Blood Money

Originally Aired: March 6, 1960 Gunsmoke #413, "Blood Money," finds Marshal Matt Dillon and Chester searching for water on the prairie when they encounter a wary stranger named Joe Harp holding them at gunpoint. Harp's suspicion quickly fades when he realizes he needs their help. He's discovered an injured man named Harry Spiner, whose horse has thrown him and broken his leg. Despite Spiner's ungrateful and surly attitude, Harp has dragged him to shade and stayed to help. Matt and Chester transport both men back to Dodge, where Doc tends to Spiner's injury. Over the following weeks, Harp lingers in town gambling but causing no trouble, while the recovered Spiner proves himself thoroughly unlikable to everyone he meets. When a wanted poster arrives identifying Joe Harp as a bank robber and murderer with a $500 reward, Matt reluctantly prepares to arrest the man who seemed decent enough. But Chester accidentally reveals the news to Spiner, who rushes off to warn Harp. What follows forces Matt to confront the ugly truth about gratitude, betrayal, and the real meaning of blood money when one man sees an opportunity to profit from another's kindness.