Johnny Red

Originally Aired: September 13, 1959 In Gunsmoke #388, "Johnny Red," a stranger arrives in Dodge claiming to be Billy Crail, the long-lost son of elderly rancher Mrs. Crail who ran away seventeen years ago. The reunion seems heartwarming at first, as the lonely widow welcomes her boy home with open arms. However, Matt Dillon knows a dark truth: the real Billy Crail died at the Battle of Shiloh during the war. The marshal recognizes the imposter as Johnny Red, a wanted bank robber and cattle thief from Lubbock with a criminal record stretching back years. Matt faces an impossible dilemma when he visits the Crail ranch with Chester. Mrs. Crail is happier than she's been in years, her failing health miraculously improved by her son's return. She's been going downhill since her husband John died, but now has a reason to live again. When Matt confronts Johnny Red with the truth, the cunning outlaw uses the old woman's joy as a shield, daring the marshal to break her heart by exposing him. Matt must decide whether to arrest the criminal and destroy Mrs. Crail's newfound happiness, or let a dangerous con man prey on a vulnerable widow.