Ep 13. Rope Fever

Marshal Matt Dillon is back in the town of Dodge City in this episode of Gunsmoke season 13, entitled "Rope Fever." After a hard day of work, Matt returns to his office and finds a young Mexican boy named Jesus waiting for him. The boy tells Matt that his father has been killed and he believes that the man responsible is an American cowboy named Tom Cassidy. Matt agrees to help the boy find Cassidy and bring him to justice.

Meanwhile, two cowboys, Hank and Jed, arrive in Dodge looking for work. They hear that Cassidy is in town and decide to try and join his outfit. Cassidy is skeptical of the new hires but eventually agrees to let them join the group. That night, the cowboys go out to a saloon and get drunk. They stir up trouble and end up getting into a fight with a group of local men. Hank and Jed end up killing two of the men.

The next morning, Matt and Chester visit Cassidy's camp and confront him about the Mexican boy's father. Cassidy denies knowing anything about the death and claims that he hasn't seen Jesus or his father. Matt and Chester are about to leave when they notice Hank and Jed riding out of camp. Matt becomes suspicious and decides to follow them.

Meanwhile, Hank and Jed bury the bodies of the two men they killed and then ride off to join Cassidy and his men. Matt catches up with them and arrests them for murder. Cassidy is angry with the two cowboys and decides to turn them over to the authorities in Dodge. The group sets out for the town, with Matt and Chester following behind.

As they travel, tensions between Cassidy and his men start to rise. One of the men, a cowboy named Frank, is furious with Cassidy for allowing Hank and Jed to join their group. He accuses Cassidy of not being a good leader and threatens to leave. Cassidy tries to calm him down but Frank's anger only seems to grow.

When they reach Dodge, Cassidy turns Hank and Jed over to Matt for trial. Frank decides to leave the group and ride out of town. But as he's leaving, he's shot in the back by someone in Cassidy's group. Matt investigates the murder and discovers that Cassidy ordered the killing.

Matt confronts Cassidy and tells him that he's under arrest for murder. Cassidy pulls out his gun and a shootout between him and Matt ensues. In the end, Matt is able to outdraw Cassidy and shoot him dead. The show ends with Matt and Chester heading back to their office, satisfied that justice has been served.

Overall, "Rope Fever" is a tense and exciting episode of Gunsmoke that explores themes of justice and loyalty. The episode features strong performances from the cast, particularly James Arness as Matt Dillon and John Saxon as Tom Cassidy. The gunfights and action scenes are well-choreographed and add to the overall excitement of the episode. Fans of the western genre and of Gunsmoke in particular will find much to enjoy in this episode.