Original subtitles

Starring James Arness as Matt Dillon.

♪♪

Off that-a-way, Matthew.

Where'd the shots come from?

Wood smoke's coming from over yonder.

Maybe Boles run into a cabin or somebody's night camp.

Let's go.

Boles!

I'll take a bullet, Marshal, but not the rope.

I told you that!

Sure save a lot of fuss and bother

if we shot him now, Matthew,

instead of taking him back to Hays.

A lot of people would like to see him back there, Festus.

Thad, circle around over there.

Right.

Festus, cover me from here.

Hold it!

Drop the gun!

Not yet, Marshal!

Go ahead and finish it... go on!

Get up.

I ain't gonna hang, Dillon.

You said that.

I'll bust free again.

If I can't, I got some friends that'll see to it I do.

Yeah, you said that, too.

Now, get up.

I take an oath.

I ain't gonna hang!

Oh, howdy, Burt.

- And Doc. - Ollie, how are you?

- What's the matter with Burt? - Hmm?

Oh, he's just making sure he don't slip.

See, I... I promised him an extra ten cents

if I don't get any of his silly conversation.

Oh.

Yeah, I never knew there was this many people

in the whole state of Kansas.

There's gonna be a lot more here

before this wheat festival's over... I'll tell you that.

Yeah, and they're gonna have themselves

quite a show before it's over.

I can promise you that.

What do you mean, "show"?

And I got a telegram for you.

It's from Mr. Dillon.

He says he's caught that fella he was after

and he's bringing him back here sometime tomorrow.

- Well, that's what it says, huh? - Mm-hmm.

Why in thunder do you bother to write it down

and put it in an envelope?

That's the official way of doing it.

And I suppose it's an added service...

You telling me what's in here

before I get a chance to read it myself.

Yeah, when you get to talking like that,

sets my mind to not telling you about this one.

Yeah, and I shouldn't anyway, with Burt hearing.

It's for the marshal.

Yeah, I suppose you got it memorized, too, huh?

Yeah, well, I couldn't help but remember.

It's so important.

I made him repeat it twice.

I bet you couldn't help but remember.

Well, just give it to me, and I'll see that he gets it.

No, no, Doc, not with a message this important.

I got to put it in the marshal's hands personally.

Oh, I see... I get a telegram,

and you shout it from the rooftops.

But you get one for the marshal, and you...

What are you trying to do, break my neck?

Well, on the other hand, maybe I ought to tell you,

you being the marshal's friend and all.

And it kind of concerns you.

Me? It does? What?

Come right down to it,

it concerns everybody in Dodge City.

What are you talking about?

The truth of the matter is, Doc, it comes over the wire.

Every operator between here and Kansas City picks it up.

Somebody's bound to spill it.

Ollie, for heaven sakes, tell me

what's in that telegram or get out of here!

All right, Doc, all right, all right.

This here telegram says that if the marshal

catches up with that Boles fella...

And we know that he done that 'cause you just

got the telegram saying that he did...

Oh, yeah, yeah, we read it, didn't we?

He ain't to take him on to Hays.

He's to hang him right here in town.

Says that?

You heard right, Doc.

The marshal's supposed to hang his prisoner

right here in Dodge City.

Ah, good boy!

Great, ha-ha!

Balloons here!

Red one...

blue one, green... your favorite.

We have a few left.

All you can say is it's good for business, Kitty.

Yeah, I'm not sure I like the business.

I can't tell which of them are here for the festival

or... which are the vultures.

I know.

Sam, another beer.

You bet.

Kind of exciting, huh, Doc, Miss Kitty?

- What's that? - The hanging.

I never exactly looked upon a man's dying as being exciting.

Well, Billy Boles ain't never been called a man...

At least, not that I can remember.

Don't you think it's about time

you got back to the freight office, Nathan?

It's been two years since Dodge has had a hanging of its own.

I... I ain't about to miss any part of this one.

What'll you have, mister?

Oh, señor, please.

I could maybe work for you, huh?

Well, I could sweep or wash glasses.

Uh, anything you want.

There's nothing here.

Why don't you try the general store?

"General store."

Why, thank you.

Well, nothing's changed.

It-it's just gonna be a bit more difficult.

Warren, please, let's just leave now.

We can't.

Getting him on the trail was one thing.

- But in a town full of people... - We've got no choice.

Can't you get that through your head?

It was wrong to bring him in with us.

We've been through that before.

Couldn't have done it without him.

And with him, look what's happened.

We could all hang.

Not if we close his mouth for good,

before he realizes we're not gonna help him escape.

What are you saying?

I'm saying, if we can't free him,

- we're gonna have to kill him. - Warren!

Well, look what he did to those people.

We didn't hire him to kill.

Oh, didn't we?

Because we wanted a new life,

we hired a-a greedy kid, a penniless drunk

- and-and two killers. - No!

Now, we both knew, if it came to it, Boles would kill.

Didn't we?

Now, that makes us no better than he.

So...

we kill again, or we hang with him.

Oh, Warren.

I don't know how we'll do it.

Well, first we'll... we'll have to convince him

we've got a plan to get him out.

How are you going to do that?

I can't.

Maybe you could.

If you were Mrs. Boles.

In all of Dodge, with all of this,

there has to be something, Maria!

Querido, let us go on.

No, I do not ask for charity.

I ask for work!

All right.

Come on.

Popcorn!

See it pop.

Popcorn!

Well, Billy's sure gonna be surprised, huh?

Quiet, you fool! Somebody will hear you.

Come on, how many Billys

you figure there are in the world, huh?

Just shut up.

Ain't but one like our Billy, though.

And he is gonna be surprised.

Quiet!

Popcorn... everybody wants it!

How do you figure he's getting his neck stretched here

instead of Hays, huh?

They didn't have to go to all this trouble for our Billy,

now, did they?

Will you please shut up!

You are the skitty one, ain't you?

You need a drink, Beaumont, to settle your nerves.

You're touchy.

Never could figure Warren trusting a lush like you.

We all have our needs.

We pay for them any way we can.

I'm gonna hustle up Saline.

Popcorn!

I plumb forgot

about the big blowout in town, Matthew.

You sent word on ahead

they could see Billy Boles coming through?

Take a good look, Marshal.

Some of those people out there are friends of mine.

Let's go.

♪♪

There he is!

Hot cider!

Appears like your old pal ain't hurt.

He sure is the one, ain't he?

Look at him.

I better get over there, Kitty.

I'd sure like to see the marshal's face

when he hears he's going to do the hanging himself.

♪♪

Thad, see if you can get some fresh horses from Hank.

Right.

You may not need those fresh horses, Marshal.

Friends may save you the trip to Hays.

All right, folks, break it up and move along.

You'll never hang him!

All right, break it up and move along!

Get him inside, Festus.

He almost saved you the whole hanging, Marshal!

All right, break it up, go on!

Hold it, hold it still now, please.

Hold it.

Boles's words come awful close

to being true out yonder, Matthew.

Well, your jaw's not broken, but it's gonna be sore.

What's your name, mister?

And where are you from?

I asked you a question.

My name's Preston.

I live in Hays.

He shot my wife.

When he and the others came into the bank

for no reason, he shot my wife!

Now, Mr. Preston, I'm sorry.

And I can understand how you feel at a time like this.

But, you know, you can't...

Don't tell me I can't!

You kill him, you'll hang for murder yourself.

I don't care.

We could lock him up till we get out of town, Matthew.

Just for his own good.

No, no. I don't want him in there with Boles.

Mr. Preston, I'm sorry.

But I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask you

to stay out of Dodge till this thing's over.

Festus, take him out of town.

Come on, Preston.

Come on, now, this way.

If it was your wife, you'd feel different.

Never mind. Just simmer down.

Now, let's just get on back to Hays.

Things are starting out pretty lively, huh?

Yeah, and they're liable to get livelier, Matt.

Well, not if I can help it.

Say, Doc, take a look at Boles for me, will you?

What's the matter with him?

Well, I had to shoot him in the arm.

I want to be sure he's in

good enough shape for that ride to Hays.

Well, Boles is not going to Hays, Matt.

Barney says there's an important telegram for you

over in the office from Judge Davis.

Well, did he say what was in it?

Yeah, the judge says that you're gonna hang Boles yourself

right here in Dodge.

No, I'm sorry, mister.

Señor, please, I will work for a dollar.

See, one dollar will buy enough.

It's like I told you, mister.

Everybody here hired extra help for the festival two weeks ago.

You're just too late.

Yeah, but my wife and my child...

Now, I will do anything you want!

Well, there ain't...

Hank?

Matt wants some fresh horses.

If there was any...

Is anything wrong?

No, just a fella looking for a job.

What's that you said Matt wants?

Guess we need some fresh horses for the ride to Hays.

What ride to Hays?

Well, we're taking Billy Boles up there to be hanged.

Well, haven't you heard?

Heard what?

Hanging me in Dodge?

They couldn't hold me in Hays.

Couldn't hold me in Elmdale.

What makes you think you're gonna hang me in Dodge?

The judge says you'll hang here, this is where you'll hang.

Don't like the idea much, do you, Marshal?

Well, don't fret.

You won't have to go through with it.

I wouldn't spoil the party time out there.

That's gonna be kind of sore for a while.

You through with him, Doc?

All finished.

Hate to disappoint all them people, Doc,

came to see Billy Boles hang.

But, of course, uh, there are some friends out there

that know that he won't hang.

Isn't that right, Marshal?

You remember that.

Uh, Matthew, I got that Preston feller

on his way back to Hays.

Uh, Matthew, this here is Billy Boles's wife.

Is that so?

I hope there won't be any difficulty

in seeing my husband.

Well, no, I guess not, if you are his wife.

Oh, well, I don't have much more than a ring to prove it.

How is it you weren't at the trial up at Hays?

I live in El Paso.

I haven't seen my husband in over a year.

A week ago, I heard about his trial in Hays.

When I got here yesterday,

I heard he was being brought through here.

I see.

I never was much of a wife.

He wasn't much of a husband.

If he's going to die...

All right.

Would you mind leaving your purse here?

Ma'am, would you mind standing over on this side?

Hello, Billy.

Hello, Missy.

Festus, stay here and keep your eyes and ears open.

Matt?

Do you believe her?

Well, I'll tell you, Doc, with as many strangers

as there are in this town right now

with this hanging coming up,

I can't afford to believe anybody.

Well, I got to go over and make some arrangements.

I'm not looking forward to them, either.

- Is it true the hanging's gonna be here? - Shh!

Could be Mrs. Boles in there, Thad.

Yeah, it's true.

Doc, I've never seen a hanging.

You'll see one now, Thad.

Matt's gonna need some help, I'll tell you that.

Well, what has to be done?

There will be a scaffold built.

There's got to be witnesses.

Toughest thing is to find a hangman.

Well, I'll tell you this.

I'd go through thunder and fire barefooted for Matthew,

but a cold-out hanging, no sir.

I don't even want to be there.

Neither do I, but I got to be.

Yeah, I know, Missy.

I guess I didn't help you very much.

Towards the end, I was not around as much as you were.

It's obvious they can't raid the jail.

Don't tell me what's obvious.

Just tell me where you all have been.

I'll tell you where we'd be if it wasn't for you...

Free and living high on that money.

Yeah, well, there will be no high living

until I'm shed of this place, and you know that.

We were going to get you on the way to Hays.

Tell Warren and the others that if I'm not sprung fast,

I'm gonna have a lot of company on those gallows.

They know that.

That's why I'm here.

Now, just keep your mouth shut.

Warren's working out a plan.

And I'll be real nervous

if I don't see you here by, say, dark.

I'll be here.

Remember, Missy.

I don't care what it takes.

You burn this town, you kill that marshal.

You do what needs doing to free me.

When dark, wife.

Remember.

Good-bye, Billy.

Bye, Missy.

Remember.

Thank you.

Yes'm.

That mean what it says, Thad?

That's right, Mr. Burke.

I sure wouldn't want the job.

No, me, neither.

Sure seems like a lot of money just to do a little hanging.

Well, the state pays $100.

$25 goes to Mr. Crump for the burying.

Yes, sir, a lot of money.

A man would have a hard time

facing his friends after hanging somebody.

Yeah, true, Halligan, yes, sir.

Besides, I hear that Boles' gang's in town.

No telling how they'll take it... A man making money on his dying.

That may be true, Halligan.

Why don't you and Burke spread the word around

- about this, okay? - Sure, Thad.

Thad, you, uh... you got your ears to things.

When's the marshal fixing to, uh, do the hanging?

Sometime tomorrow morning.

That's all I know.

We'll-we'll let people know about that.

You do that.

Señor, this job...

it is for, uh... for any man, huh?

Yeah.

You-you want it, mister?

$75?

That's right.

Sí.

Sí, I do.

I will take the job.

Sí.

Come on inside and see the marshal about it.

All right.

Have you ever, uh...

you ever done anything like this before?

No.

But... but I can do it as well as any man.

You know Billy Boles, do you?

No, sir.

I have never seen him.

He told me it was a job for the man who wanted it.

Well, it is, but...

Well, then I will do it.

You know, th-this job could be dangerous.

I will do it, señor.

All right.

Tell you what you do.

You, uh, stop by later this afternoon, and I'll, uh...

I'll fill you in on the details.

Sí, señor.

Señor, dispensame.

Could I have just a few dollars in advance?

I guess so.

Here you are.

Thank you.

Thank you, Señor Marshal.

Mil gracias.

Mil mil gracias.

Well, I guess that takes care of one of my problems.

I only got one more to take care of.

What's that?

Gonna have to have a gallows built, Festus.

I reckon you will at that.

You, uh, suppose you could do something like that for me?

Well, I did a heap of things...

I'm gonna have to have it right away.

Well, I can get a couple of fellas.

We can help you with it.

You know something, Matthew?

More and more I'm a-wishin'

your aim had have been better at that homesteaders' place.

Yeah, you got a point there.

Well, I'll go see old Jonas about the lumber.

I'll go along with you.

Thad, keep an eye on things here, will you?

Right.

I tell you, the hangman's been hired already.

- Some little Mexican fella took the job. - Mm-hmm.

Right out from under your nose, huh, Burke?

Now, Sam.

Thanks for the bulletin, Nathan.

We shouldn't be here!

I'm telling you, we really shouldn't...

Well, what do you... what do you suggest?

That we sulk around in some back alley?

Nobody's interested in you, Beaumont.

Or Warren here or any of us.

And they never will be, if we can figure

a way to get Billy out of that there jail.

Or keep him from talking.

I say we should just ride away.

Uh-uh.

Billy'd point a finger for sure.

Running and staying ahead of bounty hunters

and federal marshals ain't for me.

Nobody knows me or my face

from any one of a thousand others.

I want it to stay that way.

I still say...

We heard.

What do you say, Saline?

I'm still listening.

Well, you can't make me stay.

I don't intend to.

If you don't want your cut, you can pull out any time you want.

I... I never did anything like...

what was done at Hays.

Except Billy and Saline here, none of us have, either.

That's why we got to make sure about things.

Well?

I ain't heard nothing yet.

I've taken a look at the jailhouse.

It should be a simple matter.

What do you mean?

There's a window in Billy's cell.

A roof across the alley looks right down into it.

That a fact?

How would you like half of Billy's cut?

Seems to me, if I'm going to kill my best friend,

I should get it all.

Maria.

Maria, look.

What is it?

The good Lord provides.

Have faith, and he will provide.

- Well, what do you have in there? - Look.

Bread, coffee, sugar.

Canned milk for the baby.

You have found work.

But you're paid so well.

Where?

Does not matter.

You have stolen?

No.

Well, tell me.

Do not talk foolish.

Do not concern yourself.

Oro, look at me.

I am hungry, woman.

Build a fire.

I want my supper.

What have you done?

What have you done?

Nothing!

Nothing, except get food for my family.

Nothing, except do what a man should do

for those he loves.

I've gotten milk for the baby,

meat for our stomachs.

Oro, what is it?

I'm going to hang a man.

You're going to what?

See, the marshal will give me $75.

$75 for your soul?

The man is a murderer.

In the city of Hays, he and the others,

they killed seven people.

I heard!

You do such a thing for us?

It will be many weeks before you are hungry again.

You cannot do this to yourself.

It is done.

I have taken part of the money already to buy the food.

- Take it back. - No...

Return the money.

Tonight you will sleep

without our child's cry of hunger in your ears.

You cannot kill a man.

Not you.

I am going to hang a man.

A word does not change what you do.

Cook the food, woman.

Cook the food, Maria.

It will fill our stomachs no less where it comes from.

This here's got to be some of the cross braces.

Them there's the steps.

You can see that.

Well, if everything's here,

shouldn't take too long to put it together.

What's that?

Well, I'll tell you,

I've built a heap of things in my day,

but I never thought I'd see the day

when I'd be building a dang gallows.

Well, if you ask me, everybody's putting too much into all this.

What do you mean by that?

Well, a gallows is just a gallows.

It's a piece of rope and a hunk of wood.

And it's no more a weapon than a gun or a knife, if you ask me.

Yeah, but there's a heap of difference

in the way it gets used... I'll tell you that.

Well, I still say that...

What's the matter?

I think I found the top of the platform.

Course it is.

This right here is the trap door.

You can see that.

Kind of gives you the willies, don't it?

Thinking about how many men might've...

I thought these things didn't bother you.

What's the matter with you?

Can't you even build a little old gallows

without getting all stoolin' and frettin' around?

Come on, get out of there.

And let's get this moved over.

I'll tell you this.

The next time that Matthew gets a bright idea,

I'm going to be going fishing.

That's where I ought to have been this time

if I had a lick of sense.

Come on, get a hold of it.

Matthew, you sure you don't want a...?

Oh, no, thank you, Festus.

Why don't you just amble on over to the Long Branch for a spell.

I'll look out for things here.

Well, all right, maybe I will.

You about finished with the gallows?

Yeah, just another nail or two, and it'll be did.

Well, I'll tell you,

this thing won't be over too soon to suit me.

I'll say amen to that.

I'll see you later.

Mrs. Boles.

I came to see my husband, if I may.

Matthew allowed that'd be all right.

He's been asking for you.

Oh?

Now, remember, same rules as before.

Keep away from the cell.

Of course.

Been waiting for you.

Hoping you'd be back before this.

I've been in church since I left.

You always was one for praying.

Mighty close, girl.

I said by dark.

There were things we had to arrange for.

What things? Why don't you just...?

Now, stop it.

If it was me, I'd bust this jail and this town wide open.

It's exactly that kind of thing that put you in here.

It's got to be that way on the street,

- when they take you from here. - No!

That's the way Warren's got it planned.

Well, you tell Warren to unplan it.

- Now, listen, Billy, we... - You listen.

You tell Warren to fire the other end of town.

- That'll get everybody up... - Billy, we can't.

Don't tell me "can't"... It's not your neck.

It's my neck!

And you do what I tell you!

- Get out of here, Mrs. Boles! - Marshal!

What kind of a lawman are you?!

Somebody's trying to kill my husband!

Get on out here! Get out!

- Here. - Hey, he must be that feller

from Hays tried to shoot Boles.

All right, go out in front, see if you can find him.

You've got to protect him!

Marshal?

Marshal, that was too close.

I think it's about time I made up my will.

I'll write it out and put it in my pocket.

You can read it after the hanging.

All right, outside, ma'am.

What happened?

That Preston feller from Hays took a shot at Boles.

I thought you ran him out of town.

Well, he could've snuck back in.

Of course, it could've been somebody else, too, from Hays.

There's plenty of them that want to shoot him.

I'm all right now.

I'll be going.

All right.

- Matt. - Hello, Doc.

Someone took a shot at Boles.

I couldn't figure a sign of him, Matthew.

Marshal, again, I'm sorry for my outburst at you.

It's all right.

It's strange. I don't...

I haven't had any feeling for my husband

for a long time.

If it was that same fella that tried before,

he'll try it again.

Yeah, if Boles' gang is gonna help him,

they're gonna have to make their move pretty quick.

Looks like they'll have to stand in line.

Have you already set the time for the hanging?

I didn't have to see what Boles wrote in that paper.

He made it very clear our names would be on it.

Oh, that fool Saline.

Now we have no choice.

We've got to rescue Boles.

He said to burn the town.

He would.

Oh, Warren, I'm scared.

Yeah.

We've got every right to be.

Who is it?

Mrs. Boles?

Yes?

Mrs. Boles, I'm Dr. Adams.

I was in the marshal's office today

when you came in there, you know?

What is it, Doctor?

Mrs. Boles, I'm-I'm terribly sorry

to bother you this time of night,

but the marshal wanted me to come by and...

and tell you that the time for your husband has been set.

It's 4:00 this morning.

And he asked me to tell you and...

well, he doesn't want you to say anything about it,

because the fewer people, you know.

Mrs. Boles?

No, I'll be all right.

Kitty Russell from the Long Branch could come up...

No, No. I'll be all right.

Excuse me, Doctor.

Thank you.

Marshal says you can come back to the office.

Thank you.

Good night.

It would seem our problem's been solved for us.

What?

Well, Dillon's made things easier for us.

How?

Well, at 4:00 in the morning,

an ambush shouldn't be too hard to arrange.

Maria...

I must leave now.

The marshal there has sent for me.

Maria.

Please, querida, try to understand.

For as long as we live,

we will never forget the day a man died by your hand.

♪♪

- Boles? - Well?

This will be your last visit.

What?

When are they gonna hang me?

Any time now.

It's all arranged.

Is that a fact?

Warren and the boys will be waiting

when they take you out of here.

Where?

The gallows.

You'll know when.

Dodge is about to lose its marshal

and a couple of deputies.

It's nice to know you have some friends

that are watching out for you.

That coffee's worse than usual.

Yeah, I think so, too.

Seems like there ought to be a parson or something.

Well, he didn't want one, Doc.

Festus.

We're all set, Matthew.

Good.

Well, what about Mrs. Boles?

I'll take care of her.

Just be sure and do what I told you.

I'll do her, Matthew.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

Drop it!

Oh, no, no...

Maria!

Marshal!

You haven't gotten them all, see?

I'll take that.

It's my husband's will.

I'm entitled to it.

Festus.

Let's go.

Morning.

Good morning.

I just got your note saying you're gonna return that money.

I... I am sorry.

There is none of it left.

Well, the money's yours.

You got more coming.

You took that job in good faith.

No, gracias, Marshal.

Maria was right.

I could never forget I used such money.

And I will send back what I spent.

Soon.

I see.

Well, good luck to you.

Thank you.

Good morning, Matt.

How's Thad?

Oh, he's gonna be all right.

He got his hairline moved back just a little bit.

Now, listen, when are you gonna take that gallows down?

Well, sooner the better, Festus.

Well, I was fixing to get to that, Matthew.

Uh, how much you fixing to pay me?

Pay you?

Well, I thought you were volunteering

your services on this.

Well, fiddle. I put 'em up for nothing,

but the taking it down, that's...

What's the difference?

Well, there's a whole heap of difference!

How much you figuring to get paid for this?

Well, it ought to be worth a beer or two.

That's blackmail.

Doc, it's worth it.

All right, Festus.

You take that down, I'll buy you all the beer you can drink.

Uh, before or after?

Before or after what?

Before I take it down or after I take it down?

Now, if I was to have the beer after I've took it down,

see, I-I could've worked up

a good deal of thirst, and I could drink

- quite a passel of beer. - Oh, for heaven's sake.

But if I was to take the beer

before I was to take it down, uh, chances are I'd be relaxed,

and I could drink quite a bit of...

I'll explain it to Miss Kitty.

She understands things like that.

Stay tuned for scenes from next week's Gunsmoke.