The Imposter

Originally Aired: July 24, 1960 Gunsmoke #433, "The Imposter," begins with a weary Chester struggling to keep up with Marshal Matt Dillon on a simple trip to the telegraph office. When they stop to help Sarah Curtin load her wagon, they encounter her husband Rob, who seems strangely uninvolved. The encounter takes on new significance when Matt receives a confusing telegram from Sheriff Ab Stringer of Miami, Texas, announcing he's bringing in a prisoner and needs help. However, when Stringer arrives on the afternoon stage, he's alone. The affable lawman explains the telegram was garbled, but his mission is deadly serious: he's tracking Sam Fraser, a bank robber and murderer he believes is hiding somewhere in Dodge under an assumed name. The challenge facing Matt and Stringer is formidable. Fraser is a sandy-haired man around thirty years old, a description that fits half the men in Dodge. With no wanted poster to aid their search and Fraser's talent for deception, identifying the killer becomes a game of observation and instinct. As Stringer mingles with locals at the Long Branch, Matt begins to wonder if the manhunt might be closer to home than anyone suspects.