Gunsmoke: Old West Stories

Originally Aired: July 12, 1959

Gunsmoke #379, "Friends Payoff," opens with a mysterious boy delivering an urgent message to Marshal Matt Dillon, refusing to show it to anyone else despite Chester's protests. The note leads Matt out of town to a deserted shack where he finds Ab Butler, an old friend, badly wounded from a back-shooting ambush on the trail from Texas. Ab is desperate to stay hidden, convinced that whoever shot him will come looking to finish the job. Matt gets him to Doc Adams for treatment, and Doc manages to remove the bullet, though Ab remains weak from blood loss and his chances are uncertain.

As Ab recovers in Doc's back room, a stranger named Joe Leeds arrives in Dodge asking questions all over town about Ab Butler. When Matt confronts him, Leeds makes it clear he's tracking Ab for personal reasons and has no intention of involving the law. He promises that when he finds Ab, their business will be settled quickly and privately. Matt warns Leeds that he'll be watching, but the gunman remains determined to handle matters his own way, setting up a tense standoff between Matt's duty to protect his old friend and Leeds' relentless pursuit.

Originally Aired: July 5, 1959

Gunsmoke #378, "Emma's Departure," centers on Emma Hyde, a lonely prairie farmer's wife desperate for human contact after years of isolation. When Marshal Matt Dillon and Chester stop by her remote farmstead, Emma eagerly welcomes them with pie and coffee, revealing her desperation for conversation and company. Her husband Ben remains emotionally distant, consumed entirely by farm work from sunup to sunset. Emma shows the marshal a box full of money they've saved, enough to send her back to Philadelphia for a visit, but Ben refuses to let her go despite their prosperity. The marshal and Chester encounter Emma's crushing loneliness during their visits while transporting a prisoner named Percy, who claims innocence in a bank robbery.

The situation grows more complex when a telegraph confirms Percy's alibi, forcing Matt to release him. Meanwhile, Emma's isolation deepens as she remains trapped in her loveless marriage, far from civilization and any meaningful human connection. The episode explores themes of prairie loneliness, the harsh realities of frontier life, and the emotional toll of relentless work without companionship or hope for change.

Originally Aired: June 28, 1959

Gunsmoke #377, "Jailbait Janet," Matt Dillon and Chester investigate a brazen train robbery where three masked bandits made off with fifty thousand dollars in gold and left the baggage clerk mortally wounded. The trail leads them to what appears to be a simple homesteading family traveling by covered wagon—Dan Everly, his son Jerry, and daughter Janet. When Matt discovers their saddle horses and a third person hiding in the brush, the truth emerges: this desperate father and his two children are the train robbers. Everly claims he had a right to the money after the railroad burned his wheat field and refused to honor his claim, but his justification rings hollow when the baggage clerk dies from his wounds.

With the Everly family in custody but refusing to reveal where they buried the stolen gold, Matt faces a dilemma. Railroad agent J.L. Crocker demands immediate results and grows suspicious of Matt's decision to let the eighteen-year-old Janet stay in Kitty's care rather than lock her up in the men's jail. As Janet settles into her temporary arrangement at the Long Branch, the pressure mounts on Matt to recover the missing money and deliver justice for a crime that pits a father's desperation against the law.

Originally Aired: June 21, 1959

Gunsmoke #376, "Carmen," opens with Major Randall confronting Marshal Matt Dillon about two murdered Army soldiers and a stolen government payroll. When Dillon refuses to investigate what he views as an Army matter, the furious Major threatens to impose martial law on Dodge City within the week. The threat ignites tension throughout town, with civilians like the drunk Shiloh demanding to know which side Dillon will fight on if the Army moves in. Dillon realizes the key to preventing bloodshed lies in discovering who leaked information about the secret payroll—information only a soldier could have known.

Dillon's attention turns to a dancehall girl named Connie Dell, who works for Big Kate and spends considerable time with a corporal from the fort. When a telegram from Wild Bill Hickok reveals Connie left Hays City with a man called Billy Grounds, Dillon grows suspicious. Before he can piece together the puzzle, another soldier is shot dead in an alley, pushing Dodge City to the brink of open warfare between defiant civilians and the U.S. Army.

Originally Aired: June 14, 1959

Gunsmoke #375, "Kitty's Kidnap,"

Matt Dillon and Chester rescue a man from a lynching on the trail, only to discover their good deed has freed Pete Brass, a notorious outlaw wanted in three states. When Matt finds a Wichita Bank money sack in Brass's belongings, he hauls the unrepentant criminal back to Dodge and locks him up. Brass remains cocky behind bars, warning Matt that his boys will soon break him out and that the marshal will regret saving his life. The outlaw's confidence proves well-founded when two members of his gang, Milt and Jess, arrive in town and begin carefully studying the situation.

Rather than rushing in with guns blazing, Milt insists on developing a plan. While gathering information at the Long Branch, they learn something valuable: Marshal Dillon is partial to the saloon owner, Miss Kitty, who happens to be leaving town the next day on the stage to Larned with Doc Adams. As the two outlaws watch Matt, Kitty, Doc, and Chester enjoying dinner together, they clearly have more than a simple jailbreak on their minds.

Originally Aired: June 7, 1959

Gunsmoke #374, "Doc's Indians," finds Doc Adams and Kitty Russell returning from house calls when they're stopped on the trail by armed Cheyenne warriors. The Indians force them to their riverside camp, where Chief Little Wolf reveals his desperate situation: his young son is gravely ill, and after the tribe's medicine man failed to cure him, Little Wolf wants Doc to use the white man's medicine he witnessed while imprisoned by soldiers. Doc agrees to stay and treat the boy, but only if Little Wolf allows Kitty to leave safely. Despite the risk that she might bring the cavalry, Doc gives his word that she won't, and the chief reluctantly agrees to let her go.

Kitty arrives back in Dodge exhausted after riding through the night, but she refuses to tell liveryman Moss where Doc is, honoring the promise that saved her life. With Marshal Dillon out of town on other business, Kitty must wait anxiously for his return while Doc remains alone in the Indian camp, facing the challenge of saving Little Wolf's son and navigating the dangerous tension between his medical duty and the volatile situation.

Originally Aired: May 31, 1959

Gunsmoke #373, "The Deserter," finds Matt Dillon investigating a brazen army payroll robbery at Fort Dodge. When Doc Adams treats a wounded young man in army clothing who mysteriously flees his office, Matt suspects he's found his fugitive. Following a trail west out of Dodge with Chester, the marshal discovers the injured deserter collapsed near a creek bed. As they attempt to move him to shelter, a rifle shot rings out. The young soldier's father, Jed Morton, has found them first and refuses to let Matt take his son Louray into custody, insisting that army justice means certain death for deserters.

Despite Matt's assurances that the young man will receive proper medical care and a fair trial, Jed holds the lawman at gunpoint and forces him to carry Louray back to the family homestead. The desperate father believes protecting his son from military justice is his only choice, even if it means defying a U.S. Marshal. Meanwhile, Chester lies wounded where Jed shot him, and the Morton family faces an impossible decision between a father's love and the demands of the law.

Originally Aired: May 24, 1959

Gunsmoke #372, "Wagon Show," presents a dilemma for Marshal Matt Dillon when Bannock's Grand International Circus arrives in Dodge City on a sweltering summer day. While Chester is thrilled by the sight of an elephant performing tricks on the plaza and townspeople eagerly anticipate the show, Matt learns that violence has followed this particular circus from town to town. Two people were killed in Hayes City, and riots have erupted wherever the show has played. When Matt tracks down the circus owner, Maggie Bannock, a former strongwoman who now runs the operation with her husband Jim Conger, he refuses to grant them a permit to perform in Dodge.

Despite Matt's warning, Maggie defiantly leads her wagon train toward town, and the next morning a parade proceeds through the streets with elephant Jenny and all the circus fanfare. Even Doc and Kitty are caught up in the excitement, treating Matt's concerns dismissively as they look forward to some entertainment in the dull Kansas heat. Matt faces mounting pressure as the entire town anticipates the two o'clock performance, but he remains convinced that allowing this show to proceed will bring the same deadly trouble that has plagued other towns.

Originally Aired: May 17, 1959

Gunsmoke #371, "Scared Boy," begins when a violent confrontation erupts in the kitchen of Cora Meadows and her young son Tad. A desperate man bursts into their home seeking refuge, only to be shot down in cold blood by his pursuer. The killer warns both Cora and the boy to forget what they witnessed, threatening that young Tad will get his throat cut if he talks. The terrified widow promises their silence, but when she comes to Marshal Matt Dillon's office, she reveals that her son has gone missing and she fears he may have gone after the murderer.

Matt and Chester investigate the scene, finding the victim's body carelessly discarded in the bushes and identifying him as a gambler named Rourke. Meanwhile, Doc Adams sends an urgent message to Matt about a young boy he found beaten on the road. The child has been brutally attacked and, strangely, refuses to speak at all despite being conscious. As Matt examines the injured boy, the pieces of this dangerous puzzle begin coming together, with a cold-blooded killer still at large and a frightened child caught in the crossfire.

Originally Aired: May 10, 1959

Gunsmoke #370, "Dowagers Visit," finds Marshal Matt Dillon facing an unusual challenge when Mrs. Junius Chamberlain, widow of a late senator, arrives in Dodge City demanding his help. The formidable dowager is searching for her runaway grandson, Junius Chamberlain III, who has left Yale College to seek adventure out West. When Matt refuses to organize an official search party for a young man who hasn't broken any laws, Mrs. Chamberlain decides to take matters into her own hands, vowing to stay in Dodge until she finds the boy herself. She begins canvassing the town like a determined Pinkerton detective, questioning everyone from bartenders to business owners.

Meanwhile, a young drifter appears in the Long Branch trying to join a poker game, offering a solid gold watch fob as his stake. When the other players doubt its authenticity, Kitty Russell confirms the valuable piece is genuine gold. The situation grows more complicated when Mrs. Chamberlain confronts Kitty at the Long Branch with a description of her missing grandson, little suspecting that the young man she seeks may be closer than she realizes.

Originally Aired: May 3, 1959

Gunsmoke #369, "Unwanted Deputy," finds Matt Dillon facing an unusual problem when Vince Wiley rides into Dodge City with a hidden agenda. Wiley eagerly offers his services as a deputy, claiming he has a deep interest in law enforcement and exceptional skill with a gun. Though Matt politely declines, Wiley begins inserting himself into disturbances around town anyway, stopping fights and disarming troublemakers before they escalate. His efficiency impresses the townspeople, including Kitty, who praises his ability to keep the peace without the usual property damage. Even Chester finds himself defending his position when locals like Mr. Dobie suggest Wiley would make a fine official deputy.

What Matt suspects but others don't realize is that Wiley has a darker purpose behind his helpful facade. In the opening scene, Wiley's woman Maisie tries desperately to dissuade him from his true mission: revenge against the marshal who turned in his brother Billy, leading to Billy's hanging. Wiley has devised a calculated plan to force Matt into a gunfight where the marshal will draw first, allowing Wiley to kill him and ride away free, having fulfilled his promise to his dead brother.

Originally Aired: April 26, 1959

Gunsmoke #368, "The Badge," finds Marshal Matt Dillon ambushed on a lonely trail by two outlaws, Rack and Augy. The simple-minded Augy shoots Dillon and becomes obsessed with claiming the marshal's badge for himself, believing it will make people think he's important. However, the cunning Rack has other plans. Rather than killing Dillon, Rack decides to keep the wounded marshal alive as insurance, reasoning that no lawman will risk harming their own U.S. Marshal as the outlaws make their way to the border with stolen holdup money. Rack crudely digs the bullet from Dillon's shoulder and promises Augy he can have the badge once they cross into safety.

As Dillon recovers in an abandoned shack, he begins working on the weak-willed Augy, subtly playing on the outlaw's resentment of Rack's dominance and the beating he's endured. Meanwhile, back in Dodge City, Doc Adams, Chester, and Kitty Russell grow concerned when Matt fails to return from his trip to Larnage as expected. The episode builds tension as the wounded marshal attempts to manipulate the volatile relationship between his captors while they continue their dangerous flight toward the border.

Originally Aired: April 19, 1959

Gunsmoke #367, "Third Son," presents a tense struggle between a father's protective grip and a young man's desperate need for independence. When Matt Dillon locks up Rob Crandall for being drunk in the streets of Dodge, the young man's father James Josiah Crandall arrives at the jail with a grim mission. Having lost his two older sons to violence, one in the war and one in a barroom fight, James brought Rob west as a boy and is determined to keep him away from trouble by any means necessary. He promises Marshal Dillon that Rob won't be coming back to town.

But Rob Crandall isn't content to live under his father's watchful eye forever. Despite his father's orders to stay away from Dodge, Rob returns to town and encounters two men who want him to join them in some kind of criminal venture. They mock him for being a "papa's boy" and taunt him about abandoning him when he got arrested before, but Rob refuses their invitation. When he returns home, his father is waiting, and Rob must confront the reality that he's a grown man still being treated like a child, torn between obedience and the need to make his own choices.

Originally Aired: April 12, 1959

In Gunsmoke #366, "Chester's Mistake," Chester Proudfoot returns to Dodge City after visiting family, feeling good about his trip until Marshal Matt Dillon reminds him about an important errand he forgot. Chester was supposed to pick up papers in Dalhart on his way back through the panhandle, but all the fun with his relatives made the task slip his mind completely. When Matt arranges for Joe Freeze to retrieve the papers instead, Chester's pride takes a hit, and his embarrassment deepens when he learns the whole town is talking about his forgetfulness.

Stung by being the subject of mockery at the Long Branch Saloon, where Lud and others laugh at his simple duties like making coffee and cleaning lamps, Chester begins to question his worth as the marshal's deputy. He seeks reassurance first from Doc Adams, desperately asking what Matt really thinks about having him around for help. Chester's insecurity grows as he realizes his mistake has made him look foolish, leaving him wondering if he's truly useful to Marshal Dillon or just someone for the town to laugh at.

Originally Aired: April 5, 1959

Gunsmoke #365, "Trappers Revenge,"

When young Tom Carl reports hearing strange moaning sounds in the willows by the river, Marshal Matt Dillon reluctantly investigates what seems like a wild goose chase. Instead, he and Doc Adams discover Tug Marsh, a trapper they met months earlier, barely clinging to life with horrifying wounds. The old mountain man has crawled for miles on his hands and knees, somehow surviving injuries that should have killed him days ago. Tug claims a grizzly bear mauled him down in Indian Territory, but his real fury is directed at his partner Billy Adams, who left him for dead in the wilderness without even the mercy of a quick knife thrust.

As Tug makes a miraculous recovery under Doc's care in Dodge City, his true intentions become clear. He's survived through sheer force of will, driven by one purpose: finding Billy Adams and exacting a slow, brutal revenge. Matt warns Tug that he'll face arrest for murder if Adams shows up in Dodge, but the vengeful trapper seems determined to settle accounts, no matter the cost.

Originally Aired: March 29, 1959

Gunsmoke #364, "Lauries Suitor," tensions flare in Dodge City when young Laurie Benson finds herself caught between two very different men. Andy Scott, a well-mannered Easterner on a graduation trip from Philadelphia, has been courting Laurie and even discusses marriage with Miss Kitty. But ranch hand Rad Dawson has other ideas. After seeing Andy with Laurie at the Long Branch, Rad warns the young man to stay away, threatening violence if Andy doesn't back off. Despite his partner Bone's teasing about his sudden concern for personal grooming, Rad makes his intentions clear: Laurie's evenings now belong to him alone.

Frightened that Andy's stubborn refusal to be intimidated will lead to bloodshed, Laurie turns to Marshal Matt Dillon for help. She pleads with him to intervene and prevent a confrontation between the two men. Matt sympathizes but warns Laurie that matters of the heart aren't exactly his department, and he can't guarantee either man will listen to reason. As Rad continues his nightly visits to town with the loyal but bemused Bone in tow, the stage is set for a dangerous showdown.

Originally Aired: March 22, 1959

Gunsmoke #363, "The Trial," presents a compelling case of circumstantial evidence and witness testimony against an unlikely suspect. When Homer Tisdale, a starved-out homesteader, is caught stealing a handful of potatoes from Van Walcott's store, Matt Dillon refuses to jail him for such a desperate act, instead arranging for him to work at the Long Branch. Days later, while Matt and Chester are away at Fort Leonard, the stage office is robbed of ten thousand dollars and Charlie Reynolds is murdered in cold blood. Both witnesses, Walcott and stage manager Jay Buford, identify the masked gunman as Homer Tisdale.

Upon his return, Matt finds Homer still in Dodge, with no alibi except his claim that he was sleeping in a shed behind the Long Branch at the time of the crime. Despite Homer's gentle nature and Matt's doubts, two witnesses are prepared to swear under oath that he's the killer. When Circuit Judge Stokes arrives in town, showing more interest in corn liquor than justice, a jury trial begins in an old dance hall to determine Homer's fate.

Originally Aired: March 15, 1959

Gunsmoke #362, "Incident at Indian Ford," finds Marshal Matt Dillon and Chester returning from Hayes City when they encounter a small cavalry detachment camped by the river. Led by the inexperienced Lieutenant Dick and seasoned Sergeant Cromwell, the patrol has just ransomed Mary Tabor from the Arapahoe Indians in exchange for a wagon full of trade goods, including guns and ammunition. The nervous lieutenant insists hostile Arapahoe have been following them for three days, waiting for a chance to recapture the woman. However, when Dillon scouts the perimeter, he discovers evidence of only a single Indian tracker, not a war party.

The situation grows more complex when Dillon speaks with Mary Tabor herself. The young woman expresses deep shame and fear about returning to Dodge City, worried about how townspeople will judge her after her captivity, even though she insists her treatment wasn't what people assume. As tension mounts between the cautious marshal and the distrustful lieutenant, Dillon must determine the true intentions of the lone Arapahoe following them and help Mary face her uncertain homecoming.

Originally Aired: March 8, 1959

Gunsmoke #361, "Maw Hawkins," presents a peculiar predicament for Chester Proudfoot when he boards the Hayes City stage back to Dodge. The journey turns dangerous when a nervous young outlaw named Raz Hawkins attempts to rob the coach, forcing Chester and the other passengers to surrender their valuables along with twenty thousand dollars in bank money. The reluctant holdup man takes Chester hostage to help carry the heavy loot, leading him to a ramshackle cabin that serves as the Hawkins home.

There Chester discovers the truth behind this unlikely robbery: Maw Hawkins, the family matriarch, has been pushing her sixteen-year-old son into a life of crime. With her husband and older sons all serving prison sentences, Maw sees the stagecoach holdup as young Raz's necessary initiation into the family business. Chester finds himself caught between a domineering criminal mother determined to corrupt her son and a boy who clearly lacks the heart for outlawry, creating an unusual hostage situation where the real danger may not be who it appears to be.

Originally Aired: March 1, 1959

Gunsmoke #360, "Big Tom," presents Matt Dillon with a troubling situation when Doc Adams comes to him with an urgent warning. Big Tom Burr, a lovable drunk who likes to boast about his fighting days in San Francisco, has been goaded into a bare-knuckle match by Joe Brady and Hob Clay. They've brought in a professional fighter from St. Louis named Creel, who apparently defeated Tom once before in what Tom claims was a foul fight. When Tom seeks Doc's help for dizzy spells, Doc examines him and delivers grave news: Tom's health is so poor that fighting could kill him. Tom refuses to back down, explaining that he was called afraid once and has lived with that shame ever since.

Matt faces the difficult challenge of stopping a fight between two grown men while protecting Tom's pride and his life. The situation becomes even more desperate as Doc reveals that Brady and Clay seem to be orchestrating something more sinister than just a simple brawl, leaving Matt to untangle their motives before Tom steps into what could be his final fight.

Originally Aired: February 22, 1959

Gunsmoke #359, "Sarahs Search," Marshal Matt Dillon and Chester come across a stranded woman on the prairie road between Wichita and Dodge City. Sarah Howell's buggy wheel has broken, and she reveals she's traveling alone to find her fiance, Guy Porter, a tall, handsome, tow-headed man who headed west and never returned. Though it's highly unusual and improper for a woman to travel unescorted across the territory, Sarah is determined to find him, convinced something terrible has happened. Matt agrees to help locate Porter, though he doesn't recognize the name.

Meanwhile, back in Dodge City, Sarah's inquiries and her detailed descriptions of the man she's seeking attract unwanted attention. A nervous man named Rance realizes Sarah's description matches his companion Joe, who's apparently hiding out after making off with money in Wichita. As Sarah settles into Moss Smalley's boarding house and takes an evening stroll hoping to encounter her beloved, Rance and Joe make ominous plans to ensure she won't be able to identify Joe to the marshal.

Originally Aired: February 15, 1959

In Gunsmoke #358, "Body Snatch," Marshal Matt Dillon hauls in a troublemaker named Joe Red after catching him digging into an Indian burial site looking for valuables. The grave robbing isn't just a criminal offense—it risks provoking a deadly Indian uprising that could endanger the entire territory. When Joe Red injures his leg during the arrest, Doc Adams is nowhere to be found, so a stranger in town, Dr. Milfred Brand from Philadelphia, steps in to treat the prisoner. The sophisticated Eastern doctor announces his intention to set up practice in Dodge City, bringing modern medical school methods to the frontier.

Doc Adams welcomes the help at first, acknowledging that the growing town could use another physician. However, tensions quickly surface between the two doctors' vastly different approaches to medicine. Dr. Brand views Doc's rough-and-ready frontier methods as unprofessional and makes clear he has no intention of being anyone's assistant. Meanwhile, Chester is indignant that an outsider in a fancy city suit would dare intrude on Doc's territory, setting the stage for conflict as the old ways of the West clash with Eastern sophistication.

Originally Aired: February 8, 1959

Gunsmoke #357, "Groats Grudge," a brooding Southern gentleman named Yancey Groat arrives in Dodge City with deadly preparations on his mind. He visits gunsmith Walt Dow to have an old Confederate pistol restored to firing condition, telling him the gun "missed its chance once" and won't miss again. He orders a cheap Yankee-style army coffin from the storekeeper and asks Chester to arrange for a preacher, explaining matter-of-factly that the man isn't dead yet but will be soon. The man he's waiting for is Tom Haskett, who's riding into Dodge with a cattle herd.

When Matt Dillon confronts Groat at the Dodge House, the somber visitor makes no attempt to hide his intentions. He freely admits he plans to kill Haskett with the restored Confederate pistol, saying he's already been waiting too many years and once made the mistake of saving Haskett's life. Despite Matt's warning, Groat remains coldly determined, insisting nothing the marshal says or does will stop him from settling this long-festering grudge when Haskett arrives in town.

Originally Aired: February 1, 1959

Gunsmoke #356, "The Bobbsey Twins," introduces Harvey and Merle Finney, a pair of twin drifters who casually murder a westbound settler named Joe after he refuses to share his meager food supplies. When Joe reaches for his rifle in self-defense, the twins gun him down without remorse, then sit down to enjoy his stew while his widow Lavinda flees into the prairie in shock, where she later dies of thirst. The brothers show no real guilt over the killings, only expressing annoyance at the woman's grief and justifying their actions because it happened on a Sunday, when their father taught them not to fight or kill.

Marshal Matt Dillon and Chester discover both bodies and begin investigating the senseless crime. Meanwhile, the Finney twins continue their journey toward Dodge City, and when a cowboy named Bud Grant stumbles upon their camp seeking hospitality, he innocently mentions the murdered settlers. The twins, paranoid that Grant knows too much about their crime, quickly turn their violence on him as well, revealing themselves to be cold-blooded killers who murder with disturbing ease and little provocation.

Originally Aired: January 25, 1959

Gunsmoke #355, "The Boots," opens with a tense confrontation at the Long Branch Saloon when a young gunman named Hank Fergus humiliates Zeno Smith, forcing him into a showdown that exposes Zeno's paralyzing fear. The once-respected gunman freezes and crawls on the floor while Fergus mocks him, cementing Zeno's reputation as a coward and driving him deeper into the bottle. For ten years since that night, Zeno has struggled with alcoholism, working sporadically at the general store while being looked after by young Tommy, a thirteen-year-old orphan boy who lives with him.

As Tommy's fourteenth birthday approaches, Zeno promises the boy a pair of boots he's been wanting, but when Zeno goes on another drunken binge and spends all his money, he finds himself unable to keep his word. Marshal Matt Dillon encounters Tommy crying outside the store window, staring at the boots he'll never receive. The situation takes an ominous turn when Hank Fergus returns to Dodge City after ten years, claiming to be broke and looking to make gambling money. As Fergus and Zeno come face to face once again, the stage is set for a dangerous reckoning.