dooley.
Now, what's on your mind? I been skinning hides for a buffalo hunter.
Man by the name of Colpitt.
You know him? No, I don't think so.
Ain't Colpitt I come tell you about.
His partner, fellow name of Faber.
What about him? I killed him.
You what? I got drunk and killed him with a rifle.
It's a bad thing, Marshal, but when I drink whisky, I get plumb out of hand.
Well, a lot of men do, but they don't always kill somebody.
Well, I-I go crazy wild.
You won't believe it, but I'm a dangerous man when I'm drinking whisky.
Well, uh, where'd all this happen, anyway? In camp up at Little Mountain.
I don't even remember killing him, I was so drunk.
Well, how do you know you did, then? Oh well, I remember shooting a rifle kind of, but I-I don't remember hitting nobody.
Colpitt told me about it next morning when I came to.
Said he'd already buried him.
He said I murdered him.
Then they drove off and left me.
If a man kills somebody, he doesn't usually come and tell the law about it.
You gonna hang me, Marshal? No, I'm not gonna hang you.
Then what'd I come here for? You the law or ain't ya? Now, Dooley, there has to be a trial first.
We can't even have a trial unless I find that body.
Are you calling me a liar? No, I'm not calling you a liar.
Then I don't understand none of this.
Well, I guess we'll just have to go out and see if we can find that body.
All right, I'll go with you.
No, no, no, you won't.
This is gonna be a tough enough trip as it is.
You don't like me 'cause I'm a murderer.
Oh, sure, I like you.
But just that Chester, take him over and lock him up, will you? Yes, sir.
Uh, this way, Dooley.
Where's your horse? He foundered.
I walked the last 20 miles.
You'd better get him something to eat, Chester.
Then saddle up the horses.
Yes.
Oh, forever more.
Looky there at him, would you? You'd think that he's performing an operation or something.
Well, he may not work fast, Chester, but he doesn't miss much.
Well, what's there to miss? I mean, it's just a shot man.
I mean, a got-shot man.
I mean Yeah, yeah, I know what you mean.
Well, I seen all I need to see.
Well, I should think so.
What was you looking for, the measles? Well, I sure wasn't looking for what I found.
What do you mean? That man Dooley had things a little mixed up.
That man wasn't shot.
What? No, sir.
He was stabbed right through the heart with a knife.
Stabbed? Yep.
Well, he sure enough did get things mixed up.
Yeah, well, he admits he was drunk.
Anybody who'll start blasting at people with a rifle is not above working on you with a knife, I guess.
I don't know about that, Doc.
Maybe they just told him wrong.
What? Who? What do you mean? Well, uh, maybe they counted on his remembering using that rifle so they told him that Faber got shot.
Well, you know that could be.
Dooley sure enough believes it.
Well, then you figure it might have been one of the other two, huh? That'd be my guess, yeah.
Well, which one, though? Well, Colpitt, probably.
I don't think he'd let the cook shoot his partner unless he wanted him shot.
Well, that makes sense.
Well, maybe we ought to go find that man.
Well, we'll never find him out here.
They could be hiding anywhere.
No, we'll have to make them come to us, I guess.
Well, I guess so.
Well, I've got to get on out to old man Wheeler's.
See you in a couple of days.
All right, Doc, thanks a lot.
All right.
Well, come on.
We got work to do.
Here he is, Mr.
Dillon.
Oh, well, Dooley, I'm gonna turn you loose.
You are? Yeah, but I, uh, I don't want you to leave town.
What's wrong with me being in jail? I shot a man, didn't I? Well, I'll explain everything to you later, Dooley.
Right now, if anybody asks you why you're not in jail, I just want you to tell them that I'm waiting for something.
Waiting for what? Well, you just say that I didn't tell you.
Another thing, don't tell anybody we rode out to Little Mountain, you understand? Am I still under arrest? Yeah.
Well, I don't understand none of this.
Yeah, but you'll, you'll do what I tell you anyway, won't you? Well, I've got no place to stay.
Got no money.
Well, here, I'll I'll give you some money.
No.
Sure.
Now you go on and take it, all right? Oh Can I come see you sometime, maybe? You? Chester? Best time of day, sort of? Sure, Sure, you can, Dooley.
Just once in a while.
I wouldn't feel right otherwise, Marshal.
Me being a murderer and all.
Land's sakes, Mr.
Dillon, you know, he still thinks that he killed a man.
I couldn't tell him the truth, Chester.
He'd go out and tell everybody else.
He couldn't help himself.
Yeah, I know, so, I mean Well, so this way, the word will get around that he's out of jail.
That Colpitt is bound to hear about it some way or another, and he'll be curious as to why.
Come to Dodge and start asking questions.
Watch the shop, will you? I got to go over to the Land office.
Sugar, Mr.
Dillon? No, thanks, Chester.
Well, I didn't mean, "Did you want some?" I meant that I wanted some.
Oh.
This coffee sure is black this morning, you know? Four five six.
You know, that, uh, that's not gonna change the color of that coffee any.
No, no, it won't do that at all.
Sure makes it sweet, though.
Well, hello, Dooley.
Sit down.
Here, how about a little coffee? Ain't you even gonna say hello, Dooley? I can't stand it no more.
You gotta help me.
What's the matter? Three days now.
I been out of jail for three days.
I just can't go another one.
What's the trouble, Dooley? Well, everybody treats me bad.
They won't have nothing to do with me.
They say I admit shooting a man and I ought to be in jail.
They're talking about you, too, Marshal, for letting me out.
Now, Dooley, people talk about me whatever I do.
Well, if I hadn't had killed him, I wouldn't care, and I'd tell them so, but I did kill him, and I ought to be in jail.
This way, I feel like I stole a sheep.
It's just how I feel, like I stole a sheep.
Dooley, I'm sorry, but, uh, it's not gonna last much longer, I promise you.
Well, you gotta help me now.
I-I can't face these people no more.
They won't even let me sleep in the stable, no place.
Seems to me like the good citizens of Dodge got awfully high-minded all of a sudden.
Doggone it, Dooley, I just can't let you stay in jail.
But I tell you what.
Now, Doc Adams has got an old shack out in back of his place.
He doesn't use it except to store stuff in, does he? Yeah, yeah, and I know where I can get you a couple of blankets, Dooley.
I don't know.
Doc might find me in there and shoot me or something.
Doc? No, he wouldn't do that.
Beside, he's not even back yet.
I tell you what.
You, uh, you use that shack.
How about it? Sure, Dooley.
Okay.
Doggone it, I'd like to know what a man has to do to get jailed in Dodge City, Kansas.
Hello, Kitty.
Hiya, Matt.
You, uh, gonna buy that hat? You like it? Yeah, I like it fine.
You sure, really? Well, I don't think you could do any better than that.
Well, um, Mr.
Ross ordered it for me six months ago.
Oh.
Those mails are really slow out here, aren't they? Mm-hmm.
This, um, came on the Santa Fe, Matt, not by Pony Express.
Hmm? I ordered the hat six months ago, it arrived four months ago, and I've been wearing it ever since.
Oh, well, uh Well, I'm glad you like it though.
Uh Hey, where, uh, where's Mr.
Ross? Is he, uh Oh, he's out back trying to sell somebody a new wagon.
Oh.
Well, at least that's a more important item than that watch chain that I came for.
It's the finest wagon you could buy, I guarantee it.
Cost too much.
What's the matter with them Conestoga people? They raise their prices every year.
Maybe I'd better think it over.
Uh, tell you what I'll do.
If I do not sell that wagon by noon tomorrow, you can have it for $20 off.
You mean that? You have my word for it.
Noon tomorrow.
Well, I'm camped down on the Arkansas.
Stephens Grove.
Suppose you drive it out there at noon.
No, I'll not be able to do that.
You'd have to pick it up here.
Only got one man in camp, my cook.
What happened to the rest of your crew? Dead.
Or gone.
All's I need is a good hide skinner.
What do you think of this? Hmm? Oh.
Well, you can find plenty of good hide skinners around here.
Find one tomorrow when I come for the wagon.
By the way I hear there's a skinner around here named Dooley.
Don't know where I could find him, do you? No, I do not.
But, uh, now, here's the man you should ask.
No, no, I'm afraid I don't know anybody by the name of Dooley, Mr.
Ross.
But-but Uh, look, you don't have that watch chain of mine ready yet, do you? No, sir, it's not ready yet.
Uh, Mr.
Ross, I've been waiting for half an hour.
When are you gonna be through with him? Don't get yourself in a fret, lady.
He's through now.
See you tomorrow, at noon.
Thanks, Kitty.
Sure.
What's this all about? That man's name is Colpitt, Mr.
Ross.
I've been waiting a week for him to get into town.
Colpitt- now, wait a minute.
I've heard that name.
That fellow Faber was his partner.
The man that Dooley killed.
Yeah.
That's why he said he's running his outfit alone now.
Yeah.
Using his partner's share of the money to buy new wagons with.
At least it looks that way.
If he comes in here tomorrow, don't say anything about this, will you? No, sir.
You can rely on me.
Good.
Matt, I don't understand why you just didn't arrest him right here.
Well, because I want to arrest his cook first, Kitty.
And alone.
If I can scare him into talking without Colpitt around, I may get the evidence I need.
Oh.
Well, where's Dooley? Oh, he's over in Doc's shack.
Come on, I'll walk you back.
Oh, all right.
Bye, Mr.
Ross.
You can rely on me, Marshal.
Good.
Here! Here, here! Stop that now! Who are you? Now, listen, come out of there! That's my shack! Stop throwing things! By thunder, you come out of there or I'll come in after you.
Now, here, come out of there, you! Well, Dooley, what Who are you? Well, I'm Doc Adams.
Well, don't hit me, Doc.
Don't hit me.
Oh, good heavens.
I'm not gonna hit you.
What-what, what are you up to here? Well, I was just readying it up a little.
I-I been kind of sleeping in there, Doc.
You've been sleeping in there? Marshal Dillon said you wouldn't mind.
Good heavens, I don't mind at all.
But that's not a nice place to sleep.
Well, he won't let me stay in jail.
Well, no, of course not.
I don't blame him.
You don't belong in jail.
You're forgetting, Doc.
What? I'm a murderer.
Oh, you're no such a thing.
Why, that man wasn't even shot.
He was stabbed with a knife.
Well He was stabbed right through the heart with a knife.
You didn't Matt must have told you that the minute he got back to town.
No.
Well, he must have.
No, no.
Well He-he-he didn't say that.
Oh, well, now, Dooley, I know that Matt Oh, uh Yeah, well, now, here, Dooley, tell you what.
You- I was just talking.
I don't know anything at all about the- You just forget I mentioned it.
No, no, maybe it is true.
No.
Maybe I didn't kill him.
You say so.
Well, no, I I'm gonna tell everybody.
No.
I'm gonna tell them all! No, no! Dooley, here, now.
That'd be- you see, that'd be terrible.
You can't do- Here, I tell Let's you and me, uh, we'll go to the marshal's office now.
And then you can say hello to him.
And, uh, and Chester.
Come on, and, uh, then you can tell everybody, see? Well, all right, I guess.
You can tell Yeah, you can tell everybody in town, then.
Hello, Dooley.
Doc, I was just over at your office.
Yeah, I know.
Well, I should've stayed there, too, Matt.
Now, listen, I found Dooley in that shack out back of my place, and confound it, I guess I must have said something that I wasn't Doc tells me I didn't kill nobody.
Well, I'm sorry, Matt, but by thunder, how was I Is it true or ain't it? It's all right, Doc.
Yes, Dooley, it's true.
Colpitt killed him with a knife.
Colpitt? Yeah.
Well Well that's pretty mean of him, telling me I done it.
Well Well, he wanted to get me hung for that.
Pretty doggone mean, I say.
Dooley, it's all over now.
I'll take care of Colpitt.
Well, how? Well, he's coming into town tomorrow at noon.
I'm gonna ride out to his camp, and I'm gonna throw the cook Nelson in jail.
I'm gonna tell, uh, Colpitt that he's confessed the whole story.
That Colpitt.
He shouldn't have done that.
Dooley, listen to me.
You're free now, you're out of trouble.
But if Colpitt catches up with you, it might go pretty bad.
Now, if you'll take my advice, you'll get out of Dodge just as fast as you can.
Understand? He's a wicked man, Colpitt is.
A wicked, wicked man.
Dooley, listen to me.
Now, Chester's over at the stable.
I want you to go over there and tell him that I said to give you a horse.
You get on that horse, and you ride just as fast as you can out of town.
Will you do that? Sure, sure.
I'll go.
Marshal, you been as good as you could be to me, I guess.
Sure, Dooley.
Sometime, if I'm in Dodge again, can I come and say hello to you, maybe? Sure, Dooley.
You come say hello to me anytime you want to.
But you'd better get going now.
Good luck to you.
Bye, Doc.
Oh, yes, good-bye, Dooley, good-bye.
So long, Marshal.
There it is.
Better leave the horses here.
Sounds like you're expecting a fight.
Well, with these kind of people, you never know.
You mean, maybe Colpitt didn't go back into town at all? He'd better have; I want to get that cook alone.
Well, if he's alone, he shouldn't give us no trouble.
No, not if we handle it right.
Come on.
Well, there ain't no smoke there, Mr.
Dillon.
That cook sure ain't cooking nothing.
Oh, with Colpitt gone, he's probably asleep or something.
Come on.
I guess that Colpitt didn't go back into town after all.
That's not Colpitt, Chester.
Colpitt's a buffalo hunter.
He couldn't miss at this distance with his eyes closed.
Well, is it the cook? Maybe it is, yeah.
Well, what's he shooting at us for? He don't even know that we're after him.
Whoa.
What the matter there, you drunk?! You bet I'm drunk! That's Dooley.
I'm crazy wild drunk! Dooley! Dooley, it's Marshal Dillon and Chester! I know who it is! I'm gonna kill you, too! I'm gonna kill everybody! I killed them, didn't I?! It's Colpitt and that cook, Marshal! I killed them with a knife! Now I'm gonna kill everybody! I'm coming right up there and shoot you! He's crazy, Mr.
Dillon.
Uh, Chester, get down there a few feet, will you? Yes.
Dooley! Now you throw down that gun! I don't want to have to hurt you! Here I come! I'm gonna kill everybody! Hey.
All right, Dooley, drop the gun! You kill me, Marshal.
I-I know.
I'm sorry, Dooley.
But you didn't give me any choice.
Colpitt and the cook, they're dead.
I knifed them.
That Colpitt was a mean, wicked man.
Yeah.
Yeah, he sure was.
Marshall Yeah? I'll come say hello to you next time I'm in Dodge.
You said I could.
Sure you can, Dooley.
Come anytime you want to.
Thanks Marshal.
Thanks.
Oh, my goodness, Mr.
Dillon, that's terrible.
Wasn't your fault though.
I mean, you did what you had to do.
Yeah.
Well, come on, Chester.
We- I got three men to bury.