Gunsmoke (1955) s03e08 Episode Script

Born to Hang

starring James Arness as Matt Dillon.
Hey, Glick! Come on, Glick! They're ready for you, Digger.
That's fine.
You were lucky we caught you so near these trees.
I don't know what we'd have done way out on the prairie.
You'd have thought of something.
Like what? You ain't above shooting a man in the back, are you? You could make me mad talking that way, Digger.
That worries me a lot.
You shut up! Huh, Glick, come on! Let's get this thing over with! Get moving.
What you lookin' so long-faced about? It's what I told you before; this ain't right.
You telling me it ain't right to hang a horse thief? It ain't right to hang nobody the way you're doing it.
I don't hold with lynching.
Hanging a horse thief ain't lynching.
You can't even prove he's a thief.
Then what was our horses doing with him? I was camped.
I didn't know your horses was anywhere around.
I suppose they just wandered up to you in the night, huh? I don't know how they got there.
We do.
That ain't so, Pate.
You don't know nothing of the kind.
Just 'cause this man was camped near a few head of your horses, there's no sign he was a-stealin' them.
Roble, I'm gettin' a bellyful of you.
Are you working for me and Glick or not? He's talkin' just 'cause they ain't his horses.
That's got nothing to do with it! Come on! We're wasting time! If you don't like what we're doing, why don't you get out? All right.
All right, I will.
And you keep your mouth shut about this! He don't dare say nothing.
He better not.
That noose looks kind of empty.
Put his neck in it.
You men are nothing but murderers.
Now, that's no way to go to your maker, calling people names.
This is all right.
Bring his horse around.
What are you gonna do, just hold that rope in your hand? I know how to hang a man without advice from you.
All right, get mounted.
Well, I ain't got wings.
You'll never have wings where you're going.
Now, get our horses, Pate.
You might have the decency to wait and put a bullet in me.
Bullets cost seven cents apiece, Digger.
You're even worse than I thought.
That rope tight enough? You figure.
It'll do.
All set, Digger? My pa always said I was born to hang.
You hit his horse, Pate.
I got no stomach to watch a man kick.
Cowards.
That's right.
You can breathe.
It wasn't long.
Just take it easy.
Air, air feels good.
You come back.
I was clean out of my head.
I couldn't fight 'em.
Not the two of 'em.
Well, you saved my life.
I don't hold with lynching.
It's the truth.
That's the honest truth.
I ain't no horse thief.
I never thought you was.
I guess my pa was wrong.
Wrong? Yeah, my pa.
He always said I was born to hang.
You work for them two, don't you? I been working for 'em.
Not no more.
I reckon I owe you a drink.
What about it? We ain't but ten miles from Dodge.
Might as well.
Good.
I got something to tell you.
Yeah? Yeah.
Something mighty interesting.
Is Marshal Dillon back yet, Chester? I don't know.
Oh, yeah, he-he's back, but he's busy right now, though.
Well, did you tell him about Joe Digger? Yeah, I told him about the lynching and how you cut him down and all.
That all? Well, he said he wanted to hear it from you.
That's bad, ain't it? Well, thanks, anyhow, Matt.
Sure, Kitty.
You tell Red, what I said now.
You don't need a shotgun man over there.
It'd just be asking for trouble.
Yeah, but what happens when you're out of town? Tell your gamblers to deal straight.
Oh, listen, Matt, we fire more gamblers than you jail.
Anyway, it's the customers that 'cause most of the trouble, not the dealers.
Mm-hmm.
But we'll let you come play anytime.
Thanks.
I'll see you later, Matt.
All right.
Roble.
Marshal.
Come on in.
Yes, sir.
Sit down.
Ain't no time for sitting, Marshal.
Heard what you did today, Roble.
That was a pretty fine thing.
I don't hold with murder, and I don't hold with lynching either.
I didn't save Digger's life so as he could start murdering people.
What do you mean? He's gonna kill Pate and Glick both, and he don't care how he does it.
He tell you that? He's gonna kill 'em, Marshal.
Well, he'll probably get over it.
After all, you can't blame him for being mad.
You don't know him, Marshal.
He means it.
Where is he now? In his room at the Dodge House.
He ain't as strong as he thought he was.
Kind of weaked out after we got to town.
What are you gonna do now? You goin' back to work for Glick and Pate? Not hardly.
No, they'd hang me, too, if they find out what I done.
I'm headed for Texas.
Well, you're probably right.
I done my part, but there's gonna be a lot of blood unless'n you stop it.
Which room is Joe Digger's? Uh, Digger? That's room 12, Marshal.
Up the stairs.
All right, thanks.
Joe Digger? That's me.
I'm the marshal.
I'd like to talk to you.
About what? I hear you had a little trouble this morning.
Where'd you hear that, Marshal? How come you didn't tell me? Somebody tries to lynch a man around here, I like to know about it.
Yeah, it's all over.
Nobody got lynched.
Yeah? What are those marks on your neck then? Nothing.
I'm still alive, ain't I? Yeah, but you take it mighty easy.
Most men'd be kinda mad.
Well, they just made a mistake, that was all.
They just did what they thought was right.
Uh-huh.
A little rope burn ain't gonna hurt me none.
'Sides, I'm kinda glad it happened.
Glad? Yeah.
My pa always said I was born to hang.
Today he got proved wrong.
You're wasting my time, Digger.
I came here to tell you one thing.
You leave Glick and Pate to me.
Which one you going after first, Marshal? So you can get the other one? They don't deserve a trial.
Well, they're gonna get one.
From now on, this is the law's business.
You're denying me what's mine.
I'm not gonna argue with ya.
I'm just tellin' ya.
You think about it.
Till midnight tomorrow.
I'll think about it till midnight tomorrow, Marshal! By then, I'll be feeling better.
I'll come by and see if they're in jail.
They will be or you will.
Well, somebody's home.
Yeah, I don't think that they'd go off and leave a fire burning.
What's the matter? He's got a loose shoe.
I'll have to have it fixed before we start back.
Yeah, if they'll give you the loan of any tools.
Well, at least they won't have much choice about that.
You think they'll up a fight? Well, I'm counting on Glick not to, not in front of his wife.
This, this other fellow, that Pate.
He ain't married, is he? No, no.
Hello, Glick.
Marshal, what are you doing out here? Pate around? Went to Dodge.
Why? Well, aren't you gonna invite us in? Why, sure.
Hello, Chester.
Come on in.
Just finishing dinner.
Hello, Mrs.
Glick.
Hello, Marshal.
Chester.
How do you do, ma'am? Sit down.
The woman'll find you something to eat.
No, thanks.
We've already eaten.
Are you sure I can't feed you nothing? Oh, no.
No, thank you, ma'am.
Don't get out this way very often, Marshal.
What can we do for you? I'd like to talk to you alone if I can.
Me and the woman's got no secrets.
What do you want to talk about? You and Pate.
What about me and Pate? I'm arresting both of you.
I don't know what you're talking about, Marshal.
You want me to explain it to you? That might help.
You come in a man's house to arrest him, he ought to know what it's about.
Didn't you and Pate murder a man yesterday? Murder a man? What man? A drifter by the name of Joe Digger.
I never heard of no Joe Digger.
Then you shouldn't go around lynching strangers.
Oh, so that's what this is about.
I seen that fellow, Marshal.
I was riding by yesterday and I seen him hanging.
I don't know who done it, but it sure wasn't me and Pate.
Digger says it was.
Digger? Claims you and Pate strung him up.
Roble.
Roble told you.
Roble cut him down.
Digger's alive.
Alive? What the? What are you after us for? Attempted murder.
You'll probably get 20 years, but at least you'll live.
What do you mean? Digger's out to kill you.
Lucky thing I got to you first.
Good thing I found you at dinner, isn't it? I'm going to unshoe that horse.
We'll leave afterwards.
All right, sir.
You can go back to your coffee while we're waiting.
Ed I better get back to my work.
Don't you let us interrupt you none, ma'am.
You know, the marshal's right about that Digger fella.
He's out to kill you.
Is he? Made him kinda mad, getting strung up thataway.
Ed.
Ed, come here and unbutton my sleeves.
My hands are wet.
Come on.
Please.
Unbutton them.
Wouldn't hurt you none to unbutton her sleeves, now, would it? No.
Over here.
Get out of the way.
Mr.
Dillon! You hurt bad? No.
He went thataway.
He's got a gun.
She give him a gun.
He probably went out to get a horse.
Do you see him? Not yet.
No.
Well, he'll just ride right off.
He's in that barn, Chester.
He's got to come out that door.
Well, it happened so fast, Mr.
Dillon.
I didn't think she'd do a thing like that.
She's his wife, Chester.
Look, you better get back and take cover somewhere.
I guess I ain't much good to you here.
Go on.
Hurry up.
Here he comes.
All right, hold it.
Is he dead? Yeah.
Mr.
Dillon.
He's dead, ma'am.
I'm sorry, but he didn't give me any choice.
What are you going to do, Mr.
Dillon? I don't know.
We can't stay here.
This Pate won't live to go to jail either.
Let's bury him.
Ooh! Doc, that hurts.
'Course it hurts a little.
It always does when you get shot.
It's all right for you to make light of it.
Nobody shot you.
Well, you don't have to be such a baby about it.
Baby? Suppose you'd got hit in the head.
A baby? You Doc, you know, for a doctor, you got an awful mean streak in you.
Yeah.
Well, I cultivated it.
Helps me in my work.
Ow! Hog sticker! What did you call me? Hog butcher! Chester, just because you got a little bit of a scratch on your arm doesn't give you any right at all to malign me.
Or, what is infinitely worse, all of those who adhere assiduously to the Hippocratic oath.
Talk, talk, talk! Nobody shot you! Well, I suppose the next thing you'll be doing is telling me just exactly how it all happened.
How smart you were, getting there just in the nick of time.
How brave and everything you are.
Here.
Put this on.
Now put your hand in there.
Never mind! Never mind! I'll jus do it myself.
I'll just How is he, Doc? Oh, he's fine.
He just got stung a little bit.
Did you get the horses put up, Mr.
Dillon? Yeah.
Look, I'm going to have to go after Pate right now.
Well, I'll go with you.
No.
You better go to bed.
No, it's all right.
I'll take one side of the street while you take the other.
All right.
It's up to you.
Up to him? I have heard of cases when it was up to the attending physician and not the patient.
Well, I ain't no patient, not of yours.
You'll change your mind when you get my bill.
You mean you're going to charge me for just messing around a little and wrapping up my arms with a couple of old rags? Your bill just went up a dollar.
Huh? And a quarter.
Chester, come on.
You better come with me.
You'll go broke around here.
We better hurry, Mr.
Dillon.
It's almost midnight now.
You try the Texas Trail.
I'm going to look for Joe Digger over at the Dodge House.
Matt, there going to be shooting? I don't know, Doc, but you better not go to bed for a while.
All right.
I'll wait up.
Chester, you take care of yourself! Joe Digger's not in his room.
You know where he is? Why, no, Marshal.
No, I don't.
You don't sound real sure of that.
I don't know where he is, I said.
You trying to hide something? Why, no, Marshal.
No, nothing at all.
You're lying.
Just leave me be, Marshal.
Joe Digger's not here, so just leave me be.
I'm not going to leave you be.
Somebody's liable to get killed because of your stalling.
Now, are you going to tell me where he is? He'll shoot me.
He said he'd shoot me, Marshal.
He's not going to shoot anybody if I get to him first.
Now, where is he? All right, I'll tell you.
He was sitting over there looking out the window when he seen Mr.
Pate walk by just a few minutes ago.
And he got up and went out.
But first, he said he'd shoot me if I said anything to you about it.
Thanks.
Chester.
Oh, Pate ain't in there, Mr.
Dillon.
Did you find Digger? Well, no, but he's out after Pate right now.
Trouble is, I don't know just where.
He may be waiting for midnight like he said he would.
Well, yeah.
He must be.
That'll give us about three minutes to have a look in one more bar.
Hello, Pate.
Roble come back and cut you down.
Too bad he ain't here to help you.
What do you mean? I'm going to kill you.
Now, wait a minute.
Put your hands on the table.
Put your hands on the table.
When that clock reaches midnight, I'm going to kill you.
Here? You wouldn't dare.
Ah, look, maybe we made a mistake.
You can't blame us for that.
All right, hold it.
You're late, Marshal.
It's after midnight.
Put the gun down.
Now, get away from it.
You should have trusted me, Digger.
It ain't my fault you're late.
You're going to jail.
What for? He tried to murder me, didn't he? You ain't got a leg to stand on, Marshal, and you know it.
Let's go.
Well? At least I got a trial this time.
I guess my pa was right after all one way or the other.
Just born for it.
Yes, sir just plain born to hang.

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