Mr.and Mrs Amber

Originally Aired: February 21, 1960 Gunsmoke #411, "Mr.and Mrs Amber," When Marshal Matt Dillon catches Neil Amber stealing seeds from Jonas' store, he takes pity on the desperate sodbuster and pays for the supplies himself. Amber and his wife are struggling to survive on their small patch of land near Pawnee Wells, plagued by one disaster after another. However, Dillon's mercy becomes complicated when cattleman Pete Fletcher arrives at the marshal's office demanding justice. Fletcher's rider has discovered a stolen, slaughtered calf in the Ambers' shed, killed while Neil was in town. Fletcher wants Mrs. Amber arrested immediately. When Dillon investigates, he finds Mrs. Amber distraught at being accused of theft, claiming she only discovered the calf in her shed by accident. Despite Fletcher's insistence and his rider Baird's testimony, Dillon refuses to make an arrest, citing insufficient evidence. Fletcher leaves with an ominous warning that next time, he and his men will handle the matter themselves without involving the law, leaving the marshal to worry about the escalating tension between the struggling homesteaders and the powerful cattleman.