Old Flame

Originally Aired: June 15, 1958 In Gunsmoke #323, "Old Flame," Marshal Matt Dillon receives an unexpected visitor from his past when Dolly Milton arrives in Dodge City. The attractive woman from Texas claims to be fleeing from a brutal husband, seeking refuge near someone she can trust. Matt welcomes his old friend and promises to protect her, though both Kitty Russell and Doc Adams seem to have reservations about the newcomer. Kitty, demonstrating her keen judge of character, warns Matt that Dolly isn't what she appears to be, but the Marshal remains committed to helping someone he once knew. The situation grows more complicated when Doc treats a badly injured woman at the nearby Meadows place, where a couple has recently settled. The woman suffered terrible injuries supposedly from falling off a ladder, losing her baby in the process. As Dolly anxiously questions Matt about his knowledge of newcomers to the area and presses him for protection against her husband, the pieces of a troubling puzzle begin emerging. Matt finds himself caught between loyalty to an old friend and growing suspicions about what's really happening.