Gunsmoke: Old West Stories

Originally Aired: November 6, 1960

Gunsmoke #448, "Jedros Woman," Matt Dillon and Chester discover a badly beaten and starving woman near their campsite after someone steals their pot of cooking beans. Following the tracks through the brush, they find her collapsed with the bean pot nearby, too weak to have eaten the food she desperately took. The woman is covered in bruises and barely clinging to life. Unable to get any information from her unconscious form, Matt and Chester carefully transport her back to Dodge City in a borrowed wagon, where Doc Adams takes her in and begins fighting to save her life.

The mystery of the woman's identity is soon solved when a man named Jedro arrives at the Long Branch Saloon demanding his wife back. When Matt confronts him about the brutal beating, Jedro claims it's none of the marshal's business and insists on his legal right to see her. Despite Doc's concerns about what the visit might do to his patient, Matt agrees to take Jedro to see the woman he calls Allie, setting up a tense confrontation that will determine her fate.

Originally Aired: October 30, 1960

Gunsmoke #447, "Never Pester Chester," finds Chester and Marshal Matt Dillon sweltering in the summer heat when Doc Adams arrives with news of two rowdy cowboys harassing the ladies of Dodge City. Too hot to deal with the troublemakers himself, Matt sends Chester down to handle it. The deputy's reasonable approach backfires when the two Texans, Stobo and Trevit, rope Chester and drag him brutally out of town. By the time Matt finds him, Chester is torn to ribbons and barely breathing, with Doc Adams uncertain whether he'll survive the next few days.

In a cold rage, Matt makes a calculated decision. He unbuckles his gun and leaves it behind at the jail, determined to bring the two men back alive rather than simply shoot them down. Against the advice of friends and fellow lawmen, the unarmed marshal rides out alone to track down Stobo and Trevit, planning to see them hanged if Chester dies. What follows is a tense pursuit along the Arkansas River, where Matt's determination to deliver frontier justice without his gun puts him at severe disadvantage against the brutal cowhands.

Originally Aired: October 23, 1960

Gunsmoke #446, "Newsmaam," a headstrong female journalist causes considerable consternation when she arrives in Dodge City. Phoebe Appleby has attached herself to trail boss Finn's cattle drive all the way from the Cimarron, refusing to leave despite his repeated demands. When Finn drags the stubborn woman to Matt Dillon's office demanding she be locked up for disturbing the peace, the marshal finds himself in an uncomfortable position. Phoebe insists she's merely observing the cattle drive to write a true picture of the West, but her scandalous attire—men's clothing—and contrary attitude make her unwelcome everywhere she goes.

Matt locks her up for her own protection, fearing what might happen if the rowdies on Front Street get a look at her unusual appearance. He enlists Kitty Russell's help in getting Phoebe proper women's clothing and arranging accommodations, but the imperious journalist proves difficult, demanding pale yellow dresses and a suitable hotel room rather than accepting the simpler arrangements offered. As Doc and Chester look on with amusement at Matt's predicament, the marshal discovers that dealing with one contrary woman may be harder than facing down gunmen.

Originally Aired: October 16, 1960

Gunsmoke #445, "Crack-Up," Matt Dillon returns from a week in Abilene to find trouble brewing in Dodge City. While getting a haircut at Peters' barbershop, a stranger pulls a gun and demands immediate service, ordering the unarmed Marshal out of the chair. Dillon refuses to back down, calling the gunman's bluff and forcing him to leave. Chester later identifies the man as Nate Springer, a notorious paid killer known as the most nerveless gunman alive—a man of ice who never shows fear.

Springer's presence in Dodge puts everyone on edge, including Doc Adams, who finds himself confronted by the paranoid killer at Delmonico's restaurant. When Springer threatens Doc for simply looking at him, Matt intervenes and warns the gunman that he'll jail both Springer and whoever hired him once he discovers the target. But something seems to be happening to the infamous killer—his legendary composure appears to be cracking, and Doc notices the man of ice is starting to melt. Matt knows whatever is happening to Springer isn't good, setting the stage for a dangerous confrontation.

Originally Aired: October 9, 1960

Gunsmoke #444, "Born to Hang," finds Matt Dillon racing against time to prevent a double murder. Joe Digger, a drifter, barely survives a lynching when ranchers Glick and Pate string him up for horse theft based on nothing more than finding their horses near his camp. Robert, the third rancher, refuses to participate in the hanging and secretly cuts Digger down after the others ride off, saving his life but earning himself dangerous enemies. When Robert brings the rope-scarred Digger into Dodge City, Matt learns the full story and recognizes the burning rage behind the survivor's calm demeanor.

Despite Digger's claims that he harbors no ill will toward his would-be killers, Matt knows better. The marshal gives himself until midnight the following day to bring Glick and Pate to justice before Digger takes matters into his own hands. When Matt and Chester ride out to arrest the ranchers, they discover that Glick appears genuinely unaware that Digger survived the lynching, complicating Matt's efforts to prevent further bloodshed. The marshal must navigate between serving justice and stopping vigilante revenge before Dodge City sees more violence.

Originally Aired: October 2, 1960

Gunsmoke #443, "The Big Itch," brings Marshal Matt Dillon into a troubling mystery when Samantha Church arrives in his office seeking help. Her husband George left their ranch two days earlier to pay off their bank note with money from their first big cattle sale, but he never made it to the bank and hasn't been seen since. The only lead is that rancher Hobie Price was spotted riding off with George that Monday morning, and Hobie was later seen at the Long Branch that night, spending money freely and buying drinks for everyone. When Matt questions Kitty about Hobie's behavior, she confirms he was drinking heavily and throwing cash around like there was no tomorrow.

Matt and Chester search the countryside between the Church ranch and Dodge City, looking for any sign of what might have happened to George. They question Ben Stanley, the young man the Churches raised after his parents were killed in a raid, but he has no helpful information beyond confirming George's eagerness to pay off the debt. As the investigation stalls with no trace of either George or Hobie Price, Chester begins developing a mysterious rash that demands Doc's attention.

Originally Aired: September 25, 1960

Gunsmoke #442, "Doc Judge," finds Doc Adams in a dangerous case of mistaken identity. When a bitter ex-convict named Bryce Hart arrives in Dodge City, he immediately confronts Doc at Delmonico's restaurant, insisting that Doc is actually Judge Kennebre from Wyoming—the man who sentenced him to seven years in prison. Despite Doc and Chester's protests that he's a physician, not a judge, Hart refuses to believe them and vows to kill Doc for revenge. Initially, Doc dismisses Hart as harmless, especially since the man isn't even wearing a gun. However, Chester grows increasingly concerned about the threat.

The situation takes a deadly turn when Chester witnesses Hart in action at the Long Branch Saloon. Armed now with a gun and demonstrating professional skill with it, Hart violently runs Bob Forrest out of the establishment, proving he's far more dangerous than Doc believed. With Marshal Matt Dillon out of town on business and not expected back for another day, Chester races to Doc's office to warn him of the escalating danger. The deputy must now find a way to protect Doc from a vengeful killer who won't listen to reason.

Originally Aired: September 18, 1960

Gunsmoke #441, "Two Mothers," begins at a graveside service for a young man killed in a brawl. Marshal Dillon tries to offer condolences to the victim's mother, Miss Lorenda Henshaw, while another woman, Hattie Meisner, desperately attempts to speak with her. Lorenda refuses to talk, and for good reason: it was Hattie's son Jake who pulled the trigger. Though the shooting happened during a drunken fight, Jake used his gun on an unarmed man, and now he sits in jail awaiting execution. Hattie, a respected and God-fearing woman known throughout Dodge City for her kindness and strength, is consumed by grief and desperation over her son's fate.

In a shocking confrontation at the marshal's office, Hattie delivers an ultimatum to Matt Dillon: if Jake hangs on Thursday, she will kill the marshal. Matt knows she's serious and capable with a firearm, yet he also recognizes she's a good woman driven to the edge by unbearable circumstances. With no legal way to save Jake and no desire to harm Hattie, Matt faces an impossible situation, leaving Doc Adams and Kitty to wonder how he can possibly protect both himself and this grieving mother from a tragedy neither wants.

Originally Aired: September 11, 1960

Gunsmoke #440, "About Chester," finds Marshal Matt Dillon and Chester searching for Doc Adams, who has been missing for four days. When Emmett Bowers arrives in Dodge looking for Doc—who never showed up to examine his son's broken arm—Matt and Chester split up to cover more ground, checking ranches along the trail to the Clooney place. Chester takes the route past the Pope Ranch, where he learns about recent horse thefts and discovers his own mount has picked up a stone bruise. Spotting a cabin through the trees as a rainstorm approaches, Chester seeks shelter but receives a hostile greeting from the suspicious owner, Dak, who nearly shoots him on sight.

The tension eases when Chester mentions he works with Marshal Dillon, and Dak's wife Lily May insists on offering proper hospitality. As Chester accepts their invitation to supper and shelter, he learns that Dak deals in wild horses, though business hasn't been good lately. With his lame horse, the approaching storm, and Matt expecting him at the Clooney Ranch, Chester finds himself in an increasingly uncertain situation at this isolated homestead.

Originally Aired: September 4, 1960

Gunsmoke #439, "The Peace Officer,"

Matt Dillon rides to the rough town of Tascosa at the request of a citizens committee desperate to rid themselves of their corrupt sheriff, Clegg Rollins. Once hired to clean up the wild camp, Rollins has now taken over the town for himself, terrorizing decent citizens with his gang of thugs. Within minutes of arriving, Matt tangles with Rollins' men at the Oasis Saloon, making his position clear. That evening, Rollins visits Matt's hotel room and attempts to bribe the marshal, suggesting that a man could easily meet with an accident on the long prairie ride back to Dodge. Matt refuses and gives Rollins an ultimatum: he's finished in Tascosa as soon as Matt returns with a new peace officer.

The next morning, Matt heads back toward Dodge, aware that danger may be following him across the empty prairie. At noon, a lone rider approaches his resting spot, and Matt reaches for his rifle. The rider turns out to be Stella Harkney, a saloon girl from Tascosa who has followed him with urgent information she couldn't risk revealing in town.

Originally Aired: August 28, 1960

Gunsmoke #438, "Tumbleweed," finds Marshal Matt Dillon facing an unusual problem when simple-minded drifter Boog Wilson refuses to leave jail after serving his sentence. Boot, who gets himself arrested just to have a roof over his head and friends in Matt and Chester, explains that people always run him off, just like his father did when he was young. He considers himself a tumbleweed, going here and there with no place to call home. When Matt finally convinces Boot to leave, the situation takes a darker turn with the arrival of Henry Maples, a professional hangman who rolls into Dodge City with a gallows mounted on the back of his wagon.

Maples immediately begins stirring up the townspeople, preaching his brand of justice and claiming that Dodge needs his services to stop the bloodshed. When Matt orders him to take his gallows out of town by sundown or see it burned, tensions escalate. Boot Wilson, desperate for someone to befriend him, volunteers to help Maples. The confrontation reaches a crisis point when a drunk named Thayer, believing Maples hanged his brother, draws his gun in the Long Branch Saloon, forcing Matt into a deadly showdown.

Originally Aired: August 21, 1960

Gunsmoke #437, "Dangerous Bath," Marshal Matt Dillon and Chester face an embarrassing predicament when two outlaws catch them bathing in a creek during a long ride across the prairie. The thieves, Ollie and young Harve, steal their horses, guns, and boots, leaving the lawmen stranded and defenseless. After a painful day and night of walking barefoot across the harsh terrain, Matt and Chester finally make it back to Dodge City with Doc Adams' help, their feet badly battered and their pride wounded. Doc declares they won't be able to wear boots for at least a week, leaving Matt frustrated and determined to find the men responsible.

When Matt spots a nervous young man at the Long Branch Saloon wearing boots that are suspiciously too large for him, he confronts Harve and quickly extracts a confession. The young outlaw reveals he's been wrestling with his conscience and was actually considering turning himself in. Now Matt must uncover the full story behind the theft and track down Harve's partner Ollie, while dealing with the indignity of being outwitted during what should have been a simple, refreshing bath.

Originally Aired: August 14, 1960

Gunsmoke #436, "The Noose,"

Marshal Matt Dillon and Chester encounter a strange little man named Cloyd hanging a noose from a tree outside Dodge City. Cloyd calmly explains he's testing the rope for a hanging - one he plans to carry out himself. He's been following a man across the country, waiting to hear him confess to a killing before stringing him up. Matt warns Cloyd that only the law hangs men, but the peculiar drifter insists he made a deathbed promise to someone in a coffin, and he intends to keep it. Despite the marshal's warnings, Cloyd continues wearing the noose around town, drawing suspicious stares and occasional rough treatment from spooked citizens.

When a man named Creel arrives at the Dodge House hotel, Cloyd's patient vigil intensifies. He shadows Creel's every move, politely but persistently haunting the saloons and businesses his target frequents. As Matt discusses the situation with Doc and Kitty, everyone wonders whether the mild-mannered Cloyd will actually follow through on his dark promise, or if he's just harmlessly obsessed. The tension builds as Cloyd waits for Creel to speak the words that will seal his fate.

Originally Aired: August 7, 1960

Gunsmoke #435, "Old Fool," Hannibal Bass catches young Dunk Hedgepath trying to steal a pig from his farm and nearly shoots him. Hannibal's wife Della insists he take the boy home instead, where Hannibal meets Dunk's widowed mother, Elsie. The encounter sets off an unexpected chain of events when the lonely widow Hedgepath lavishes praise on Hannibal, calling him a gentleman and a kind man. Flattered by her attention, Hannibal begins visiting the Hedgepath place regularly, bringing wagonloads of supplies and gifts.

Back home, Della Bass watches her husband of forty-five years transform before her eyes. As Hannibal dresses in his Sunday best multiple times a week and grows increasingly critical of Della, the tension between the longtime couple reaches a breaking point. When Della finally confronts him about the widow Hedgepath, Hannibal shocks her by declaring he's through with their marriage and intends to marry Elsie. The conflict leaves Doc Adams' elderly friends on the verge of a devastating split, with Hannibal too blind to see what's happening.

Originally Aired: July 31, 1960

Gunsmoke #434, "Stage Smash," Marshal Matt Dillon returns to Dodge with prisoner Cleary Small, only to be confronted by the man's brother, North Small, a smooth-talking gambler who attempts to cut a deal for Cleary's release. When Dillon refuses his proposition, North cryptically warns that every man has his price and promises to find the marshal's. The tension escalates when Matt learns that Kitty was supposed to be returning to Dodge on the northbound stage, which has suffered a catastrophic wreck just outside of town.

When Matt and Chester arrive at the crash site, they find a grim scene of dead horses and passengers, but Kitty's body is mysteriously absent. The horses appear to have been deliberately shot, suggesting someone arrived at the scene before the townspeople who discovered it. Matt soon receives Kitty's purse delivered by a young boy, containing a note directing him to bring Doc Adams to the abandoned Craig Place. Racing to the deserted homestead with Doc and Chester, they discover North Small waiting for them, revealing that the stage wreck may not have been an accident at all.

Originally Aired: July 24, 1960

Gunsmoke #433, "The Imposter," begins with a weary Chester struggling to keep up with Marshal Matt Dillon on a simple trip to the telegraph office. When they stop to help Sarah Curtin load her wagon, they encounter her husband Rob, who seems strangely uninvolved. The encounter takes on new significance when Matt receives a confusing telegram from Sheriff Ab Stringer of Miami, Texas, announcing he's bringing in a prisoner and needs help. However, when Stringer arrives on the afternoon stage, he's alone. The affable lawman explains the telegram was garbled, but his mission is deadly serious: he's tracking Sam Fraser, a bank robber and murderer he believes is hiding somewhere in Dodge under an assumed name.

The challenge facing Matt and Stringer is formidable. Fraser is a sandy-haired man around thirty years old, a description that fits half the men in Dodge. With no wanted poster to aid their search and Fraser's talent for deception, identifying the killer becomes a game of observation and instinct. As Stringer mingles with locals at the Long Branch, Matt begins to wonder if the manhunt might be closer to home than anyone suspects.

Originally Aired: July 17, 1960

Gunsmoke #432, "Busted-Up Guns,"

Matt Dillon and Chester head north to the Sioux reservation for a friendly visit with Indian Agent Whip and his wife Gladys, expecting a peaceful hunting trip and warm welcome. Instead, they're met on the trail by Big Feather and his braves, who conduct a suspicious search of their gear and cryptically direct all questions to the white agent. When they arrive at the agency, they find the once-thriving settlement eerily deserted, with lodges falling into disrepair and residents hiding inside.

Inside the locked agency house, they discover a drastically changed Whip, armed with a shotgun, drinking heavily, and consumed by paranoia. He has confiscated all the Indians' weapons and keeps them locked in the storeroom under constant guard, forcing Gladys to stand watch when he cannot. Whip bitterly claims the Sioux are no longer human and cannot be trusted, while a distraught Gladys confides that her husband has become a stranger to her. As mysterious explosions like dynamite echo across the reservation, Matt and Chester realize something has gone terribly wrong on the agency.

Originally Aired: July 10, 1960

Gunsmoke #431, "Reluctant Violence," presents a thought-provoking conflict when an elderly pacifist named Homer Lidley arrives in Dodge City on a dangerous mission. Homer travels from town to town advocating for citizens to voluntarily give up their guns, believing that mankind must abandon violence or face destruction. His passionate street preaching quickly provokes trouble when angry cowboys knock him down and kick him, outraged by his radical ideas. Marshal Matt Dillon intervenes and takes Homer to Doc Adams for treatment of his injuries.

Despite his injuries and Matt's warnings, Homer remains committed to his cause, explaining he witnessed the horrors of the Siege of Atlanta and believes guns offer no real protection. Matt sympathizes with Homer's idealism but insists the frontier is still too raw and lawless for such ideas to take hold. Meanwhile, two suspicious men named Lou and Hare begin asking Chester questions about Homer's whereabouts, claiming to be friends wanting to visit him. Their interest in locating the pacifist and his sack of gold suggests Homer may face an even greater threat than simple frontier hostility.

Originally Aired: July 3, 1960

Gunsmoke #430, "Little Girl," Matt Dillon and Chester respond to a prairie fire and discover a grim scene at an isolated homestead. Inside the burned cabin, they find a man who died in the blaze, seemingly drunk and alone. As they investigate the desolate property with its starving horses and neglected buildings, a young girl emerges from the creek bed. Ten-year-old Charity Gill explains that the dead man was her stepfather, and she tried to pull him from the fire but couldn't move him. She matter-of-factly tells Matt she didn't like her stepfather and has been living in neglect since her mother's death three years ago.

Doc examines Charity and finds her physically healthy but disturbingly mature for her age, shaped by years of isolation and hardship. As Matt tries to find proper placement for the orphaned girl, Charity insists she wants to live with him, putting the marshal in an uncomfortable position. The investigation raises unsettling questions about the fire and the little girl's peculiar detachment from the tragedy that has left her alone in the world.

Originally Aired: June 26, 1960

Gunsmoke #429, "Line Trouble," begins when Jasper Foss reports to Marshal Matt Dillon that the new telegraph line west of Dodge has been cut. Matt and Chester investigate and discover Army soldiers repairing the damage and holding a Kiowa man named Smallhawk under guard. The Indian admits to cutting the wire, believing it to be bad magic that carries evil sounds across his people's land. Matt, who knows Smallhawk as no troublemaker, convinces Colonel Hooper to release the prisoner into his custody, promising to take responsibility and show Smallhawk that the telegraph can be good magic instead of bad.

To prove his point, Matt takes Smallhawk to the telegraph office and sends a message to the Indian encampment, instructing Smallhawk's son Brown Wing to bring a horse to meet his father outside town. The demonstration aims to change Smallhawk's fear of the wire and prevent future trouble. Meanwhile, the bitter Jasper Foss, recently fired from his job for being too old, lurks in the background with cryptic warnings about Matt needing to watch out and do a good job.

Originally Aired: June 12, 1960

Gunsmoke #427, "Kitty Accused," finds Kitty Russell facing an unwelcome complication on what should be a simple stagecoach trip to Fort Learned. After a late night at the Long Branch, Kitty prepares to visit her friend Sally, who has just had a baby. Marshal Matt Dillon sees her off, but the journey takes a troubling turn when Arnie Grimes and his bitter wife Hattie board the same stage. Arnie has been making persistent unwanted advances toward Kitty around Dodge City, much to his wife's fury, and Hattie makes no secret of her resentment toward the saloon owner she sees as a threat to her marriage.

As the uncomfortable journey progresses, tensions mount inside the cramped stagecoach. Arnie continues his inappropriate attention despite Kitty's clear rejections and Hattie's sharp rebukes. The situation grows increasingly volatile as Hattie's jealousy and Arnie's obsession collide, trapping Kitty in the middle of a dangerous domestic conflict with nowhere to escape on the long road to Fort Learned.

Originally Aired: June 5, 1960

Gunsmoke #426, "Fabulous Silver Extender," finds Chester holding down the fort while Matt Dillon transports a prisoner to Have City. Into the marshal's absence walks the nervous Professor Albert Cramston, a self-proclaimed metallurgical researcher who claims the San Francisco silver syndicate has put a price on his head. Eight hired killers are supposedly tracking him down for ten thousand dollars, though he can't identify any of them. Chester promises to keep watch, but the real mystery begins when local shopkeepers Wilbert and Durgum notice the peculiar professor borrowing dimes at the Long Branch saloon, then mysteriously returning with silver dollars to repay them.

Following Cramston to Wilbert's recently sold shop, the curious pair discovers him working with strange machinery by lantern light. When they attempt to apprehend him as suspicious, Chester intervenes, forcing an uneasy introduction between the frightened professor and the would-be captors. Cramston, satisfied they aren't foreign agents or syndicate killers, prepares to reveal his closely guarded secret to the three men, provided they're willing to die to protect it for the good of their country.

Originally Aired: May 29, 1960

Gunsmoke #425, "Bad Seed," finds Marshal Matt Dillon on his way back to Dodge from Fort Larnard when an unexpected visitor enters his camp. A young woman named Trudy Trent, claiming to be starving and desperate, begs the marshal not to send her back to her father. She paints a dark picture of life with her Pa, describing him as a violent drunk who mistreats her terribly. Despite her pleas and increasingly inappropriate advances, Matt insists on taking her home the next morning.

When they arrive at the ramshackle Trent farm, Matt meets Asa Trent, a slovenly drunk who alternates between professing affection for his daughter and threatening the marshal. The tension at supper is thick as Trudy recounts disturbing incidents from her past, including a Christmas when her drunken father accidentally set her on fire. Convinced that the girl's situation is genuinely dire, Matt agrees to take Trudy back to Dodge with him despite Asa's threats and warnings. But as Matt settles into the barn loft for the night, he senses something isn't quite right about the whole situation.

Originally Aired: May 22, 1960

Gunsmoke #424, "Marryin Bertha," Marshal Matt Dillon finds himself dealing with an unusual problem when his deputy Chester Proudfoot confesses to a reckless mistake. Suffering from spring fever and feeling romantic, Chester has been writing letters to lonely women advertising in St. Louis newspapers, stretching the truth about himself and even sending one woman Matt's photograph instead of his own. Now a widow named Corinne Gatesley has arrived in Dodge expecting to marry Chester, and the panicked deputy begs Matt to impersonate him and send her away. When Matt meets the imposing Mrs. Gatesley, a woman taller than Chester and built like the Marshal himself, he discovers Chester's letters promised her he had money coming his way.

The situation turns dangerous when Doc Adams recognizes Matt's description of the woman. She may actually be Bertha Hoskowitz, a woman once suspected of marrying and murdering several men for their money in St. Louis, though authorities could never prove it. With Chester having foolishly promised wealth he doesn't have, Matt realizes the deputy may have made himself the target of a cold-blooded killer.

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 case takes an unusual turn when Matt and Chester ride out to the murder scene and discover the body has been moved to a Pawnee burial platform high on wooden poles. There they encounter Ben, a laconic trapper raised by the Pawnees who admits to burying Cassie in the traditional elevated grave. Though Ben denies killing her and could have easily shot Matt and Chester before they drew on him, the evidence looks damning. As Matt brings Ben to jail and confronts the grieving Riley with his wife's suspected killer, the truth behind Cassie's death remains murky.