Originally Aired: June 21, 1959

Gunsmoke #376, "Carmen," opens with Major Randall confronting Marshal Matt Dillon about two murdered Army soldiers and a stolen government payroll. When Dillon refuses to investigate what he views as an Army matter, the furious Major threatens to impose martial law on Dodge City within the week. The threat ignites tension throughout town, with civilians like the drunk Shiloh demanding to know which side Dillon will fight on if the Army moves in. Dillon realizes the key to preventing bloodshed lies in discovering who leaked information about the secret payroll—information only a soldier could have known.

Dillon's attention turns to a dancehall girl named Connie Dell, who works for Big Kate and spends considerable time with a corporal from the fort. When a telegram from Wild Bill Hickok reveals Connie left Hays City with a man called Billy Grounds, Dillon grows suspicious. Before he can piece together the puzzle, another soldier is shot dead in an alley, pushing Dodge City to the brink of open warfare between defiant civilians and the U.S. Army.