Gunsmoke Season 11 Episode 20

Killer at Large

Doc Brown's medicine show comes to Dodge. One of his main attractions is Sandy, a young man quite quick and agile with pistols. His problem is that his arrogance rivals his abilities. This is demonstrated by his insistence on pushing Festus into a gunfight, which Sandy loses. With a bullet wound in his side, Matt out of town, Doc Brown accusing Festus of murder by drawing down on Sandy while he was drunk, and not wanting to have to put Matt in the position of arresting his friend when he returns, Festus decides to run for the Nebraska border. En route, he is forced to trade Ruth (his mule) and his pistol for a fresh horse. He then comes upon a saloon with Mr. Gabin and his two boys, who are less than hospitable. Festus rides on and seeks shelter in a barn from an imminent rain storm. The following morning he meets and befriends the family that owns the farm. During breakfast two gunmen ride up and tell Esther Harris, the owner of the farm and a widow, that they're