Gunsmoke (1955–1975): Season 2, Episode 27 - Chester's Murder - full transcript

ANNOUNCER:

Starring James Arness
as Matt Dillon.

Hey, why don't we just sit
down here just a little while?

Okay.
Gonna take it easy,

and watch the street.

You look better sittin' down
than standin' up anyway.

Well, I tell ya, Doc,
it feels better,

that's for sure.

Well, now, you had kind of a
rough attack of the ague, there.

You're gettin' over it
pretty fast.

Ah, I still feel
all raveled out, Doc.



Yeah?
And boy I feel

short-tempered too.

Oh, well.

Fever, ague always leaves
anybody short-tempered

and out of sorts.

I wish I could get over
that roaring in my ears.

Well, that's the quinine
I gave you.

That's what did that.

Marshal Dillon?

Yeah.
You don't know me, marshal,

but I've seen you
around lots of times.

My name's Jake Buley.

I seen him too.
Hello, Doc.

Yeah, hello there.



I've met Chester too.
He's a friend of yours?

Yeah, he sure is.

What can I do for ya?

Well, I, uh-

I thought you might be
in the market

for a good horse,
marshal.

Well, it'd have to be
a real good one.

That's what I do,
ride around the country

lookin' for extra good horses.

Don't make much profit
off of 'em,

but keeps me
from workin' steady.

Well, I don't
often buy horses, Buley.

Not even good ones.

Do you like buckskins?

Yeah.

I got a good one
down at the stable.

It ain't no
ordinary animal, marshal

I'm a little under
the weather tonight, Buley.

If I feel better
in the morning

I'll go down
and take a look at him.

Oh, fine, fine.

Say, Buley,
do you, uh-?

Do you do pretty good going
around the country that way?

Well, not too bad.

And without cheatin' nobody
too much either.

Well, I'll look
for you tomorrow, marshal.

All right.

Well, Doc, I think I'll go on in
and try to get some sleep.

Yeah. Yes,
it'll do you good.

Do you good.

Now, tell you what
I'm gonna do.

I'm gonna go down
to Long Branch

and have myself a little drink
before I turn in.

Good. Have one
for me, will you?

I'll do it.
Goodnight.

Goodnight.

Evening, Kitty.

Oh, Doc,
I'm glad you're here.

Get him out of here,
will ya?

Who?
Chester.

W-why?
Because that's Nita Tucker

he's drinkin' with.

She's pretty.

Oh, Doc, listen to me,
she's also Ned Pickard's girl.

The gambler?
Gambler, yes,

and he can use a gun too
and he's drunk tonight.

He's the most
jealous man I know.

He and Chester have already
tied into each other about her.

Well, he's not here now.

He went outside,
but he'll be back

and when he comes in here
and finds Chester

drinkin' with her there's
gonna be plenty of trouble.

I tried to tell him.
Pickard's gonna kill him.

This is serious, Doc.

Well, now, all right,
I'll do what I can

but you stay here 'cause
if that Pickard comes back, uh-

Well, I guess
you'd better get Matt.

I sure will.
All right.

Yeah.

Evening, Chester.

Oh, hello, Doc.

Nita, I think that
we got just the price

for one more beer.

No, Chester, now,
Ned's gonna be back any minute.

Oh, well,

he don't own ya,
does he, huh?

You don't know
what he can be like.

Oh, who cares?

I told you before,
I ain't afraid of him.

But I am.

Chester,
I want to talk to you.

Later, Doc.
No, right now, I-

And you just won't listen
to nobody, will ya?

Just a minute, Pickard.

I ain't after you, Doc.
Now-

Just leave him be, Doc.
Well, he's drunk.

Not so drunk I'll
let a man steal my girl.

Oh, now, Ned, please-

Shut up.

I'll tend to you later.

Why don't you quit
bullyin' her anyway?

Why, you-
Just a minute, here.

I'll buy everybody a drink.

No, you won't.

That's enough, Ned.
What?

You're making a fool
of yourself.

Look, Dobie,
you go run the Dodge House

this saloon ain't none
of your business.

Everything in Dodge
is my business.

Now, hadn't you better go
and sober up?

Sure.

Soon as I put a hole
in Chester, here.

Hold it.

What are you doing here?

Looks to me like
I'm stoppin' a fight.

I ain't gonna fight you.

All right,
then give me your gun.

Sure.

I ain't that drunk.

Chester.

Lock him up.

Now, wait, marshal.

Chester wasn't even armed.

All right, take him out
the back way and down the alley.

Yeah.

Ain't gonna be no fight,
might as well go to bed.

Y-you can't put me in jail,
I ain't done nothin'.

Mister, I'm doin' you
a favor puttin' ya in jail.

The marshal's right, Ned.

All right.

Wait till I get sober.

Wait till tomorrow,
you'll see what I'll do to you.

You're not gonna
do anything to anybody.

Chester?
Yes.

Get him out of here.

All right,
I'll follow ya.

Next time you won't
be so lucky, Chester.

Oh, Pickard, you'll forget
all about it in the mornin'.

Sure, I'll forget,

when you're in your grave.

Well, now that you're here
I recommend a drink.

For you, not me,
I'm goin' to bed.

Goodnight, Doc.

Night, Kitty.
Night, Doc.

Night, ma'am.

Good thing you came
when you did, marshal.

Yeah.

Kitty figured there might
be trouble around here tonight.

Well, I'm all on the side
of law and order in this town,

and you know that.

Well, I guess
as many times as they've

shot up your hotel,
you'd have to be, huh?

That's right. And you
know something, marshal?

This Ned can be
one of the meanest.

Well, I'll just keep him
in jail till he gets over it.

Yes, well, you can't
keep him there forever.

Oh.

Chester.

What happened? You hurt?

Oh, no.
No, I'm all right, I-

Did he try to get away
from you or something?

Huh?
Did he try to get away from you?

No.

He's dead, marshal.

He's dead?

Here's his gun.

It's been fired.

Did he jump you or...?

Uh, no.
No, he didn't jump me.

Well, what'd you
shoot him for?

Well, I didn't shoot him.

Well, it sure looks
like you did, Chester.

Well, I don't care
what it looks like.

I didn't shoot him.
I-I got hit.

Somebody was hidin' behind
this barrel here

and they just jumped out
and hit me.

Well, you ain't
bleeding nowhere.

Well, I don't care
whether I'm bleedin' or not,

I got hit right back there
just as plain as anything.

I didn't shoot him.

I heard the shot
but I just couldn't do nothin'.

Who was he?

Well...

I-I didn't see him,
I don't know who he was.

He- I heard a noise
and I started to turn around

and just as I did somebody
hit me just like that:

That's all.

I never had
any use for him.

You all know that.

But, Chester,
I can't hold with murder.

Mr. Dobie,
I didn't kill him.

He threatened to
get you tomorrow.

You could've killed him
while you had the chance.

I got hit, I tell ya.

I got hit
just as plain as anything.

Mr. Dillon,
you believe me, don't ya?

That's gonna be awful hard
to prove, Chester.

There's not-
There's not a mark on you.

Well, then you just let
Doc look at me

'cause he can tell you
that I got hit.

My goodness, I wouldn't just
shoot anybody like that.

Come on,
let's get you up to Doc's.

Dobie, you stay here and look
after the body till we get back.

Now, just because Chester's
a friend of yours...

You know me
better than that.

Here, hold that there, Matt.

Now, let me see.
Yeah, that's fine.

It's-it's right there, Doc-

Well, now, just get your hand
away there, let me see.

Well, what in the world
did you get hit with?

Well, I don't know, Doc.
I didn't even see him.

Well, might've been the edge
of his hand or somethin'.

It's not swollen,
the skin's not broken-

Well, it's bruised
or somethin', ain't it?

I can't see anything.

Well, it must've done
something to it, Doc.

Now, you just wasn't
hit very hard.

Well, it was hard enough that it
knocked me clean off my feet.

I was plumb swimmy-headed
for a full minute. It-

It was long enough
for him to pick up the gun

and shoot Ned Pickard,
that's how hard it was.

Did you have your hat on?

Well, I thought
maybe the hat

might've cushioned
the blow or somethin'.

I don't know, Doc,
there's not a mark on him.

I just don't understand
this at all, Chester.

Doc, are you
tryin' to tell me

that you can't testify
that I got hit?

You wouldn't want me to
get on a witness stand

and lie for you,
would you, Chester?

Well,

no, I-I wouldn't
want you to do that.

Of course not.

Well, it's just too bad

Jim Dobie had to
be there, that's all.

Dillon?

Well, Chester,
Dobie's always liked you

but I'm afraid he's
convinced you did this.

He's liable to
testify against you.

Well, I don't see
how he could, Mr. Dillon.

He didn't even seen it.

No.

Unfortunately,
nobody saw it.

Well, I-

I guess I got myself
in a pretty fix, didn't I?

Well, now, don't let's
give up too easy, huh?

Mr. Dillon, you don't think
that I did this, do ya?

Chester,

if you say you didn't do it,
that's good enough for me.

But it looks bad.

It looks real bad.

Doc?

Well, Chester, I-I-

I wouldn't worry about it.

Well, I can't help
but worry about it.

If we don't find out
who done it I'm the one

that's gonna have to
stand trial, it's not you.

And it sure don't
look too good.

You'd be worried too
if you was in my shoes.

Come on, let's go
back to the office, huh?

Well, uh-

Are you gonna
put me in jail, are ya?

No.

No, I'm not gonna
put you in jail, Chester.

But you'll have to stay around
the office for a few days.

Oh, well, all right.

Gonna be enough talk around
about this as it is.

I tell ya what.
Tomorrow morning I'll go down

and talk to Nita Tucker.

What for?
Well,

maybe she can
give me some idea

of who had it in
for Ned Pickard.

It's not much to go on
but it's all we got.

Oh, well,
I guess it is.

Well, Doc...
Yeah.

Hello, marshal.
Doctor find out anything?

Nothin' visible.

Did you put Chester in jail?

I'm lookin' for Nita Tucker,
have you seen her?

Now, look here, marshal,
I feel just as bad

as anybody does about this.

But just because
Chester works for you

is no reason he can
murder a man and go free.

I'll be responsible
for Chester, Dobie.

He gets away
it'll cause trouble.

Give Dodge
a worse name than ever.

You're pretty sure
Chester's guilty aren't you?

Yes, I am.

That's why I don't like him
not being in jail.

I asked you if you'd
seen Nita Tucker.

Well, I saw her having
breakfast with Kitty

just a little while ago.

But that child has
nothing to do with it.

Everybody knows
how she hated Ned.

But I'll stand up for her,
she's a good girl.

Then there's nothing
to worry about, is there?

Well, good morning, Matt.

Come on and sit down,
have some coffee.

Well, no thanks, Kitty, uh.

Nita, I'm sure sorry
about Ned Pickard.

It sounds terrible, marshal,

but I'm not very sorry.

Ned didn't treat women
very well, Matt.

Yeah, well, of course
that's not exactly

a reason for murder,
is it?

Oh, look, marshal, now,
you're not thinking

I had anything to do
with that, are you?

Well, Chester says
he didn't do it either.

Tell me something, Nita,
do you know anybody

who might've had it in
for Ned Pickard?

A man like that
makes enemies, marshal.

Lots of them.

Anybody in particular?

No,
not that I know of.

Look, marshal,
I'd like to help.

I mean, if Chester didn't do it,
it isn't right he should-

Well, whatever's going to
happen to him.

No, it sure isn't.

Well-
Looks pretty bad for Chester,

doesn't it?

You bet it does.

Well, I gotta go.

I'll see you later.
All right.

Hey, marshal.

Oh, hello, Buley.

I, uh, heard about Chester.
I'm awful sorry about it.

Yeah.

He seemed like
such a nice fella,

it sure is too bad.

Yes, it is.

You know, uh,
people are wondering

why you don't
lock him up, marshal.

Oh?

Not me, I understand,

but Jim Dobie's been talking
about it ever since it happened

to anybody who will listen.
Yeah, I know.

Well, that's what I wanted
to tell you, marshal.

There's gonna be
trouble about it

and I don't like
that kind of trouble.

How come you're
so interested in this, Buley?

Chester that good
a friend of yours?

Just that I don't like to see
no trouble start, that's all.

Well, if any trouble starts
I'll handle it all right.

Oh, I know you will.
I know you will, marshal.

I just wanted to tell you
what the talk is.

Say, you-you wanna take
a look at that buckskin today?

No, thanks, not today.

Okay, maybe tomorrow.
I'll be around.

Chester, what do you
want me to do?

It's been over a week,

we haven't turned up
a single clue.

I gotta fill out a report.

But them's murder charges
ain't they, Mr. Dillon?

Chester,
it's just a formality.

Now, quit worryin',
will ya?

Some formality.

Somebody killed him,
wasn't me.

All them people out there
are just as free

and as happy as they can be.

They don't understand
what they got, I guess.

They just don't realize.

Take some innocent man
and you lock him away

for the rest of his life
some place where he can't

see nothin', or hear nothin',
or do nothin'.

It just don't seem
fair to me, Mr. Dillon.

Chester, listen to me.

We're not giving up.

We're gonna keep looking
until we find the answer.

Do you understand?

Yeah, yeah.

What do you
expect me to do anyway?

Oh, nothin',
Mr. Dillon, nothin'.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry too, Chester.

Well, I- I guess I'll go on out
and look around the town.

I'll be back later.

Well, hey there, Matt.
What are you shopping for?

Not a thing. I just got tired
of sittin' around the office,

thought I'd got out
and take a walk.

Well, where's Jonas?

He's out in back looking
for some hats for me.

Now, don't tell me
you girls are gonna buy

all that stuff
you got stacked up there.

We are just as soon
as we pick out some hats.

She means she is.
I'm only watching.

Well, now, isn't that
an awful lot of stuff

just for one girl?

Not for me.
Not this time.

What do you mean?

Matt, when does a girl
buy everything new,

all she wants?

Well, now, that's something
I wouldn't now.

When she gets married,
of course.

Married?

You gettin' married, Nita?

Next Saturday, marshal.

Well, that's-that's fine.

Who's the lucky groom?

Jake Buley.

Jake Buley?

I guess everybody's
kind of surprised.

Yeah.

Marshal, would-would you
come to the wedding?

I'd be awful pleased.

Oh, sure, sure,
of course I'll come.

Really, will you?
Of course I will.

Oh, thanks.
It'll mean a lot to me.

Nita, this is as far
as I'm gonna carry 'em.

Oh, thanks, Mr. Jonas.

You know, I haven't bought
a new hat in over a year.

She's so excited.

Kitty.
Hm?

How long has this been goin' on
between Nita and Jake Buley?

Oh, a month-or-so,
I guess, why?

Well, I thought she was
Ned Pickard's girl.

Well,
he thought so too

but she's been
meetin' Buley on the sly.

Pickard never found out about it
and he sure can't stop him now.

Huh. No,
I guess he can't.

Well, as bad as
it is for Chester,

I'm-I'm glad
Pickard got shot.

Well, yeah, but it could've
been handled a different way.

Kitty, I'm gonna
tell you a secret.

What is this secret?

That's what I want you to
call it when you tell Nita.

Tell Nita what?

You tell her that
I'm gonna let Chester

leave Dodge tonight.

Run away.
Why?

You tell her that I'm gonna
take him out of town tonight,

and after he gets away,

I'm gonna come back
and arrest Jake Buley.

Buley?

Do you think Buley
killed Pickard?

Well, I don't know,
he could have.

He had good enough reason.

But I'm gonna find out tonight.

But, Matt,
if-if Nita tells Buley

that you're after him,

won't he wonder why
Chester's runnin' away?

Yeah.

Look, you tell her
that I've got a witness

but that he's out of town
for a few days.

And that the way this
Jim Dobie has been talkin',

I'm afraid they might
get up a lynch mob

before my witness gets back.

Well, this could ruin
her one chance to be happy.

She wouldn't be happy
with a murderer, would she?

Well, I'll do it, Matt,
as soon as we leave here.

Good.

Now, look, you tell her
that Chester

will be down
at Moss Grimmick's stable,

about midnight,
with me.

Right.
All right.

Well,

must be half-past
midnight already.

Yeah.

Don't guess there's any use

waitin' any longer.

No, I guess not.

I was hopin' he'd come
into the stable.

We'd have had a better chance
of gettin' him that way

without some citizen
pickin' up a stray bullet.

Yeah.
Yeah, I know.

Well, it's me
he's after, Chester.

I'll ride out first.

Well, I'll cover you as best
that I can, Mr. Dillon.

Chester, he doesn't know which
direction we're gonna be taking

so he's liable to be
right outside the stable.

You're not gonna be
able to cover me much.

You're riskin' your life just to
keep me out of jail, ain't ya?

I'm catchin' a murdered,
Chester.

That's just part of it,
Mr. Dillon.

You're doin' a lot more
than just catchin' a murderer,

a lot more.

Now, look, you stay back
in the shadows, will ya?

When I get outside
I'm gonna turn around

and I'm gonna holler
back at ya.

So as Buley
will know it's me.

Well, ain't there no other way
we can catch him, Mr. Dillon?

I mean, I-I don't know what
I'd do if anything happened.

Chester, come on,
hurry up.

Drop it, gringo!

Oh, don't kill me, please.

Nita.

You hurt bad?

I don't know.
Ooh.

I don't think
anything's broken,

but we better up
to the doctor right away.

Mr. Dillon,
she tried to shoot you.

No.

No, it was Jake.

I followed him here.

I tried to stop him.

Where is he?
I tried to stop him,

but I couldn't.

Nita, tell me,
where is he?

He's-

He's still in that rain barrel
at the end of the alley.

He ran down there and hid,

told me to shut up.

Chester.
Yeah.

Stay here with her.
Yeah.

And keep down.

You're trapped, Buley.

I'm gonna start filling
that barrel full of holes.

I'm not taking
any chances, Buley.

Here it comes.

Don't shoot.

Don't shoot.

All right,
then get your hands up

and keep 'em up high.

They're up.

Throw the gun down.

You're making
a big mistake, marshal,

shootin' a woman like that.

Get out of the barrel.

All right, get goin'.

I told you not to do it.

I told you.

Don't believe her,
marshal.

She made me do it.

It was all her idea,
she's to blame, marshal.

Chester.
Yeah.

Lock him up.

Yes, sir.

Now, listen to me, marshal-

You know what
I think of a man

who tries to hide
behind a woman?

All right, Buley, let's go,

and you better
walk straight too.

Too bad you wasn't killed.

Jake...

Move.

I guess you won't be coming
to the wedding after all,

will you, marshal?

No, Nita,
I guess I won't.

You think you can walk?

I'll try.

Good girl.

I guess it's best
I found out now

what kind of a man Jake is.

Yeah.

Oh.