Gunsmoke: Old West Stories

Originally Aired: May 15, 1960

Gunsmoke #423, "Tall Trapper," presents Marshal Matt Dillon with a puzzling murder case when Doc Adams discovers a woman beaten to death in a covered wagon east of Dodge. The victim, Cassie Riley, had been traveling west with her husband Riley in hopes the dry climate would improve her failing health. When Doc arrives to treat her, he finds she's already dead from a brutal beating. Riley tells Doc and Matt about a mysterious trapper who shared their camp for two nights, eyeing Cassie the whole time, making him the obvious suspect.

The...

Originally Aired: May 8, 1960

Gunsmoke #422, "Wrong Man different story from #135,"

Marshal Matt Dillon receives a warning from lawman Blair about a dangerous killer named Jim Waddell who may be passing through Dodge City. Waddell is described as a smooth-talking, well-dressed man who never carries a gun but prefers to kill with a knife. Meanwhile, a charming stranger calling himself Jack Norman arrives in town and makes an immediate impression on Kitty Russell with his cultured manners and polite behavior, a refreshing change from the rough cowboys she usually encounters. When Norman gets into a poker dispute...

Originally Aired: May 1, 1960

Gunsmoke #421, "Nettie Sitton," Marshal Matt Dillon and Chester find themselves in desperate circumstances after a renegade Ute ambush leaves Matt badly wounded with a bullet in his leg. Fevered and unable to ride, Matt must be dragged through the wilderness by Chester toward what appears to be an abandoned cabin. However, the cabin is anything but abandoned. They're met by Nettie Sitton, a hardened frontier woman wielding a shotgun, who immediately demands their money and guns in exchange for shelter.

Nettie is no ordinary settler. She's a woman who's buried four husbands...

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...

Originally Aired: April 17, 1960

Gunsmoke #419, "Solomon River," presents Marshal Matt Dillon and Chester with a grim discovery along the riverbank while transporting prisoner Ben Crown to Dodge. The lawmen encounter Letty Thatcher, a woman nearly dead from exhaustion, desperately trying to dig a grave for her husband Luther in the punishing prairie heat. Inside her isolated cabin, they find Luther's body has been lying dead for days while Letty, too weak to bury him, has slowly been starving. Despite Dillon's urging to come with them to Dodge City where he can help her start over, Letty refuses to...

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...

Originally Aired: April 3, 1960

Gunsmoke #417, "Greater Love," finds Marshal Matt Dillon investigating a deadly stagecoach robbery that leaves a shotgun guard dead and two bandits wounded. The trail leads to the homestead of Howard Brandt and his wife, where Matt discovers that the gentle, easy-going young settler he once met has turned outlaw. One of the wounded bandits left for dead at his own doorstep, Howard clings to life while his wife tries desperately to protect him from Matt's questions. She reluctantly reveals that Jeb Butler and a man named Blake lured her husband into the holdup, and...

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...

Originally Aired: March 20, 1960

Gunsmoke #415, "The Constable," finds Marshal Dillon in a difficult position after cracking down on unruly cowboys from a trail drive. When trail boss Rance threatens to boycott Dodge City after five of his men are buffaloed and jailed, the town's businessmen panic. Led by Mr. Green, they pressure Dillon to ease up on enforcement, prioritizing commerce over law and order. The marshal, employed by the federal government rather than the town, refuses to compromise but agrees to stop making arrests in Dodge until the townspeople ask for his help. To handle local disturbances, the...

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 th...

Originally Aired: March 6, 1960

Gunsmoke #413, "Blood Money," finds Marshal Matt Dillon and Chester searching for water on the prairie when they encounter a wary stranger named Joe Harp holding them at gunpoint. Harp's suspicion quickly fades when he realizes he needs their help. He's discovered an injured man named Harry Spiner, whose horse has thrown him and broken his leg. Despite Spiner's ungrateful and surly attitude, Harp has dragged him to shade and stayed to help. Matt and Chester transport both men back to Dodge, where Doc tends to Spiner's injury. Over the following weeks, Harp lingers in...

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...

Originally Aired: February 21, 1960

Gunsmoke #411, "Mr.and Mrs Amber,"

When Marshal Matt Dillon catches Neil Amber stealing seeds from Jonas' store, he takes pity on the desperate sodbuster and pays for the supplies himself. Amber and his wife are struggling to survive on their small patch of land near Pawnee Wells, plagued by one disaster after another. However, Dillon's mercy becomes complicated when cattleman Pete Fletcher arrives at the marshal's office demanding justice. Fletcher's rider has discovered a stolen, slaughtered calf in the Ambers' shed, killed while Neil was in town. Fletcher wants Mrs. Amber arrested...

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...

Originally Aired: February 7, 1960

Gunsmoke #409, "Delias Father,"

Marshal Matt Dillon seeks shelter at a remote ranch during a storm while transporting prisoner Keel and dealing with a lame horse. He's surprised to find the ranch now occupied by Delia Robbins, daughter of his old friend Ben. Delia welcomes Matt warmly, remembering how highly her father spoke of him. When she offers to guide Deputy Chester Festus to town so he can telegraph the judge about their delay, telegraph operator Mr. Weems drops a bombshell: the whole town knows that Matt Dillon killed Ben Robbins. Delia is...

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...

Originally Aired: January 24, 1960

Gunsmoke #407, "Bless Me Till I Die,"

Matt Dillon and Chester encounter Cole and Beth Ann Treadwell on the trail to Dodge City when the couple's wagon breaks down. Cole is a traveling preacher—though not ordained or properly schooled—and the Treadwells are wandering from town to town looking for the right place to settle. Matt suggests Dodge could use a parson, and soon the couple is holding prayer meetings in the town schoolhouse, quickly becoming beloved members of the community. Chester grows particularly attached to the Treadwells, escorting Beth Ann to serv...

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...

Originally Aired: January 10, 1960

Gunsmoke #405, "Lukes Law," presents a clash between frontier justice and modern law enforcement. When old-timer Luke Burris is beaten and left bloody by Smed Moley following a public confrontation in Dodge City, his son Jess comes to Marshal Matt Dillon seeking help. Luke refuses to press charges, insisting he's always handled his own troubles without the law and isn't about to start now. Despite Matt's warnings that times have changed, the stubborn pioneer remains determined to settle the score himself, leaving the Marshal powerless to intervene without a willing witness.

The situation...

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...

Originally Aired: December 27, 1959

Gunsmoke #403, "Puckets New Year," Marshal Matt Dillon and Chester are returning to Dodge City after a brutal blizzard when they discover an abandoned buffalo hunter's camp. They find an elderly hunter named Ira Puckett hiding in a wagon, badly injured and half-frozen after being abandoned by his skinner, Jed Larner, who rode off when the storm approached rather than help his crippled partner. Puckett threatens Matt and Chester at gunpoint, desperate not to be left behind again, but the marshal brings him safely to town where Doc Adams must amputate part of his frozen...

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...

Originally Aired: December 13, 1959

Gunsmoke #401, "Don Mateo," Matt Dillon's past comes calling when Don Esteban, an old friend from his days riding the Mexican border, arrives in Dodge City looking for him. The reunion at the Long Branch starts with warmth and nostalgia as the two men reminisce about their dangerous adventures together, hunting outlaws in territory where they made their own law. But Esteban hasn't come just to visit. He's tracking a man named Rallo who has wronged his Maria, and he wants Matt to ride with him like the old days.

Matt faces an...

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...

Originally Aired: November 29, 1959

In Gunsmoke #399, "Hard Lesson," a desperate young man named Joe Belvin faces an impossible choice when his outlaw brother Pete comes home mortally wounded from a bank robbery. Pete has returned seeking their mother's healing touch, only to learn she died a year ago. With Pete bleeding badly and refusing a doctor for fear of the law, Joe rides into Dodge City to strike a deal with Marshal Matt Dillon. The naive farm boy believes that returning the stolen money will square everything with the law and save his brother, but he receives a...

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 te...

Originally Aired: November 15, 1959

Gunsmoke #397, "The Square Triangle," presents a tale of deadly temptation when Marshal Matt Dillon warns Red Lawson about the dangerous allure of Ava Morley, a married woman whose past admirers ended up in a fatal gunfight. Lawson dismisses the warning, insisting he's no fool like the others. When Matt encounters Ava prowling Front Street after midnight looking for Lawson, he sends her home and fears the worst. His concerns prove justified when Jesse Wells, a young bartender, arrives at Matt's door with grim news: Al Morley has been knifed in the back at their...

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...

Originally Aired: November 1, 1959

Gunsmoke #395, "Westbound," finds Matt Dillon and Chester traveling to Abilene on what should be a routine prisoner pickup. While Doc grumbles back in Dodge about Chester's easy assignment, the deputy himself feels uneasy about the trip. Their mission is to arrest Jack Daggett, a killer who fled to his hometown after a shooting in Dodge. The arrest goes smoothly at the Last Chance Saloon, but trouble quickly surfaces when the local constable, Roar, proves unhelpful and warns that Daggett's older brothers won't take kindly to the situation. With Wild Bill Hickok away in Topeka...

Originally Aired: October 25, 1959

Gunsmoke #394, "Old Gunfighter," centers on Charlie, an elderly man who spends his days sitting in front of the Dodge House, regaling anyone who'll listen with stories of the legendary gunfighter Rio Joe and the old days. When Chester intervenes to protect Charlie from a couple of young toughs who are tired of his constant talking, he ends up with a black eye for his trouble. Charlie insists he's trying to help these young men by teaching them proper gunfighting technique, warning that their clumsy methods will get them killed, but nobody wants to listen...

Originally Aired: October 18, 1959

Gunsmoke #393, "The Mortgage," presents Marshal Matt Dillon with a moral dilemma that strikes at the heart of frontier justice. Wealthy landowner Caleb Andrews arrives at the marshal's office demanding that Dillon serve an order of foreclosure and eviction on Ed Blake, a hardworking farmer who owes $420 on his mortgage. The debt came due just three days ago, but Andrews refuses to wait, despite Ed's legitimate hardships—a broken leg from a horse accident and his family's struggle to bring in a crop. When Dillon tries to reason with the callous creditor, pointing out that An...

Originally Aired: October 11, 1959

In Gunsmoke #392, "Kitty's Quandary," a drifter named Shave Murdoch has been spending considerable time at the Long Branch, and he's set his sights on Kitty Russell. While Shave smoothly courts Kitty with compliments and attention, he shows particular interest in Marshal Dillon's whereabouts and routines. When Matt arrives to take Kitty to supper, tension crackles between the two men. Shave claims he's in Dodge on business and will be heading to Texas soon, but his questions become more pointed when Kitty mentions that Doc Adams will be pulling Matt's bad tooth that night.

Originally Aired: October 4, 1959

Gunsmoke #391, "Hinka-Do," begins when Matt Dillon discovers that the Lady Gay Saloon has suddenly come under new management. A formidable woman named Mamie, lately of Kansas City and St. Louis, announces she's taking over the establishment with a new policy. The peculiar part is that former owner Herman Bleaker, a vain little man known for showing off his fancy vests around town, has vanished without a word to anyone. Mamie claims he sold her the saloon and left for St. Louis, but Matt grows suspicious when he learns Bleeker's horse remains at the livery...

Originally Aired: September 27, 1959

In Gunsmoke #390, "Personal Justice," Matt Dillon brings a prisoner named Reed Morley to Wichita to stand trial for the murder of a woman. Before Matt can even get a hot bath after the dusty journey from Dodge, he's confronted by Clayt Morley, Reed's older brother, who insists that no one with the Morley name could commit such a crime. Clayt makes his position chillingly clear: if Reed isn't acquitted and walks out of the courthouse a free man, Matt won't live to see him hang. Despite calling it an appeal to Matt's sense of...

Originally Aired: September 20, 1959

Gunsmoke #389, "Gentlemens Disagreement," opens with a desperate Jeannie Wells bursting into Matt Dillon's office with alarming news: Ed Baudre has arrived in Dodge City on the morning train, and she's certain he's come to kill her husband Bert. Four years earlier, Jeannie had been involved with Baudre back in Louisville before choosing to marry Bert instead, and Baudre swore revenge. Despite Jeannie's pleas for help based on their old friendship, Matt explains he can't interfere in personal quarrels, though he reluctantly agrees to talk to Baudre. When Matt confronts the vengeful man at the...

Originally Aired: September 13, 1959

In Gunsmoke #388, "Johnny Red," a stranger arrives in Dodge claiming to be Billy Crail, the long-lost son of elderly rancher Mrs. Crail who ran away seventeen years ago. The reunion seems heartwarming at first, as the lonely widow welcomes her boy home with open arms. However, Matt Dillon knows a dark truth: the real Billy Crail died at the Battle of Shiloh during the war. The marshal recognizes the imposter as Johnny Red, a wanted bank robber and cattle thief from Lubbock with a criminal record stretching back years.

Matt faces an...

Originally Aired: September 6, 1959

In Gunsmoke #387, "Matts Decision," Marshal Matt Dillon faces mounting frustration from nearly everyone in Dodge City. The episode begins with Chester complaining about rowdy prisoners who've made a mess of the jail, and matters only get worse from there. Doc Adams storms into the Marshal's office angry about a drunk who stole and wrecked his buggy, demanding Matt do something about the lawless drovers. Hotel owner Mr. Dobey wants Matt to act as doorman and keep loafers out of his chairs, while Miss Bagley represents a group of town ladies concerned about bottles in...

Originally Aired: August 30, 1959

Gunsmoke #386, "Shooting Stopover," finds Marshal Matt Dillon transporting a dangerous prisoner named Gurney to Wichita to face murder charges. Accompanied by his deputy Chester, Dillon boards the afternoon stage carrying not only the shackled killer but also a strongbox of gold, a schoolmarm passenger, and a reverend. When they stop at Hat Creek Station to change horses, tensions run high. The schoolmarm protests Dillon's treatment of Gurney, insisting he be shown human dignity despite his crimes, while Chester remains convinced the prisoner deserves no such consideration.

The routine stopover turns deadly when...

Originally Aired: August 23, 1959

Gunsmoke #385, "The Reed Survives," finds Matt Dillon confronting a volatile domestic situation that threatens to turn deadly. Lucy Hunt, who left her dance hall life six months ago to marry the scripture-quoting Ephraim Hunt for his 800 acres of rangeland, comes to Matt in desperation. She claims her husband, who once studied to be a preacher, has grown cruel and suspicious, accusing her of terrible things and threatening to kill her. When Matt refuses to act without evidence, Lucy warns him he'll eventually have to intervene—but by then, it will be for murder.

...

Originally Aired: August 16, 1959

Gunsmoke #384, "Pokey Pete," Dodge City's curious recluse becomes the target of taunting youngsters and dangerous drifters alike. Chester catches young Ted harassing the elderly, silent Pete, who shambles through town wearing boxes on his feet during his monthly visits for supplies. While Chester tries to teach the boy respect by taking him fishing and spinning yarns about Pete's supposed pirate treasure hidden somewhere outside town, his stories may do more harm than good. Meanwhile, Marshal Matt Dillon and Doc discuss the mysterious old man who's been coming to town for as long as anyone...