When Ben Tolliver leaves his job without pay and takes a prized stud he personally broke, old Jake Creed calls it theft—and vows to shoot Ben on sight. Marshal Dillon tries to cool things down, but Creed refuses legal help, choosing revenge instead. As tensions rise, Creed sneaks into Dodge and cripples Ben’s beloved horse. Enraged and grief-stricken, Ben sets out for the Creed ranch with blood in his eyes. But when Matt catches up, he finds Creed already dead—killed in a tragic accident while breaking a mustang alone. The gunfight never happens, but the damage has already been done.

Keywords: “Gunsmoke Ben Tolliver’s Stud episode,” “Jake Creed horse theft story,” “Matt Dillon stops revenge killing,” “crippled horse western drama,” “John Meston radio script,” “July 1955 Gunsmoke radio,” “Marshal Dillon and Chester”

Cast: William Conrad (Matt Dillon), Parley Baer (Chester), Howard McNear (Doc), Georgia Ellis (Kitty), Sam Edwards (Ben Tolliver), Eleanor Tannen (Nancy Creed), James Nusser (Jake Creed)