Gunsmoke (1955) s03e34 Episode Script

starring James Arness as Matt Dillon.
Some of these Boot Hill men lie here with nothing but a saddle blanket for a coffin, and some of them who are real poor without even that.
But they all died the same way- hard and fast, and hating something.
You know, it's the hate a man carries that destroys him- it's not the bullets.
Hate can twist and sicken him till he's not good to anybody including himself.
And that's a bad thing to watch in any man.
Matt Dillon, U.
S.
Marshal.
Oh, good morning, Marshal, Chester.
Mr.
Hogg.
Something I can help you with? Well, I'll be with you in a minute.
As soon as I get these papers straightened out.
Certainly, Marshal.
Oh, good morning, Chester, Marshal.
Mr.
Papp.
You taking money out, Marshal, or putting it in? Neither one, Mr.
Papp.
There are just government papers here.
Oh, of course.
Is Mr.
Botkin around? No, Mr.
Botkin's in St.
Louis for several weeks.
He, uh, he left me in charge.
Can I help you? Well, yeah, I want you to take a look at this.
This is ten sections down by Granby Wells.
The government lost that case, you remember? I remember.
So did the bank.
There's no point in saving this then, is there? Well Cashier, I haven't a minute to lose.
Yes, sir, what can I do for you? I want to borrow some money, immediately.
Well, we'll do what we can.
But first, how much do you want? $20,000.
Wh? $20,000? And now, man, hurry.
Mr.
Papp.
Yes, Mr.
Hobb? These gentlemen want to talk to you.
Mr.
Papp's in charge of the bank.
How do you do? My name's Shaneways, Mr.
Papp.
And I want to borrow $20,000 and I want it immediately.
That's a lot of money.
Now don't tell me this bank doesn't have that much.
Well, certainly we have.
Well, then? Well, you're a stranger in Dodge, sir.
What do you have for collateral? This.
What is it? Now take a look, but don't reveal it to this other gentleman.
Well, these are playing cards.
Don't name them.
I'm afraid I don't understand, sir.
Let me explain, Mr.
Papp.
We've been playing poker all night at the Long Branch.
There's over $40,000 in that pot.
Now everyone has dropped out except this gentleman and myself.
I've put every cent I had on me into it already.
Now, he's agreed to give me 20 minutes to come up with more money.
Isn't that right, sir? That's right.
I certainly wish you a lot of luck, sir, but I'm afraid I can't do anything for you.
Mr.
Papp you've seen my hand.
You can lend me money on this.
Surely, sir, you don't expect the bank to enter a gambling game.
Mr.
Papp, it's a sure thing.
Where's his hand? It's being held by the bartender at the Long Branch.
The other players are watching the table.
Well I'm afraid I don't quite know what to say.
I'll give you Why that's $4,000.
Yes.
With a hand like this I can't lose, and you know it.
You got ten minutes, mister.
I know, I know.
Wait here.
I'll be right back.
Did you hear all that, Mr.
Dillon? Yeah.
You think that Papp's gonna loan him the money? He's got more sense than that, Chester.
Throw these in the safe, will you, Mr.
Hogg? Certainly, Marshal.
You want a receipt? No, thanks.
Nobody but the government's got any interest in those papers.
Right.
Oh, uh, Marshal Dillon Marshal, I, uh, I want you to come with me.
Those gentlemen there- there's a poker game Yes, I overheard.
Oh.
I have the money right here.
You mean to say you're going to lend them that money? Well, yes.
And I think you'd better come along just to be sure.
Just to be sure of what? Just to watch the money.
Marshal, that man has four aces in his hand.
Why, it's a sure thing.
Is it? The bank stands to make $4,000 on this loan.
Won't take but a few minutes.
Yes, except this isn't exactly an ordinary loan.
I can't lose.
There's not a chance in a million.
Mr.
Papp, when you're gambling, there's always a chance.
You've never even seen that man before, have you? No, but I've I've seen his hand.
I'd back four aces with everything I have any time.
But you're gambling with other people's money.
Now, Marshal Did you ever stop to think what happens if you lose? Now, Marshal, you're forgetting something.
Mr.
Botkin left me in charge of the bank, not you.
And nobody's going to tell me how to run it.
Now it doesn't matter whether you approve or not.
I'm going to lend him the money.
Now are you or aren't you going to help me? All right.
I'll come along, see they don't take it from you at gunpoint, if that will help you.
Come on, Chester.
Gentlemen.
Bartender, my cards.
All right, mister, I called and raised you $20,000.
It's up to you.
Well? Uh Let me have another look.
There's my money.
I'm calling you.
You must have a pretty good hand.
All the trouble you've been to.
You'll see it.
What do you have? Five little hearts, all blue.
Four aces! I win! Good, good.
Wait a minute.
Take a look at my hearts, mister.
Two, three, four, five, six.
A s-straight flush.
Aces lose.
How could you have a straight flush? Got it dealt right out of the deck.
Right out of the deck.
It's a nice pot.
It can't be.
Mr.
Shaneways the-the money.
He won the money.
Don't worry, Mr.
Papp.
Remember, I only borrowed the money.
You'll get it back.
Mr.
Shaneways, I-I must have that money back.
It's not mine.
Well, I'll send for it today.
I'll wire my agents.
It'll be on the next train from St.
Louis.
$20,000 lost, thrown away.
I-I must have it back somehow.
You have my word as a gentleman, sir.
But you must be patient.
Oh, I-I no, I-I shouldn't have done it.
I had no right to do it.
Here, Mr.
Papp, sit down.
Better go get Doc, send him over here.
Yes, sir.
You all right, Mr.
Papp? Oh, I should have listened to you, Marshal.
Now the bank's ruined, I'm ruined.
Now, now, just a minute.
Shaneways may show up with the money yet.
We'll just have to wait and see.
In the meantime, you'd better get ahold of yourself.
Oh, as soon as people hear about this there won't be any more bank.
I've ruined Mr.
Botkin, the bank probably a lot of people here in Dodge.
Now, wait a minute.
Look, you better, you better wait here.
Doc's coming over.
No, no, no.
No, Marshal, it's it's all right.
It's all right.
I feel sorry for the man, Marshal, but he really has nothing to worry about.
I'll send for the money at once.
Yeah, you send for the money.
In the meantime, don't get any ideas about leaving Dodge.
What are you gentlemen's names? Oh, my name's Hook, Marshal.
I'm sorry for what happened to that banker, but it's nothing to do with me.
I won this money fair and I'm keeping it.
Who dealt that hand? I did.
What's your name? James Varden.
And I agree with him.
Gambling money's fair money.
Oh, Matt.
Hmm? Chester just told me about Mr.
Papp.
Where is he? Oh, yeah, Doc, I think he went back to the bank.
You better go over and take a look at him.
Oh, all right, I'll go right over.
Oh, say, Matt.
Could you come out here a minute? I want to talk to you.
Yeah.
What's the matter with you, Shaneways? You act like you know the old man.
Yeah, I know him.
What is it, Doc? Oh, Chester was telling me something about a $20,000 loan- four aces as collateral, is that it? Yeah.
Four aces got beat by a straight flush? Yeah.
Why? By golly, I recall something about like that that happened down in New Orleans a long time ago.
What do you mean? Well, it was the same way, exactly.
Fella borrowed money he knew he was going to lose to a partner.
From the bank? Yep, from the bank.
New Orleans, huh? Yeah.
Doc, I was afraid of something like this.
Look, you didn't know any of the men involved, did you? No, no, no, they-they came down on a riverboat, people said.
I was the doctor on the Tennessee Belle at the time and, no, I never met any of them, not to my knowledge.
Hey, Doc.
Yeah? Go on over to Papp's house.
His house? I just rode by there, and his old lady came out and hollered at me to fetch you.
Well, what's the trouble? I don't know, he's sick I guess.
Well, I guess I'd better get over there, Matt.
Yeah, Doc, let me know, will ya? Yeah.
Make his home In Kansas But a home that he made Mr.
Dillon, maybe a little bit of this here coffee would kind of settle your dinner for you.
It's not exactly what's bothering me, Chester.
Yeah, well, it sure ain't gonna hurt you none anyways.
Well, I'm not so sure of that.
Well, now doggone, Mr.
Dillon, you know, you ain't even tasted it yet.
I soaked it cold this time.
You what? I soaked it cold.
You know, I put the coffee in the cold water and let it soak awhile before I brung it to a boil.
Well, you'll try anything, won't you? Oh! That's just as smooth as a widow's kiss.
Ain't you even gonna taste it? Uh, well, no.
I-I think I'll just let it cool off for a little while, Chester.
Well, uh Mr.
Dillon, you-you think that that Shaneways is gonna pay the money back? Well, I don't know.
This town'll be in a pretty bad way if he doesn't.
Yeah, well, I I reckon there's nothing you can do about it, though.
Well, I sure haven't thought of anything so far.
Matt.
Hello, Doc.
Well, how's Papp? He tried to shoot himself.
He what?! He what?! Well, he'll live, but he-he's in bad shape, I tell you.
Now, Matt, you know, when people hear about this, it's gonna be awful bad for the bank.
Yeah.
Why don't you just go and arrest that fella and take the $20,000 and put it back in the bank? Oh, because I can't prove he did anything wrong, Doc.
Got to do something.
You see, the only thing I can do is to get Shaneways and his friends to make some kind of a wrong move.
Well, Mr.
Dillon, how do you know that they're friends, though, for sure? Well, I don't know for sure, but you see, if I could scare Shaneways into running, and if this Hook and Varden would follow him, well, that'd give me a pretty good idea.
By golly, that'd be about all the case you'd need to prove they're working together, wouldn't it? That sure would do it.
Well, that means that you're just gonna have to follow around after him night and day.
No, it doesn't.
You see, there's no train out until tomorrow noon, and no stage that leaves till day after tomorrow.
I'm going down to the Long Branch.
I'll see you later.
Oh, well, I'll walk part way with you, Matt.
Hey, Doc, what was the name of that boat? What? Oh, you mean the one I was on once? Yeah.
Tennessee Belle.
Why? Well, I'm just wondering.
Hello, Matt.
Hello, Kitty.
You're looking for somebody.
Yeah, I'm looking for a man by the name of Shaneways.
He was in an all-night poker game here last night? Yeah.
I met him a little while ago.
I understand he lost an awful lot of money.
And a lot that wasn't his.
Hello, Marshal.
Whiskey.
Can I buy you and the lady a drink? Uh, no, thanks.
I've got to go talk to Bill Pence.
I'll see you later, Matt.
All right, Kitty.
I sent for that money today, Marshal, if that's what bothering you.
A little late, Shaneways.
Late? Mr.
Papp tried to kill himself.
Yes, I heard.
Well, you can't hold me responsible for that.
I didn't say I was.
But you, uh, seem a little nervous about it.
Well, naturally I'm a bit upset.
After all, the man did me a big favor.
Tell me something.
When was the last time you were in New Orleans? New Orleans? Why do you ask that? Just curious.
Well, no, I've never been in New Orleans.
Does that answer your question? Did you ever ride in the Tennessee Belle? Well, what's that, a boat? Yeah, a boat.
No, I'm afraid not.
Any further questions? Not right now, but just remember what I said.
It still goes about not leaving town.
I like it here, Marshal.
You should.
Mr.
Dillon? Good morning, Chester.
Uh, uh, Mr.
Dillon, look at this note here.
I've been looking all over for you.
"Marshal, we're taking Doc along.
If you follow us, we'll kill him.
" Yeah.
I found it underneath the door when I opened up the office this morning.
And then I run up to Doc's as fast as I could, and Shaneways and them fellas must have took him, because he ain't there.
Let's get the horses.
We getting any closer, Mr.
Dillon? Well, yeah, but I don't think we can catch them before dark, Chester.
Well, what if we don't, and they keep on traveling at night? Well, we'll probably just lose them in that case.
Come on.
Can you make him out, Mr.
Dillon? No, I can't.
Not even with that fire they got going.
They're too far away, but look over here.
Oh.
Yeah, they sure got their horses staked a long way from camp, don't they? Yup.
What are we gonna do, just go down there and shoot it out with them? No, we can't do that, Chester, or they'd kill Doc for sure.
Well, uh, we got to do something.
Well, we got 'em out in the prairie, and out here, they're real greenhorns.
We're gonna steal their horses.
Oh.
Then I want you to take our horses and get the whole bunch back out of sight and hide 'em.
Yeah.
Well, what then, though? I'm gonna go down there and play Indian till daylight.
Oh.
And look, when you hear gunfire in the morning, you bring the horses and come on in fast.
Do you understand? Well All right, let's go.
Let your horses get away from you, huh? Well, that ought to begin to worry you just a little bit.
Oh, Hook and Varden will find them soon enough.
Well, I wouldn't bet any of that $20,000 on how soon that'll happen.
Them two dudes out chasing around the prairie.
No, those horses can't have gone too far.
Oh? No, not very far, just about halfway back to Dodge.
That's about all.
You know, I I've seen some greenhorns in my time, but I think you three are the worst.
Why don't you shut up, Doc? Well, now, I just might do that.
If you'd pour me some of that coffee, I might do it.
What's the matter, you cold, Doc? Of course I'm cold.
Who wouldn't be cold, spending the night on a wet saddle blanket? Here.
Ooh! Confound it! Why don't you untie my hands so I can drink this? You'll manage.
Yes, sir, Shaneways, for a man that's slick enough to outsmart a bank, you sure got yourself in a terrible fix, trapped out here on the prairie Don't be too sure, Doc.
No one's ever trapped me.
Well, this just might be the time, you know.
You ran out of Dodge, didn't you? I was being smart.
You know the marshal was on to us.
Well, he wasn't, either.
He was bluffing you.
He couldn't do anything until you ran.
He didn't have any proof at all.
What are you talking about? He had you.
You'd have recognized me from the Tennessee Belle.
Well, you're wrong there.
I wouldn't have recognized you at all, and if I had have, I couldn't have connected you with the Tennessee Belle, or that New Orleans thing or anything.
No, sir, you just outsmarted yourself.
The marshal wanted you to run with your partners, and you did.
Well, you're gonna get caught, and if I was you, I think I'd begin to worry just a little bit about it.
You're the one who ought to start worrying, Doc.
'Cause if Hook and Varden don't come back with those horses, we're leaving, just you and me, on foot.
I think I'm safe enough now, unless the marshal wants to trade your life for mine.
Well, why don't you just ask him? He's right behind you.
Hold it.
Now get your hands up.
Now get over there and get him untied.
Go on! How are you, Doc? I'll all right.
Hurry it up.
All right, Marshal, go ahead and shoot.
Oh! Oh! Oh! Doc, you really took a chance there.
Well, I had to.
You all right? Of course I am.
Here.
You old horse doctor.
Where's the money? It's in that saddlebag right there.
Ooh.
What are you doing anyway? You'll have Hook and Varden back here any minute.
Doc, take this and keep him covered, will you? Yeah.
Come on, get up.
Get up! I'll be darned.
How'd Chester get the horses? Well, he's an old horse thief.
Didn't you know that, Doc? They seen me, Mr.
Dillon.
They're chasing back across the prairie.
All right, you and Doc get saddles on a couple of these horses, will you? Yeah, all right.
All right, get going.
Shaneways, come here.
Go on.
Doc, hold these horses there.
They'll kill both of us standing here.
Not from this distance, they won't.
Here, take this, and I'll get a saddle blanket.
Hurry it up, Chester.
All right, get down.
Do I have to stay here, Marshal? Are you trying to kill them? No, I'm just trying to pin 'em down.
We're ready, Mr.
Dillon! All right, go on, get back there and get mounted.
Be sure you keep a tight reign on those other two horses.
You're not taking their horses? Why not? I got everything I came for.
I don't need them.
They'll die out here.
None of us knows how to live in this prairie.
Well, maybe it's a good way for them to learn.
All right, get 'em out of here.
Whoa.
Marshal? Marshal.
Listen to me.
You can't do this.
You're murdering those men.
They'll be all right out here for a few days, Shaneways.
What do you mean? Well, right now, they're full of fight.
I'd have to kill 'em to take 'em.
A few days alone out here on this prairie, and I can walk right up to 'em.
Then they'll join you in jail.
You treat people kind of rough, don't you? They're getting off easy, mister, and so are you.
Let's go.