Fiery Arrest

Originally Aired: January 17, 1960 Gunsmoke #406, "Fiery Arrest," finds Matt Dillon and Chester caught in a violent rainstorm and taking shelter in an abandoned shack. Their refuge turns dangerous when two armed men, Hod Mueller and Mosley, get the drop on them. The suspicious Hod is convinced that someone tipped off the law about his whereabouts, and when a woman named Millie arrives with supplies, he's certain she's the one who betrayed him. Despite her desperate denials, Hod viciously beats her while a helpless Matt can only watch. The outlaws tie up Matt, Chester, and Millie before riding out to rob a stagecoach, leaving their captives to struggle free. Once loose, Matt sends Chester back to Dodge with the badly injured Millie while he pursues the outlaws alone through the storm. The confrontation in the rocks plays out with deadly consequences, and Matt returns to town to check on Millie's recovery. Under Doc Adams and Kitty's care, the battered woman begins a long healing process, but the physical wounds may prove easier to mend than the deeper scars left by Hod Mueller's brutal treatment.