Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:16 — 4.9MB)
Similar to Gunsmoke – The Hunter. 560304, but in that episode the hunter is a fearless old coot, who runs amok, killing buffalo. He thinks the buffalo are expendable, and its of no concern of his who he hurts. When he’s being chased, he pins Matt and Chester down under gunfire. They’re only rescued when the Indians sneak up on the shooter to get their own revenge for the lost buffalo.
Compare to Gunsmoke – Buffalo Man. 560520. When Matt rides to a buffalo camp to investigate a murder he finds more problems. A young girl is being oppressed by the boss of the camp, and needs rescuing. A dim witted side kick has mixed loyalties for his corrupt boss, and in doing what’s actually right. When Indians raid the camp, Mat and Chester face the trouble of convincing them that they aren’t part of the buffalo camp.
In today’s story, Matt and Chester check out the commotion as the Buffalo hunters ride into town with their hides. They’re also bringing the body of a fellow skinner, but was it as simple of an accident as the boss, Gatlin, reports? Matt doubts it was an accident, and plans to check it out closer as Chester takes care of getting the body buried.
At the camp, men are questioned, and it becomes more clear that it was murder. Does Matt have enough evidence to prove it though?
More word of trouble in the buffalo camps reach Matt, and he rides out with Chester to look for clues. A boy named Yorkie provides Matt with the word he needs to chase after the killer. Even among the hunters, they fear they might be over hunting the buffalo, and stirring up trouble with the Indians.
Though Matt is in pursuit of the killer, it’s only in riding a gruesome trail of buffalo carcasses that he knows his trail is fresh. For now Matt’s only a few steps behind his man, but with the abuses done not only to men, but the buffalo herds, the Indians might have something to say on the matter. In fact, if they catch up with the killer before Matt does, his demise might go harder on him, but it’ll save Matt the trouble of taking him in.
PS: Yorkie is voiced by Dick Beals.
