Podcast Summary:

Podcast: Old Time Radio Westerns
Host: Andrew Rhynes
Episode: Eddie Baker Had It Coming | Dr. Sixgun (Unknown)
Date: January 30, 2026

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode presents a digitally restored classic radio drama, “Eddie Baker Had It Coming” from the Dr. Sixgun series. Through the lens of the gun-toting frontier doctor, Dr. Ray Matson (“Dr. Sixgun”), the show explores themes of frontier justice, mob law, and the tension between legal process and vengeance in the lawless American West of the 1870s. The drama raises enduring questions about the nature of true justice, societal retribution, and the heavy costs that come with them.

Key Discussion Points & Story Breakdown

1. Setting the Stage – Law vs. Justice (03:00–05:00)

• Pablo the Gypsy Peddler introduces the territory, noting differences between "law" and true "justice."

  “There is a great deal of law... but justice? Ah, there is a horse of an entirely different color... It is as the diamond. Priceless, because it is so rare.” (03:55, Pablo)

• The episode establishes Dr. Sixgun's reputation as both a healer and defender, accompanied by his friend Pablo and Pablo’s wise raven, Midnight.

2. Conflict at Rimrock Waterhole (05:30–10:30)

• Dr. Sixgun and Pablo visit Matt Wilder’s new homestead, recently purchased under contested title.
• Tensions between small homesteaders and the powerful cattle baron, Howard Fearing, flare up regarding access to water.

  “If Howard Fearing sends his hired guns out after me, I’ll fight back. But my girl...” (12:30, Matt)

3. Threats and Assault – Eddie Baker Arrives (08:00–15:00)

• A young, dangerous gunman (Eddie Baker, Fearing’s newly hired hand) storms in, threatens violence, and kidnaps Matt’s daughter Mary briefly.
  • Memorable for Eddie’s chilling bravado and disregard for human life.

  “Just to make sure nobody don’t take potshots at me from the window... The girl. You’re coming with me.” (09:30, Eddie Baker)

• Mary’s trauma is palpable after her release; Dr. Sixgun comforts her:

  “Here, now, sit down. You’re all right... Just hang on.” (12:50, Dr. Sixgun)

4. Law’s Limitations – The Sheriff’s Reluctance (16:00–18:30)

• The group approaches Sheriff George Hargrove for action. He refuses to confront Fearing’s men:

  “I can swear out a warrant, but you know as well as I do, I can’t ride onto Fearing’s place to serve it...” (16:30, Sheriff Hargrove)

  • Highlights the impotence of the law in the face of power and intimidation.

5. Escalation: Murder and Revenge (19:00–23:30)

• Some weeks later: Matt Wilder is murdered; Mary is found brutally beaten and near death.
  • Dr. Sixgun is called to her side:

  “Give me my bag... Is she alive? ...There ain’t nothing you can do, is there, Doc? ...Just watch her die.” (21:30–22:30, Sheriff & Dr. Sixgun)

• Sheriff Hargrove organizes a posse after Eddie Baker.

6. Eddie Baker’s Arrest and ‘Justice’ (24:00–28:00)

• Eddie is brought in, already bloodied and his arm broken—a result of “resisting arrest.”
  • Dr. Sixgun admonishes the sheriff for abuse:

  “So help me God, if this man is tortured anymore I’ll swear out a complaint...” (25:10, Dr. Sixgun)

• Debate ensues: Is lynch law justified, or must justice be handled precisely by the courts?

  “I know he’ll be tried, and I hope to God he hangs for it... But I want him tried and found guilty and hanged according to the law.” (25:35, Dr. Sixgun)

7. The Trial and Condemnation (28:10–29:30)

• Eddie is swiftly convicted, mostly on circumstantial evidence and community outrage.

  “Took the jury 13 minutes to find him guilty, and the judge another four to sentence him to hang.” (28:40, Narration)

• Eddie’s panic and desperation in his cell are striking.

  “Listen, Doc, they can’t really hang me for something I didn’t do... I’ve never had nobody, no mother or nothin’... They gotta feel sorry for an orphan, don’t they?” (29:00, Eddie Baker)

8. Reflections on Guilt, Justice, and the Value of Life (29:45–32:00)

• Pablo and Dr. Sixgun debate the morality of the situation:

  “You’re sorry for him, is that it? ... I wanted him dead. I didn’t want justice. I wanted him dead...” (31:30, Dr. Sixgun) “The blood is the same color.” (31:10, Pablo)

• The episode ends with Eddie’s execution and a sombre, unresolved mood.

9. Revelation & Aftermath (32:20–33:50)

• Days later, news arrives: Eddie Baker was innocent of the crimes for which he was hanged; a group of Mescalero Apaches confessed.

  “Funny, ain’t it? I mean, Eddie Baker... gets his neck stretched for something he didn’t do. Well, don't matter none...” (32:35, Sheriff Hargrove)

• Dr. Sixgun is deeply shaken. He vanishes for two days, only to return to his medical duties, delivering a baby—a quiet, symbolic return to the continuity of life.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Western justice:

  “In the Territory, there is a great deal of law... but justice? Ah, there is a horse of an entirely different color.” (03:55, Pablo)

• Mary’s trauma:

  “The way he held me... I’m so scared, I can’t stop shaking...” (13:20, Mary)

• Desperation in the jail:

  “Listen, Doc, they can’t really hang me for something I didn’t do. ...They gotta feel sorry for an orphan, don’t they?” (29:00, Eddie Baker)

• On vengeance vs. justice:

  “That child died because he didn’t follow law. I don’t want him murdered. I want to see him executed for his crime.” (26:00, Dr. Sixgun)

• After the execution, when Eddie’s innocence becomes clear:

  “Eddie Baker, he killed maybe a dozen men. Gets his neck stretched for something he didn’t do. ...Well, don't matter none. The army will probably hang those Indians.” (32:35, Sheriff Hargrove) “A man needs to be alone when he first finds blood on his hands.” (33:15, Pablo)

Important Segments & Timestamps

• [03:55] Pablo’s introduction and philosophical setup
• [08:00–10:30] Eddie Baker’s entrance and threat
• [16:00–18:30] Sheriff Hargrove’s refusal to act
• [21:30–22:30] Discovery of Mary’s condition and Matt’s death
• [24:00–28:00] Eddie Baker apprehended, Dr. Sixgun’s confrontation with the sheriff
• [29:00–29:30] Eddie’s desperate plea for mercy in jail
• [31:10–32:00] Pablo and Dr. Sixgun’s philosophical debate on the value of legal justice and blood vengeance
• [32:35] Sheriff Hargrove’s revelation of Eddie’s innocence

Tone & Language

• The episode is steeped in classic Western drama: stoic, grimly philosophical, and at times, weary.
• Characters speak plainly, sometimes poetically about justice and fate.
• The show’s signature is its gritty realism and the moral uncertainty that defines the frontier.

Takeaway

“Eddie Baker Had It Coming” is a taut, tragic frontier tale. It exposes not only the limits of the law but also the deep human tendencies toward vengeance, judgment, and remorse. Even the best intentions and the trappings of legal process on the frontier can—and do—miscarry. In Dr. Sixgun’s world, true justice is as rare and as sharp as a diamond, and every cost is paid in hard, red currency.