Busted-Up Guns

Originally Aired: July 17, 1960 Gunsmoke #432, "Busted-Up Guns," Matt Dillon and Chester head north to the Sioux reservation for a friendly visit with Indian Agent Whip and his wife Gladys, expecting a peaceful hunting trip and warm welcome. Instead, they're met on the trail by Big Feather and his braves, who conduct a suspicious search of their gear and cryptically direct all questions to the white agent. When they arrive at the agency, they find the once-thriving settlement eerily deserted, with lodges falling into disrepair and residents hiding inside. Inside the locked agency house, they discover a drastically changed Whip, armed with a shotgun, drinking heavily, and consumed by paranoia. He has confiscated all the Indians' weapons and keeps them locked in the storeroom under constant guard, forcing Gladys to stand watch when he cannot. Whip bitterly claims the Sioux are no longer human and cannot be trusted, while a distraught Gladys confides that her husband has become a stranger to her. As mysterious explosions like dynamite echo across the reservation, Matt and Chester realize something has gone terribly wrong on the agency.