Matts Decision

Tall Trapper

Originally Aired: May 15, 1960 Gunsmoke #423, "Tall Trapper," presents Marshal Matt Dillon with a puzzling murder case when Doc Adams discovers a woman beaten to death in a covered wagon east of Dodge. The victim, Cassie Riley, had been traveling west with her husband Riley in hopes the dry climate would improve her failing health. When Doc arrives to treat her, he finds she's already dead from a brutal beating. Riley tells Doc and Matt about a mysterious trapper who shared their camp for two nights, eyeing Cassie the whole time, making him the obvious suspect. The case takes an unusual turn when Matt and Chester ride out to the murder scene and discover the body has been moved to a Pawnee burial platform high on wooden poles. There they encounter Ben, a laconic trapper raised by the Pawnees who admits to burying Cassie in the traditional elevated grave. Though Ben denies killing her and could have easily shot Matt and Chester before they drew on him, the evidence looks damning. As Matt brings Ben to jail and confronts the grieving Riley with his wife's suspected killer, the truth behind Cassie's death remains murky.

Wrong Man different story from #135

Originally Aired: May 8, 1960 Gunsmoke #422, "Wrong Man different story from #135," Marshal Matt Dillon receives a warning from lawman Blair about a dangerous killer named Jim Waddell who may be passing through Dodge City. Waddell is described as a smooth-talking, well-dressed man who never carries a gun but prefers to kill with a knife. Meanwhile, a charming stranger calling himself Jack Norman arrives in town and makes an immediate impression on Kitty Russell with his cultured manners and polite behavior, a refreshing change from the rough cowboys she usually encounters. When Norman gets into a poker dispute and pulls a knife to defend himself against accusations of cheating, Matt becomes suspicious and decides to hold him in jail. The situation grows more complicated as Matt notices the striking similarities between Norman and Blair's description of the wanted killer Waddell. Both men are refined, well-mannered, knife-carrying Texans who avoid firearms. Despite Kitty's protests that Jack couldn't be a murderer and Norman's own insistence that Matt is making a grave mistake, the marshal keeps him locked up while waiting to hear back from Blair about the suspect's true identity.

Nettie Sitton

Originally Aired: May 1, 1960 Gunsmoke #421, "Nettie Sitton," Marshal Matt Dillon and Chester find themselves in desperate circumstances after a renegade Ute ambush leaves Matt badly wounded with a bullet in his leg. Fevered and unable to ride, Matt must be dragged through the wilderness by Chester toward what appears to be an abandoned cabin. However, the cabin is anything but abandoned. They're met by Nettie Sitton, a hardened frontier woman wielding a shotgun, who immediately demands their money and guns in exchange for shelter. Nettie is no ordinary settler. She's a woman who's buried four husbands and twenty children, and she makes it clear that a couple of strangers don't faze her one bit. Despite her rough exterior and mercenary demands, she removes the bullet from Matt's leg and allows them to recover in her cabin. As Matt fights fever and Chester stands exhausted watch, the threat of the renegade Utes lingers nearby, and the marshal and his deputy must rely on this formidable woman's grudging hospitality to survive.

Stage Snatch

Originally Aired: April 24, 1960 Gunsmoke #420, "Stage Snatch," finds Marshal Matt Dillon delivering a dangerous prisoner named Rouse to Hayes City for trial when their stagecoach is stopped by Bigfoot, a Native American leader, and his son Younghawk. Rouse murdered Bigfoot's father, and the grieving son believes the killer's life belongs to him, not to white man's justice. Despite Dillon's assurances that Rouse will likely hang after trial, Bigfoot refuses to let the law handle the matter and takes both the marshal and his prisoner captive. As they're forced to march across the prairie toward the tribal encampment, the situation grows increasingly tense. Rouse, roped to a horse and struggling with the brutal trek, whines and complains while Dillon maintains his composure despite having his hands tied. Though Dillon has always been friends with Bigfoot and promises him justice through the legal system, the Native American leader remains determined to hold his own council trial, creating a dangerous standoff between frontier justice and tribal honor.

Solomon River

Originally Aired: April 17, 1960 Gunsmoke #419, "Solomon River," presents Marshal Matt Dillon and Chester with a grim discovery along the riverbank while transporting prisoner Ben Crown to Dodge. The lawmen encounter Letty Thatcher, a woman nearly dead from exhaustion, desperately trying to dig a grave for her husband Luther in the punishing prairie heat. Inside her isolated cabin, they find Luther's body has been lying dead for days while Letty, too weak to bury him, has slowly been starving. Despite Dillon's urging to come with them to Dodge City where he can help her start over, Letty refuses to leave. She reveals the heartbreaking reason for her stubborn determination: buried near Luther's fresh grave are five small mounds, the graves of her babies who died during their years of hardship on the desolate prairie. The lawmen reluctantly continue their journey with Crown, leaving Letty alone at her homestead. Chester remains troubled by her situation, leading him to seek Doc's help in obtaining a tonic, though the deputy's awkward attempts to keep Letty's identity secret frustrate the physician.