Gunsmoke – Ben Tollivers Stud (Norman Macdonnell). 5ep171, 50723

Cowboy standing next to his horse.
Cowboy Next to His Horse 2002. "Used with permission from Microsoft."

Chester reads Matt a letter from home, sent to him by his brother Magnus. The casual moment is interupted when a gal named Nancy Creed has a problem. She tells of her worry that her dad may try to kill a man who cheated him. Toliver is the man who cheated the homesteader, and is at the Long Branch right now.

Is there going to be trouble? Matt goes to confront Toliver to get his side of the story. Ben Toliver is a hand who worked for Creed, but claims he found the wild horse, broke it in his own time, and it belongs to him. He claims that Creed never paid him his wages that were due to him. Fearing Creed may be on the prowl to gun down Toliver, Matt heads out to the Creed place to see what the ranchermay have to say. Sure enough, the story Nancy told matches the old man’s, and the old man claims that he doesn’t need the law to take care of his business. Can Matt keep the two men separated? Will Toliver be safe if Matt lets him roam free?

The ordeal seems to be over when Ben says he’ll move along, and with Matt and Chester they all head to the salloon. Kitty serves up the drinks, and some inside scoop on Creed. The guy talk sheds some light on a nuance or two of life as a cowboy. Through it all, red flags shoot up for Matt, and another trip to talk with Creed is planned.

After a few quiet days in Dodge City, Chester has disturbing news. Now it looks like Ben Toliver may be on the trail for revenge. A gunshot rings out, and Creed is dead, but was itToliver? The secret is one that actually ends up with a happy ending so stay tuned to the end to learn how justice has been done.