Gunsmoke (1955–1975): Season 1, Episode 38 - Unmarked Grave - full transcript

A distraught middle-aged woman becomes determined to aid a young murderer in Matt's custody after she learns of her own son's violent death and unceremonious burial on Boot Hill.

ANNOUNCER:

Starring James Arness
as Matt Dillon.

Any man can be buried up here
on Boot Hill,

and it won't cost him a cent.

All he has to do is
lose his temper for a moment,

or his nerve.

Most of the men
who die that way

have lived long enough
to know better.

You can't trouble yourself
too much about 'em.

It's when a boy goes down,

some lad in his teens,



that you really begin
to hate the waste of it.

That's another part
of being a U.S. marshal.

You picked a terrible
inconvenient time for a...

heart attack.

I'll say it, shut up.

You're givin' out,
sheriff.

You're fadin'
like an old drag steer.

Before I die,

I'll take you with me.

No.

You couldn't bring yourself
to it.

You're one of them
duty-sticklers.

And you're a murderer,
Blackie.

But the law says
I got a trial comin'.



And you're the law.

Once I get you into Dodge,

you're as good as hung.

Am I, sheriff?

I got friends
waitin' for me.

Good friends.

Nobody's putting me
on that train tomorrow morning.

You're a liar.

Thought you was real smart,
didn't ya?

Hiring this stage to sneak me
out of Garden City.

I had good friends there too.

One of 'em was heading
straight to the telegraph office

the minute we pulled out.

That's why Tasker Sloan's
gonna be waitin'.

One thing
you didn't reckon on, boy.

Yeah?

Me having a friend in Dodge.

If you ever saw my son,
Marshal Dillon,

you wouldn't be likely
to forget,

especially his hair.

It was
the lightest yellow

I've ever seen on a boy
or a man.

And when the sun caught it
in a certain light,

it seemed almost white.

So it was natural
for people to call him Whitey.

Maybe that was the name
you knew him by.

Well, Mrs. Randolph, uh,

if I had a dollar for every one
of these young drifters

that came through here
with only a nickname-

All the Shortys and
the Curlys and the Slims.

I'd be a rich man.

Marshal Dillon,

I have a feeling
you're being evasive.

All right, Mrs. Randolph.

Well?

I've been, uh,
trying to think

of how to tell you
about your son.

Then you do know him?

He was one of those
with just a nickname.

And it was Whitey.

Yes?

He was killed
by a deputy sheriff.

No.

Two years ago, ma'am.

Sheriff's posse rode down
on a wild bunch

that broke jail
in Hutchinson.

The others got away.
Your son didn't.

I think I knew it
all the time.

But this man
who wrote me the letter,

he just said Hollis
was mixed up in some kind

of hot-blooded action
and...

the marshal in Dodge
would know all about it.

Here, why don't you have
a little water.

I'm sorry,
Mrs. Randolph.

Did he have to be shot down?

What horrible thing did he do?

Well, as I remember,

he and some other men
cleaned out a faro game

in one of the saloons.

The dealer was murdered.

Hollis would never kill anybody.

He was a gentle boy.

He only came here
because he was young.

It was painful growing up
down south after the war.

But how would you know
about that?

You'd have had to know

the blessed peace
of our plantation

and then live through the ruin
and the destruction

and all the hopelessness.

No...

Hollis was doomed.

He was marked
for this kind of end.

I'm staying
at the Dodge House. I-

I'll be obliged if you show me
my son's grave tomorrow.

Well, I doubt if I can do that,
Mrs. Randolph.

You see, your son's buried
up on Boot Hill.

They don't make much ceremony

about headstones or markers
up there,

especially
when there's no kinfolk.

My son

in an unmarked grave.

Buried like an animal.

Get in there.

Hooray,
you got me here.

Darcy.

Now, you feel any better
before you drop dead?

Shut up,
you little quarrelling scum.

You been asking
for this.

Ah!

What's the matter?

Bad heart.

I didn't think
I could make it this far.

Better get you
up to Doc's.

Wait, listen.

The kid.

He's one of the gang

that broke open the bank
at Caldwell.

Nobody could identify
the others,

but they seen him

shoot down the cashier.

Now, don't you try to talk,
Darcy, we'll take care of him.

I ain't finished.

You can't keep him in jail.

They swore to break him loose.

Who?

The rest of the gang.

I got a room reserved

at Dodge House.

Keep the boy out of sight

till the 7:10 train
in the morning.

Maybe we better get you
out of here too.

Get a shotgun,
Chester.

Do you think you can make it
up to Doc's place?

If I could make it here
with this flea-whelped killer,

it oughta be a cinch.

Good.

Tasker Sloan,

he heads up the bunch.

Looks on the kid
like his only son.

He'll be here,
if he ain't already.

He's a bad one.

All right,
get him outta here, Chester.

Oh, so very young.

You could almost be
my own son.

How can you be so smug
and unfeelin'?

I'll take him now,
Mrs. Randolph.

Is this the way it was
with Hollis?

A mad-dog sheriff?

Look, I don't have much time,
Mrs. Randolph.

You better leave.

I understand, marshal.
I had a taste of Yankee law.

Sheriff Darcy
was born in Louisiana.

He's as Southern
as you can get.

Come on.

You call yourself lawmen?

You're murderers.

Don't you worry, son.

I won't let them shoot you down.

Ah.

Dodge ain't far away.

This is
the last chance we got

to make sure
we see eye to eye.

I didn't want him in with us,
but I let him have his way.

And now it's up to me
to cut him free.

What are you tryin' to say,
Tasker?

There ain't no proof
against any of us

for that job
in Caldwell.

So if anybody wants his split
of the bank money and get out,

talk up.

I guess we see eye to eye.

Just one thing.

Yeah.

Take it easy
with that Pecos whiskey.

I like Pecos whiskey.

It's good and sully.

Come on.

The sheriff didn't tell me
what your name was.

Blackie.

Just Blackie.

If that's good enough
for the Ranger black book,

it's good enough
for a cow-town marshal.

You're as young as you look?

They say a man's
as old as he's lived.

All right,
let's skip that too.

Would you mind telling me
where you're from?

From the North,

but I ain't carrying any burdens
from yesterday, marshal.

You are, sonny,

but you just don't know it.

All right, Mr. Marshal,
if you're so curious,

I'll tell you
what you wanna know.

My old man joined up
with the Illinois Volunteers.

He left my ma and us kids
in a dark hole

with nothin' but dirt
to eat.

Well, he died eatin' dirt.

He died of scurvy in Lawrence.

You're not much credit
to his memory, are ya?

All I want's money,

and all the things it can buy
for a man.

Hey, let's talk about you,
marshal.

I figure you to make
about a hundred a month

on the up and up,
right?

How much you pay for the saddle
on your horse?

Thirty-five dollars?

Hey, I paid a hundred
for mine.

A genuine Padgett made in Waco.

Yeah, but I'm still ridin' free
on mine, sonny.

But for how long, marshal?

Tomorrow morning?

Oh, I wouldn't count too much
on those friends of yours.

Oh, learn some sense, marshal.

Make a deal with Tasker.

Money don't mean nothin' to him.

You could afford a decent saddle
and maybe buy into a saloon.

You're even younger
than you look.

All right.

You get yourself dead
for a lousy hundred a month.

Kid

out of

sight.

What'd he say,
Doc?

You better go get Matt
over here right away.

All right.

Where'd the sheriff
take the kid?

I don't know.

Oh!

Well,
try to remember.

I let them out
on the flats.

They made it into town
their own way.

Are you gonna
keep on lying?

Agh!

Who is it?

It's Mrs. Randolph, marshal.

I heard you say
you were bringin' the boy here,

so I was waitin'.

My room's
just down the hall.

Is there a rule against feeding
your prisoners, marshal,

or do you enjoy
watching 'em starve?

Come in, Mrs. Randolph.

Say, is that for me, ma'am?

I could sure do with some soup.

Put it down
right there.

Get outta here, boy!

Go find your friends!

Run!

Mrs. Randolph,
I know you can't help-

I don't care.
I don't care, I'm not sorry.

You're a man with everything
on your side,

and he's just a-

A killer!

Now, please
get outta here.

Mr. Dillon,
Doc says he wants you

up to his office
right away,

but you better
be careful.

His friends
just rode into town

and they beat up
on the stage driver, and th-

They're probably out prowlin'
up Front Street by now.

Now, what do you suppose
they're up to?

All right, look,
keep this door locked

and don't let anybody in
but me.

And watch him.

Yes, sir.

I wonder how much Darcy paid
for his saddle.

Huh?

What?

Couldn't have been much
with a wife and two kids.

You need a drink?

Nope.

Oh. Oh, Matt.

Here's the key
to the prisoner's handcuffs.

Now, I did something
maybe I shouldn't have done.

I made him a promise for you
just before he died.

Oh?

Yeah, I promised him

that you'd catch the 7:10
for Wichita with that boy.

Couple of deputies
will meet you there

and take him on
to Caldwell.

Well,
I'll sure try.

You got any Pecos whiskey?

Afraid not,
mister.

Then break open the best.
Fast.

Yes, sir.

Where's the marshal
in this town?

Have ya tried
his office?

Well, pretty,

you got as much sand
as you have looks.

Everybody else
seems to be struck dumb.

Yeah, I tried his office.
Where else is he likely to be?

He's usually around
when he's needed.

Well, I got need of him.

Stick around.
He'll find you.

He's pretty good at that.

I'd be obliged if you tell him
Tasker Sloan's looking for him.

And if he happens to be
stone-blind,

tell him we'll be ridin'
up and down Front Street

lookin' for him all night.

Chester. Wake up.

Hm?

Come here.

Look.

We gotta get him
to the train.

We best go down
the back way.

Let's go.

Tasker!

It's me!
I'm up here!

That's all I wanted to know.

What do you think
they're plannin' on doin'?

I don't know.

Keep watchin'.

I'm going downstairs
and take a look around.

Keep watching.

Yeah?

Let me in.

Well, I don't know where
they are or what they're up to,

but we only got ten minutes
to get him on the train.

Get your hat.

Come on, come on,
let's go.

Oh, ma'am.

I don't know
your interest in me,

but don't you fret now.

I got all the help I need
waitin' right out here.

All right,
let's keep moving.

Uh, not too close,
huh, marshal?

I wouldn't wanna get hit.

I don't think your friend Sloan
wants you to get hit either.

And I'm sort of counting
on it.

Chester,

keep me covered.

If you see anything worth
scattering with that shotgun,

do it.

I sure will,
Mr. Dillon.

All right,
let's go.

Why didn't you give up,
marshal?

You just keep walkin'.

All right, now,
when I tell you,

you start runnin'
for that train, you understand?

You're figurin' of
shootin' me down, ain't you?

No, I'm gonna be right
beside you, sonny, all the way.

But you can't do that-

If there's any shootin',

you're gonna be
right square in the middle.

That's murder.

Get goin'.

Tasker,
be careful!

He's trying
to get me killed!

Duck, kid!

Now!

Duck, kid!

Mr. Dillon.

Mr. Dillon,
are you hurt bad?

Are you all right?

Yeah,
I'm all right, Chester.

You know what to do,
Chester.

Yes, sir.

Here, take the gun.

Will you give me a hand, here?

Marshal Dillon.

I was wrong.

You've got your duty.

A terrible duty.

Another unmarked grave.

Well,
maybe we can get a marker

for both of them this time,
Mrs. Randolph.

For that boy

and your son.