Slaughter's my name. Luke Slaughter. Cattle's my business. It's a tough business. It's big
business. I've got a big stake in it. And there's no man west of the Rio Grande big enough to take
it from me. Luke Slaughter of Tombstone. Luke Slaughter of Tombstone. Civil War cavalry man
turned Arizona cattleman. Across the territory from Yuma to Fort Defiance, from Flagstaff to
the Wachukas and below the border through Chihuahua and Sonora, his name was respected or feared
depending on which side of the law you were on. Man of vision, man of legend. Luke Slaughter of
Tombstone. You get used to gunfire in Tombstone. Usually you hear a single shot or a
at most two. One gunslinger goes back to the bar and the other goes to Boothill. But when you hear
a whole fuselade of shots in the middle of the afternoon, you think of the okay corral and head
for cover. I just hope you keep shooting in the air Wichita. Well, see ain't that young page
Webster? Yes, yes it is. What are you up to, Page? I want you gents to be the first to shake my hand.
What for, Page? Trying to outshoot Billy the Kid? Oh, no, I'm just shooting up the barrel
cause I'm happy. Luke, I'm gonna get me married. Married? Yes, sirree. I just popped the question
to Selena Cordell and she said yes. Oh, that's great, Page. That's just great. Yeah, man's gotta
make that mistake sometime, I guess. Yes, sirree. And I want you to be my best man, Luke. Well,
now that's an honor I wouldn't want to miss. When's the wedding? When? Well, my gosh, man,
you can't settle everything the first minute. I just found out she'd have me. We're gonna
discuss the details this evening. All right, get your spurs back on the ground. Oh, excuse me,
gents. How are you, stranger? I just come in on the afternoon stage. Thought maybe you could
tell me a good place to put up for the night. Why, sure, you just... Wait a minute. See,
ain't...Page. Ain't you Page Webster? Why, sure you are. Hello, Burleigh. Well, now, that's hardly
a friendly greeting to a cousin who ain't seen you in a dog's age. Be all right with me if I never
see you again. I don't know why you're holding a grudge against me. Well, ain't you gonna introduce
me to your friends, Page? Luke Slaughter, Wichita. This here's my cousin from Texas,
Burleigh Webster. Cousin, huh? Welcome to Tombstone, Mr. Webster. Thank you, Mr. Slaughter.
Page don't seem to be on the welcoming committee, though. What are you doing here, Burleigh? Easy
now, boy. I'm just going through on my way back to Texas from San Francisco. You in the cattle
business, Mr. Webster? No, no, I'm not. He's a gambler, Luke. He's a no-good, no-account gambler.
What's that mouth of yours, cousin? The way I figure it, Mr. Slaughter, a man makes a living the best way
knows how. I happen to make mine with my hands. I see. Well, you're looking for a place to stay
overnight. I'd recommend the San Jose house. It's good enough for me. Well, then I'm sure it'll suit
me if you'll kindly direct me. Help Mr. Webster with his bags, Wichita. Why, sure. You come with me,
Mr. Webster. It's right down the street here. Thank you, guys. There goes a snake bigger than a Texas
rattler, Luke. That's a strange thing to call a blood relative, Page. Oh, that don't make no
difference. You don't know what he's done to me. What? Well, I never told you this, Luke. I never
told nobody. But my family died back in Texas when I was just a little shaver, and his folks took me
in. Well, a few years ago, there was a killing. Nobody ever proved who did it, but he threw
suspicion on me, and after that, folks just didn't want me around. That's why I came out here. If you
didn't do it, why did you run away, Page? Well, what would you do? He was top dog, slick with cards,
and smart with the gals. I was just the poor kid cousin. You can't draw to an inside straight like
that. You've drawn some real right cards since you've been in Tombstone, Page. You've got yourself a
small outfit, and you got the makings for a good cattleman. Now you're gonna be married. You're
supposed to be happy. Well, I am happy, Luke. Of course I am, but I sure wish he hadn't shown up
right now. He'll be on the El Paso stage tomorrow morning. I'll forget about it. All right, Luke. I
will. Doggone, I'm going down to the Crystal Palace and start celebrating. Don't overdo it,
Page. Well, you know me, Luke. I never drink too much. You better not. You're gonna be a married man
before you know it. Yeah, say, imagine that, Luke. Me a married man.
Howdy, Luke. Hi, Wichita. They rung the supper gong yet? Not yet. Sit down. Enjoy the sunset.
Seems like every night they ring it later and later. Don't he seems like it? Maybe.
Lots of things seem like what they ain't, if you ask me. Well, I didn't, but what are you trying to
tell me? Well, since you are asking me, I'm a little discombobulated by them two Webster cousins.
Why? Well, this afternoon I kind of got the idea they didn't get along none too well. They don't?
Yeah, that's why I'm discombobulated. What do you mean? Well, I come from the Crystal Palace just
now and them two was thicker than fleas. Page looked like he'd been using his roping arm to
heist a glass too many times. He was drunk, huh? He weren't sober. The two of them was playing poker,
Luke. Just the two of them. High stakes too, seemed like. Maybe I'd better take a walk down that way.
Good evening, Mr. Slaughter. Good evening, Miss Cordell. Good evening, Mom. Good evening. You know where I
could find Page, Mr. Slaughter? Well, I haven't seen him since he told us the good news this
afternoon, Miss Cordell. I'd like to congratulate you, both of you. Thank you. Well, I wonder where
he could be. We were going to discuss the wedding plans this evening. Yes, he told me. Look, Miss
Cordell, why don't you let me find him for you? Well, I don't want to bother you. You just sit down here and enjoy the
cool of the evening with Wichita. I'll go look for him. That's very kind of you, Mr. Slaughter. I'll be right back. Now,
I'll just tell you what I'm gonna do, Cousin Burleigh. You're a little old king. Don't scare me none at all.
I'm gonna call you and raise you $50. What are you doing? Are you crazy? Well, now look here, ain't my old friend
Luke Slaughter. You've had enough, Page, both poker and liquor. How much have you lost? Ain't lost nothing.
All my ready cash is there in the pot. Leave it. Let's get out of here. Luke, let me ask you. How much is my little outfit worth?
You know better than I do. Well, sure I do, but I just want my cousin from Texas to hear it. Oh, Page is powerful, proud of
that little outfit as he calls it, Slaughter. He should be. In two years, he's built it from nothing to around $1,900 in stock
and equipment. Yeah, you hear that, Burleigh? I may not be the biggest pea in the pot, but I'm in it. Pretty small pot,
seems to me. All right now, I call your $50 and raise it $300. What does your little outfit say about that?
Page, for the... Now, now, now, just a minute. $300, huh? Well, now that requires a little study.
Drop out, Page. Let him have it. No, no, no, not so fast, Luke. You hold on now. He's got two aces, a king and a deuce showing,
and I got me two kings, an ace and an eight spot. Now, that makes the whole card tell a difference, don't it? Yes, it sure does.
Come on, put up a shut up, cousin. This ain't no kid game. We left that back in Texas. Turn your cards over, Page.
Now, you heard what my little outfit's worth, Burleigh. Page, listen to me. I'll bet it. I'll bet it all. Two years of your life.
You'll bet that and your future. I bet it, and you got to witness, Burleigh. I'll pay to see that whole card. Your call.
Well, that's dandy. That's just dandy. I got me the case king, and that makes three of them. Oh, that's good, Page, but not good enough.
Three aces, Page. Three aces? But I was sure... Come on, Page.
Yeah. Yeah, I guess I better, Luke. Oh, you can give me the bill of sale for your outfit in the morning, Page. That'll be soon enough.
I'll trust you till then. Yeah. Yeah, I'll have it for you at the hotel in the morning. Come on, Luke.
Why did you do it, Page? Why? He knitted me. He's always knitted me. He did it again, just like when we was kids back in Texas.
Two years of your life. Yeah. Yeah, I'm just a weak-knee paperback fool.
No, you're not. Something's eaten at your insides. When you learn what it is, you'll be a man. Luke, what am I going to tell Selena?
You're going to face up to what you've done and tell her the truth. She's waiting at the hotel for you.
No, no, I can't face her like this after I lost everything. You tell her, Luke. Will you? Please, Luke, tell her anything.
Page, are you going to keep running away all your life? I don't know. I guess so. I think I'm going to be sick, Luke.
Here, get yourself a room and straighten out. We'll tell her something. We can talk this out tomorrow.
Thank you, Luke. Thank you. I don't know why I bother, Page. I guess I must think you're worth it.
In a moment, Luke's slaughter of Tombstone returns. Start your day well-informed.
Join us on most of these same stations every morning as radio's World News Roundup calls in our newsmen stationed in news capitals like Washington, London, Rome, Bonn, Paris, or Tokyo for eyewitness reports on the big news stories of the day.
Then on weekday evenings, hear Edward R. Murrow with the news. His personal knowledge of people and places, his years of experience in reporting the news put the stamp of authority on every broadcast he makes.
Hear Edward R. Murrow with the news tomorrow night.
And now, Act Two of William M. Robeson's production of Luke's Slaughter of Tombstone.
I was, Miss Cordell, standing up to the bar, minding my own business.
Excuse me, what's your town?
Uh, well, sure, sure.
Miss Cordell?
Yes, Mr. Slaughter?
I found him.
Well, where is he?
Miss Cordell, when a man's getting married, he's sometimes...
Well, in Page's case, he did. What I mean to say is he...
Well, he's had too much to drink.
What?
And he lost quite a bit at gambling.
Isn't that just like a man?
Well, most men, if you ask me.
Nobody did, Wichita.
Oh.
I'm sure I'll explain it to you in the morning, Miss Cordell.
I'm not so sure I want him to. If he's going to go out and drink and gamble on the very day he's proposed to me, what will he be up to after he's married me?
Evening, Slaughter.
Excuse me for interrupting, but when there's a pretty gal around, I ain't gonna make too many excuses.
Well, you'll have to excuse us, Webster. We're busy.
Webster?
Well, now, Miss, I see you know the name. Could that be maybe because you're a friend of my young cousin, Page Webster?
Why... why, yes?
Then I'm right happy to make your acquaintance, Miss. I'm Burleigh Webster, Page's cousin from Texas.
How do you do, Mr. Webster? I'm Selena Cordell.
My, that's a right pretty name to go with an even prettier gal, if you'll excuse me being so bold, Miss Cordell.
Maybe I ought to tell you right now, Webster. Miss Cordell is engaged to your cousin.
I must say he picked himself the prettiest filly in the corral.
And I must say that sounds like Texas flattery to me.
Oh, ain't nothing of the kind. Only I sure am sorry I can't stay on here now that I've made up with you, Miss Cordell.
Why, thank you.
But of course I could change my mind.
You said you were leaving on the morning stage.
Man can always change his mind, Slaughter. Now, Miss Cordell, since we've been introduced proper-like,
you'd do me a great honor if you'd let me take you to the nicest dining room in town for some supper.
You just point it out.
Well, I... I...
Mr. Slaughter, will you be seeing Page again tonight?
I don't expect to.
Well, if you do see him, tell him I'm with his cousin, getting the attention I should be getting from him.
My arm, Miss Cordell. Now let me tell you about Page when we was kids back in Texas.
Gee, he sure is a smooth talker, ain't he, Luke? Only that don't sound like cousin talk to me.
He's got Page's outfit. Now he's after his girl.
Ain't much you can do about it, is it, Luke?
I don't know, Wichita. I don't know, but I'm sure gonna try.
Webster, I want to talk to you.
Slaughter. I thought you'd be in bed by now.
I've been waiting up for you. Where's Miss Cordell?
Don't say that's any of your business, but she's safe home for tonight.
Meaning?
Tomorrow's another day.
You aren't gonna be here tomorrow, Webster.
What'd you say?
You're leaving Tombstone right now.
Oh, am I?
Yes. You recognize this deck of cards?
Oh, what about it?
This is the deck you used when you beat your cousin out of his outfit.
It's a marked deck.
Where'd you find that?
In your room upstairs.
What call you got going through my stuff?
I never gone through a man's belongings before without his permission.
I made an exception in your case.
Well, I've got a good notion to...
To what?
Webster, I'm going to give you a choice.
There's a saddled horse at the hitching bar out back with your bag strapped on.
You get on it and head east out of Tombstone and don't look back.
Or you get set to draw.
Sure. You'd like that, wouldn't you, Slaughter?
You'd be in the fastest gun in the territory.
Which'll it be?
Well, now, this is a one-horse town anyway.
No sense in getting ruffled up over it.
Which will it be?
It couldn't be that you want Selena for yourself, could it?
Get going.
Oh, sure, Slaughter, sure. Anything you say.
Who's that?
Luke Slaughter.
What's that?
Luke Slaughter.
Good morning, Luke.
How you feeling, boy?
Oh, better, I guess. I don't know.
What are you figuring to do now?
I don't know, Luke. I just don't know what to do.
Seems to me there's nothing much left for you in Tombstone.
You lost your outfit.
And from the way she talked last night, you've lost your girl.
And don't surprise me, none.
I'll be glad to stake you to a hundred dollars to get started somewhere else.
What? Thanks, Luke. You're a real friend.
Yeah. Let's see. It's nine o'clock now.
Suppose you come over to my hotel at ten. I'll have the money for you.
And I'll pay you back someday, Luke. I don't know when, but I will.
Sure you will. I'll see you in an hour.
Oh, good morning, Mr. Slaughter.
Morning, Miss Cordell. I'm sorry to disturb you.
Is he all right?
He's all right. Why do you care?
Oh, I'm worried and worried about him.
You weren't talking that way last night.
I know, but that was last night and I've thought and thought about it.
I haven't slept a wink, Mr. Slaughter. I was wrong saying what I did.
Paige did me the honor of asking me to be his wife and I was proud to accept.
Mr. Slaughter, that's, well, that's sacred.
A man and a woman have got to forgive each other many things before they're really husband and wife.
I mean, well, I love him, Mr. Slaughter.
What about his cousin?
Oh, him. He's nothing but a fast talking ladies man. Paige is worth five of him.
That's just what I wanted to hear.
Miss Cordell, I'm going to ask you to do something.
What, Mr. Slaughter?
I want you to be an actress.
Mr. Slaughter.
It's just for a few minutes for Paige's sake.
All right. I'd do anything for him.
All right. Now, here's what I want you to do.
Be down at the San Jose.
You've thunk up some good things in your time, Luke, but I declare this horns won't go beat some more.
I hope so, Wichita.
Oh, here he comes.
Well, here I am, 10 o'clock on the dot.
Afraid I have some bad news for you, Paige.
I can't give you the money.
I'm sorry, but you said...
I know. Maybe I should say I've changed my mind.
But you told me...
When are you going to stop whimpering like a scrubby calf?
But you promised.
Why don't you just start walking?
Maybe you'll find some sheep herders will help you out.
But look, all I'm asking is to borrow the money you promised to lend me.
I don't think you're good for it, Paige.
Well, if that's the way you feel, I'll just get along with...
Hello, Paige.
Oh, hello, Selena.
Where have you been since you asked me to marry you?
Let's see. When was that?
Why, I declare it was only yesterday.
I, uh, I had a little trouble, Selena.
Oh, what kind of trouble?
Well, I lost some money.
Gambling, I suppose.
Yeah, that's right, Selena.
A man who'll go out and gamble on the very day he proposes
mustn't want to be married very much.
Oh, Selena, that's not so.
Must be. Or you'd pay a little more attention to me like, uh, like your cousin did.
Burleigh? You know him?
Mr. Slaughter introduced us. He's a very attractive man.
He's a dirty, misbegotten sidewinder.
Why, Paige, what a thing to say about your own cousin.
Oh, Selena, you don't like him.
He took me to supper last night. After all, you weren't around.
Selena...
It appears like you're an extra spoke in the wheel, Paige.
Why don't you slope like you've been planning to?
I'll go when I get good and ready.
No, you'll go now.
You get your hands off me, Luke.
You want me to throw you out?
Oh, you just try it.
I'll be glad to.
You may be able to do it, Luke, but you're gonna know you've been in a fight.
I ain't running anymore, Luke.
And you ain't gonna beat me.
Now you get up, Luke.
That felt good. And I'm gonna do it again.
Come on. Get up.
No. No, I've had enough, Paige. I quit.
Oh, that's fine. That's just fine.
Now I'm gonna find me that no-good mealy-mouthed cousin and do the same thing.
Paige, wait a minute.
He's gone, Paige. He left town last night.
Gone? You mean he isn't taken over my outfit?
Say, what is this?
Well, if you'll stop being a man long enough to let Selena get her word in,
I think she can tell you.
Thank you, Luke. Thank you.
Come on, Paige. We've already lost a whole day of planning.
By doggies, it worked. The hornswoggle worked.
Yes, Wichita did. It's the first time I've ever let a man whip me.
But it was worth it.
Luke's Slaughter of Tombstone starring Sam Buffington was written by Alan Botzer
with editorial supervision by Tom Hanley and directed by William N. Robeson.
Supporting Mr. Buffington were Sydney Scott, Junius Matthews, Chet Stratton, and Joseph Kearns.
Music composed by Wilbur Hatch and conducted by Amerigo Marino.
Next week at this time, we return with...
Slaughter's the name. Luke Slaughter.
When we meet up again, you can call me that.
Luke Slaughter.
Now stay tuned for Frontier Gentlemen, which follows immediately over most of these same stations.
This is the CBS Radio Network.