A House Ain't a Home

Originally Aired: August 10, 1958 Gunsmoke #331, "A House Ain't a Home," presents Marshal Matt Dillon with a troubling family situation that tests the limits of his authority. When Kitty Russell asks Matt to check on old Jedro Haig at the Long Branch, the marshal discovers the rancher has been driven from his own home by his son Ramey, who has returned after three years away with two gunmen friends, Cardin and King. Jedro reveals that Ramey and his companions beat him, threw him out, and now threaten his daughter Diane's safety. Though Jedro carries a gun and contemplates desperate action, Matt convinces him to wait until morning. When Matt and Chester ride out to the Haig ranch, they're ambushed on the trail, and Matt kills one of the gunmen in self-defense. At the ranch house, Ramey and Cardin deny any knowledge of the attack, while Diane refuses to corroborate her father's story about being thrown out or threatened. With no formal complaint filed and the family members contradicting Jedro's account, Matt finds himself unable to take legal action despite knowing something sinister is unfolding at the Haig ranch.