An unarmed man named Hank Springer is being pursued by August Brake, a deputy sheriff from Mingo, and the pursuit has brought both men to Dodge City. As Brake closes in on Springer, Springer runs toward the Marshal's office and begins pounding on the door. Just as Brake is about to shoot Springer in the back, Matt Dillon and Chester Goode appear.
Springer begs Marshal Dillon not to turn him over to Brake, because he will be hung in Mingo for a murder he insists he did not commit. When Matt asks Brake to show him the warrant for Springer's arrest, Brake tells him there was no time to obtain a warrant. Matt tells Chester to lock Hank in the Dodge jail until he can learn more about the situation.
The next day, Matt leaves Dodge, and Brake lures Chester away from the Marshal's office. Brake then attempts to take Springer from his cell. In the ensuing struggle, Springer hits Brake in the head, renders him unconscious. And manages to escape. Springer thinks he has killed Brake, but the deputy's injuries are not fatal. Springer is convinced he is truly a killer with nothing to lose. He plans to return to Mingo and kill the corrupt sheriff there.
Marshal Dillon and Chester set out to find Springer. The ensuing investigation will lead to them back to Mingo and the discovery of a sheriff who uses his position for his own benefit and has alienated many of the people of the town.
Vic Perrin portrays Hank Springer in this story. Perrin's distinctive appearance makes him very recognizable in his many roles. He started his career in films in the late 1940s, but he found his greatest success in television. He appeared in several episodes of Dragnet -- both the original and the 1960s reboot, Have Gun - Will Travel, The Untouchables, The Outer Limits, and Rawhide, in addition to Gunsmoke.
Actor Mort Mills is another familiar face from numerous television performances. He plays the August Brake character in this story. He would appear in five additional episodes of the series over the next several seasons.
Marjorie Owens makes her only Gunsmoke appearance as a woman who lives in a house where Matt and Chester stop on their way to Mingo.
Actor Cyril Delevanti is yet another distinctive face that can be seen in several classic television shows throughout the 1950s and 1960s. He plays a character known only as Turnkey in this story. He appeared in a total of eight Gunsmoke episodes.
Charles H. Gray portrays the Mingo sheriff in the second of six Gunsmoke roles. Gray would later begin playing the character Clay Forrester in the series Rawhide.
Amanda Blake is absent in this episode and does not even receive a show credit. In later seasons, the show's stars would be included in the opening credits, whether they appeared in the episode, or not.
This story marks the first incident where Matt is required to go to another town in pursuit of someone. The other episodes up to this time have either been set in and around Dodge City, or, in the case of the episode "Home Surgery," he is returning from another town when the story begins.
The subplot where the Marshal is pitted against a corrupt lawman would be used in numerous future episodes. Once again, this is an example of an episode that comes across as formulaic when watching it more than sixty years since it was made but would have been considered unusually gritty at the time if first aired.
Springer begs Marshal Dillon not to turn him over to Brake, because he will be hung in Mingo for a murder he insists he did not commit. When Matt asks Brake to show him the warrant for Springer's arrest, Brake tells him there was no time to obtain a warrant. Matt tells Chester to lock Hank in the Dodge jail until he can learn more about the situation.
The next day, Matt leaves Dodge, and Brake lures Chester away from the Marshal's office. Brake then attempts to take Springer from his cell. In the ensuing struggle, Springer hits Brake in the head, renders him unconscious. And manages to escape. Springer thinks he has killed Brake, but the deputy's injuries are not fatal. Springer is convinced he is truly a killer with nothing to lose. He plans to return to Mingo and kill the corrupt sheriff there.
Marshal Dillon and Chester set out to find Springer. The ensuing investigation will lead to them back to Mingo and the discovery of a sheriff who uses his position for his own benefit and has alienated many of the people of the town.
Vic Perrin portrays Hank Springer in this story. Perrin's distinctive appearance makes him very recognizable in his many roles. He started his career in films in the late 1940s, but he found his greatest success in television. He appeared in several episodes of Dragnet -- both the original and the 1960s reboot, Have Gun - Will Travel, The Untouchables, The Outer Limits, and Rawhide, in addition to Gunsmoke.
Actor Mort Mills is another familiar face from numerous television performances. He plays the August Brake character in this story. He would appear in five additional episodes of the series over the next several seasons.
Marjorie Owens makes her only Gunsmoke appearance as a woman who lives in a house where Matt and Chester stop on their way to Mingo.
Actor Cyril Delevanti is yet another distinctive face that can be seen in several classic television shows throughout the 1950s and 1960s. He plays a character known only as Turnkey in this story. He appeared in a total of eight Gunsmoke episodes.
Charles H. Gray portrays the Mingo sheriff in the second of six Gunsmoke roles. Gray would later begin playing the character Clay Forrester in the series Rawhide.
Amanda Blake is absent in this episode and does not even receive a show credit. In later seasons, the show's stars would be included in the opening credits, whether they appeared in the episode, or not.
This story marks the first incident where Matt is required to go to another town in pursuit of someone. The other episodes up to this time have either been set in and around Dodge City, or, in the case of the episode "Home Surgery," he is returning from another town when the story begins.
The subplot where the Marshal is pitted against a corrupt lawman would be used in numerous future episodes. Once again, this is an example of an episode that comes across as formulaic when watching it more than sixty years since it was made but would have been considered unusually gritty at the time if first aired.
