Gunsmoke (1955–1975): Season 5, Episode 17 - Groat's Grudge - full transcript

Starring James
Arness as Matt Dillon.

Put it on the books
over at the store, Walter.

Pay me when you can.

I'll be right with you, mister.

Now, what can I
do for you, mister?

Hmpf.

You must have rode out
of the war with this one.

Just tell me if you can fix it.

Fought with the
Rebs, didn't you?

I'm proud to have fought
on the side of honor.

I can always tell from the guns.



A piece like this.
Colt Navy. Mm-hmm.

That's about the only type of
guns you Rebs could get, ja?

Just tell me if you can fix it,
please. Put it back in firin' shape.

Ah, well, now,
mister. That is a...

That's a... a pretty old gun.

I was told you were the best
gunsmith west of St. Louis.

So? Ha. Ja. Well, mister,

I can fix it so that perhaps it
will even fire metal cartridges.

Just so it will work.

But I don't see the sense of it.

That Colt Peacemaker
you're wearing.

That is new. That's
a far better gun.

I'll be taking a room
at the Dodge House.

My name is Lee Grayson.



Please deliver that
gun when it's ready.

Storekeeper?

Storekeeper?

Man: Be with you in a minute!

Well, hurry it up.

You runnin' a
business here or not?

Well, I got other things to do

than stand around waitin'
for customers, mister.

I can see that.

Well, did you just come in to complain,
or did you want to buy somethin'?

I want a coffin.

Oh, I'm sorry to
hear that, mister.

I do not require
sympathy, sir, just a coffin.

Well, I have coffins.
They're out back.

How much was you
figurin' on spendin'?

Price is unimportant,
provided I get just what I want.

Now, I'm afraid I don't
have any fancy ones.

There's not much
call for 'em out here.

I don't want anything fancy.

I want a plain box.

The kind the North used in
the War Between the States.

You mean an army coffin?

Why, I never handle
nothin' that cheap.

Well, have one made, then.

Well, if you insist.

I wish you'd take
a look out back.

What I got's much better.

I want one exactly like the kind
they buried Yankee soldiers in!

Oh, it's going to be a
military funeral, huh?

Well, not exactly.

The deceased was a soldier?

Oh, yes. He was a soldier.

Well, I guess it don't make no difference
what kind of coffin a man's buried in.

This man doesn't deserve
anything better than a Yankee coffin.

I'll be back for
it in the morning.

Howdy.

I was wondering if you could
give me some information, sir.

Oh, well, I was kind of
wonderin' what you was wonderin'.

What can I do for ya?

Do you live here, sir?

Yeah.

Then perhaps you'd be kind enough
to direct me to the local minister?

Well, I'll tell ya.

I just... I don't know.

You see, he left Dodge
about two months ago.

Uh, what do you want
the preacher for anyway?

For a burial.

To read the service.

Oh, that's too bad.

Who died?

No one of your
acquaintance, sir.

Is the body here in Dodge?

Oh, no. Not yet.

Oh, it's bein' freighted in?

Oh no, sir. No, sir.

He is riding in.

Thank you for your kindness.

Here you are, Marshal.

- There you go.
- Thanks.

Thanks, Clem.

Well, here's looking at you.

Oh, well thank you.

Mmm.

You know, Matt,

if business doesn't pick
up around here pretty soon,

I might have to go straight.

I mean, you know, open a candy
store or dress shop or somethin' like that.

Oh, be patient, Kitty.

Those trail herds
will be in any day now.

Yeah? When?

There's one coming
in from the Pan Handle,

be two or three days out.

Hmm.

Well, I dread the riot, but I
should will welcome those boys.

You're lucky.

What do you mean?

Well, the trail herds arrive,
and all the trouble starts,

and you make all the money.

Well, I'll gladly cut
you in as partner.

No, thanks.

I didn't want to
get rich anyway.

Who's gettin' rich?

- Uh-oh.
- Hmm?

Oh, he's just comin'
in out of the sun.

- I doubt it. Chester.
- Miss Kitty.

You lookin' for me, are ya?

Uh, well, no. Not exactly.

I was just comin' in to
try and get out of the sun.

What... What's the matter?

Nothin'. Nothin'.

He just thought you were
bringin' trouble with ya.

Well, I ain't so
sure that I ain't.

What do you mean?

Well, this... I'll
tell you, Mr. Dillon.

The more you think about
it, the crazier it sounds.

For heaven's sakes, Chester.

Well, Miss Kitty, now,
what would you think

if a feller come up to
you and asked you for, uh,

where he could find a
preacher for a buryin',

and the fella to be buried
wasn't even dead yet?

Hmm?

Well, that's what he done.

Who did?

Well, I don't know his name.

He's, uh, I never
seen him before.

Well, where was he?

Well, he was out
there on the street.

I was just settin'
there whittlin'.

I see him come out of Jonas' store,
and he just walked right up to me.

I see. And that's all he said?

Yeah. Well, the
fella to be buried

wasn't bein' freighted
in, that he was ridin' in.

Hmm.

Sounds interesting.

Yeah, well, we'd
better go check into that.

See you later, Kitty.

Okay, Matt.

Come on, Chester.

That's about all I
can tell you, Marshal.

Except he's pretty high
and mighty about things.

I just didn't care
for the man at all.

There's something
wrong with him,

like he was always carrying a
big chip around on his shoulder.

He didn't say what his name was?

No. No, he didn't.

Just that he was coming back
after the coffin tomorrow, huh?

That's right. I got a
man workin' on it now.

It ain't gonna take long as
it's just a cheap, army-type box.

If that don't beat all.

Well, thanks, Mr. Jonas.

Oh, say, Marshal.

There's one thing might help.

This morning I took a keg of
powder over to Walt Dahl's.

And that fella come in
there just as I was leavin'.

You mean the gunsmith's?

Yeah. Maybe he knows something.

Well, we'll go check
with him. Thanks again.

Yeah.

Lee Grayson, huh?

Yeah, stayin' at
the Dodge House.

Sounds like he's
crazy, don't it?

Most murderers are, Chester.

Yeah, but what with that
old Colt and the coffin,

sounds like he's gonna put
on a theater show or something.

Let's get over
there and find out.

Well hello, Marshal.

Dobie.

I'm lookin' for a man
by the name of Grayson.

Lee Grayson.

Why, yes, he come
in just this morning.

So I heard.

He couldn't have
done nothing wrong.

Why, he's a real fine
southern gentleman, Marshal.

Mm-hmm. What room's he in?

Uh, 105. Top of the
stairs, to the right.

Thank you.

Your name Lee Grayson?

That's right.

My name's Dillon. I'm
the marshal here in Dodge.

U.S. marshal.

That's right. I'd
like to talk to ya.

Come on in.

Oh, we meet again.

My name's Chester Goode.

I kinda work for
the marshal here.

I thought you came
into town on horseback.

I did. I had that sent
ahead by freight.

I see. You plan to stay
around town a while?

Not long. But I have
become accustomed

to an occasional change
of clothing now and again.

Especially since the war.

Since the war?

You know what it's like
in the army, Marshal.

Any army.

- Mm-hmm.
- And unlike most southerners,

I have managed to do
quite well since the war.

The war's over, Grayson.

Not for me.

Who's the man you're after?

His name is Tom Haskett.

He's ridin' up the trail from the
Pan Handle with a herd of cattle.

Well, since you know that much,

you probably know that the
herd is due in in a day or so.

And I will be waitin' for him.

With that old Navy Colt that's
down at Dahl's gun shop?

That's the gun.

And there's nothin' you
can do to stop me, Marshal.

There's nothin' anybody can
do to save Tom Haskett's life.

I spared it once myself.

It's the worst
mistake I ever made.

Well, you'll be makin' a bigger
mistake if you try to kill him now.

I had him there...

lying at my feet, wounded.

A Yankee soldier.

And I had that same gun in my
hand, the one that's bein' fixed.

And I'll tell you, Marshal,
I should have used it

because two years later,
he was with Sherman,

and he led his men in burnin'
my home just outside Atlanta.

And my wife was
killed trying to escape.

I see.

Well, Grayson, I can
understand your feelings.

But killin' that man now is
not gonna to help you any.

There's no law on earth that's
going to stop me, Marshal.

It's taken me years
to find Tom Haskett.

And now I've found him.

And now he is gonna die.

Mm-hmm.

Come on, Chester.

Well, Mr. Dillon, what are
you gonna do about him?

There's no arguing with him.

He's lived with his hate so
long, it's burned away his reason.

Well, you ain't gonna
just let him shoot

this Haskett fella
down, though, are ya?

No, no. We'll keep
an eye on him.

If it looks like he's going
to go through with it,

we'll throw him in jail
until Haskett leaves town.

Good heavens. Chester
makes better coffee than that.

Now, don't tell him,
or you'll spoil him.

Heh. Where is he this morning?

He left early.
Stopped by the stable

to see Moss Grimmick
before anything happened.

Why?

Well, I guess Moss owes
him a couple of dollars

from a poker game
last night or somethin'.

You know, maybe that's the way

I ought to go after the
people that owe me money.

Get 'em early in the morning
while they're still groggy.

Well, good idea.

Matt, you remember...

You remember that bullet I took
out of your leg about a month ago?

Yeah. You did a good job on it.

Mm-hmm.

Well, now wait a minute.

5.50 right there, if you please.

5.50?

Yep.

What's the 50 cents for?

'Cause I did such a good job.

Put it right there, please.

Thank you very much.

The least you can do is
buy the breakfast out of it.

Oh, I'll do that gladly.

And you know,

I'm being to have just
a glimmer of respect

for Chester's business ability.

Well, here's your
chance to prove it.

How do you mean?

Buy him a breakfast, too.

Well, good mornin', Doc.

- Chester.
- Mr. Dillon.

Chester, sit down.
Have some breakfast.

Well, I was just over...

You must be awful
hungry, aren't ya?

Yes.

Chester, now anything you're
about to hear is just a plain untruth.

Don't pay any attention to it.

Well, I wasn't
gonna hear anything.

I was gonna tell you somethin'
if you'd just give me a chance.

You see, I just been
over at Moss Grimmick's,

and just as I was
about to leave,

he happened to mention
that this Lee Grayson feller

had saddled up about an
hour ago and rode out of town.

Where was he headed?

Well, Moss asked him that, too,

and all he said was
that there was a trail herd

that he'd been waitin' for, was
about a day's ride out of Dodge,

and he was gonna out
there to meet a feller.

Well, Doc, this
is your lucky day.

You just saved yourself
the price of a breakfast.

Come on, Chester.

You the cook for
this outfit, mister?

Well, I ain't no painted lady.

I'm lookin' for a man
named Tom Haskett.

Is that a fact?

You see, he's an
old friend of mine.

We haven't seen each
other since the war.

He is on this drive, isn't he?

Why don't you hang
around and find out?

Well, now, you see, I'd just
kind of like to surprise him.

I don't think he ever
expected to see me again,

and I'd like to arrange it
so we could meet in private.

There ain't much
privacy out here, mister.

Might be over by that creek bed.

Now, when he gets back to camp,

you could just send
him over there to me.

Why should I?

'Cause I happen to have

a full bottle of drinkin'
whiskey in my saddlebag.

Well, a man does get
kind of dry out here.

Good.

Hello. Cook said
you wanted to see me.

You don't remember me.

No, can't say as I do.

Maybe I could help you.

You remember Manassas?

Second Bull Run? You bet I do!

Picked up some
grape shot in my leg.

Was you there, too?

I was there.

Hey, you sound like a Reb.

I was a Confederate calvary man.

Oh, now wait a minute.

We met in a stream bed,
a little bit like this one.

You were lying there
wounded, firin' as we advanced.

Yeah, and my gun jammed.
Well, you could've shot me easy,

if you'd wanted to.

But you didn't.

You're Grayson.

That's right, Haskett.

Lee Grayson.

Well, I'll be doggoned!

I'm sure proud of the
chance to shake your hand.

You remember we exchanged names,
said we might meet again one day?

I didn't come here to
shake your hand, Haskett.

Oh.

I came here to kill you.

Oh, now, here, now.

I held this gun on
you once before.

I let you live then.

Not this time.

What is this? Are you crazy?

Maybe I am.

Maybe a man goes crazy thinking
about his home burned down,

his wife killed...

thinking about
the man that did it.

Me? What are you talkin' about?

I'm talkin' about you and
your men with Sherman.

You mean in Georgia?

I mean outside Atlanta.

Now, listen, Grayson.
You got to listen.

I ain't never been
in Georgia in my life.

Not before the war, not
during the war, not after.

That's not what
your sergeant said.

My sergeant?

He identified you
just before he died.

Lieutenant Tom Haskett's
company, he said.

It was my company before that.

But I... I was captured then.

I was captured on the way there.

I was in prison.

You seen a Southerner around
here, lookin' for a man named Haskett?

A Southerner? Why?

Mister, I'm a United
States marshal.

I don't have time to stand
here arguing with you.

Shootin's an easy way
out for you, Haskett.

Now wait, Grayson.

I'm done with waitin'.

No, you don't...

Dillon: You men stay here!

You burn a man's home.

You kill a man's wife.

All after your own
life has been saved.

Go on and die, blast you! Die!

All right, throw the gun down.

You're too late, Marshal.

Is that Haskett?

That's him.

Haskett? Haskett,
can you hear me?

He's crazy. Plumb crazy.

It ain't true.

Is he hurt bad, Mr. Dillon?

Yeah. Looks like
he's bleedin' inside.

It's a long ways to Dodge.

We can't move him
anyway, Chester.

You'd better ride for Doc.

If you hurry, you can get
back here before dawn.

Well, I'll hurry, all right.

Haskett, you're
gonna be all right.

We're gonna get a doctor for ya.

You'd better hurry up.

Now, you... you
just take it easy.

Easy now.

You just rest there.

Won't do you any good, Marshal.

If you save his life, I'll just
find him again and shoot him.

Mr. Dillon, got him.

Oh, good.

- Matt.
- Doc.

Made good time.

Chester: Yeah.

You have any trouble
finding the way?

No. No, we just rode
right through the cords

and then picked up the creek
bed and rode straight here.

You did some hard ridin'.

Yeah, we did.

All to save the
life of plunderer.

Killer of women!

Fine way to talk about
killin' people, mister.

What do you think, Doc?

Well, it's not good at all.

Doc. Doc.

Now, you just be quiet.

I'm gonna try to find this
bullet and let's get it out of there.

Doc Adams...

Don't you remember me?

No, it don't make
any difference.

You just be quiet.

Doc, look at me.

I'm Haskett.

Tom Haskett.

I don't know anybody
by the name of Haskett.

I'll talk to you about it later.

Now you just save your strength.

It's not gonna be easy.

Libby Prison.

Libby Prison, Doc.

What about Libby Prison?

I was there.

My eye.

You... You took a
sliver of steel out.

You saved my eye, Doc.

Well, I'll be doggoned.

Tell him.

Tell him.

I was there, Doc.

Doc, you remember him?

I sure do.

He was at Libby Prison
with you during the war?

I worked for two
weeks to save that eye.

I'll never forget this
scar He sure was.

He was there right up
'til the end of the war?

Yes.

Well, he couldn't very well have been
in Georgia with Sherman, could he?

Well, of course not.

Did you hear that, Grayson?

He's lyin'.

They're both lyin'.

He's dead.

Matt, Haskett's dead, too.

Chester: Oh, that's a shame.

He was just as
innocent as he could be.

Yeah. Well, war can
sure cause a lot of hell.

At least this one's over with.

Trouble is like most
wars, it ended too late.