Podchaser Logo
Home
Episode 224: Brawl For All

Episode 224: Brawl For All

Released Thursday, 27th July 2023
 1 person rated this episode
Episode 224: Brawl For All

Episode 224: Brawl For All

Episode 224: Brawl For All

Episode 224: Brawl For All

Thursday, 27th July 2023
 1 person rated this episode
Rate Episode

Episode Transcript

Transcripts are displayed as originally observed. Some content, including advertisements may have changed.

Use Ctrl + F to search

0:00

When you download the Kroger app, you

0:02

have easy access to savings every

0:04

day. Get the most out of weekly sales

0:06

and receive personalized coupons to save on your

0:08

favorite items, all while earning one fuel

0:10

point for every dollar spent. Kroger

0:12

makes it easy to save while you shop, whether

0:15

it's in-store or online, so you get

0:17

the most value out of every trip, every

0:19

time. Download the Kroger app now to

0:21

save big on your next purchase. Kroger.

0:24

Fresh for everyone. Must have a digital account

0:26

to redeem offers? Restrictions may apply. See site

0:28

for details.

0:35

Welcome

0:38

to the Old Time Radio Westerns.

0:43

I'm

0:45

your host Andrew Rines, and let's get into

0:47

this episode. This episode

0:49

is going to be Gunsmoke Original Air Date is

0:51

June 27th, 1953, and

0:54

the title is Flashback. Hope

0:56

you enjoy, and again, thanks for listening.

1:03

Around

1:10

Dodge

1:10

City and in the territory on west,

1:13

there's just one way to handle the killers and

1:15

the spoilers, and that's with a U.S.

1:17

Marshal and the smell of

1:19

gun smoke.

1:37

Gunsmoke, starring William Conrad,

1:40

the story

1:40

of the violence that moved west with

1:42

young Americans, the story of a man

1:45

who moved with it, Matt Dillon, United

1:48

States Marshal.

2:05

The people of Dodge City will argue their

2:08

heads off on most any subject you bring

2:10

up, but one thing they all agree

2:12

on is the climate. They don't

2:14

like it. In the fall, it's too

2:17

windy and dry, and in the spring, they

2:19

cuss the mud. And all through

2:21

the winter, they say it's too cold and business

2:23

is bad because the trails are closed. And

2:26

now summer comes along and they figure it's too

2:28

hot and dusty. The town's

2:30

overcrowded with trail drivers, and the

2:33

flies are so bad they carry off alive.

2:35

Of course, they just talk.

2:38

They don't really do anything about it.

2:40

Except Chester. Sometimes

2:44

Chester turns into a man of action. Chester,

2:48

what have you done?

2:49

I hope I finally got him. Got

2:52

what? That cussed fly. Oh, fussy.

2:54

Well, I don't care, Mr. Dillon. I killed

2:56

all of them in here except that one, and he kept pestering

2:59

me continually. Smart as a fox.

3:01

I couldn't lay a hand on it. So you haul out a gun

3:03

and blast a hole the size of your fist through the

3:05

roof of the office, huh? It

3:09

did sort of make an opening up there,

3:11

didn't it? Oh, well, it'll be handy when the rain starts.

3:13

We won't have to go outside for our drinking water.

3:16

Well, I'll get

3:18

up there and fix it, Mr. Dillon. I

3:22

didn't even stop to think. I guess not. I

3:25

reckon it's this heat. That's

3:27

where I have never seen it, this hot and dry.

3:29

No, not since last summer.

3:32

No, it's worse, Mr. Dillon. Every pump

3:34

on the plaza is dry. Only place you can

3:36

water a horse is that trough back of the livery stable.

3:39

I remember one summer in Newton,

3:42

summer of 71 or 72, I think

3:44

it was, by the heat and the bugs. Is

3:47

this Marshall's office?

3:48

I'm the Marshall, son.

3:50

Come on in. Shut that dog down the screen

3:53

door. Click. All right. My

3:56

name is Brian Beck, Marshall.

3:58

My father and I got in town this morning. morning. We

4:01

brought our hurry up from the Big Bend country.

4:03

Oh, Lazy Bebarr? Yes, sir. That's

4:05

our brand. I saw some of your riders around town

4:08

trying to wash the dust off of their tongue. Have

4:11

a rough trip? Yes, sir.

4:13

Half the water holds dry, fences

4:15

across the trail north of Texas, but

4:19

that's not what I came in about. Oh?

4:22

The fact is, Marshal, I'm trying

4:24

to head off some trouble. What

4:27

kind of trouble, son? Well, you see,

4:29

Colonel, my father is a fine

4:31

old man, but sometimes he just doesn't

4:34

get along with people too well. Colonel?

4:36

U.S. cavalry, 25 years retired.

4:39

Oh. You see, that's the trouble, sir. He

4:42

tries to treat the cowboys like an army

4:44

command. They don't like that. This

4:46

morning, when he paid them off, one of them warned

4:48

him to go armed

4:49

while he was here. Told him he was going to shoot

4:51

him on sight.

4:53

Oh. Which one? Bud

4:55

Stark, the ranged boss. Short

4:58

staff fellow with a... Oh, yeah. I saw him on the Texas

5:00

trail a while ago.

5:02

Marshal, my father was probably fast

5:04

with a gun once. He thinks he

5:06

still is, but he's not. He wouldn't have a chance.

5:09

Well, what you want me

5:11

to do then is try to keep him apart. Is that it?

5:13

I reckon so. I'll tend to one. It won't

5:16

work. If Stark's got his temper

5:18

up, he will find a way to make his call.

5:21

Well, maybe in that case you

5:23

better tell me where I can buy a gun.

5:26

You know how to handle

5:29

one? No, sir. I grew up back

5:31

east with my mother. I guess I

5:33

can learn, though. Yeah, sure you can.

5:36

But a gun fights not exactly the place

5:38

to start practicing.

5:39

He's my father, sir. I got to do something.

5:43

Tell me something, Brian. How

5:45

old are you? 18. All

5:48

right. Now, you listen to me.

5:50

Don't go buying any gun, and don't go messing

5:53

around Stark. I look into it and try to straighten

5:55

things up. But you get this through your head, Brian.

5:58

Whatever happens, you stay out of it. You

6:00

understand? The

6:17

first room is the head of the stairs, Mr. Clerk said.

6:20

This must be it, Mr. Nieland. Yeah, I guess

6:22

so.

6:30

Reach, don't move now.

6:33

Uh, you're Colonel Beck?

6:35

I am, sir. My name's Dylan,

6:38

U.S. Marshal here. This is my partner, Chester

6:40

Proudfoot. What's the

6:42

gun for? You expecting somebody

6:44

else? Well, uh... Bud

6:47

Stark, for instance? Who told you? Stark

6:49

been talking

6:50

to you?

6:51

How long are you going to be in town, Colonel? Oh, three

6:54

or four days, maybe a week. Long

6:57

enough to sell my herd, and

6:58

long enough to call that mouthy little foreman's

7:01

buff. Well,

7:02

why don't you just limit it to selling the herd?

7:05

I think you've been misinformed, Marshal.

7:08

This man threatened me. I'm only

7:09

aiming to protect myself. Well,

7:12

suppose you leave the protection to me? I

7:14

wonder if it was Brian. That's who told you. Just

7:17

like that sniveling whelp to go whining

7:19

to the law.

7:21

I didn't notice any sniveling. They

7:23

seem like a pretty decent kid to me. A milk's

7:26

up, Mr. Dylan, raised by a woman. Never

7:28

had a boot in a stirrup before a year ago. Well,

7:31

he's never had a gun in his hand. Well, he's

7:33

trying to get one in it now. He asked me where he could buy

7:35

one. Stark.

7:36

He's planning to go up against

7:38

Stark. He was. He kind

7:41

of figured he was

7:42

protecting you. He's a lily-fingered

7:45

young cub. Eye out. Yo, what?

7:48

Have him court-martialed, shouted sunrise? He's

7:51

your son, Colonel. He's not some

7:54

soldier in a cavalry troop. Neither

7:56

is Stark nor the rest of your men. I'm not obliged

7:58

to listen to this kind of talk, Marshal. And if you go out

8:00

gunning for stock and if you're lucky enough to live through

8:03

it, I'll jail you in the stand trial. Now, you

8:05

just sell your cattle and stay clear of stock. Come on,

8:07

Chester, let's go.

8:13

The place sure is crowded.

8:17

Ah,

8:22

too.

8:25

Last January, you were looking forward to

8:27

this, Chester. No, I must have been loco. See

8:30

him anywhere, Mr. Dillon? No,

8:33

he was over there at the end of the bar earlier.

8:34

Hiya, Matt. Chester. Oh,

8:37

Miss Kitty. Kitty, how

8:39

do you do it? Chester's

8:41

starting to melt and run down in his boots and

8:43

here you are looking as fresh and cool as

8:46

for the 12th of April.

8:47

It's a trick, Matt. I just

8:49

stopped blurring and cut out all serious

8:52

thinking from the end of May until the snow starts

8:54

to fly. You ought to try

8:56

it, Chester. Well, I'm sure ready

8:57

to try something, Miss Kitty. How

9:00

about a picture of Bear? Ah, no thanks, Kitty. I'm

9:02

looking for the range boss of this lazy

9:04

bebarr outfit, a fellow

9:06

named Star. Oh, yeah. He's been

9:08

here most of the day. Getting set

9:11

the whole, I think. Well, that's what

9:13

I want to see him about. Well, he's over

9:15

there on the alcove, one of the draw tables. And

9:18

you know who's sitting in the game with him? Cottonmouth.

9:22

Cottonmouth? That crooked

9:24

little ten horn. A silk

9:26

shirt, shiny boots, fancy

9:28

hat, and all.

9:30

He hit town this morning.

9:31

Well, he'll head back out tomorrow morning.

9:34

Come on, Chester. Yes, sir. I got four

9:36

hours before college in trouble. He's right here in this boat here. And

9:40

I finger

9:41

on up a little about 4,000 before this night's over.

9:45

Anybody who ain't figuring on seeing the game through might as

9:48

well pull out right now.

9:49

Where's life at, Mr. Stark? Do nothing

9:51

but arouse my natural enthusiasm. I

9:53

regard them as a clarion call to a battle of wits.

9:55

Cut the cards.

9:56

Yeah, you better cut them, Stark. And

10:00

with Cottonmouth in the game, it wouldn't be a bad

10:02

idea to count him. Marshall, you

10:04

are maligning a reformed man. You'll

10:06

have to reform in some other town, Cottonmouth.

10:08

You got till tomorrow morning to get out of Dodge.

10:12

And this time you stay up. No, I just

10:14

don't get what you're up

10:15

to, Marshall, breaking up a friendly game of cards

10:17

this way. Start with Cottonmouth in it. It won't

10:19

be friendly and it won't be a game. I'll

10:21

take my chances, Marshall.

10:25

Alright, suit yourself. You've been warned. But

10:28

before you start this friendly game,

10:30

I got something to say to you. Alright, say it.

10:33

They'll, uh, take a little walk,

10:36

if you don't mind.

10:38

Alright, Marshall. Sure. I'll

10:40

be right with you, James. Oh, I'll

10:42

go get one. Stark,

10:49

I understand you threatened Colonel Beck this

10:51

morning. Oh, he come a-cryin' to

10:53

ya, huh? You

10:55

know him better than that. Yeah,

10:58

I reckon so. Well, I'm not supposin'

11:00

I did, Marshall. Maybe I wasn't the only one making

11:03

threats. Beck was gonna have me

11:05

strung up in a horse whip. Like I told the

11:07

Colonel a few minutes ago, Stark. I don't stand

11:09

for any grudge killings here. As people

11:11

might call itself to fancy. I wouldn't. And

11:13

I'm the one who'll be callin' it. If

11:16

you pull that gun on Beck, it'll be a long

11:18

time before you see Texas again.

11:22

Alright, Stark. You can go on

11:24

back to your game. Yeah.

11:28

It

11:31

appears to me that's pretty hard

11:33

talk for a hot day, Mr. Dillon. Well,

11:36

Chester, it's the only way I know how to handle it.

11:38

Just to lay it on the line. Yeah, and more than likely,

11:40

that's not enough to keep him from mixin'. Wait a minute, Chester. Look

11:43

here. What? Why's that Beck,

11:45

kid? And he's wearin' a gun, Mr. Dillon.

11:47

Yeah, and he's headin' straight for Stark.

11:48

Come on. Mr. Stark, I reckon

11:51

you can draw any time now. The

11:53

old man sent his cup out to get

11:55

me. He don't know nothin' about this. Alright, hold

11:57

it now. Huh?

12:00

Brian, you get out of here. And

12:03

don't draw, Stark. Draw?

12:05

What on this mama's boy? Here,

12:09

now, give me that gun. Leave me alone!

12:12

Thank you.

12:15

All right, now, you little smart-ass.

12:21

Now, I see if a boot in the head

12:23

will teach you some stuff. Don't kick him! I

12:26

told you not to kick him! Don't shoot good! I

12:30

don't know what's on him!

12:37

You had no reason to hit me, Marshal.

12:40

That kid called me. You heard

12:41

him. Forget

12:43

it.

12:45

Now go on back to your game.

12:48

All

12:52

right, come on, Brian. Get up. You

12:56

wouldn't even draw. You just made a fool out of

12:58

me in front of everybody. Come on, Brian. They'd

13:01

be laughing at me all over town. They'll laugh at my

13:03

father, too. Forget it. I'll

13:06

kill him, Marshal. So help me. I'm gonna

13:08

kill him. Now you listen to me. Stark

13:11

knocked you down. Yes, he kicked you in the head, but he could have killed you.

13:14

He could have drawn and put a bullet

13:16

in you before you know what hit you.

13:17

Now,

13:19

I told you not to buy that gun. Why did you do it? You know why?

13:22

Sure, protecting your father. That's fine. Only

13:25

you saw how far you got.

13:26

So I'm telling you for the

13:28

last time, now you stay out of it and leave it to me. Now

13:32

go on back to the hotel and stay there.

13:35

Do you hear me? Yes, sir. All

13:38

right. Here's your gun.

13:42

Now

13:42

stick it in that holster and don't pull it except for practice.

13:46

Do

13:46

you understand? Yes, sir.

13:48

And just one thing more.

13:51

Don't worry about anybody laughing. When

13:54

a half-grown kid who's never had a gun

13:56

in his hand stands up and calls a fighter like

13:58

Stark... Nobody's gonna

14:00

laugh. You've

14:03

got a lot of guts, Brian. ["The

14:05

Star-Spangled Banner"]

14:11

Well,

14:16

Mr.

14:16

Dillon, you think they're gonna stay away from each other?

14:18

Stark and the Colonel? I don't know, Chester. About

14:21

an even chance. If it holds

14:23

off for a day or two, they'll probably cool

14:25

down and forget about it. That kid sure

14:27

was a spunkie this afternoon. Yeah. Well,

14:30

he's dying to have the old man

14:32

respect him. Too

14:35

bad Beck's a bow-headed. Uh, Matt!

14:38

Uh, in here, Doc. Thought it'd be cooler

14:40

with the lamp out. Eh! Eh!

14:43

Don't bother about lighting it now. We've

14:46

got a job to work between us, Matt. What

14:48

do you mean? Some of the boys just found a body,

14:50

lined by the horse trough, behind the livery stable,

14:53

been shot in the back. Who? A

14:55

trail driver. Name of Bud Stark.

14:58

["The

15:03

Star-Spangled

15:06

Banner"] We

15:13

will return for the second act of gun

15:15

smoke in just a moment. But first, there's

15:18

no place like home, and there's no place like

15:20

your home. Don't

15:21

destroy it with fires caused by

15:23

careless smoking in bed, careless disposal

15:25

of lighted cigarettes, or the use of inflammable

15:28

cleaning fluid.

15:29

90% of fires are caused by carelessness

15:32

that destroys lives and properties.

15:34

Don't let it be your home, your life.

15:38

Now the second act of gun smoke.

15:41

["The Star-Spangled

15:44

Banner"]

15:55

The livery stable is down at the

15:57

east end of the plaza, across from the Dodge

15:59

House. And the

16:00

watering trough is out back at the edge of the

16:02

corral. Stark

16:05

was lying face

16:06

down in the mud, and his

16:08

horse was standing

16:09

a few yards away with the rains

16:12

trailing on the ground. Some

16:15

of the boys from the railroad yard held lanterns

16:17

so Stark could see to work. The

16:21

flares of heat lightning were coming a little closer

16:23

together, and a

16:25

light breeze had sprung up. But

16:27

there was no smell of rain in it. The

16:30

air was hot and

16:31

dry. Hold

16:33

that light down just a little bit lower there. Would

16:36

you, Ed? That time. That

16:38

time. The bad business of Mr. Dillon

16:40

shooting a man in the back that way. Must

16:43

have slipped out behind him while he was sitting there on his

16:45

horse waiting for it to drain. Yeah, it looks

16:47

that way.

16:49

Unless soon as Doc gets through there, Chester,

16:51

you better go through his pockets,

16:54

collect all of his effects for the

16:56

nearest of kin. Yes. Well,

16:59

he can get at it right now, Matt. There's

17:02

nothing more I can do here. Yeah. Whoever

17:05

did it had him pretty well centered. All

17:07

the time in the world, when you're aiming

17:09

at a man's back, probably

17:11

never knew what hit him. Well, I

17:14

wish it had happened some other way than this any

17:17

other way. Yeah. Got any

17:19

idea who did it? Yeah, I'm

17:21

afraid so, Doc.

17:23

What do you got, Chester? Not

17:25

much, Mr.

17:26

Dillon. His gun, of course, which hasn't been

17:28

fired. Jackknife and a gold watch,

17:30

sack of makings and some papers. Bocked

17:33

a sofa,

17:33

Max, isn't that it? Yeah, he

17:35

was traveling nice. Matt,

17:37

I thought Colonel Beck paid off his

17:39

boys

17:40

this morning. He ain't dead, Doc. Start

17:42

gottin' a draw game with a gambler named Cotton

17:44

Mott. Now, warn him he got cleaned

17:47

up. Well, he sure did. Not a stand-on,

17:49

Mr. Dillon. Well,

17:51

he doesn't need any money, Chester. No.

18:02

I think we'll

18:11

have any trouble, Mr. Miller. The

18:14

odds are against it. Who

18:17

is it? The

18:21

Marshal. Open up. I

18:29

was about asleep, Mr. Dillon. Couldn't figure

18:32

who was knocking. Where's your gun, Brian? It

18:34

went so there on the Bureau. What

18:36

do you want it for?

18:45

Been doing some shooting, son?

18:47

Yes, sir. I was following your

18:49

advice. I was over on the river

18:51

bottom, practicing, drawing mostly. Too

18:53

dark to shoot at anything. I've

18:56

heard a couple of times, though. Pretty good shooting, Brian,

18:58

to be as dark as it was.

19:00

One of the shots caught him right in the center

19:02

of the back. What are

19:04

you

19:04

talking about? Murder, son.

19:07

That's what we always call it when it's in the back.

19:09

Well, I haven't killed anybody. I

19:12

haven't been out of this hotel since 9

19:14

o'clock. Got a witness to that. No,

19:17

sir. You're the only one to be my

19:19

father, and he's been gone somewhere all

19:22

evening. But I'm telling the truth, Mr. Dillon.

19:25

Well... Who was

19:27

it, sir? Who got killed? Yes,

19:29

who was it, Marshal? I'd like to know myself.

19:33

If you've been out around the town, you must have heard it by

19:35

now, Colonel. Well, I figured

19:37

I'd better stay clear of things. I walked

19:41

out along the railroad, walked the lightning.

19:44

Who was killed? Bud Stark.

19:46

Bud Stark? He was shot in

19:48

the back about a half hour ago over at the water and truck

19:50

behind the livery stable.

19:52

Oh, Brian, I guess we better be getting

19:55

along. Just a minute now.

19:57

What makes you think Brian had anything to do with it? The

20:00

facts, Colonel. He bought himself a gun this afternoon,

20:03

called Stark in the Texas Trail about four

20:05

o'clock and got knocked down and kicked in the head. Brian,

20:08

is that the truth? Yes, sir. He swore

20:10

then he'd killed Stark, and about eight hours later,

20:12

Stark's found dead. It

20:14

adds up, Colonel. I wish it didn't, but it's

20:16

too late now to wish.

20:19

That's why I told him to stay out of it.

20:21

Told you both to stay out of

20:22

it.

20:23

I went up and bought a gun. Didn't

20:26

say a word. Stood

20:28

up to bug Stark. Why,

20:31

Brian? Why did you do it? Well,

20:33

I figured maybe you'd think different of me, sir.

20:36

I

20:37

mean, if I showed you, I could,

20:38

well, pitch in and help when you

20:40

needed it. Stand up and face things. Marshal,

20:45

what would you see if I told you you're after the wrong

20:48

Beck?

20:50

Are you telling me?

20:52

Yes. I killed Stark myself.

20:55

Father. Well,

20:59

I'd say you're making a nice effort, Colonel. But

21:02

you should have learned to appreciate the boy

21:04

sooner. It's

21:06

a little late now. You're making a mistake,

21:08

Marshal. Father, you're wasting your breath.

21:11

The Marshal's right. There's

21:13

no use trying to lie. I

21:17

killed him. I'm ready

21:19

any time, Mr. Dillon. All

21:23

right. Let's go.

21:36

For Matt,

21:37

I'm buying. No, I guess

21:40

not. Thanks, Doc. I might say this

21:42

is all in that fellow's stock. It'll

21:44

come out of my corn, you see. Yeah.

21:48

Fine. I don't see what you've got to be so glum

21:50

about, Matt. An hour after

21:52

a killing and you've got the killer locked up tight

21:55

and snug in jail. Oh, relax.

21:57

Your job's over.

21:59

I guess so.

22:02

I sure wish it had been anybody else but

22:04

that kid though.

22:05

I liked him. I figured he was

22:08

all right. And then

22:10

he... in

22:13

the back, Doc. Well, he's

22:15

only a youngin'. You can't blame him too

22:17

much. I got him bedded down for the

22:19

night, Mr. Jones. Put him in the corner

22:22

cell. He's a little cooler back there. Oh, thanks, Chester. Doc,

22:25

did you ever in all your born days,

22:27

he aspell a heat as bad as

22:28

it? Never did. It's a

22:30

corker. Well, I thought earlier he might get a drop to a rain or something.

22:33

He's light. And Doc just heat light. I

22:37

hear you settled that dark thing in a hurry, Matt. Yeah,

22:40

I've got the back kid locked up, Kitty. I'm

22:43

sorry it was him, Matt. I

22:45

guess he's sort of disappointed, Jim. Yeah,

22:49

man can be wrong, Kitty. Well,

22:52

it's been great for business. Everybody

22:54

in town's been crowdin', and they want to hear all about

22:56

it and take a look at the chair

22:59

Stark was sittin' in before he pulled out of that poker

23:01

game.

23:02

Well, I guess that poker game was half the

23:04

blame for it. If it had been honest, Stark

23:06

would have had enough in his book to carry him through the night.

23:09

Instead of windin' up broke before midnight.

23:11

He wasn't broke, Matt.

23:14

He left here with $4,000. He

23:17

what? Sure. That's why

23:19

he broke up the game and pulled out. When

23:22

he'd made what he said, he'd make it quit.

23:24

Cottonmouth almost had a stroke. Most of

23:26

it was his money.

23:27

Stark didn't have a cent on him when we found him.

23:32

Kitty's cottonmouth's still here.

23:33

Yeah, he's back over there in the same

23:36

game. He went out to eat, but he can't... Yes,

23:38

sir. Yes, sir. Come on. You

23:41

think he might have missed some deal? I don't

23:43

know. Maybe. Lord, face, make

23:46

social ability. Well,

23:49

there's still a cheap commodity and you can't carry it off

23:51

in your pocket. My bet's in, so let's put

23:53

up a shutter. That's

23:55

exactly the way I look at it, Cottonmouth.

23:58

Do it. All right. Well,

24:01

I still got to morning. That's what

24:03

you said. Did I? How's

24:07

your luck running? Oh, not too bad.

24:09

I had a few good hands. Better

24:11

than they were when Stark was in the game. Oh, I couldn't

24:14

touch him. Took $4,000 off

24:15

the table. He was pretty lucky.

24:18

Not too lucky.

24:20

He's dead. I know. It's too bad.

24:23

I figured that kid would get him. There's trouble

24:25

to bring kid like that. They won't have any sense. Can't

24:28

tell what them do. Yeah, sure.

24:32

Where were you when Stark was

24:34

shot? I was over at Delmonico's getting

24:36

a bite to eat.

24:38

How do you know you were? What? Nobody

24:41

seems to know exactly when it happened. How

24:43

do you know where you were? Well, I...

24:46

I was there

24:47

about when it must have happened. Either there

24:49

or back here in the game again.

24:51

You weren't near the livery stable?

24:54

Marshal, I know you don't like me, but that's

24:56

no reason to try hanging a thing like this on a

24:58

man. Were you over at the

25:00

stable, Cotton? No, I wasn't anywhere

25:02

except where I told you. Straight up to Delmonico's

25:05

and straight back here.

25:06

I see. And

25:09

where'd you get the mud on your boot heels? What

25:12

do you mean? Every pump in the plaza

25:14

has been dry for days. Dust six inches

25:16

thick. There's only one mud puddle in town

25:19

at that horse trough back at the stable where Stark was

25:21

killed.

25:23

You couldn't stand to see that money get

25:25

away, could you?

25:27

No, no. I tell you, Marshal, you're just... Cottonmouth,

25:30

you're under arrest. Look

25:33

out, Mr. Dunn!

25:41

You made a mistake, Cottonmouth. No,

25:44

Marshal. You

25:46

did. I

25:49

robbed him, but I... I

25:52

didn't kill him. I

25:55

was gone, Del. I...

25:58

I followed him, but... He

26:00

was dead when I found him. What's

26:04

the point of lying now? I'm

26:06

not lying, Marjolee. It's

26:10

truth. You're

26:17

dead, McNeil. Yeah.

26:30

I reckon the boy will be mighty glad to get out of that cell. Yeah,

26:32

and I'll be glad to let him out, Chester. He's

26:34

a good boy. Trying to cover

26:36

for his father and all. Yeah. He'll

26:39

make out all right when he calms

26:41

down a little. Yeah, sir.

26:43

Now, wait a minute, Chester.

26:46

What is it, Mr. Dillon? Listen.

26:50

Hey, that's coming from the back of

26:52

the jail. Yeah. Come on, let's go.

26:57

Hey, that's coming from the back of the jail. Yeah,

26:59

come on. Quiet,

27:02

now. There's

27:07

a couple of horses tied in there. Yeah,

27:09

sure. For the getaway. Colonel's

27:13

trying to pry him out of jail.

27:17

You're going to a lot of work for nothing, Colonel.

27:20

Marjolee, don't shoot. I'm

27:22

not going to shoot, Colonel. I couldn't

27:24

let him down.

27:25

Even if he did murder Bud Stark...

27:28

It's all right, Colonel. Everything's all right. It's

27:30

his last chance. I'm sorry,

27:32

Brian. You'll have to face it out. Listen to me,

27:34

Colonel. I don't used to lie anymore, Marshal.

27:37

I saw him.

27:40

What? I was out walking

27:42

along the railroad, like I told you. I

27:45

saw Brian come up behind Stark

27:47

and shoot him. No.

27:51

I can't admire a man doing that. He's

27:54

my son.

27:56

I tried to protect him.

27:57

I've done what

27:59

I can. No,

28:02

they'll hang him. Is

28:04

this troll Colonel? He's not a bad

28:06

boy. He was just trying

28:09

to help me. Just trying

28:12

to help me. I guess it is, Chester. Yes,

28:15

sir. But what

28:18

about Cottonmouth?

28:20

It looks like Cottonmouth wasn't lying

28:22

after all.

28:24

Any others helped kill him for nothing? He

28:28

tried to kill me. And

28:30

he would have killed Stark. Too

28:33

bad he didn't beat Brian to it. Yeah.

28:39

A

28:53

Gunsmoke Under the Direction of Norman McDonald

28:55

stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon,

28:58

U.S. Marshal. Tonight's story

29:00

was written for Gunsmoke by Les Crutchfield with

29:03

music composed and conducted by Rex Corey. Featured

29:06

in the cast were Lawrence Dobkin, Sam Edwards, Joe

29:08

Duvall, and Lou Krugman.

29:10

Harley Bear as Chester, Georgia Ellis as

29:12

Kitty, and Howard McNear as Doc.

29:15

Gunsmoke has been selected by the Armed Forces

29:17

Radio Service to be heard by our troops

29:19

overseas. Join

29:21

us again next week as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshal,

29:24

likes to bring law and order out

29:26

of the wild violence of the West in Gunsmoke.

29:39

On

29:41

Sunday night, you are cordially invited to escape

29:44

via CBS radio. Yes,

29:47

every weekend for drama that will take you right out of this world, listen

29:49

for

29:49

Escape at the Stars address. This

29:52

is George Walsh speaking. On

29:55

Sunday night, Dick Powell is rough-tough

29:57

Richard Diamond, private detective on the CBS radio

29:58

station. The EF Radio Network.

30:14

The

30:30

EF Radio Network.

31:00

The EF Radio Network.

31:30

The EF Radio Network.

Unlock more with Podchaser Pro

  • Audience Insights
  • Contact Information
  • Demographics
  • Charts
  • Sponsor History
  • and More!
Pro Features