Gunsmoke (1955–1975): Season 15, Episode 13 - Roots of Fear - full transcript

Gunsmoke, starring
James Arness as Matt Dillon.

Emilie, don't look
at the house yet.

Now, you wait till we
get around the bend here.

Got a lot of brush
cutting to do in here too.

- And the flowers!
- Got a little work to do.

We'll all get in
here and get busy.

Don't you look at that
house now, Emilie.

Amos, look at that tree!

Wait till we get upon
it. I'll tell you when.

Okay, watch it.

I've never seen
such green country.



Maybe we can move those
hog pens over, you know.

Figure all that out.

That's it.

Well, it sure don't
look like much, Amos.

Them fences gotta be fixed. The
way them shingles all done split up.

I never said it didn't
need fixing, Ridge.

Amos. Amos, I think
that's the prettiest...

That's the prettiest
house I ever did see! It is!

Before the week's out, Emilie,
we're going to own every inch of it,

every board and nail and
clump of dirt clear to the creek.

And I'll help work, Amos. You
just tell me things to do, and I'll help.

- Them's real windows, ain't they, Pa?
- That's what they are, Susan.

You know what else?

Inside of the kitchen there's a pump,
brings the water right up into the sink.



Amos, are you joshing?

Well, Emilie, you go right
inside and see for yourself.

- Come on, Uncle Daniel.
- Daniel!

That bedroom to
the back, that's yours.

You never said nothing about me
having my own place to sleep, Amos.

I was saving
telling to please you.

Let's go see.

- Look, Ma, even got a stove!
- I know!

Oh...

Look! We got neighbors
coming to call already.

- Howdy.
- How do?

- You the new people here?
- That's right.

Name's Sadler, Amos Sadler.

I saw your wagon from
up there on the road.

I thought I ought to ride in and tell
you in case you ain't already heard.

- Heard what?
- The bank in Dodge.

Folks say it's closed,
maybe out of business.

How can a bank
go out of business?

Well, I don't know. I'm just
going by what I was told.

- So I thought I...
- Are you sure you were told right?

Well, that's what I'm going
to ride in and see, ma'am.

I got my savings in that bank.

Just thought I'd be
neighborly and tell you, though.

- So long.
- Much obliged.

What's it mean, Amos?

I ain't sure I know.

Well, even if the bank
goes out of business,

they're still holding the money
that people saved, like our money.

That's right. Got that book.

It says you still got the
money to buy this farm, don't it?

Well, it's our money, Daniel,
and they got to give it to us.

Well, let's, uh, get the wagon
unloaded and go into Dodge and find out.

Open up, you hear?
Open up in there!

- Come on, Harry!
- Open! Come on!

- Get away from that window!
- We want our money!

Let me tell you! Matthew
is in there right now

with Mr. Bodkin and
working things out!

- Now, just hush, all of you!
- We want our money!

These people got a
right to their money...

My money's in there too!

- Don't you know that?
- I know that, but...

How bad is it, Doc?

I don't think even
Bodkin knows that.

I talked to him earlier this
morning. He seemed pretty worried.

I don't want to tell you
your business, Harry,

but I think you ought to talk
to those people out there.

Matt, the truth of the matter is
there isn't anything to say to them.

They've got passbooks
in their hands,

and they're not going
to listen to dry statistics.

Well, isn't it true things could
get better in a week or so?

But they may not.

Now, the simple truth is that
the panic that started in the East

can affect the most
solvent of banks.

I am certain that we are
solvent, but it's a question of cash.

Well, I know one
thing you can't do,

and that's to let those people keep
standing around out there forever.

Now, it's not up to me to
go and tell them something

until you've made up
your mind whether or not

you're gonna pay
any of them off.

All right, we'll open the doors.

Now, it'll be first
come, first served.

- We'll hold in reserve, uh, 12,000.
- Yes, sir.

This is my first experience
having a bank run,

and I certainly
hope it's my last.

So do I, Harry.

Ma'am, just step on down
there and get right in a row.

Get in the line, everybody.

Matthew, I never have
saw folks get so riled up.

Well, I can't say I blame them,
Festus, but Bodkin's a good man.

He just needs a little time.

Now, stay in line.
Now move in, please.

Everything is
going to be all right.

He says everything is
gonna be all right, Amos.

I didn't figure a bank could be running
out of people's money they put in.

700.

That's it, Charlie.

- I'm sorry.
- What?

We're closed. There's
no more money.

Well, that's a lie. There's plenty of
money in that iron box. I can see it.

My book here says
we got it coming.

Now, now, folks, I'm sorry.
We're going to have to close.

You'll just have to give us a little
more time. When the bank reopens...

- Yeah, but when's that gonna be?
- We don't know for sure.

But it may be only a matter of weeks.
Now, just be patient, friends, please.

- We need our money now!
- Yes, you come back.

- We got $2,000 in that iron box.
- I'm sorry, Mr. Sadler.

- Tell Bodkin to get out here and pay us.
- You don't have to push us.

Mister, you gotta
explain one thing to me.

Ten years I've been coming
in here to Dodge, giving money,

hard saved in this bank here.

And you got money
inside, we all saw it!

- Yeah!
- Wait up!

What's it all mean?

It means we don't get
our money from the bank.

It means we don't own
that farm we bought.

I'm not going to the
marshal about this.

Yeah, what does
he know about it?

It'll be all right, Amos.
Don't you worry none.

Lord, make us thankful

for what we're
about to eat here,

which comes to us
through your favor.

Lord, don't let nothing happen
so's we can't make this our home,

like we want to.

Please, Lord...

Let this be our land.

Thank you.

Amen.

- Amen.
- Amen.

You didn't take nothing.

I'm not hungry.

Emilie, you gotta eat.

Come on now, Emilie, it ain't that bad. I
told you we figured driving home today

all we got to do is ask for a
little time, just a little more time.

See who it is.

Whoa.

- Well! Evening, Mr. Sadler.
- Mr. Atkin.

- Well, come in, just come right in.
- Thank you, thank you.

It's Mr. Atkin,
the broker fella.

This here's my wife, Emilie.

- Mrs. Sadler.
- Daughter Susan.

- Hello.
- Brother Daniel.

- Howdy.
- Cousin Ridge.

I'm pleased to meet
you all, I'm sure.

If you haven't ate, we
sure got a place for you.

That's very kind of you, but I did
come out on a business matter.

You see, I received this telegram
today from Mr. White in Kansas City.

Uh, he's the owner
of this property.

I mean, he's the man you're
buying it from through my office,

and, uh, well...

Well, we wanted to ask
you for just a little more time,

what with the bank's
closing and all.

I, uh... I think I understand.

Only... Only what?

Well, by rights,

the money should have been
paid, the balance due, that is,

before you moved in.

Didn't seem to
be no rush, and...

Well, I... I have to
get it immediately,

no later than Friday.

The... the bank closing, not only
here, but Kansas City and St. Louis,

well, it took everybody by
surprise, including Mr. White.

He needs cash, and,

well, there's another
buyer waiting with the cash.

Please understand my position.

There's no way we could have it
by Friday, that's only three days.

I'm truly sorry,

but, well, Friday
is the deadline.

Mr. Atkin.

You're a businessman, you're not
a sod farmer like these men here.

Mr. Atkin, they've been
working all of their lives

just to get a hold in the world.

They been looking for a
place for their loved ones to live

just to give them
a decent place...

where we can kind
of put our roots down.

I reckon you've said
what you come to say.

I ain't hungry no more.

Ridge, let's us take a walk.

You shouldn't cry, Emilie.

Pa won't let us lose our house.

No.

All that keeps coming back
to my mind is our money there.

Right in front of our faces.

It's our money, not theirs.

I've been a God-fearing
man all my life.

I do what's right.
Been my way of living.

It's the right and wrong of it.

What's right and what's wrong?

Amos, if we do it at all,
it best be done tonight.

Amos.

Danny, you better go
on back to the house.

Amos, three's better than two,

and you might just be needing
them strong shoulders of his tonight.

Some work for me to do?

We was talking of ways
of saving the farm, Daniel.

So Emilie won't cry no more.

So Emilie don't cry no more.

I have to be telling
her something.

Well, that's easy.

Just tell her we're going
into town to get our money.

That ain't no lie.

This is a good place right here.

- Ridge...
- Yeah?

You make sure there ain't
nobody around out there.

All right.

Now... do like we
showed you, Daniel.

The rope!

Right here, Daniel.

Easy!

Just real easy, Daniel.

It's coming.

All right, Daniel. Watch...
watch them squeaking nails.

Wait, sh!

You little scutter! You like
to scare me halfway to death.

Now, go on home before your
mama finds out you're missing. Go on!

I'm sorry, Amos.

You're doing fine,
Danny, just doing fine.

Easy, easy.

Let's go.

Must be through here.

Ridge, uh, go check
out them windows.

Right here, Daniel.

Get it behind that handle
and we'll break that lock.

Lock ain't broken.

Try that other handle there.

- Oh, evening, Mr. Bodkin.
- Well, hello, Festus.

I couldn't sleep, so I thought
I'd do a little work on the books.

Yes, sir.

Well, this here's been kind of
a bad day for Dodge, ain't it?

Well, I'm sure
we'll pull out of it.

There'll be some cash
here by the first of the month.

Enough, I think, to ease
the depositors' burdens.

Yes, sir.

Well, if you feel like having some
coffee directly, come on back.

I'll have some did
and waiting for you.

- Well, thank you, Festus.
- Yes, sir.

This box ain't gonna break.

Somebody's coming!

Headed right this way.

Way he's dressed,
be that banker fella.

If we can't get that box open,
that there banker fella can.

Get your faces covered. Ridge,
get on the other side of that door.

Just keep your mouth shut!

Got no gun.

Get that there iron box open.

- Now, you men listen to me.
- Do like he says, mister.

Look, hush! You
open that box up fast!

You may not have
heard, but you'll find very...

Just get it open!

All right. Hand over some of that
money, one of them stacks there.

Now, get...

Two thousand.

- Stand back.
- Now, wait. Don't shoot.

- All we want to do...
- Just stand back or you're a dead man.

Daniel's been hurt!
Get him in the wagon.

Mr. Bodkin? Mr. Bodkin.

- Easy. Just get back!
- What happened to him?

It was a... it was a accident,
that's all it was. Just a accident.

- That's all it was.
- All right.

Ain't right for you
to lie to Emilie.

All right, he's been shot.
Now, I want no questions.

We've just gotta take care
of him. Get in the house

and get some hot water
and some bandages.

- Easy.
- I'm sorry, Amos.

- I was just trying to do right.
- You did just fine, Daniel.

You did just fine.

The fact that you feel anything at
all is something to be thankful for.

- Can we talk, Harry?
- Sure, Matt.

Did you recognize any of 'em?

Well, it's like I told Festus, they
had handkerchiefs over their faces.

What about their voices?

Well, everything
happened so fast, Matt.

Well, anything. The way
they were dressed or...?

Oh, they were farmers. No...

No, no, more like hill people.

Well, they were using a wagon. Festus
followed the tracks as far as the wash.

The cashier says
that 5,000 is missing.

All right, Festus and I'll head out
and see if we can pick up the trail.

It'll sting a little there.

Amos, we shouldn't wait
any longer in getting a doctor.

Can't, I told you.

He's strong.

Plenty of men live
with bullets in them.

- Supposing he don't?
- I'm saying he will.

We're gonna do all we can.

- Supposing it ain't enough?
- It's going to have to be.

Cousin Ridge!

Cousin Ridge, my
dolly's... Money?

Susan, come here.

- I never seen so much money.
- Yeah.

- Can you keep a secret?
- Secret?

Yeah, this is money that
I've been saving for your pa,

only it's a surprise.

It's for buying stock
and things later,

only you gotta keep it a secret.

Oh, I will, Cousin Ridge.
My dolly's crib needs fixing.

Oh, that's no problem, honey.

It's probably big enough...

Now, you've got
to try to sleep now.

He ain't, Emilie, not Amos.

Trying to help us.

Amos been a real
good brother to me.

Sh... Now, you just hush now.

I've been so much
trouble, Emilie, like tonight.

Daniel, you're never
any trouble at all to us.

Oh, no, Emilie.

I think real good sometimes.

I know I...

You're just trying to be kind.

Amos, my cousin Ridge...

Daniel, try to get
some sleep now.

His fever is the same.

Amos, I'm just... I'm just plain
scared of what's happening to Daniel.

I know, Emilie. I know.

But there's just no way to get a
doctor just... there's just no way.

I wish we were back
in the hills, anything!

It's better than what we got now,
the way that Daniel is in there.

There's nothing we
can do about that now.

If we get a doctor out here,
we're all gonna go to jail,

that's the long and short of it.

Listen, maybe if we just
gave the money back.

Two thousand dollars is
ours, Em! It's our money!

There was a whole lot more in that box,
but all we took was what belonged to us.

Too many years, Em.
Too much hard work.

Too much to give in now.

Em, I promised you,
I promise Daniel...

You won't get him a doctor! What
good is promises to a dead man?

Uncle Daniel!

Susan, don't say nothing.

- Don't say nothing.
- But Uncle Daniel!

I'm trouble, Susan.
I gotta leave.

Don't...

Don't...

Pa! Cousin Ridge! Pa! Pa!

- Daniel.
- Uncle Daniel's real sick, Pa.

I'm sorry, Amos.

I never do nothing right.

Are we gonna let him die?

Well, hold on! You don't
have to knock the door down!

Heavens.

- Well, who are you?
- Sadler, Amos Sadler.

- I come for you to help my brother.
- Well, what's the matter with him?

Uh, well, he...

He was a-plowin' near sundown

and he must have
slipped, hit his foot.

He's in awful bad shape, Doc.
You've got to come and help him.

- Well, where do you live?
- South road, about ten mile out.

- Why, that's Tom White's old place.
- That's it.

Well, all right. You go on out
there and do what you can for him.

And I'll hitch up and be
along with you in just a minute.

Well, go on! I'll be
there as soon as I can!

Just go on!

You told me it was his foot.

I reckon I was mistaken.

He's got a bullet in him.

Yeah, we know that.

So you just do
what you have to do.

Guess we've gone too
far to turn back now, Doc.

Whoa!

- Evening, Miss Kitty.
- Hello, Kitty.

- Well!
- You're still up, huh?

Mm-hm. Up and ready for that supper
you were going to buy me at Delmonico's,

except Delmonico's has
been closed for an hour.

Yeah, well, we
didn't forget, Kitty.

It's just that we ran across some
wagon tracks out there by Owl Flats,

and we followed them.

Turned out it was a parson
and his bride on a honeymoon.

Not much resemblance to
those bank robbers, I'm afraid.

Well, I, um, I'm not
the chef at Delmonico's,

but I'll see what I can
whip up for you in here.

- Well, sounds good.
- Oh, that sounds just right.

Anything been
happening around here?

No, except that Doc got a call tonight
to go out to Tom White's old farm.

Seems the new people who have
taken it over had some kind of an accident.

What kind of accident was it?

Well, he said it had
something to do with a plow.

Doc can't understand
why they waited

until the middle of
the night to call him.

- Matthew, you don't suppose...
- It's a possibility, Festus.

I'd better go out there
and check up on it.

Look, I'll be back, but try and hold
him down to one plate, will you?

Oh...

He's lost an awful lot of blood.

You might be more
useful if you'd pray a little.

Never mind that. All we want
to know is when he's fit to travel.

You mean if he lives?

You telling the truth?

He could be riding by morning.

Fit for a wagon, leastwise.

That'd be one sure
way of killing him.

Stay then, and do
what you gotta do.

All right, but you
stay in this room.

Otherwise, there'll be somebody
pulling a bullet out of you.

- Finish loading the wagon.
- Why?

We're still leaving. Soon.

Amos, you've been a
good husband to me.

You've done your very
best, and I believe in you.

But I don't know
what you are now.

Em, I'm sorry.

Ain't no turning back.

It's too late.

Now, you get to that packing.

- Where are we going, Ma?
- We're moving.

We're just moving.

Susan's bed will make a good
place for Daniel in the wagon.

Won't be much worse off.

Ain't nothing gonna
change your mind?

- Nope.
- What about the doctor?

Put him in the
storeroom and tie him up.

Somebody'll find him.

Suppose he dies tied
up in that storeroom?

Mind if I come in?

I'm the marshal from Dodge City. I'd
like to ask you a couple of questions.

You say a word,
it'll be your last.

It looks like you folks are
getting ready to move, huh?

That's right, uh...

I reckon we don't have much
choice since the bank took our money.

I understand Doc was out here
working on your brother. How is he?

Well, he's, uh, doing fine.
Doc said it ain't too much.

Something about he
hurt his foot plowing, or...

Yeah, he was, uh, plowing.

Amos, tell him the truth.

Let go of me!

You shouldn't have come
out here tonight, Marshal.

Ridge.

Don't you folks think you're
in enough trouble already?

We took what
was ours, that's all.

$5,000 was yours?

What are you saying?

I'm saying $5,000 was
taken from the bank.

Oh no, that's not...
that's not true. Amos?

There was more than that in
the box, but we only took 2,000.

I'll swear to that on a Bible.

You couldn't find another
penny in this house.

That's right. The only money that's
in this house here belongs to Amos.

So you can't put us in
jail for taking what's ours.

Jail?

Well, the jail part will be up to Judge
Brooker, but I'll tell you one thing.

You better come up with a lot more
than $2,000 or you will be in trouble.

Cousin Ridge, our
secret, the money you got.

She don't know what
she's talking about. She...

The surprise to help Pa.

- You take more money, Ridge?
- No. I thought that we...

I was only thinking...

of us.

I was just trying to help out.

But... I'm sorry.

Get away from that door.

Move now.

- Don't!
- It's all right.

Ridge!

You better think it over.

We knowed you wasn't
thinking only of yourself, Ridge.

You could have rode off
anytime, but you never did.

So why don't we face
what's to come together?

Like we always did.

Hm...

Matt, I've been on this bench for
more years than you'd care to remember.

And in all that time, I've never
had a case like this before.

You robbed a bank.

Now, didn't you know
you were breaking the law?

We didn't figure we was breaking
laws no more than the banker man there,

holding our money from us.

It was ours. Still is.

But...

You, Harry, now that
you've opened up again,

are you ready to give
him back his money?

It's his money, Judge.
Just like Mr. Sadler says.

Case closed.

Except for you, Ridge.

Five years... probation.

If I ever see you in
my court again, I'll...

I will too.

Does that mean we can
go home, Pa? Does it?

I reckon it does, Susan.
Sure reckon it does.

You know, we all be
thanking you, Marshal.

Well, I wish you a
lot of luck, Sadler.

- Thank you. Doc, thank you.
- Sadler.

Oh, I sure am tickled that
things worked out like they done.

Mr. Bodkin, I got me a
idea how you could keep

from a-getting yourself in a
picklement like you just done here.

I mean, the bank
a-runnin' out of money.

- Really, how?
- I want to hear this.

Well, you got this fella a-coming
putting money into your bank, see.

Well, you just set that
aside, don't you see?

And then you got this here
'nother fella coming into the bank

a-wanting to borrow some money.

Well, you go ahead and you
loan him that there money,

but you make him promise to
keep his money in your bank.

Thataway, you got this here
fella a-puttin' money in the bank,

and you got this here
'nother fella a-borrowin' it

and trying to take it out,
don't you understand?

Well, now that is absolutely the
most brilliant thing I've ever heard.

- Don't you think that's a great idea?
- Hm.

Well, certainly. Now, what you ought
to do is put him on salary right now.

Take him over to the bank, give him
a job, put him in one of those cages.

That's exactly where
he belongs, in a cage.

All right, smart aleck! I ain't done
explaining what I'm thinking about!

Now, this here fella that's
a-comin' in a-borrowing money,

so he comes in to you, says he wants
to take out a dollar or two, cashwise.

Don't you see? I mean, well,
go ahead on, give it to him,

'cause the only thing he's a-doin'
is borrowing his own money.

Then this here other fella that's
a-comin' in saving his money,

well, all you gotta do is to show
him that there book that you got

that's all full of
squiggles and squaggles

proving to him that you got
twice as much money in the bank

as you had when you started
with, don't you see? But...

Another thing you could do is to get the
first guy and the second guy together...

Stay tuned for scenes
from next week's Gunsmoke.