Gunsmoke (1955–1975): Season 1, Episode 15 - No Handcuffs - full transcript

ANNOUNCER:

Starring James Arness
as Matt Dillon.

Hold it.

Who are you?

My name's Dillon.

Oh?

Marshal Dillon,
eh?

Good.
I'm a deputy sheriff.

This here little rat's wanted
down in Mingo for murder.

That any reason for shooting
an unarmed man in the back?

You aimin' to take a hand
in this?



That's right.

Let's go.

See if the coffee's warm,
Chester.

I sure will, Mr. Dillon.

What's your name?

Hank Springer.

And yours?

Brake, marshal.
August Brake.

Sit down.

Marshal-
I'll stand.

This won't take very long.

I said, sit down.

Now what's all this
about?

You can't do it,
marshal.



If you let him
take me back there,

they'll hang me, sure.

Ah, you oughta thought of that
before you killed Dobey.

I didn't kill
anybody.

You know that, and so does
the sheriff back in Mingo.

I never even seen Dobey
that night.

Sure, I know,
you got a witness.

Some drunk you scared into
being a witness.

I've seen it happen
too many time before.

The sheriff don't care who's
guilty, he never does.

All he wants is to get
somebody convicted, anybody.

And this time,
he picked me.

Well, if you're innocent,
how come you ran out?

I-

I wouldn't have had a chance,
marshal.

I wouldn't have got no trial.
Not a fair trial.

The sheriff runs things
the way he wants,

and anybody that tries to
stop him gets killed.

You don't know how it is
in Mingo.

And...

now they're sayin'
I shot Dobey in the back.

To rob him,
they say,

of some money he won
in a poker game.

But they're lyin'.

I never killed nobody,

nor took no money that I didn't
work for, in my whole life.

I don't even
pack a gun.

Maybe that's why
they picked me.

They figured
I'd be easy.

And that's the way the
sheriff likes it, easy,

so it don't interfere none with
his drinkin' and his gamblin'.

Sure is full of it,
ain't he, marshal?

And I got to listen to that
all the way back to Mingo.

No.

Just a minute.

Don't let him do it,
marshal.

They got a sayin'
down there:

"When the sheriff
handcuffs a man,

you can start diggin'
his grave."

If he takes me back there,
they'll kill me.

Now don't let him do it,
marshal.

Well, there's been
a legal charge made against you.

There's a warrant out
for your arrest.

They never bother
with a warrant.

There weren't no time.
We knew he was guilty.

Chester.
Yes, sir?

Take Hank back
and lock him up.

What?

You'll be safer there than you
will walkin' the streets, Hank.

In there,
Hank.

Get him a couple blankets,
Chester.

Yes, sir.

What are you
doing here?

That man is
my prisoner.

Show me a warrant,
we'll talk about it.

There's no railroad
into Mingo,

no telegraph,
you know that.

It'll take the best part
of a week to send word by stage.

Then we got nothing
to talk about.

Not for the next week.

You know,
for a lawman,

it's kinda hard to figure out
what side you're on.

Ask the sheriff
in Mingo...

...when you send
for that warrant.

Should be back before evening,
Chester.

All right. I'll take care
of things, Mr. Dillon.

Where's
the marshal?

Well, the Pueblo stage was five
hours overdue, and he-

Why? What do you want him for?
I don't want him.

There's been a fella hurt bad

in the gunfight
up at the Dodge House.

There's gonna be plenty more
hurt if it ain't stopped soon.

Oh, well, I-

I guess I better get up there
and see about it.

Reckon that's what Mr. Dillon'd
want me to do.

You can eat them eggs
if you want 'em,

'cause they're gonna be ruined
by the time I get back anyhow.

The key's in Mingo, Hank.

Come on.

Let's get started.

We don't wanna
keep the sheriff waitin'.

Come on!

There wasn't nobody
down at-

Stay back.

What have you done?

I killed him.

They lied and
called me a killer.

Now I am one.

Don't make me hurt you.

Now, look, Hank,

tryin' to run away
ain't gonna help you none.

No matter where you go,

th-there gonna be somebody
out to get you.

You ain't gonna have a chance.

I can fix it so somebody else
gets a chance, though.

I can fix it
so that sheriff

can't ruin nobody else
like he ruined me.

Now, look,
Hank.

I'm goin' back to Mingo,
and I'm gonna kill him.

Don't you
try to stop me.

I'll kill anybody
that tries to stop me.

Come in.

Hello, Matt.
Chester.

Ah, he'll live, all right.

Not gonna look
too good.

Well, he never did look
too good to me, Doc.

Oh?

Understand he's a very
important man down in Mingo.

Sheriff depends on him.
Hm.

He shoulda had sense enough
to leave well enough alone.

Well, I just feel terrible,
'cause this ain't the end of it.

Hank thinks
he's a killer now,

so he figures he's got
nothing else to lose.

He's half out of his mind.

He is gonna kill somebody,

unless he's stopped.

So long,
Doc.

So long, Matt.

He couldn't have gotten far.
That'd burn itself out.

All right,
that's enough.

What?

You ain't him.

What?

The feller
that shot me.

Stole my horse.

His done throwed a shoe.

Well, let's get you up.
I'm obliged to ya.

Ca- Ca- Ca-
Careful now.

Oh!

Ooh.

How long ago'd
this happen?

'Bout an hour.

Figured my horse
played out on him.

He's comin' back.

I wasn't fixin' for him to get
the jump on me a second time.

He's a mean'un.

Well, I've been trailin' him
for a hundred miles.

Yeah?
I'm a marshal outta Dodge.

Wasn't him, huh?

No, Hank did this to him.
Oh.

And he's got an hour start
on us with a fresh horse.

Heh. Might be a fresh
horse, all right.

Ain't no better than the one
he's riding.

Huh?

That horse of mine got
his lungs frostbit last winter.

He won't carry him
as far as Mingo,

if you push him
too hard.

What's this side?
Anything?

Any place you could steal
another horse?

Nope.

Nothin' over there but a family
of nesters about ten mile off.

All they got's
a mule.

Husband's off summers
on a trip.

His woman's staying home
alone this week.

And that's
the only-

Bless Bess.

And he's an hour
ahead of us.

Well,
we can't take you with us,

but we'll send somebody back
to help you.

Chester,
make him comfortable.

I'll get you
a canteen.

Looks
pretty quiet.

Yeah.

Maybe that horse wasn't as
bad off as that fella thought.

I'll bet Hank
rode straight into Mingo.

Didn't even
come near this place.

Well,
he might've.

We'll see.

If you're lookin' for my man,
he ain't here.

He might
come back tonight.

More'n likely, though,
it'll be tomorrow sometime.

Who are you?

Well, I'm the marshal
up at Dodge City, ma'am.

We're out lookin' for a
prisoner escaped from jail.

He's a small man, about-
No.

Ain't been nobody
through here all day.

Foot or horseback.

Well, it's just like
we figured, Mr. Dillon.

You can't tell about them horses
once their lungs gets touched.

You know,
sometimes they work out of it.

Yeah, I guess you're right,
Chester.

He musta shoved right on through. Yeah.

Well, we won't bother you
any longer, ma'am.

But would you mind if
we wait here a couple minutes

while our horses
get their wind?

Well, i-if you's a
mind to have some coffee...

Some chicory,
that is, uh...

T'ain't
real coffee.

...I'd be more'n
pleased to fix you some.

Tastes mighty fine,
Mr. Dillon.

While we wait.

Wouldn't take
no time at all.

Please stay.

Well, maybe just for a minute,
while the horses rest.

Might nice of you
to take the trouble, ma'am.

Oh,
it's no trouble.

Come on in.

We sure appreciate
your trouble, ma'am.

It's no trouble.
It's a pleasure.

It's good to have someone
stop by.

Good to have someone
to talk to.

You can get awful lonesome
livin' way out here.

Well,
it's, uh..

not far into Mingo,
is it?

I don't go
to Mingo.

Not anymore,
I don't.

Why not?

It's that
sheriff.

A woman ain't safe,
not any woman.

Not as long as
he's running the town.

I see.

What he wants, he takes.

If it needs killin' t-to get it,
that don't bother him one bit.

He's mean,
and he's rotten.

I almost hope
that little fella-

Even hate to see my man
go into town,

to get supplies
and all.

Just don't know
what'll happen.

Well, Chester, I, uh,
think we better get started.

He's gettin' farther away
from us every minute.

Yes, sir.

Thanks again for your trouble,
though, ma'am.

First chance we've had to rest
since early this morning.

It's no trouble
at all.

He come up before-
Just before you got here.

He-
When he rode up he-

He got behind
the curtains-

He said he'd kill me
if I let you know.

I-I didn't know what to do.

Well, you did
just fine, ma'am.

He said he was going
to Mingo.

H-He wanted a horse,
but I-

I-
I didn't have none.

Well, he's got two now.
Yeah.

I don't think you have any more
to worry about, though, ma'am.

He won't be
coming back here.

Thank you,
marshal.

Well, come on,
Chester.

Well,
it's ten miles to Mingo,

and there's only
one way to get there.

Oughta make it
in four hours.

A man can work pretty hard
makin' a noose for himself.

Goodbye,
ma'am.

Looks like the sheriff manages
to keep real busy.

Yeah.

Hardly has a minute
to call his own.

You lookin' for the sheriff,
he ain't here.

More'n likely,
you'll find him up the street

at the Golden Nugget.

Well, we're mainly
lookin' for Hank Springer.

Spends more time in that saloon
than he does in-

You say
Hank Springer?

You seen him
tonight?

You a lawman?

That's right,
outta Dodge.

Now what about
Hank?

Oh, my.

Well...

Who did that?

I don't want no trouble,
mister.

I'm leavin'.

Got my stuff
all packed.

I seen too much in this town.

I'm gettin' out.

Hank tried to get out too,
you know.

Now, who shot him?

The sheriff?

That's only
what I heard.

I didn't see
myself.

And who killed Dobey?

I don't know.

Most folks figure it was
the sheriff.

Dobey'd won a lot of money off
of him in a poker game,

and they figured he wanted
to get it back.

Dobey had a pretty wife too.

But that's just the
talk I heard.

I don't know myself.

Chester.

Yes, sir?

I guess it's long
overdue.

Yes, sir.

Let's go.

You got somethin'
on your mind?

There's a man named
Hank Springer

lyin' dead in that jail of yours
down the street.

You don't say so?

Who shot him?

Let me see.

Come to think of it,
I guess I did.

Why?

Maybe he tried
to draw on me.

Maybe I just didn't like
his looks.

Maybe I don't like the way
you answer questions.

Get up.

Maybe you'll be
lucky.

You wanna try?

Hank Springer
was shot in the back.

That seems to be a
habit of yours.

You're under arrest
for murder.

You've got no authority
here-

You had your chance
to argue.

Put 'em on.

Put 'em on.

Any of you men see
Hank Springer shot?

Yes, sir.
I did, marshal.

I was there.

There's a circuit judge coming
around this way next week.

You gonna testify
to what you saw?

Yes, sir.
I will.

I'll be glad to,
marshal.

You got a prisoner.
Lock him up.

Next time you pick somebody
to hang that on...

maybe it'd be a good idea
to look him over first.

Get going.

Come on.