Originally Aired: June 11, 1955

Trust: A Deal Sealed in Blood and Iron

In this tense and character-driven episode of Gunsmoke, Marshal Matt Dillon and Chester are caught in a deadly standoff not just with an outlaw—but with the fragile idea of trust itself.

After tracking a fugitive named James Nation across the rugged plains, Matt and Chester lose their horses and find themselves stranded with Nation on foot, hoping to flag down a passing stagecoach. When the stage finally arrives, it’s clear that danger rides inside: one of the passengers, a surly man named Simmer, is not who he claims to be.

Simmer is actually Art Carp, a ruthless road agent planning to rob the stage of its $50,000 treasure. And when the passengers are stranded at a remote swing station, Carp makes his move, taking them hostage at gunpoint.

It’s Nation—the fugitive Matt was arresting—who changes everything. Given a chance to escape, Nation instead risks his life to help Matt and Chester. With nerves of steel, Nation turns Carp’s own arrogance against him, disarming the outlaw and winning back his own honor in the process.

For his bravery, Matt does something unheard of: he trusts a prisoner with a gun, letting Nation help guard Carp on the way back to Fort Donner.

A gripping tale of second chances, human decency, and the rare bond between enemies, Trust is a standout testament to the rough morality of the Old West.

Keywords: “Gunsmoke Trust episode,” “June 1955 Gunsmoke radio,” “Matt Dillon James Nation fugitive,” “Art Carp stagecoach robbery,” “Chester and Matt hostage crisis,” “John Meston Gunsmoke script,” “trust between marshal and outlaw.”

Cast: William Conrad (Matt Dillon), Parley Baer (Chester), Vic Perrin (James Nation), Joseph Kearns (Art Carp), John Dehner (Fly), Clayton Post (Wells), James Nusser (Stock Tender), with music by Rex Koury and production by Norman Macdonnell.