Gunsmoke (1955) s04e08 Episode Script

starring James Arness as Matt Dillon.
Moss? Oh, hello, Marshal.
Hi.
Say, you seen Ben Tiple today? No, I ain't seen him.
Why? Well, he's been pasturing those two horses of mine down by the river.
Yeah, that's right.
He's had 'em a couple of weeks now, ain't he? Yeah.
I thought a little green grass would do 'em good.
What's the matter, don't you like the way I feed 'em? Well, sure, but now if you were a horse, which would you rather have? Well, I ain't a horse, so I wouldn't know.
Well, you can ask mine next time you see 'em.
Hello, Matt.
Brought your horses in.
Hello, Ben.
Looks like it did 'em good, too.
It sure did.
Thanks, Moss.
Ben, I hope you didn't make a special trip out here.
Matt, five miles ain't much of a trip, you know.
Besides, I had some pretty good help.
Oh, did you walk all the way out there just to help Ben, Andy? Sure.
I always get a good breakfast out of it, Marshal.
I cook breakfast, he rounds up the horses.
That's a fair bargain, don't you think, Matt? Well, sounds pretty fair to me.
Andy, I think you better get on home now.
Your pa might be out looking for you.
If he is looking for me, it's just to give me a whipping.
Well, you listen here now, you come out and visit me again - soon, you hear? - Thanks, Ben.
I'd sure like to.
So long.
Bye, Marshal.
- All right, Andy.
- Bye, Andy.
Matt, if you'll wait till I tie up over there, I'll buy you a drink.
I'd like to, Ben, but I got work to do.
All right.
Say, how much do I owe you for the horses? Oh, Matt, if I can't pasture a couple of horses for a friend like you Well, thanks, Ben.
- I sure appreciate it.
- You know, Matt, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have that land at all.
- You remember? - Yeah.
But that doesn't matter now.
It sure does to me.
You did me a favor then.
I'll never forget it.
Well, I was just trying to get you to work to keep you out of trouble.
You were pretty wild in those days.
- I was, too, by golly.
- I'll tell you Chester and I are riding out your way tomorrow.
We'll stop by and say hello.
I'll be proud to see you, Matt.
Well, take it easy in that saloon now.
Well, I won't guarantee that.
Hey, Tiple, move that animal over.
You just hold on a minute, Gibbs.
I said move over.
You do that again and I'm gonna shoot you.
You won't do nothing.
What's the matter with you? You drunk? You got a complaint about something, Tiple? You're a troublemaker, Gibbs, and you always have been.
That all you got to say? That's all.
Go ahead, Tiple, I'm waiting.
Hold it.
Now you stay out of this, Marshal.
Not likely.
I know you're a friend of Tiple's, but I ain't sure I like you protecting him this hard.
I'm not protecting anybody.
I'm stopping a gunfight.
Sure, you are.
Go on about your business.
Gibbs I'll meet you anytime anytime you say.
That's enough, Ben.
Sure, we'll meet.
When you ain't got your nursemaid around.
Matt, why'd you stop it? You saw what he did.
Yeah, but that's no reason to kill a man, Ben, you know that.
He's been looking for trouble for a long time, Matt.
Look, Ben, it's been three years since he accused you of running cattle on his land.
Don't you think you ought to forget about it? Matt, I forgot that a long time ago.
It's just that he keeps pushing at me every chance he gets.
Yeah.
Yeah, I know what he's like, Ben.
But you ought to stay away from him.
Matt, it's bound to happen.
Sooner or later, it's bound to happen.
And I'm not the kind of a man that runs away from it.
You know me well enough for that.
Yeah.
I'll see you later, Ben.
Who in the world is that over there, Mr.
Dillon? I don't know.
Well, whoever it is, looks like he just got all tuckered out and decided to take hisself a little nap, don't it? Yeah.
Let's go over there and take a look.
Well, that's Will Gibbs, Mr.
Dillon.
Yeah.
He's dead.
Mr.
Dillon, look here.
He's been shot right in the back.
Looks like he was headed up to Turkey Creek, maybe do a little fishing.
Yeah, that's a mean way to die.
Sure is.
Well, I guess we'll have to get a wagon and take him back to town.
He didn't have no family at all, did he? No.
Joe Spangler was his best friend.
I guess maybe he'll probably want to bury him.
Yeah.
There's somebody up there.
All right, come on out of there.
Come on out, or I'll start shooting.
Don't shoot, Marshal, don't shoot! I-I ain't done nothing, Marshal! I ain't done nothing, honest, Marshal! Andy.
What are you doing out here, anyway? Nothing, Marshal.
I was going to go fishing, but I lost my line.
Well, what were you hiding in the bushes for? Will Gibbs.
I heard a shot a little while ago, and I come looking.
I saw him laying there.
Well, then I got scared when I heard you ride up.
So I hid.
I see.
Well, you didn't have to be scared of me, Andy.
I couldn't see who it was at first, Marshal.
Oh.
Well, did you see anybody around here at all? No, sir.
Whoever done it was gone.
Hmm.
Marshal Will Gibbs was my pa's best friend.
Yes, I know that, Andy.
My goodness, Mr.
Dillon You know the way Ben Tiple and-and-and Gibbs has been fooling around, you think maybe Ben's the one that done that? No, no, not Ben.
It-it wasn't Ben.
Ben wouldn't do nothing like that.
Well, they was enemies, sure, but-but Ben didn't do it.
Now what makes you so sure of that, Andy? Well, I know my pa and Will Gibbs never had no use for him, but Ben always been real good to me just the same.
Well, now, that don't mean that he's got to be good to Will Gibbs, though, Andy.
No, I I guess not.
Well, come on, we'll go out and talk to Ben Tiple tomorrow.
We got enough to do for today.
Marshal I'm sorry I went and hid on you.
Well, that's all right, Andy.
You know, it's like that sometimes.
A man will start running, and just the fact that he's running will make him scared.
Then he runs all the harder.
Come on, you can ride up behind me.
What in the world's he up to, Mr.
Dillon? I don't know.
Ben.
Well, that's that's a little more friendly.
Hello, Ben.
Hello, Matt.
Chester.
Howdy, Ben.
Say, that was some reception you were about to give us there.
I couldn't tell who it was right off.
Who were you expecting, Ben? Why, nobody, Matt.
You were supposed to be out here yesterday.
Yeah, I know.
Well, your place is looking real good.
Yeah, I work pretty hard at it.
You know, you ought to get some help out here.
Probably wouldn't cost you much.
In fact, it might make you money in the long run.
Why, Matt, help is hard to come by.
And when you do find somebody, he stays till first payday then rides off somewhere and never shows up again.
Yeah, I guess that's true.
Don't you get kind of lonely out here though, Ben? Well, I've always been lonely, but a man gets used to it.
At least, I guess he does.
Ben No need to beat around the bush, Matt.
- I know why you're here.
- Do you? Yeah.
I heard about it.
About Will Gibbs, I mean.
Well? Well what? You asking me if I done it, Matt? Everybody in Dodge thinks you did.
Well, what do you think? Well, I've been telling them I've known Ben Tiple a long time.
That he's pretty hot-tempered, and also that Will Gibbs has been prodding him every chance he had.
Well, that much is sure true.
I also told them that Gibbs never had a chance to get to his gun.
He was shot in the back.
What are people saying to that, Matt? Well, they say you're a friend of mine, and that's why I didn't come in here to arrest you yesterday.
Is it, Matt? No, Ben.
I'd arrest my own brother if I thought he'd committed murder.
Well, let me see that happened some time yesterday morning, didn't it, Matt? Yeah.
I have no alibi for then, either.
I was nowhere anybody could see me.
Yeah, that's too bad.
It sure would have helped.
You know, Matt, I might have shot Will Gibbs sometime, but never in the back.
I know that, Ben.
Until I find out who did it, you better stay out of Dodge.
They're going to have a tough time lynching me.
Come on, I'll fix you some coffee, huh? All right.
Would you like some coffee, Chester? Oh, yeah, thank you.
Here you are, Miss Kitty.
Thanks, Sam.
Evening, Kitty.
Well, I was just about to leave.
Why? Well, look at this place.
Well, what's the matter with it? I feel like the hostess that planned the big party and nobody showed up.
Say, I can remember the time when you appreciated a slack night.
That was before I bought half interest in the place.
Now I want to see it swarming.
Mmm.
Getting greedy, huh? I don't know why not.
I'm not getting any younger.
Listen, Kitty, you're gonna be able to retire before long.
Why not? Well, I hope you can.
I hope somebody's getting rich around here.
It's a sure thing the law isn't.
Yeah, but the law keeps busy.
Matt Joe Spangler.
Marshal, I want to talk to you.
All right.
I want to know why you ain't got Ben Tiple in jail.
Will Gibbs was a friend of yours, wasn't he? That don't matter.
No, and it doesn't matter that Ben Tiple's a friend of mine.
He didn't do it.
There's a lot of people think he did, Marshal.
Do they have any proof? I have.
My boy, Andy.
I'm pretty sure he seen Tiple down there.
What? I'll get it out of him.
Whipped him twice already.
Wait a minute.
If Andy'd seen Ben Tiple down there, why didn't he tell me about it? Scared.
Scared of what? You.
What you might do to him if he talked about your friend Tiple.
But he's sure gonna talk before I'm through with him.
I'll beat him lopsided.
Spangler, you better get out of here before I lose my temper.
I sure don't want that to happen, Marshal.
All I want is for you to do your job before somebody has to do it for ya.
Howdy.
Doctor.
Marshal, how are ya? Say, you're gonna have a pretty busy day today.
I am? Why? Law of averages.
You didn't do nothing yesterday.
Well, I did, too.
Good heavens, I was down Well, I How you fixed for cash? Huh? How'd you like to make a little loan? Oh.
Well, uh, how much you need? About ten'll do it.
Ten, huh? Well, all right.
There's five.
All right, thank you.
I'll just credit your account with it.
Credit my account? I don't owe you anything.
Oh, no, no, you're all paid up, but you know, I been figuring.
See, a fellow that lives like you do, whose health depends sometimes on the whims of just anybody almost? Yeah? Well, you ought to keep on a kind of a friendly financial basis with your personal physician.
Huh! By golly.
Now, I thought Chester knew about every way there was to wheedle me out of my money, but you know, I think you got him beat.
Well, you want to keep on the safe side, don't ya? Yeah, that's why I want that five back on Friday.
- Oh, you do? - Yeah.
Well, by thunder, I won't do business with you anymore.
I'll take my transactions over to the bank.
Mr.
Bodkin will treat me Don't, Pa! Don't! What's he doing to that boy? Told you before, you little snitch! No, Pa, don't! Don't! Why, that - Wait a minute, Doc.
- Huh? I've had about enough of his ways.
You won't learn, will ya, boy?! - I warned ya! I warned you what you'd get! - No, Pa! How are you, Andy? You all right? I didn't mean to do it.
- I told him I didn't.
- What'd you do? Lost his rifle.
I borrowed it to go hunting, and I fell off the bank into the river, and I lost it.
You're interfering, Marshal.
I ought to kill ya.
Don't try it.
You don't know how.
What right you got interfering between a man and his boy? Mister, you ever lay a hand on that boy again, and you're gonna find out.
Yeah? Kid ought to be in jail, stealing like he does.
He's had a pretty rough time since his mother died, and you're not helping him any, mister.
Still ain't none of your business.
Then from now on, I'm making it my business.
I ain't even gonna talk to you about it.
I'll sure talk to you later.
Spangler.
You remember what I said.
He won't beat me again, because I ain't goin' home.
Not ever! He hates me.
Well, now, here, here, son, you-you gotta go home, boy.
You-you got no place else to go.
- Matt, I - Well, Andy, I don't think he'll ever try to beat you again.
But if he does, I want you to let me know.
Will you do that? Okay, Marshal.
And don't ever let him make you say anything that isn't true, Andy.
You don't have to, understand? All right, Andy.
And you can come see me anytime you want to, hmm? If you say so, Marshal.
Bye, Marshal.
So long, Andy.
Daddy come west to Kansas Come make his home in Kansas But all he made was Mr.
Dillon I'll tell you, this sure is a purdy night, ain't it? Look at them stars up there just a-shinin' and a-twinklin' away.
Yeah.
Yeah, look at all those lights shining and twinkling away in those saloons.
Ain't much of a nature lover, are you? Ah, I guess not, Chester.
Not while I got work to do.
What work's that? Well, for the next few hours, I gotta walk up and down these streets, see that nobody gets too drunk or gets cheated at cards or maybe gets their head split open or killed.
Yeah, well, that-that could sure get to be work, all right.
- -Well, put on another pot of coffee.
I'll see you later.
Oh, all right.
Get your hands up, Tiple.
Don't turn around.
Put 'em down now.
You're kinda sneaky, ain't you, Spangler? I don't want none of your mouth, Tiple.
Get in the alley there.
Get! Get! Kinda surprised you, didn't I? Not at all, Spangler.
I always figured you for a coward.
I could put a bullet in you anytime I want, Tiple.
Not facing me decent, you couldn't.
The way you faced Will Gibbs? It wasn't me that shot him.
No, of course not.
He shot himself right in the back.
You might as well admit it, or you'll die right here in this alley.
Why should I admit to something I didn't do? All right, I guess I'm gonna have to kill you.
All right, Spangler, drop the gun.
I'm gonna shoot him, Marshal.
You'll die if you do.
Marshal! Andy, get back out of sight.
I've gotta tell you something.
It's terrible important.
Get back there right now.
Go on.
- What's that kid doing here? - Please, Marshal, I-I got to tell you now, before anything happens.
All right, what is it? I'm getting mighty tired of this.
You'll get a whole lot tireder, you make a wrong move.
The marshal's gun's pointed right at your back, Spangler.
You ain't in such a good spot, Tiple.
It's a whole lot better than it was when we first started out.
I ain't so sure the marshal would shoot a man in the back.
Well, then he'll turn you around and shoot you.
Maybe, but you won't be alive to see it.
Spangler, I don't think you're willing to die.
What's that blasted kid doing here?! At least he didn't come here - to murder somebody like Go on.
You're the murderer, Ben Tiple, not me.
Spangler, Ben didn't kill Will Gibbs.
You said that before, Marshal.
Don't come any closer.
It was Andy that shot him.
What? He just told me.
What are you saying? It was an accident.
You remember the day he took your rifle? Well, he didn't lose it.
He was out hunting, and he saw something move.
He thought it was an animal, and he fired at it.
It was Gibbs.
When he saw what he done, he got scared and threw the rifle into the brush.
I don't believe it.
Andy, you tell him.
It's true.
I was too scared to tell anybody before.
It's true.
I shot him.
All right, Spangler, you heard him.
Now drop the gun.
I don't believe him.
The kid's a liar! I said drop the gun.
You put him up to this! Have you gone crazy? No, I haven't.
Well you killed him, Matt.
I'm sorry, Andy.
I didn't mean to kill your pa, but he just didn't give me much choice.
He wasn't my pa.
What? He wasn't your pa? My real pa died a long time ago.
Ma told me about it when she made me change my name to his.
I see.
Guess that's why he never liked me much, beat me all the time.
Yeah.
That explains a lot of things.
Marshal? What, Andy? When you gonna hang me? What? What'd you say? When am I gonna hang you, Andy? For shooting Will Gibbs.
Oh.
So that's what you been thinking all this time, huh? That's why you didn't speak up any sooner? Well, of course.
But I've admitted it now.
And it's true, Marshal.
I done it, all right.
Andy, let me tell you something.
You did it, yes, and it was a very bad thing to do.
It was careless and it was foolish, but it was an accident, Andy.
And nobody's gonna hang you for it.
Really? You mean that? I mean it.
Ben? Matt? I think we got a pretty brave boy here, don't you? Yeah, we sure do.
Spoke right up to save my life, thinking he'd be hung for it.
Andy? Yeah? You're all alone in the world now and so am I.
How'd you like to come home with me? I could use a boy like you full-time.
You-you mean it? Well, sure I do.
Marshal, you believe him? You think he means it? Yeah, I think he means it.
Golly! Well, now I think we better be getting home.
Too late for a boy of mine to be out, anyhow.