Ep 21. Jayhawkers

In Gunsmoke season 4 episode 21, titled Jayhawkers, tensions are high in Dodge City as a group of Jayhawkers arrive looking to cause trouble. Led by a man named Harker, the Jayhawkers are a group of Union soldiers who fought for Kansas during the Civil War. But now that the war is over, they have turned to a life of raiding and looting in the name of vengeance against those who aided the Confederate cause.

As the Jayhawkers ride into town, they stir up trouble by attacking a Confederate sympathizer named Kip. When Matt Dillon tries to intervene, Harker and his men turn their attention to him and beat him up before riding out of town. Matt is left badly injured and in need of medical attention.

While Doc works to patch up Matt, a group of men from Dodge City decide to take matters into their own hands and form a posse to go after the Jayhawkers. But Matt urges caution and warns them that they could be walking into a trap. Sure enough, when the posse arrives at the Jayhawkers' camp, they find themselves outnumbered and outgunned. In the ensuing gunfight, several men are killed and the posse is forced to retreat.

Meanwhile, Matt is visited by a young woman named Laurie who claims to be Harker's wife. She tells him that Harker is a good man at heart and that his actions are driven by a desire to seek justice for the wrongs done during the war. Matt is skeptical, but decides to go and speak with Harker himself in an attempt to bring an end to the violence.

When he arrives at the Jayhawkers' camp, Matt finds Harker preparing to launch another raid on Dodge City. Harker tries to convince Matt that the people of Dodge City are responsible for the suffering and loss he has experienced during the war, but Matt refuses to listen. The two men engage in a tense standoff, with Matt ultimately coming out on top and convincing Harker to call off his attack.

In the end, the Jayhawkers leave Dodge City and are never heard from again. Matt reflects on the senselessness of the violence and the toll that war takes on those who fight it. He realizes that the wounds of the Civil War will not be healed easily, but that he will continue to fight for justice and peace in the land he loves.