The Constable

Originally Aired: March 20, 1960 Gunsmoke #415, "The Constable," finds Marshal Dillon in a difficult position after cracking down on unruly cowboys from a trail drive. When trail boss Rance threatens to boycott Dodge City after five of his men are buffaloed and jailed, the town's businessmen panic. Led by Mr. Green, they pressure Dillon to ease up on enforcement, prioritizing commerce over law and order. The marshal, employed by the federal government rather than the town, refuses to compromise but agrees to stop making arrests in Dodge until the townspeople ask for his help. To handle local disturbances, the businessmen hire a replacement: Dillard Band, a broke, overweight former cowboy who doesn't even carry a gun and hopes to talk troublemakers into behaving. As new cattle herds arrive and chaos erupts in the streets, Dillon and Chester wait in the marshal's office while the inexperienced, unarmed constable faces increasingly violent cowboys. When Doc Adams bursts in reporting deaths and injuries throughout town, the situation reaches a crisis point, forcing everyone to confront the consequences of choosing profit over proper law enforcement.