Gunsmoke: Old West Stories

Originally Aired: April 24, 1960 Gunsmoke #420, "Stage Snatch," finds Marshal Matt Dillon delivering a dangerous prisoner named Rouse to Hayes City for trial when their stagecoach is stopped by Bigfoot, a Native American leader, and his son Younghawk. Rouse murdered Bigfoot's father, and the grieving son believes the killer's life belongs to him, not to white man's justice. Despite Dillon's assurances that Rouse will likely hang after trial, Bigfoot refuses to let the law handle the matter and takes both the marshal and his prisoner captive. As they're forced to march across the prairie toward the tribal encampment, the situation grows increasingly tense. Rouse, roped to a horse and struggling with the brutal trek, whines and complains while Dillon maintains his composure despite having his hands tied. Though Dillon has always been friends with Bigfoot and promises him justice through the legal system, the Native American leader remains determined to hold his own council trial, creating a dangerous standoff between frontier justice and tribal honor.

Originally Aired: April 10, 1960 Gunsmoke #418, "Daves Lesson," Marshal Matt Dillon takes on an unexpected responsibility when his old friend Joe Barrett and Joe's wife Lydia die suddenly from fever, leaving their teenage son Dave orphaned. At the request of Joe's brother Will, Matt agrees to take fifteen or sixteen-year-old Dave under his wing for the summer, giving the boy a chance to get away and heal. When Kitty Russell teases Matt about finally becoming a family man, he brushes off her comments, insisting it's just what the boy needs. However, when Dave arrives on the Dodge City stage, Matt quickly discovers this won't be as simple as he thought. Dave Barrett proves to be a headstrong young man determined to prove himself as tough and capable with guns. He boasts about his shooting skills, insists he doesn't need anyone watching over him, and clearly idolizes gunfighters who wear two pistols. Left in Chester's care while Matt rides to Hays City, Dave bristles at doing mundane tasks and keeps insisting that a real lawman's deputy should be wearing a gun and ready for action. Chester struggles to manage the cocky teenager, and it becomes clear that Dave needs to learn some hard lessons about what it really means to be a man.

Originally Aired: March 27, 1960 Gunsmoke #416, "Indian Baby," finds Marshal Dillon investigating a troubling situation when Doc Adams and Kitty discover a nearly unconscious white woman lying on the prairie, clutching an infant. The woman, later identified as Dory, is suffering from severe exhaustion and exposure, but what makes the case peculiar is that she's a white woman holding an Indian baby. When Matt questions her, Dory insists the child is hers and speaks frantically about savages killing her baby and her missing husband Joe. Doc believes she may have kidnapped the infant. Matt and Chester ride out to a nearby Indian camp to get answers, where they meet with Hawkwing, who reveals the truth behind the tragedy. The old chief explains that Dory's own baby died of fever, and his people buried the child while trying to help the grieving mother. In her confused state of grief, Dory wandered into the night and took one of their babies. Now the young braves are out hunting, and Hawkwing warns there will be trouble if the child isn't returned before they come back. Matt must somehow help Dory face the painful reality of her loss before the situation escalates into violence.

Originally Aired: March 13, 1960 Gunsmoke #414, "Unloaded Gun," finds Marshal Matt Dillon returning to Dodge City exhausted and feverish after a four-day manhunt. During the chase, Matt killed Red Lyme following a holdup, though the details of exactly what happened remain unclear. When Matt arrives back in town, he barely acknowledges Kitty and Doc Adams, stumbling straight to his office where he collapses without even removing his muddy boots. Doc diagnoses a fever and gives him sleeping powder, while his deputy Chester notices Matt's gun belt has been carelessly dropped in the corner, covered in mud—highly unusual for the normally meticulous marshal. As Matt sleeps off his fever, word reaches the Long Branch Saloon that Joe Lyme, Red's brother, has returned to Dodge City with vengeance on his mind. Joe is openly declaring his intention to kill Marshal Dillon for his brother's death. Meanwhile, Chester begins cleaning Matt's neglected gun, and a boy arrives claiming Doc needs Chester's help holding down an injured man. The stage is set for a deadly confrontation, but Matt remains unconscious in his office, unaware of the threat gathering against him.

Originally Aired: February 28, 1960 Gunsmoke #412, "Prescribed Killing," presents a chilling domestic drama on the Kansas prairie. Myra Kirby arrives in Dodge City with a disturbing message for Marshal Matt Dillon: her husband Luke is going to kill her. Living in isolation on their horse ranch, Myra has grown bitter and resentful of Luke's devotion to his horses and his visits to the Widow Holland, a neighbor woman whose husband recently died. The tension between the couple has escalated to the point where Myra tells Matt she simply wanted him to know what's coming, so he'll know what to do afterwards. Luke confirms the marital strife when Matt confronts him, cryptically saying his wife is living with devils and there's nobody who can help except him. The situation grows more ominous when Luke warns the Marshal that no one can stop what's happening, and that only he can deal with it. Just as Matt finishes speaking with Luke, Doc Adams arrives with grave news: he's already been out to the Kirby place that morning, and Myra has been badly hurt. The stage is set for Matt to uncover the dark truth behind this troubled marriage.

Originally Aired: February 14, 1960 Gunsmoke #410, "Distant Drummer," features Raffi, a simple-minded Civil War veteran who wears his drum proudly around his neck, a gift from his captain at Antietam. When Raffi seeks refuge in the Long Branch from taunting townspeople, Miss Kitty shows him compassion and kindness, offering him work chopping wood while she watches over his precious drum. Doc Adams suggests that perhaps the drum is the last thing Raffi was ever proud of, though it makes him a constant target for the town's cruelty. When a concerned citizen named Dobie urges Marshal Dillon to take action against Raffi as a potential troublemaker, Matt refuses, pointing out that any trouble would come from those tormenting the harmless veteran. The situation escalates when Chester alerts Matt that some men have treed Raffi at the livery stable, dangling his beloved drum from a branch and forcing him to crawl out for it. Raffi falls and is injured, prompting Doc to treat him while Matt confronts the tormentors. As Raffi recovers, he speaks ominously about folks needing to learn different, leaving Matt concerned about what the traumatized drummer might do next.

Originally Aired: January 31, 1960 Gunsmoke #408, "Chester's Dilemma," Chester finds himself the object of affection from Edna, a young store clerk working for Mr. Jonas who transforms from a wilted shopgirl into a radiant companion each afternoon at closing time. The pretty but mysterious woman, who Jonas suspects is hiding something about her farm upbringing in Ohio, begins accompanying Chester on his daily mail runs from the depot. She clings to his arm, flatters his bravery, and shows unusual interest in the marshal's correspondence, particularly the wanted circulars and official letters. Meanwhile, Doc McGee diagnoses Chester with a different ailment: he's become listless and distracted, neglecting his duties at the marshal's office. Doc suggests to Matt Dillon that Chester feels unappreciated, but the real cause of Chester's preoccupation becomes clear when Edna kisses him on Front Street and takes a particular interest in a letter from Ohio. As Chester struggles between his duties and this new romance, Edna's secretive behavior and her focus on the marshal's mail hint at complications ahead for Dodge City's lovesick deputy.

Originally Aired: January 17, 1960 Gunsmoke #406, "Fiery Arrest," finds Matt Dillon and Chester caught in a violent rainstorm and taking shelter in an abandoned shack. Their refuge turns dangerous when two armed men, Hod Mueller and Mosley, get the drop on them. The suspicious Hod is convinced that someone tipped off the law about his whereabouts, and when a woman named Millie arrives with supplies, he's certain she's the one who betrayed him. Despite her desperate denials, Hod viciously beats her while a helpless Matt can only watch. The outlaws tie up Matt, Chester, and Millie before riding out to rob a stagecoach, leaving their captives to struggle free. Once loose, Matt sends Chester back to Dodge with the badly injured Millie while he pursues the outlaws alone through the storm. The confrontation in the rocks plays out with deadly consequences, and Matt returns to town to check on Millie's recovery. Under Doc Adams and Kitty's care, the battered woman begins a long healing process, but the physical wounds may prove easier to mend than the deeper scars left by Hod Mueller's brutal treatment.

Originally Aired: January 3, 1960 Gunsmoke #404, "Trojan War," finds Marshal Matt Dillon confronting the notorious Pueblo gang when they arrive in Dodge City. The trio of outlaws, Ed and Rio Parks and Chuck Evans, have a fearsome reputation for stage robberies throughout the western territories, and Dillon wastes no time warning them to keep their noses clean in his town. When the gold dust shipment stage from Buckeye fails to arrive on schedule, the marshal's suspicions are confirmed. He and Chester discover the robbed stagecoach with the driver and guard shot dead, the strongbox emptied, and a woman's carpetbag inside with no sign of its owner. Following the killers' trail through the darkening wilderness, Matt and Chester track the gang to an abandoned campsite where they make a grim discovery. They find Helen Ford, a female passenger from the stage, shot and left for dead by the fleeing outlaws. As the dying woman struggles to identify her attackers, Dillon faces the challenge of bringing the ruthless Pueblo gang to justice for robbery and murder.

Originally Aired: December 20, 1959 Gunsmoke #402, "Beekers Barn," finds Marshal Matt Dillon facing a tense family conflict on a bitter cold Christmas Eve. When rancher Jethro Beeker storms into the marshal's office demanding that trespassers be thrown off his property, Matt discovers the "criminals" are Will Ross and Harmony, Jethro's own daughter whom he disowned two years earlier when she married Will. The young couple, caught in a snowstorm while traveling, sought shelter in Beeker's barn out of desperation. When Matt and Chester arrive at the ranch, they find Will armed and defensive, protecting Harmony in the tack room where he's made her a bed of straw and blankets. The situation grows more urgent when Matt discovers why the couple so desperately needs shelter: Harmony is about to give birth. As Doc Adams is summoned through the snowstorm and the stubborn Jethro refuses to acknowledge his daughter's plight, the marshal must navigate between an unforgiving father and a frightened young couple facing the arrival of their child on one of the coldest nights of the year.

Originally Aired: December 6, 1959 Gunsmoke #400, "Big Chugg Wilson," a seemingly innocent flirtation between saloon girl Lori and a rough buffalo hunter spirals into violence and obsession. When the unwashed and lonely Chugg Wilson rides into Dodge City to sell his hides, Lori playfully teases him at the Long Branch, much to the concern of Roque, a ranch hand who has feelings for her. Kitty Russell warns Lori that she might be attracting more attention than she intends, but Lori dismisses the danger, insisting she's just having fun. She promises Chugg a drink later, not realizing how seriously he takes her casual attention. When Chugg returns that evening expecting Lori to keep her promise, the situation turns dark. Lori tries to brush him off, explaining she was only teasing, but Chugg refuses to accept her rejection. When Roque attempts to defend Lori and escort her home, the massive buffalo hunter becomes violent, leaving Roque badly hurt and claiming Lori for himself. What began as playful banter transforms into a dangerous confrontation that threatens everyone involved.

Originally Aired: November 22, 1959 Gunsmoke #398, "Paid Killer," finds Marshal Matt Dillon facing a deadly threat when old Billy overhears a sinister conversation in the livery stable. Two men discuss a contract killing—one offering a thousand dollars in gold to have Dillon murdered, and the other accepting the job. Though Billy couldn't identify the voices in the darkness, Matt and Chester soon trace the money to Lawson Hale, a businessman whose schemes Matt has repeatedly thwarted. Now Hale has hired an unknown gunman, and the killer could be anyone among the strangers in Dodge. For two tense days, Matt refuses to hide, walking the moonlit streets despite Chester's protests and his own admission that waiting for an unseen assassin frays the nerves. When Matt confronts Hale at the Long Branch saloon and tries to goad him into making his own play, the cowardly schemer refuses to take the bait. That night, a muzzle flash from the shadows finally announces the killer's presence, but after one shot, the gunman vanishes into the darkness, leaving Matt to wonder when and where he'll strike next.

Originally Aired: November 8, 1959 Gunsmoke #396, "Cavalcade," presents Marshal Matt Dillon with an agonizing dilemma when Deputy Sheriff Ed Hunter arrives from Richmond, Virginia, carrying murder warrants for two fugitives. Hunter has tracked one suspect, Calvin Moore, for nineteen years following the shooting death of Roger Beauregard. When Hunter shows Dillon a photograph, the marshal recognizes the face as someone he knows well in Dodge City: Doc Adams. The evidence is unmistakable, despite the passage of time. Doc explains his side of the story to Matt, revealing that young Jim Beauregard challenged him to a duel over a southern girl they both courted. With no witnesses to prove self-defense and facing certain conviction as a Yankee outsider in Virginia, Doc fled west and eventually settled in Dodge. Now Matt faces an impossible choice between his duty as a lawman and his loyalty to a friend. Doc makes his position clear: he won't go back to Virginia and face prison for defending himself. The marshal must decide whether honest law means betraying a good man, while Dodge City waits to see what their marshal will do.