The Bobbsey Twins

Originally Aired: February 1, 1959 Gunsmoke #356, "The Bobbsey Twins," introduces Harvey and Merle Finney, a pair of twin drifters who casually murder a westbound settler named Joe after he refuses to share his meager food supplies. When Joe reaches for his rifle in self-defense, the twins gun him down without remorse, then sit down to enjoy his stew while his widow Lavinda flees into the prairie in shock, where she later dies of thirst. The brothers show no real guilt over the killings, only expressing annoyance at the woman's grief and justifying their actions because it happened on a Sunday, when their father taught them not to fight or kill. Marshal Matt Dillon and Chester discover both bodies and begin investigating the senseless crime. Meanwhile, the Finney twins continue their journey toward Dodge City, and when a cowboy named Bud Grant stumbles upon their camp seeking hospitality, he innocently mentions the murdered settlers. The twins, paranoid that Grant knows too much about their crime, quickly turn their violence on him as well, revealing themselves to be cold-blooded killers who murder with disturbing ease and little provocation.