Three trappers are partying down at the Long Branch when one of them decides to drink an entire bottle of whiskey without drawing a breath. Pretending not to be able to control the horses pulling the stage, McClain knocks Matt out and Read More Matt is suspicious of McClain because he has a paper that indicates McClain was involved in a bank robbery a few years earlier and shows up unexpectedly to ride shotgun for McClain. He tells Jake Bookly he'll buy the stage line and is going to drive the stage to Dodge with the large $100,000 gold shippment coming in from the mines. After gathering all of the information he can about the gold shipments, McClain enacts a plan to use Joe as a holdup man during a stage run, thereby killing Joe and setting himself up as a hero. Matt introduces him to Jake Bookly, owner of a local stage line that frequently hauls gold from the local mines to Mr. McClain tells Matt he wants to buy a business in Dodge and settle there. Getting the upper hand, McClain relieves Joe of his gun and sends him on his way. Matt's old friend, Brad McClain, comes to Dodge and is immediately mugged by Yuma Joe. Wilks gives his men orders to shoot Matt on sight. Matt asks George to bring a couple friends to help him flush out Costa and his men. Here he meets George, who informs Matt that Costa and his friends are in town. Matt escapes and makes it to a nearby town to find the sheriff has gone fishing. Wilks arrives on the scene and arrests Matt for murder. Joe Costa, the leader, decides to hang Serpa (for getting caught) and frame Matt for it.

While taking Serpa to Hayes City for hanging, Serpa's three partners-in-crime show up. Matt arrests Serpa he's tried, convicted, and sentenced to hang. Tony Serpa hates lawmen and shoots Downey in the back for fun while in a drunken stupor. Matt's mentor, Jim Downey, arrives in Dodge after retiring. The following morning Matt had to,literally, throw him out of his office after Wilks tried to assault him.

Gunsmoke dry road to nowhere cast