Gentlemens Disagreement

Originally Aired: September 20, 1959 Gunsmoke #389, "Gentlemens Disagreement," opens with a desperate Jeannie Wells bursting into Matt Dillon's office with alarming news: Ed Baudre has arrived in Dodge City on the morning train, and she's certain he's come to kill her husband Bert. Four years earlier, Jeannie had been involved with Baudre back in Louisville before choosing to marry Bert instead, and Baudre swore revenge. Despite Jeannie's pleas for help based on their old friendship, Matt explains he can't interfere in personal quarrels, though he reluctantly agrees to talk to Baudre. When Matt confronts the vengeful man at the Long Branch Saloon, tensions escalate into a physical altercation, and Baudre issues an ultimatum to Bert: face him in a gunfight by sundown. Bert Wells, now a peaceful blacksmith who hasn't worn a gun in two years, refuses Matt's suggestion to hide out on the prairie while the marshal finds a way to run Baudre out of town. Citing honor and manhood, Bert insists on facing his adversary despite having little chance against the experienced gunfighter. However, before sundown arrives, someone strikes Baudre from behind in an alley with a hammer. When Matt and Chester arrive at the Wells home to investigate, they find Bert armed and waiting in the darkness, and Matt must make an arrest for murder.