Old Time Radio Westerns

Episode: Indian Chief’s Son Poisoned | Dr. Sixgun (09-02-54)

Host: Andrew Rhynes
Date: September 12, 2025

Overview

In this thrilling episode of Dr. Sixgun, listeners are transported to the lawless frontier of the 1870s, where a deadly outbreak threatens the lives of an Apache tribe, and the motives of settlers and healers collide. Dr. Sixgun, the gun-toting, justice-minded physician, faces prejudice, greed, and peril as he tries to save the life of an Indian chief’s son—and the future of the Chiricahua Apache people.

Key Discussion Points & Plot Breakdown

1. Setting the Scene: The Wagon Camp & Pablo’s Introduction

• Pablo, the Gypsy peddler and friend to Dr. Sixgun, stumbles upon a camp of Pennsylvania German settlers.
• A sick Indian boy (Modi Pony) wanders into the camp, delirious from illness.
• Tensions flare: the settlers, represented by Aaron Galt and Willie James, debate the risk of disease versus their ounce of hospitality.
  “Can’t you see he’s too weak? Couple of bullets are on his feet and he’ll move.”
  (Galt, 04:38)
• Pablo offers kindness, taking responsibility for the boy:
  “Perhaps I could help. I am on my way to see a friend of mine in Frenchman’s Fork. A physician. I will take the Indian boy along.”
  (Pablo, 05:14)

2. Dr. Sixgun Examines the Boy

• Pablo brings Modi Pony to Dr. Sixgun, who diagnoses him with measles—potentially devastating for the Apache. “Not to a white man. To an Indian, it can be as fatal as bubonic plague.”
  (Dr. Sixgun, 08:29)
• The Apache shaman, Gray Fox, is advocating that the tribe move north to avoid the spirits of disease—a move that could prove deadly.
• Dr. Sixgun prepares to journey to the Apache village to offer medical aid.

3. Settler Conspiracy

• Aaron Galt rallies the desperate settlers: they see the Apaches’ land as their last hope for survival.
• Galt sees Dr. Sixgun’s intervention as a threat; he proposes stopping the doctor—by any means necessary. “The way I look at it, either we stop Doc Sixgun from reaching that village, or we die. I say stop him.”
  (Galt, 11:05)
• Willie James tries to appeal to the group’s conscience, to little effect.
  “Are you willing to trade your souls for a few acres of dirt?...This is inhuman.”
  (Willie James, 11:39)
• The settlers attempt to waylay Dr. Sixgun; thanks to his quick thinking (and his six-shooter hidden in his medical bag), he fends them off.
  Timestamp: 13:00-14:30

4. A Sinister Plot: Poison in the Medicine Bag

• After failing to stop Dr. Sixgun directly, Galt finds a blue bottle labeled “prussic acid”—a deadly poison—among the doctor’s supplies.
• Galt hatches a plan to use the poison to sabotage Dr. Sixgun and frame him for the ensuing harm. “This stuff is gonna make Doc Sixgun wish he’d never tangled with Aaron Galt.”
  (Galt, 15:45)

5. Dr. Sixgun Among the Apache

• Dr. Sixgun negotiates with Chief Tall Horse and the council, who are deeply wary due to past betrayals from white settlers.
• The council agrees to give Dr. Sixgun two days to try his “blue bottle” medicine rather than fleeing north. “Give me just two days.”
  (Dr. Sixgun, 20:24)

6. The Poisoning

• Back at the settlement, Galt and Luke visit Pablo under the guise of concern for Modi Pony.
• While feigning injury, they convince Pablo to dose Modi Pony’s medicine from the tampered bottle.
• Modi Pony collapses; the settlers frame Pablo for murder. “Look, Morty Pony. He’s dead.”
  (Luke, 22:36)
  “For his perfidy, the white medicine man and his friends shall be dishonored and die… Tie them to the cactus plant with thongs of wet rawhide.”
  (Chief Tall Horse, 25:14)

7. Tied to the Desert: A Death Sentence and a Clever Raven

• Pablo and Dr. Sixgun are left to die, pinned to cactus stalks.
• In a moment of ingenuity, Pablo’s pet raven, Midnight, unties their bonds. “If only Midnight… I have a thought… My raven can untie knots.”
  (Pablo, 27:03)

8. Showdown at the Burial: Proof of Innocence

• As the burial begins, Dr. Sixgun interrupts the ceremony, risking his life to perform “the strongest medicine.”
• He revives Modi Pony, who was actually drugged—not killed—due to Dr. Sixgun’s earlier replacement of the poison with morphine. “I will do it by raising from the dead your son, Modi Pony.”
  (Dr. Sixgun, 28:43)
• The revived boy names his poisoner, absolving the doctor and Pablo.
• Chief Tall Horse proclaims Dr. Sixgun his brother.

9. Resolution and Reflection

• Dr. Sixgun explains the sleight-of-hand:
  “The blue bottle didn’t contain prussic acid at all. I put morphine in it just before we left and didn’t have time to change the label. Then Modi Pony was never dead, just drugged into a deep stupor.”
  (Dr. Sixgun, 30:11)
• Pablo muses on the extraordinary events:
  “There is a saying among the gypsy people: You cannot get two skins off an ox. You have proved it wrong.”
  (Pablo, 31:57)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Perhaps I could help. I am on my way to see a friend of mine… a physician. I will take the Indian boy along.” — Pablo (05:14)
• “Not to a white man. To an Indian, it can be as fatal as bubonic plague.” — Dr. Sixgun (08:29)
• “Are you willing to trade your souls for a few acres of dirt?... This is inhuman.” — Willie James (11:39)
• “This stuff is gonna make Doc Sixgun wish he’d never tangled with Aaron Galt.” — Aaron Galt (15:45)
• “I will do it by raising from the dead your son, Modi Pony.” — Dr. Sixgun (28:43)
• “There is a saying among the gypsy people: You cannot get two skins off an ox. You have proved it wrong.” — Pablo (31:57)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:09-06:00] — Pablo introduces himself; brings sick boy to settlers, then Dr. Sixgun.
• [08:15-09:00] — Dr. Sixgun’s diagnosis of measles and explanation of the epidemic’s risk.
• [10:36-13:00] — Settlers conspire against Apaches, attempt to block Dr. Sixgun.
• [15:18-15:57] — Galt discovers the prussic acid bottle, forms a deadly plan.
• [18:08-20:34] — Dr. Sixgun arrives at Apache camp, confronts tribal council’s suspicions, and pleads for two days.
• [22:17-23:30] — Modi Pony is poisoned, settlers frame Pablo.
• [25:14-27:03] — Pablo and Dr. Sixgun are sentenced, Pablo’s raven attempts the escape.
• [28:20-29:40] — Dr. Sixgun’s “strongest medicine”: revives Modi Pony and exposes the true criminal.
• [30:11-31:57] — Dr. Sixgun explains the trick and Pablo delivers the episode’s closing proverb.

Episode Tone & Color

The episode is rich with suspense, moral quandaries, and classic Western confrontations. The language is period-appropriate, with a solemn earnestness from Dr. Sixgun, indignation and desperation among the settlers, and dignified skepticism from the Apache leaders. The characterful addition of Pablo’s wry, philosophical observations adds warmth and a touch of comic relief, especially with his clever raven, Midnight.

For Listeners Who Missed It

This episode is a perfect capsule of Old Time Radio drama: justice, peril, medical intrigue, and the valor of standing for what’s right against popular sentiment. Clever plot twists and high stakes keep the tension sharp, but in the end, friendship, resourcefulness—and a bit of frontier magic—prevail.