Originally Aired: August 30, 1959

Gunsmoke #386, "Shooting Stopover," finds Marshal Matt Dillon transporting a dangerous prisoner named Gurney to Wichita to face murder charges. Accompanied by his deputy Chester, Dillon boards the afternoon stage carrying not only the shackled killer but also a strongbox of gold, a schoolmarm passenger, and a reverend. When they stop at Hat Creek Station to change horses, tensions run high. The schoolmarm protests Dillon's treatment of Gurney, insisting he be shown human dignity despite his crimes, while Chester remains convinced the prisoner deserves no such consideration.

The routine stopover turns deadly when the station keeper mysteriously disappears and the replacement horses are nowhere to be found. Suddenly gunfire erupts as outlaws launch an attack, targeting the gold shipment and scattering the stage horses. As bullets fly and the stage driver Jim rushes into danger, Dillon must protect his passengers, secure the gold, and prevent Gurney from escaping—all while pinned down by hidden gunmen in the rocks. The marshal faces a difficult choice about whether to leave the murderer chained helplessly to the stagecoach wheel or risk freeing him in the chaos.