Andrew Rines (0:00)

Find your AMEX card and earn rewards on everyday purchases like points on groceries. See if you're pre qualified with no impact on your credit score. Learn more about our offers@americanexpress.com check 4 offers. Your credit score may be impacted if you submit an application. Terms apply. Welcome to the Oldtime Radio Westerns. I'm your host, Andrew Rines, and I'm excited to bring you another episode absolutely free. This is one of over 80 episodes released monthly for your enjoyment. Now, let's get into this episode. Around that city and in the territory on west, there's just one way to handle the killers and the spoilers, and that's with a U.S. marshal. And the smell of gun smoke. Gun. Starring William Conrad. Of the violence that moved west with young America and the story of a man who moved with it. I'm that man, Matt Dillon, United States Marshal. The first man they look for and the last they want to meet. It's a chancy job, and it makes a man watchful and a little lonely. Let's see now. All right, Sam, stand still. No. Ain't nothing worth your trouble, Miss Kitty. Well, it will be if it gets any worse. Lean over. All right, I'll thank you to have a sure hand with that needle. Now, don't worry, Sam. I'm not much of a seamstress, but I ought to be able to catch up a rip and a pair of britches without doing much damage. There. That ought to hold it. Thank you, Miss Kitty. You're welcome, Sam. I just hated to see you start the day with a hole in your britches. With that trailer, Doing town is gonna be hard enough. Yes, ma'am. What in the world's that? Hey, look at him go there. He's in for them swinging doors. Please drop in there. I got to hide some place, Miss Kitty. I ain't hurting nobody. Now, look here, Ral. I'll handle this, Sam. All right, you two, settle down. Why, old ratty Raffy's got a friend. You two go along. He's hiding behind a gal. Play your drum for her, Raffy. I said get along. Big strong man, aren't you? Picking on the likes of Rafy? Now, you get out of here and don't come back. Well, what do you know about that? It's all right. Now, Raffy. There's I. I wasn't doing nothing wrong, Miss Kitty. No, of course you weren't. Come on over and sit down, huh? You know, it's a drum, Miss Kitty. They give me misery on count of the drum. Yeah, I Know that ain't nothing wrong about wearing the drum. No, of course there isn't. He give it to me, that captain for Antietam. He told me you're wery proud. I always done that, Miss Kitty. I know you have, Raffy don't hardly play the drum calls no more. Don't see much need. Well, no, with a war over and all. But I always wear it. Like the captain said. I wear it proud and folks give me misery. Well, I got no right to do it. You can always come in here when they do, Raffy. You don't have to be afraid. You're a true good lady, Miss Kitty. I don't know about that. Yes, ma'am, you are. You're a true good lady. Raffy, are you hungry? Well, I ain't weak with it, Miss Kitty, but it's a fact I ain't ate yet. Well, we better fix that. I ain't taking no more handouts. But if you're hungry, I can work, Miss Kitty. If folks had just left me. If they'd just stop plaguing me and let me work, I could make out fine. All right, then, Raffy. Sam. Yes, Miss Kitty? Come here a minute, will you? Sure thing. Take Raffy out to the woodshed, will you, Sam? Set him to chopping that wood out there. He wants to work. Why, sure. Come along, boy. I'm obliged to you, ma'am, if. Oh, Miss Kitty. What is it, Raffy? Will you watch after the drum for me? I wouldn't want nothing to happen to it after the captain trusted it to me like he did. Sure, Raffy, sure. I'll watch after. No. It was enough to break your heart. Soon as it chopped the wood, he came back in and I gave him his money. And he hung that drum around his neck again and left. Poor boy. Yeah. You want some more gravy, Kitty? No, thanks, man, Doc. No, not for me. It's better with this food not to cover it up while you're eating it. You know where Raffy went, Kitty? No. No, I don't. He just appears now and again, and he's always in trouble. Somebody's always plaguing him, as he says. Ah, it's a shame. What's the answer to it, Doc? What makes Raffy? Well, what makes him the way he is? That's hard's sake, isn't he? Maybe it's just too much war. He must have been very young during the fighting. His mind hasn't grown any older. Why would he hang on to the drum then, Doc? If it reminds him of a bad time. You can't tell about these things for sure, Matt. Maybe because the drum was the last thing he was ever proud of. Oh, Miss Kitty. Marshall, I couldn't help overhearing your conversation. I was sitting. Sitting right over there. You got good ears. Hey, you know, I think it's important to know what this fellow Raffy might do. The town has a right to know. Well, he can't tell for sure. He might go along just as he is for the rest of his life. Wearing that drum around his neck and being crucified for it. And then again, he might decide to turn on somebody someday. Well, you couldn't blame him. Well, then, Marshall, I say you ought to take steps. How do you figure that, Dobby? Well, either way, he isn't doing the town any good. He might turn mean and cause trouble. Even if he doesn't, he gets in the way of the town's normal citizens. Wandering around that way wearing that drum night and day. Oh, come on now, Dobie. I can't arrest the boy for that. Well, Dog just said he might cause trouble. It'd be better to act now than you listen to me, Dobby. If he causes trouble, it'll be because he's been driven to it by normal citizens. You might spend some time talking to him about it, Dylan. Right here, Chester. Like somebody's been after Chester. What's the trouble, Mr. Jill? You better come right away. It's that rapid blight. I told you, Marshall. What's he done, Chester? He ain't done nothing. But some of the boys has got him. Creed down there at the liver stable. You better come with us. Document. Are you one of those people who are always on the go? Like you, Our CBS newsmen are on the move all the time too. Always in the direction of the biggest news developments of the day. Their own busy schedules give them a practical understanding of the value listeners put upon their services. They know you rely on them for accuracy at all times. They have a first hand appreciation of the importance of clarity and brevity as well. That all of these standards are kept in mind by our highly skilled, highly experienced newsmen is demonstrated over and over again in the frequent news broadcast you hear on CBS Radio. The busier your own day, the more you'll appreciate the efforts of our CBS News staff. These men offer you a direct link with history day by day. But more than that, they do their job with full regard for your busy schedule. They keep you fully informed with no waste of time, no waste of words for accuracy, brevity and clarity in news reports. For news at frequent intervals and at convenient times, keep tuned to CBS radio every day. No, please. Go ahead, Sloot. Give the rope another little pull. Swing the drum out there. Durable. If you want it Rappy, you'll have to crawl out on that branch. My drum? You give me my drum. Roll out then. Well, it's too far. Oh, you can do it. Sure. He looks just like a monkey up there. Don't he have to help no tree look like a monkey? Swing the drum out more. Salute down the end of that limb there. Well, it's getting kind of thin down there, Bo. I said swing that drum. All right, Bull. All right, go ahead, kid. Let's see you get your full drum. Crawl out there. Go ahead, crawl. Please, mister. Oh, come on now. If you want it, go get it. Wait, it's too far. If you don't crawl out and get it, Rappy, I'm going to shoot it full of holes like this. Please, please don't shoot it. I'll get it. Go on then. That's right. Let me pull in the drum. Boy, he's going to fall short. Well, he's hurt himself. Oh, he's too simple to be hurt bad. Come on, slow, Blood, let's get it. All right, just a minute. Oh, come on. Take a look at the boy, Doc. Sure, man. All right, you men, you're in an awful hurry to get away all of a sudden. Oh, Marshall, there ain't no reason to hang around. The show's over, is that it? I don't know what you're talking about. Marshall, this boy just fell out in a tree. You know what I'm talking about, all right. And so do the rest of you men. Voila. Marshall, I'm about your real life. Two legged coyotes. Now listen here, you listen to me. If I catch you, any one of you deviling this boy again, falling out of a tree won't seem easy to you. Now go on and get out of here. Well, we was going anywhere. Just remember, you leave this boy alone. How is he, Doc? Well, can't tell yet, man. He's unconscious. I'll have to get him to the office. All right, couple of you men give us a hand here to get him to docs. And there you go. Raffy. That cool cloth ought to make you feel better. My head hurts pretty bad. Hurts? Well, I expect it does. You took quite a blow, but it's going to be all right, Rat. Nothing to worry about. Does he? Come to, Doc. Yes, Mat, he's conscious. You gonna be all right? I think so. Matt? Yeah. There's no signs of a fracture or concussion. No. That's good. Well, Ravi, you feeling better? My drum. You got my drum? Yeah, I got it. It's down in my office. Won't nothing happen to it. I think it's safe enough. That's good. I sure do thank you, Marc. It's all right. It's all right. You come get it when you're feeling better, huh? Yes, sir. I gotta do that. You know, it seems like folks don't like me to wear it. Why don't they, Marshal? I don't. Maybe it's because they just don't know any better. I never hurt nobody. Ain't got no call to hurt me. That's right. Them folks who hurt me, they ought to learn different, Marshall. Yeah, that's what I came to tell you. I'm gonna see that they do. I can see it real clear, Marshall. Real queer. Them folks need to learn it real good. Them folks that hurt me, they gotta be taught different. Here's mail, Mr. Dylan. Oh, thanks, trustee. Well, well, Ms. Dung. What? Well, seems to me you'd want to know what's in it. Seems me a man should ought to open up his mail when he gets it. Might even be government business. Chester, what are you muttering about? Well, I just can't understand, Ms. Dillon, after I went and fetched it to you and all, why you don't open it up. The. The. The mail. All right, all right, Chester. I'll open it up. Expecting something special? No, sir, I ain't. Tell you the truth, I could see there wasn't nothing there worth bothering about. You put on a pretty good show of bothering. Well, it just seems to me that a man should already open up his mail whether it's worth anything or not. Marshall, you were too bullheaded stubborn to listen. What's on your mind, Dobby? I told you last week, right there in the restaurant. I told you you ought to do something about it. Oh, come on, Dobby. What are you sputtering about? That. That boy, that Raffy blight. I told you he'd cause trouble. What's happened? It's worse than I even expected. And you could have prevented Dobie. Quit babbling and tell me what's happened. He's killed him. Who's been killed? Bull Ramsey's been killed, and Raffy did it. They found a drumstick by the body, and now we got a lynching on our hands. Where are they? They're taking him to hang him. And it should never happen Toby, where are they? They're taking him up west of town. All right. Come on, Chester. Bring the rifles. Here they are, Mr. Jones. In that clump of trees. Yeah, we got him up on a horse. They don't look like they've got the rope on him yet. They're lucky. All right, let him go. We was just trying to help the law, Marshall. I'll take care of the law. I said let him go. Sure, you can have him if you want to waste jail space on a murderer. I got to have a lot more than your say so on that slope. Why, it's plain as plain. Everybody knows he had it in for bull. Never mind, Sloan. If he needs to be tried, he'll be tried. By a judge, not by you and that drum. I said never mind. Test him, Anti. Wrap his hands and take that gag out of his mouth. Yes, sir. Then lead his horse over here. That's my horse he's on. Marshall, you ain't going to take it. He's riding it back to town slow. And I wouldn't argue about it if I were you. I. I'm gonna have to keep you here for a little while, R. It's all right, Marshall. You ain't one to plague me. No, no. Nobody will plague you here. Now you can go on in. Marshall. Mm? What they're saying about me killing that Bull Ramsay. Yeah, Well, I don't think I ever killed nobody, Marshall. Well, I hope you're right about that, Rappy. I. I don't recollect too good about last night. My head was hurting real bad, and I just don't recollect too good. Well, don't worry about it. We'll find out. I know I was out there some. I was trying to cool my head in the night. All right, Rafael, I'll see you later. Oh, Marshall. Yeah? What's that? My drum. Marshall, have you got my drum? Chester found it. Yeah, we'll take care of it for you. I thank you for that. Oh, and here, Marshall, you might as well take care of these two, huh? What have you got there? Well, my drumsticks, Marshall. I always keep them right here in my shirt. I only got one set, you know. Are they both there? Sure, they're both here. You take care of them for me, Marshall? Yeah, yeah, I'll do that. Out of tune because of irregularity. Kellogg's All Brand helps put you back in tune. Kellogg's All Brand is the natural way, the good food way, to end constipation caused by lack of bulk in your diet. There's only one oil brand, Kellogg's All Brand. Its whole brand content gentles away constipation supplies your system with the bulk forming food you need. Kellogg's All Brand is the only whole brand cereal to bring you the combination of proved effectiveness appetizing taste and crispness. It never gets mushy in milk so get back in tune and stay in tune. It's easy with the one and only Kellogg's All Brand. A double hyphen, B R, A N safe, reliable, pleasant. Millions enjoy it every day. They know they can count on Kellogg's All Brand to relieve Irregular. There you are, Mr. Curtin. Here's your change. And here's your parcel. Oh, be right with you, Marshall. I know. Hurry. Thank you, Mr. Jonas. I should have that new bold calico any day now. Oh, that's fine. I'll stop in again soon. Goodbye, Mr. Jonas. Goodbye, Miss Curtin. Now, dear Marshall, something I can do for you? I sure hope so. Tell me, Jonas, do you sell drums here? Well, I. I had a couple a few years ago. Attained Stockton recent, Marshall. Tell you the truth, I. I don't get much call for drums in Dodge City. I suppose not. I guess you don't get a call for drumsticks either, huh? Well now, that beats all. Now what do you mean? You'd think we was getting ready for a parade or something. How's that? You're the second feller in two days come in here asking after drumsticks. Oh. Well, who was the other one? I don't rightly know his name, Marshall. Big thin fella. Used to steam around town with Bull Ramsey. Yeah, but you didn't have any drumsticks, is that right? Oh, I found a pair, Marshall, but I didn't really need it. What do you mean? Well, this fellow only wanted one. I made him buy the two though. Now what in tarnation would a fellow all with just one drumstick? Marshall. I'll see you later, Jonas. So the Marshall got there too fast for you, did he? Slow. No sense to it. No sense to it at all. Well now, lynching ain't a very nice thing to do. I ain't gonna make no difference to that boy. No difference at all. You can't tell. Well, they're gonna hang him one way or another. Sure is. Sure. Sloat, I want to talk to you. I ain't hard to find. Marshall, I want that other drumstick. Drumstick? You're talking crazy, Marshall. I want the drumstick you didn't leave by Bull's body. Now listen here, that raffy he's the one with the drumstick. That's right, Slope. And he's still got two of them. Now, listen, Marshall, I've been listening. I've been listening to Jonas. Jonas? Yeah, he sells drumsticks. Well, it wasn't me. It was some other fella. No, it wasn't slow. It was you. Trying to buy just one drumstick so you could kill Bull and blame Raffy. You can't prove it. I don't have to prove it because you're going to tell me about it, aren't you? Isn't that right, Salt? I mean, go wash you. Isn't that right, Salt? Yeah. Yeah. All right. Come on. I don't think Rafi will mind giving up his cell to you. All right, Rafi, here's your drum. Thank you kindly, Marshall. I sure am proud to be wearing it again. Yeah. Now, things ought to be better for you around here. Now, I don't think folks are going to bother you anymore. I'm right glad to hear that. I'm pretty sure we can fix you up with some odd jobs. Jonas and Dobie already got some chores you can do. Thank you, Marshall, but I think it's time for me to be moving on. I can't say I blame you after the way they treated you in Dodge. But things will be better now. Maybe they will, Marshall. But it's time I moved on anyway. I don't know why. I don't know why, either. But I don't rightly belong nowhere. I keep looking for a place. I never found it yet. I just. I keep moving on. Well, that's up to you. Funny, ain't it, Marshall? For a drummer boy like me to be always out of step. There are a lot of folks more out of step than you are rapping. I see him all the time. Gun Smoke, produced and directed in Hollywood by Norman McDonald, stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon, U.S. marshal. The story was specially written for Gunsmoke by Marion Clark, with editorial supervision by John Meston. Harley Bear is Chester, Howard McNear is Doc. And Georgia Ellis is Kitty. This is George Walsh inviting you to join us again next week when CBS Radio presents another story on gun smoke. This has been a presentation of otrwesterns.com and we hope you enjoyed. Please take some time to like and rate this episode within your favorite podcast application. Follow us on Facebook by going to otrwesterns.com and subscribe to our YouTube channel by going to otrwesterns.Com YouTube become one of our ranch hands and unlock some exclusive content we want to thank the following ranch hand Steve who joined us recently. You too can join by going to otrwesterns.com donate send us an email podcasttrwesterns.com and you can call and leave us a voicemail 707-986-8739 this episode is copyright under the Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Copyright. 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