Originally Aired: June 22, 1958

In Gunsmoke #324, "Target," Marshal Matt Dillon receives a cryptic note from young Danny Leeds, who has fled his father's farm after years of enduring the old man's harsh treatment. When Matt and Chester investigate, they discover the source of the latest conflict: a band of gypsies camping near the Leeds farm's pond while repairing their wagons. The stubborn and mean-spirited Cater Leeds demands the Marshal run them off immediately, convinced they're stealing from him and accusing them of corrupting his son. Matt learns the real problem runs deeper when he finds Danny has fallen for Naomi, a beautiful gypsy girl, further inflaming the volatile situation.

Despite Matt's attempts to mediate, promising the gypsies will move on within days, Cater refuses to back down. The hardened farmer sees the world as filled with people trying to take what he's fought to build, and he's prepared to use his rifle to defend it. As tensions mount between the obstinate homesteader, his rebellious son, and the proud gypsy clan, Matt finds himself trying to prevent an explosive confrontation that threatens to erupt before the travelers can peacefully leave.

Originally Aired: June 15, 1958

In Gunsmoke #323, "Old Flame," Marshal Matt Dillon receives an unexpected visitor from his past when Dolly Milton arrives in Dodge City. The attractive woman from Texas claims to be fleeing from a brutal husband, seeking refuge near someone she can trust. Matt welcomes his old friend and promises to protect her, though both Kitty Russell and Doc Adams seem to have reservations about the newcomer. Kitty, demonstrating her keen judge of character, warns Matt that Dolly isn't what she appears to be, but the Marshal remains committed to helping someone he once knew.

The situation grows more complicated when Doc treats a badly injured woman at the nearby Meadows place, where a couple has recently settled. The woman suffered terrible injuries supposedly from falling off a ladder, losing her baby in the process. As Dolly anxiously questions Matt about his knowledge of newcomers to the area and presses him for protection against her husband, the pieces of a troubling puzzle begin emerging. Matt finds himself caught between loyalty to an old friend and growing suspicions about what's really happening.

Originally Aired: June 8, 1958

In Gunsmoke #322, "Hot Horse Hyatt," Marshal Matt Dillon faces a potential lynching when Doc Adams alerts him that Del Breggan and his ranch hands have cornered a stranger at the livery stable with a rope. The accused man, Jesse Hyatt, insists he purchased two horses honestly from a bearded trader in Wichita, but Breggan recognizes them as his own blooded stock that disappeared from his ranch a month earlier. Despite Jesse's claims of innocence, he has no proof and can barely remember what the trader looked like, leaving him in a dire situation as he awaits trial.

The tension escalates when Breggan threatens to take the law into his own hands if Judge Bent doesn't act quickly. Marshal Dillon must navigate not only the question of Jesse's guilt or innocence, but also confront Breggan's brutal frontier mentality and its effects on his son Tommy, who visits the jail to apologize to Jesse for his father's violent behavior. As Dillon tries to maintain order and uphold the new law in Dodge City, he faces the challenge of protecting a man who may have no way to prove his innocence.

Originally Aired: June 1, 1958

In Gunsmoke #321, "Quarter Horse," an elderly rancher named Mr. Thatcher faces relentless ridicule from Ed Butler and his cronies at the Long Branch Saloon over his peculiar-looking quarter horse colt. After Marshal Matt Dillon intervenes to stop Butler's bullying, Thatcher approaches the marshal with a bold proposition: he wants to challenge Butler to a grudge race, wagering his entire ranch against Butler's claim of having the finest horses around Dodge. Despite the marshal's reluctance to get involved in personal disputes, he agrees to hold the stakes and ensure a fair competition. Thatcher passionately defends his unconventional colt, describing its low-slung build and powerful muscles, insisting it's the fastest horse west of St. Louis.

As race day arrives and half the town gathers at the river flats to watch, tensions escalate. Butler surprises everyone by entering a thoroughbred instead of a cow pony, and Thatcher begins drinking heavily. When Butler coldly reminds Thatcher that the wager includes not just the ranch but the prized colt itself, the old man realizes the devastating stakes of what he's risked. With Doc Adams and Mr. Hightower serving as judges and Chester preparing to fire the starting gun, the race is set to begin with everything Thatcher owns hanging in the balance.

Originally Aired: May 25, 1958

Gunsmoke #320, "Blue Horse," finds Marshal Matt Dillon transporting a murderer named Hobb Cannon back to Dodge City across the dry plains. When Matt's horse steps in a hole and falls, the Marshal suffers a badly broken leg. With no choice but to send Chester riding two days back to Dodge for help, Matt finds himself stranded and vulnerable, left alone with the dangerous prisoner. As fever sets in and his condition worsens, the cunning Cannon sees his opportunity and begins to wait for the right moment to make his escape.

The situation grows more desperate as Matt struggles to maintain control despite his injury. When Cannon finally makes his move to kill the helpless Marshal and steal his horse, an unexpected figure emerges from the darkness. Blue Horse, the escaped Indian sub-chief that Lieutenant Eldridge's cavalry troops were searching for earlier, suddenly appears at the crucial moment. The encounter sets up a tense standoff that will determine whether Matt survives long enough for Chester and Doc Adams to arrive with help.

Originally Aired: May 18, 1958

In Gunsmoke #319, "The Stallion," a debt collection turns violent when Oak Harker arrives at Dan Stokes' ranch demanding payment for money owed to his father. When Stokes can't pay, Harker seizes his prized stud horse—a beautiful groan with a blaze that Stokes raised from a foal and refuses to sell because he knows Harker mistreats animals. Stokes warns that if the horse is harmed, he'll take him back, even if it means killing Harker.

Marshal Matt Dillon soon encounters a runaway horse that's been savagely beaten with a bull whip, its hide torn and bloody. With Doc Adams' help, he stables the horse and waits to see who will claim it. When Dan Stokes appears at the Long Branch asking about the legality of Harker's seizure, Matt realizes the connection but holds back from telling Stokes about the brutalized animal. As Harker himself arrives at the marshal's office demanding his saddle and bridle, a dangerous confrontation looms. Matt must navigate the fine line between legal debt collection and outright cruelty while preventing violence between two determined men.

Originally Aired: May 11, 1958

In Gunsmoke #318, "Little Bird," Marshal Matt Dillon becomes suspicious when saloon owner Kitty Russell points out a frightened young woman being mistreated by a massive brute named Bull Taggart in the Long Branch. The hulking stranger claims the woman is his Indian wife, but Kitty senses something terribly wrong. When Matt confronts them, the woman speaks Spanish and appears terrified of Taggart, who threatens her to keep silent. Despite Taggart's insistence that she's his wife, Matt suspects the truth is far darker.

The situation escalates when Don Marco Velasquez arrives in Dodge from Chihuahua, Mexico, desperately searching for his young bride Maria, whom he describes as small "like the little bird." He reveals that Bull Taggart kidnapped her from his hacienda three weeks earlier, and now the Mexican rancher seeks satisfaction as a matter of honor. With Don Marco determined to confront the dangerous Taggart despite having no gun and little chance against the violent man, Matt must act quickly to prevent bloodshed in the Long Branch and rescue the stolen bride before the affair of honor turns deadly.

Originally Aired: May 10, 1958

In Gunsmoke #317, "How to Die for Nothing," Marshal Matt Dillon faces a deadly standoff when he's forced to shoot a drunken Texas cowboy in self-defense. The young man and his friend ride into Dodge firing their guns and declaring their intention to tear the town apart. When one of them draws on Matt after his companion is disarmed, the Marshal has no choice but to kill him. The dead man's brother, Howard Beulow, arrives in town bent on revenge, threatening to bushwhack Matt from an alley or shoot him in the back. Matt jails Beulow to protect himself and give the man time to cool off.

The situation escalates when Will Jacqueline, trail boss of the Drag Red outfit, demands Beulow's release. Jacqueline arrives with eight armed men and threatens to return with his full crew of eighteen to break Beulow out of jail and destroy Dodge City. As frightened townspeople like Mr. Riesling plead with Matt to surrender his prisoner, the Marshal and Chester take their positions on the street with shotguns ready. When Jacqueline and his Texas cowboys ride into town, Matt must stand firm against overwhelming odds while an angry mob of trail hands threatens to turn Dodge into a battlefield.

Originally Aired: April 27, 1958

In Gunsmoke #316, "The Squaw," Marshal Matt Dillon breaks up a saloon fight between young Cully Tate and his friend Ambrose, only to discover the dispute stems from a deeply personal matter. Cully is consumed with shame and anger because his father, rancher Hardiman Tate, has returned from Texas with an Arapaho woman named Natasia, whom he married in Indian custom. The young man's bitterness runs deep - he considers his father a "squaw man" and believes the arrangement dishonors his late mother's memory. Cully has even taken to wearing a gun in defiance, ready to defend what he sees as his family's tarnished reputation.

Matt rides out to the Tate ranch with Chester to address the situation, where they meet the young Arapaho woman and find Hardiman genuinely happy for the first time since his first wife's death. The Marshal points out that while the couple considers themselves married, their union isn't legal by white law, and he could technically send Natasia back to the Darlington agency. Instead, Matt suggests a solution that might satisfy everyone: a proper church wedding in Dodge City. Hardiman agrees, and plans are set for a Saturday ceremony, though Matt remains uneasy about how young Cully will react to his father's decision.

Originally Aired: April 20, 1958

In Gunsmoke #315, "The Partners," a dangerous carnival act comes to Dodge City when two performers named Grover Cranston and Little Maury arrive with a deadly exhibition. The partners shoot tin cans off each other's heads for money, drawing crowds eager to witness what could be a fatal mistake. Marshal Matt Dillon shuts down their first performance in the streets, but the duo moves just outside town limits to continue their risky shows. While their poker game prospers and the crowds grow larger, tensions begin to rise between the partners when the widow Effie Gans enters the picture.

As the situation develops, both Doc Adams and Chester find themselves drawn to watch the dangerous act, while Kitty observes the growing complications. The marshal becomes concerned that the partners might be scheming to fleece the widow, who has suddenly sold her house for cash. However, Doc suggests the situation might be more complicated, comparing Effie Gans to a pretty rattlesnake. When Little Maury confronts the widow about his feelings and hints at darker possibilities, Matt Dillon realizes something dangerous is brewing beyond just the deadly shooting exhibition.