Gunsmoke (1955) s04e01 Episode Script

starring James Arness as Matt Dillon.
Mr.
Dillon, when'd you get back? Hello, Chester.
Oh, got in late last night.
Well, if I'd known you was a-coming I'd have been here early and built that pot of coffee for you.
Well, how about trying a cup of mine, for a change? Well, thank you.
How was things up at Fort Wallace? Oh, fine, fine.
That's a two-day ride from here, ain't it? Yeah.
I stopped off at old Abe McFarland's for a few hours.
You remember him, don't you? Oh, yeah, Abe.
That's how I happened to get in so late last night.
Oh, I see.
Well, that Where did you ride from yesterday, though? Pawnee Creek.
Spent the night before that up on Rocky Bend.
Oh, yeah.
That's a good camp.
I remember it.
You left the chicory out of there, didn't you? I don't miss it any.
Any mail? Yeah, I put it in your, uh, desk there in the drawer.
Morning.
Good morning.
Marshal Dillon? That's right.
My name's Tom Samples.
I run cattle up north of here.
What can I do for you? I'd like you to step outside a minute.
I want you to see somebody.
Who's that? Lou Price.
Lou Price? Hmm.
The same man you run out of town about a month ago.
The way I heard it, you was pretty mad at him.
Well, I was.
He tried to stick a knife in me.
Hmm.
Nobody saw him try.
That's right.
You coming? These two men work for me.
Reeves and McCall.
That's Huggins.
He's just a drifter.
Hello, Marshal.
I thought you said Lou Price was with you.
Take a look here.
He's dead, Marshal.
He got shot.
What happened? Lou Price was a partner of mine.
I didn't know that.
I'm buying up cattle, lots of 'em, all over Kansas.
I'm going to have me a big spread one day up on Pawnee Creek.
That so? You was camped on Pawnee Creek night before last, wasn't you? Yeah.
- At Rocky Bend? - That's right.
That's where Lou Price got shot, Marshal Rocky Bend.
Poor Lou.
Never had a chance.
He wasn't even armed.
Happened yesterday morning.
I seen the whole thing myself.
Tell us who killed Lou Price, Huggins.
He did.
What? You killed him, Marshal.
I seen the whole thing from behind them cottonwoods.
All right, what's your game, Samples? My partner was murdered, Marshal.
You had a grudge against him.
And you just admitted before witnesses you was at Rocky Bend.
And Huggins identified you as the man he saw kill him.
Now you got it all figured out, haven't you? We're going to bury him, and then we're going down and swear it out legal on paper.
And then I'm going to send it to the governor.
I wouldn't try to get away, Marshal.
We'd run you down sure.
Wait a minute.
How'd you happen to be tied in with this man? I never seen Huggins till yesterday.
I'm just passing through the county, Marshal.
And I'm only trying to do what I think is right.
Well, mister, let me tell you something.
You better do a lot more thinking about what's right.
Let's go, men.
He can't get by with nothing like that, Mr.
Dillon.
Well, that Samples has got about as good a case against me as I ever heard of against any man, Chester.
But he's lying.
You know he's lying.
What are you going to do about it? Well, there's only one thing I can do.
What? Wait and get that Huggins alone and find out why he's lying.
He must have some good reason.
and it's my night to howl! Hey, watch me take - Let go of that.
- Give me that.
Oh, oh, it's you.
You better go sleep it off somewhere, cowboy.
I'll give you this in the morning.
You don't tell me nothing no marshal what's done murder.
Everybody's talking about it.
What are you doing wearing that badge, huh? Get going, cowboy.
- You - Get going! Huh Don't pay them no personal mind, Mr.
Dillon.
Everybody's looking at me like I was a white buffalo or something.
Well, you ain't heard from the governor yet, though.
Well, I don't work for the state, Chester.
- I work for the War Department.
- Well I'll be hearing from Washington soon enough.
Well, it just ain't right.
What's going on? Uh, nothing.
Nothing.
I-I just, uh Well, I-I stopped by the telegraph office a while ago.
- Oh, I see.
- I was just walking by, and I thought I'd go in.
Was there a telegram from Washington, Chester? How'd you know? What'd it say? Well You read it, Mr.
Dillon.
I don't want to read it, Chester.
Just tell me what it says.
Well says you're suspended.
You're suspended as a U.
S.
marshal.
But that ain't all, though.
They they didn't say who, but they're sending some lawman down here to arrest you.
What? Take you up to Hays City for trial.
Let me see that.
They said that's the only way that they could clear it up legal and proper like.
Well That's that.
Oh, my goodness, Mr.
Dillon.
It looks to me like you ought to just get that Huggins and beat the truth out of him.
And I'll do that, Chester, when the time comes.
Well, it looks to me like the time has come.
Washington is sending a man down here to arrest you.
Right now I'm only going to do one thing get a drink.
Come on, I'll buy you one.
Looks to me like they'd have more faith in you than that, don't it? Just I don't think none of this'd have happened if it hadn't been for that Huggins.
Come on.
Hello, Kitty.
Are you back? Kitty, you're too smart a woman to turn down a good business proposition.
- I did it, though.
- Now, Kitty, listen, let me just put a couple of faro tables in here.
I'll supply everything, including the dealers.
And I'll cut you in for 15%% % of the winnings and absorb all the losses myself.
- Nope.
- Oh, I don't mean right away.
Maybe in a few days.
I'll let you know when the time comes.
We've been through that, Mr.
Samples.
You're just throwing away good money.
But I'm keeping my self-respect.
What do you mean by that? I don't like your kind, mister.
I just don't trust you at all.
Because I proved your friend the marshal murdered my partner, is that it? You make me sick.
Now, look here Hold it.
Trouble, Kitty? Now, you stay out of this, Mr.
Dillon.
We're just having a little business talk.
You talk kind of rough, don't you? It's for her own good.
I don't care what it's for.
I don't want you running faro tables in here.
As a matter of fact, I don't even want you drinking in here.
Don't matter.
There are plenty of other saloons.
Samples, I didn't know you were a gambler.
Oh, this will be the first time in Dodge, but I think I'm going to like it.
Mm-hmm.
Oh, I see you're not wearing your badge today.
Well, I guess Dodge will breathe a lot easier without you around as marshal.
And what about you? I guess you'll probably breathe a lot easier, too, won't you? I always heard you was too strict here.
Mm-hmm.
Well, I hope I'm around when they come to arrest you.
You probably will be.
Mr.
Dillon, I-I thought that Samples said that he was a cattleman getting hisself a big range.
He did.
Well, then what's he doing talking about gambling running faro tables for? Well, buying ranches takes money, Chester big money.
Oh.
Sure, and with you out of the way, he could run them tables just as crooked as he wants to.
That's the way it looks to me.
Well, what are you going to do about it? I think we better look up that witness of his that, uh, Jim Huggins.
You know, I don't think I've seen him around here lately.
Well, I better find him before some tinhorn sheriff comes along and locks me up.
So long, Kitty.
Mr.
Dillon, Huggins wasn't at the Texas Trail, the hotel or Delmonico's.
And he wasn't at any of these places, either.
Samples's probably got him hidden out somewhere.
Sure looks like it, don't it? Yeah.
Well, we'll never find him tonight.
Well, you know, I don't think he'd talk even if you did find him.
Not unless I could find some way to make him talk.
Trouble of it is, there ain't much time left.
Yeah.
Mr.
Dillon.
Hmm? A nice cold beer would sure go good today, wouldn't it? Well, you get finished washing those windows, we'll go get one.
Yeah Washing windows sure ain't no job for a man.
Ha! Ha! Whoa! Ha! Nah That ain't him.
You want to bet? What'd he be doing here? I said you want to bet? Okay, a dollar.
You're on.
Excuse me, mister.
Uh, can I help you? You, uh, looking for something? Nope.
Well, please, uh, no offense, but me and my friend here got a bet on about, uh, who you are.
Sheriff at Abilene.
Mr.
Dillon, Wild Bill Hickock's coming.
- What? - Uh Wild Bill Hickock's coming.
What are you talking about? Matt Bill Hickock.
How are you, Bill? Fine, Matt, just fine.
- Hello, Chester.
- Mr.
Hickock.
You been behaving yourself? When'd you get in town, Bill? On the stage, just now.
Well, I'll be darned.
How's things in Abilene? Nobody's shot me yet.
Oh, there ain't nobody gonna shoot you, Mr.
Hickock.
They keep trying, Chester.
Yeah, but they keep on missing, don't they? Well, maybe that's because nobody's tried to shoot me in the back yet.
What brings you to Dodge, Bill? They didn't tell you? I might have known they wouldn't send some tinhorn after me.
Maybe they figured you wouldn't take easy.
What do you think, Bill? They sent me to bring you in, Matt.
Come on.
Let's have a drink.
It's a long ride from Abilene.
You, too, Chester.
Well, thank you, Mr.
Hickock.
I'd be right proud to, but, uh well, I got some things to do here.
I'll see you directly.
All right.
Matt? I figure you get a couple of drinks in you, Matt, I might be able to find out your side in this business.
Would that keep you from arresting me, Bill? No.
I didn't figure it would.
It's for my own information.
Don't you believe their side of the story? I'll say this, Matt: If I were to hear you judged and watched you hang, I'd still never believe you killed an unarmed man.
Thanks, Bill.
Marshal, Marshal, I gotta talk to you.
Oh, Ed, I'm busy.
- No, please.
- So, get me tomorrow, will ya? Listen, Marshal.
You ain't listening! Listen! Li! Why, it's Bill Hickock.
Hello, Kitty.
What are you doing in Dodge? Oh, just a little business.
How have you been? I'm just fine.
You oughta come and see us more often, Bill.
Yeah, I should.
Hey, Kitty, you haven't found anything out yet, have you? Oh, you mean about Jim Huggins? Mm-hmm.
Well, you only asked me last night, Matt.
I haven't had much time.
Yeah.
I haven't found out anything.
I don't know where he is.
Well, if you find out anything, let me know, will ya? It's kind of important.
Hey, wait a minute.
You're still sheriff up at Abilene, aren't you? That's right.
So, that's why you're here, huh? Kitty, Bill and I are going on down to the Long Branch and have a drink.
Why don't you join us later? Well, I have some shopping to do, Matt.
I'll be back.
See ya later, Kitty.
Sure, Bill.
Marshal, I gotta talk to you.
It's important Now, Ed, look This bottle, it ain't for me; it's for a fella.
He's hiding out over in the stable in a stall there.
What are you trying to tell me? Well, he gives me money to get him a bottle every now and then.
He's hiding out, all right.
What's his name? Um, Jim somebody.
I don't know.
That sounds like my man.
Now, will you give me enough for a bottle for myself? - Yeah, sure.
- I told you about him.
- Sure, Ed, there you are.
- Thank you, Marshal.
Now, look, uh, stay away from that, uh, stable for a while, will ya? Sure, sure.
Thank you, Marshal.
All right.
Let's get that drink later, huh? Let's go back to the office.
I got an idea.
Sure, Matt.
Wake up.
Get up! Get on your feet.
Come on.
- Marshal! - Shut up! Shut up and listen to me.
You make any noise or try to run out of here and I'm gonna bend a six-gun over your skull, do you understand? I understand.
- All right, let's go.
- Who is he? - Never mind.
- What's going on here, huh? No! No! No! No no Oh, hello, Chester.
Ain't they here yet, Doc? No.
No, they haven't showed up.
Well, what do you want me to do with this stuff? Well Good heavens, is that all you got? Well, it's all Mr.
Dillon give me money for.
Here, I'll take it.
Ain't that enough? Yeah, I think this oughta be plenty.
Get me a glass from over there, will ya? Oh! Oh, hey, come right on in.
What are we doing here, Marshal? What are you gonna do to me? Where do you want him, Doc? Well, put him right there on the couch.
You'll want him to be comfortable.
On the couch? What for? What are you gonna do? Go on.
Just do what he says, Huggins.
You ever have any heart trouble? Heart trouble? Yeah.
I don't want anybody dying in here, Matt.
Business is bad enough as it is.
Dying? What are you gonna do to me, Doc? Chester.
Here it is.
- Oh, fine, fine.
- Got it all poured.
Good.
Now just have a little taste.
No.
No! Go on, taste it! It's not gonna hurt you a bit.
Go on now and taste it.
Just taste it! That's whisky.
You betcha, that's whisky.
That's good whisky, Doc.
Yes, sir.
For once in your life, Huggins, you're gonna get all you want of it.
Just go right ahead.
I don't know why you fellas are doing this, but it's all right with me.
Whoa! Wait a minute now.
There's plenty of it.
You don't need to rush it.
Just take your time.
Here, Chester, fill it right up again.
This is liable to take quite a while, Bill.
We might as well sit down.
There you are, now.
Just take your time.
Thanks, Doc.
Oh, I took the money.
Over $500.
Ain't often I can get my hands on $500.
I guess we heard enough, Matt.
Yeah, whisky'll sure start a man to braggin', won't it? Yeah, give him quite a hangover, too.
He's gonna be pretty unhappy tomorrow, Matt.
He's gonna be unhappy in more ways than one, Doc.
Oh, did you find 'em? Yes, sir, they're over at the Long Branch.
Good.
Where you going, Matt? Well, I'm going over and lock up Tom Samples before he finds out his witness is missing.
Well, ain't you forgettin' something? What's that? You can't arrest anybody.
I guess I forgot about that.
Well, this isn't your problem, Bill.
Look, I tell ya.
I'll go over and throw him in jail without arresting him.
You don't mind if I just come along to watch, do you? Okay, but don't forget, he's mine.
Wait a minute, Matt.
Before we go in there, I want to ask you something.
Go ahead.
Supposing things had worked out different.
What would you have done then? You mean, would I have fought you when you tried to arrest me? I've been thinking about it.
Bill, I've been working for the law too long to break it just 'cause it's going against me.
That's a good reason.
All right, Samples.
What are you doing here? You're going to jail.
You gone crazy? You're the one who's going to jail.
It's no use, Samples.
Huggins told me the whole story.
What? You murdered Lou Price, and you paid Huggins $500 to claim I did it.
He's lying.
Ain't nobody gonna believe a story like that.
I believe it, and I'm gonna lock you up, mister.
You ain't locking up nobody.
You ain't a marshal no more.
Let's go.
It ain't legal! We'll fight you.
Won't we, men? You bet we will.
He ain't got a chance.
Wait a minute.
Who are you? Sheriff up at Abilene.
- Hickock.
- Sure is.
I thought I knowed him.
It's true Matt Dillon can't arrest you, but I can.
And I'm deputizing him right now to help me.
It don't matter none about Hickock, boys.
It's still three against two.
Well, that's good enough odds for us.
Start shooting.
Wait a minute, Bill.
I want Samples alive.
You ain't taking me alive.
You nor Hickock or nobody.
I ain't gonna hang! We ain't shootin'.
All right, get out of here fast! Why didn't you take their guns? It's no use hobbling a horse that's already got a busted leg, is there, Bill? Let's have a drink.
Got the mail, Mr.
Dillon.
Here's one from Washington.
Must be the one that you been waiting for.
Well, I doubt that, Chester.
It's only been a month since Hickock sent in his report.
Yeah.
That's only a paycheck.
It's made out to me, all right.
Oh, is that all there is? Yeah.
Hey, wait a minute.
This isn't right.
What's the matter? That's only my regular paycheck with the amount of my suspension deducted.
No.
Huh! Well, that leaves just about enough to pay for the liquor we poured into Jim Huggins.
Well, Mr.
Dillon, I got a few dollars hid away in a sock.
You'd sure be welcome now.
Well, it isn't quite as bad as all that, Chester.
Well, now What do you say we go over to Delmonico's and have breakfast, huh? It's about as good a way to start the day as any I know of.
Well, yes, sir, I think it is.
Wait a minute.
That makes it official.