Tumbleweed

Tumbleweed

Originally Aired: August 28, 1960 Gunsmoke #438, "Tumbleweed," finds Marshal Matt Dillon facing an unusual problem when simple-minded drifter Boog Wilson refuses to leave jail after serving his sentence. Boot, who gets himself arrested just to have a roof over his head and friends in Matt and Chester, explains that people always run him off, just like his father did when he was young. He considers himself a tumbleweed, going here and there with no place to call home. When Matt finally convinces Boot to leave, the situation takes a darker turn with the arrival of Henry Maples, a professional hangman who rolls into Dodge City with a gallows mounted on the back of his wagon. Maples immediately begins stirring up the townspeople, preaching his brand of justice and claiming that Dodge needs his services to stop the bloodshed. When Matt orders him to take his gallows out of town by sundown or see it burned, tensions escalate. Boot Wilson, desperate for someone to befriend him, volunteers to help Maples. The confrontation reaches a crisis point when a drunk named Thayer, believing Maples hanged his brother, draws his gun in the Long Branch Saloon, forcing Matt into a deadly showdown.

Dangerous Bath

Originally Aired: August 21, 1960 Gunsmoke #437, "Dangerous Bath," Marshal Matt Dillon and Chester face an embarrassing predicament when two outlaws catch them bathing in a creek during a long ride across the prairie. The thieves, Ollie and young Harve, steal their horses, guns, and boots, leaving the lawmen stranded and defenseless. After a painful day and night of walking barefoot across the harsh terrain, Matt and Chester finally make it back to Dodge City with Doc Adams' help, their feet badly battered and their pride wounded. Doc declares they won't be able to wear boots for at least a week, leaving Matt frustrated and determined to find the men responsible. When Matt spots a nervous young man at the Long Branch Saloon wearing boots that are suspiciously too large for him, he confronts Harve and quickly extracts a confession. The young outlaw reveals he's been wrestling with his conscience and was actually considering turning himself in. Now Matt must uncover the full story behind the theft and track down Harve's partner Ollie, while dealing with the indignity of being outwitted during what should have been a simple, refreshing bath.

The Noose

Originally Aired: August 14, 1960 Gunsmoke #436, "The Noose," Marshal Matt Dillon and Chester encounter a strange little man named Cloyd hanging a noose from a tree outside Dodge City. Cloyd calmly explains he's testing the rope for a hanging - one he plans to carry out himself. He's been following a man across the country, waiting to hear him confess to a killing before stringing him up. Matt warns Cloyd that only the law hangs men, but the peculiar drifter insists he made a deathbed promise to someone in a coffin, and he intends to keep it. Despite the marshal's warnings, Cloyd continues wearing the noose around town, drawing suspicious stares and occasional rough treatment from spooked citizens. When a man named Creel arrives at the Dodge House hotel, Cloyd's patient vigil intensifies. He shadows Creel's every move, politely but persistently haunting the saloons and businesses his target frequents. As Matt discusses the situation with Doc and Kitty, everyone wonders whether the mild-mannered Cloyd will actually follow through on his dark promise, or if he's just harmlessly obsessed. The tension builds as Cloyd waits for Creel to speak the words that will seal his fate.

Old Fool

Originally Aired: August 7, 1960 Gunsmoke #435, "Old Fool," Hannibal Bass catches young Dunk Hedgepath trying to steal a pig from his farm and nearly shoots him. Hannibal's wife Della insists he take the boy home instead, where Hannibal meets Dunk's widowed mother, Elsie. The encounter sets off an unexpected chain of events when the lonely widow Hedgepath lavishes praise on Hannibal, calling him a gentleman and a kind man. Flattered by her attention, Hannibal begins visiting the Hedgepath place regularly, bringing wagonloads of supplies and gifts. Back home, Della Bass watches her husband of forty-five years transform before her eyes. As Hannibal dresses in his Sunday best multiple times a week and grows increasingly critical of Della, the tension between the longtime couple reaches a breaking point. When Della finally confronts him about the widow Hedgepath, Hannibal shocks her by declaring he's through with their marriage and intends to marry Elsie. The conflict leaves Doc Adams' elderly friends on the verge of a devastating split, with Hannibal too blind to see what's happening.

Stage Smash

Originally Aired: July 31, 1960 Gunsmoke #434, "Stage Smash," Marshal Matt Dillon returns to Dodge with prisoner Cleary Small, only to be confronted by the man's brother, North Small, a smooth-talking gambler who attempts to cut a deal for Cleary's release. When Dillon refuses his proposition, North cryptically warns that every man has his price and promises to find the marshal's. The tension escalates when Matt learns that Kitty was supposed to be returning to Dodge on the northbound stage, which has suffered a catastrophic wreck just outside of town. When Matt and Chester arrive at the crash site, they find a grim scene of dead horses and passengers, but Kitty's body is mysteriously absent. The horses appear to have been deliberately shot, suggesting someone arrived at the scene before the townspeople who discovered it. Matt soon receives Kitty's purse delivered by a young boy, containing a note directing him to bring Doc Adams to the abandoned Craig Place. Racing to the deserted homestead with Doc and Chester, they discover North Small waiting for them, revealing that the stage wreck may not have been an accident at all.