Mark and I were on a way to town when Marge Crandell raced by us on her horse.  Her horse threw her and she ended up lying in the middle of the road.  I went to check to see if she was okay.  When I approached her she turned and slapped me across the face. She thought it was Doug Carter. She apologized.  Doug came running.  He asked if she was alright.  She blamed Doug for what had happened.  "Her arms not broken," I said.  Doug was hired by Marge's father to keep an eye on her.  She resented it.  "What do you do with a girl like that," asked Doug.  I just couldn't answer that or should I say, there's no way I would answer that.  "Well, Mr. McCain, your a father.  Would you talk about your daughter as tho she was a sack of potatoes, arrange her marriage, her children, tell her where her house was going to be built, on what section of the ranch? Would you?"  All I could say was, "Your bridles broken Miss Crandell."  Doug wanted her to go back to the ranch with him but she wanted to go into town with me.  She felt her father treated her like a high-strung Filly.  "I ask you Mr. McCain, do I look like a horse?"  Mark didn't have to think about it.  "No, ma'am, Miss Crandell!"   Marge was a spoiled brat.  Doug accused her of going into town to see Fred Tate.  She told Doug she would flirt with whom ever she wanted.  Including me.  Doug got mad and rode off without her.  It looked like I had no other choice but to take her along into town with us.

When we got into town Marge asked Mark if he would take her horse down to the livery stable and have her bridle fixed.  I had to get my plow and my wheel rims fixed.  I told him to meet me back here.  It looked like I would have to go and round up a Smithie.  Nels had a sign on his door saying.....

Nels was there alright.  So were these three other men at the bar.  As I was trying to talk to Nels, Tate interrupted me, "ain't that right Luke?"  "What?" I asked.  "Marge Crandell.  I was just saying, now there's a girl with a figure that ain't just bustles and corsets."  "I wouldn't know," I said.  "Oh come on, your practically neighbors to old man Crandell.  You mean to tell me when she comes riding across the prairie bouncing there, that you don't even look?  Come on now, how about it."  I grabbed him.  "Now listen to me boy, when I want your conversation, I'll ask for it."  "Now, now, a saloon is no place to talk about a lady," said Quenton. I pushed Tate away and Nels and I left.

Tate tried to make a move on Marge.  This angered Doug and he and Tate ended up in a fight.  Micah and I had to break it up.  Marge decided to go with Roger Quenton the traveling salesman to the hotel.  Hattie had told her he had some new material patterns.   Doug threaten to kill Tate if he ever caught him near Marge again.  Micah took both of their guns.  Doug said that wouldn't stop him, he'd kill him with his bare hands.  "What kind of talk is that, boy?  Killing a man never solved anything.  You should learn to control your temper."  Nels and I left.  I was hoping to get my plow and wheel rims before something else happened.  I wanted to take them home with me today.  Nels told me if I helped him I could save time and money.  I couldn't pass up that so I told him I would.  Mark said Howey was waiting on him.  I told Mark I would be here for a couple of hours, that he should go ahead. 

Howey had something he wanted to show Mark.  Howey had found a cigar.  It had fallen out of Quenton's pocket.  He thought Mark was scared to smoke it.  But Mark convinced him he was.   Howey wanted Mark to bite off the end, but Mark told him it was his cigar, he should do it.  Howey bit off the end and then lit it.  He took a couple of puffs.  "How is it?" asked Mark.  "Swell," said Howey.  "Here you try it." 

  I went around the back of the stable to get the anvil when I noticed a body among the brushes. It was Marge Crandell.  I went into Nels.  I told him to keep an eye on the street and not to let anybody go in back of the building.  "Is something a matter?" he asked.  "It's Marge Crandell, she's been murdered."

I went and got Micah.  Marge had been strangled.  Micah noticed she must have been wearing rings.  Two of them.  All I remembered seeing was a bracelet.  No sign of any of her jewelry. We decided to look around for any clues. Micah found her purse.  No money.  I found a smoked cigar.  It was an expensive brand.  I knew Hattie sold them.  Micah said he knew someone who smoked them.   Roger Quenton the drummer. 

We went to the hotel to confront him. He denied everything.  He said he hardly knew her.  He was only helping her out.  She was embarrassed because of the bar room brawl.  She was a customer for his goods.  He knew nothing about the cigar.  He couldn't remember if he gave a cigar to anyone.  Just then Doug came in. "Is he the one?" Asked Doug.  Doug then went for Quenton.  I told him that was enough, Micah would handle it.  I sent him outside.  Quenton was nervous, he wanted to leave town.  Micah told him he couldn't leave.  I noticed Doug leaving town.  We knew he would go straight to Pete Crandell.  We took Quenton over to the jail for his own protection. 

Dave came pounding on Micah's office door.  Mark was behind Hattie's and he was a real sick boy.  He tried to get Mark to go to the Doc's but all he did was moan, go away.  I ran to see what was wrong with Mark.  "Mark, what's the matter boy?"  "I don't feel good Pa.  It's my stomach."  I wanted to take him to the Doc's.  He didn't want to go.  I told him we needed to find out what was wrong.  He told me he knew what was the matter.  "I.....I.....I was smoking.  Not corn silk, a cigar."  He told me how Howey found it.  That it had fallen out of the salesman pocket. "I feel awful," said Mark.  He told me he was smoking out back of the blacksmith's.  They had heard someone coming so they threw it away.  "But we should have thrown it away sooner," he said.  I told him to stay where he was and to breathe deep.  Fresh air was the only thing that would do him good.  "Pa, ya think I'll live?"  With a grin I said, "I think so."

I headed back for Micah's.  I wanted to tell him about the cigar.  There was a crowd of people out in front and Doug and Crandell was inside.  Doug had a gun on Micah and Crandell was choking Quenton.  I grabbed Crandell.  "Let him go, he didn't do anything.  It was my boy, Mark who smoked that cigar."  Micah told him she had been robbed and her jewelry was missing. "He didn't do it?"  Asked Crandell.  "I told you I didn't do it.  Why should I steal?  You think I wanted her jewelry or a couple of ten dollar eagles?"  Micah told Quenton he could go.  Crandell wanted to know who did it.  Doug blamed Tate.  I told him he was too quick to judge.  Just then Nels came rushing in.  "Micah, look what I found out in my slag heap outside."  It was Marge's things.  "Micah, those gold eagles.  You didn't know she had them.  I didn't.  Quenton just said, two ten dollar gold eagles."  We all rushed over to the hotel.

When we got there Quenton was checking out.  When he saw us he knew that we knew.  "Mr. Quenton, how did you know Miss Crandell had two gold eagles in her purse?" Asked Micah.  He stood there and looked at each of us.  Whimpering, he said, "I didn't mean to hurt her.  Forgive me, I didn't mean to hurt her.  We, we were just taking a walk.  I.....I was telling her how lonely a man gets on the road.  How lonely.....I put my arm around her.  I thought she was teasing, flirting, and she started to scream.  I begged her not to.  I was afraid.....I put my hand over her mouth.  I begged her not to scream.  She wouldn't stop.  I told her.....I started to squeeze, then I squeezed and I squeezed.  Oh heaven forgive me, I didn't mean to hurt her"  He got on his hands and knees.  "I didn't mean it."  He was crying now.  "I didn't mean it."  Crandell drew his gun.  He was going to kill Quenton.  I told him it wouldn't do any good if he killed Quenton.  Micah would arrest him and then he would hang.  He wanted to kill him.  He wouldn't listen. "Alright Pete, kill him.  But before you do, take a look at him.  Take a good look Pete.  He's already destroyed himself.  Every minute he's alive he's gonna have to live with what he did.  Don't make it easy for him."   Pete then put his gun back in his holster.  I put my hand on his shoulder.  "Go on home Pete."

piddlin' stuff.....Jennifer Lea played Marge Crandell.  She is the girl who is killed in this episode.  Jennifer has appeared in "My Three Sons" ~ "Family Affair" ~ "Gunsmoke" ~ "M Squad" ~ "The Thin Man", just to name a few.

Paul Carr appeared in four episodes of 'The Rifleman."  He played Derek Hanaway [the groom] in 'Shivaree.' Garth Healey in 'The Woman' ~  He was the one who was in love with Miss Adams. Fred Harris in 'Letter of the Law'  ~ He gave his life to save Micah. Doug Carter in 'Smokescreen' ~  He was in love with Marge Crandell.  The cowgirl who got killed. He had a starring role in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. He played Dr. Peter Taylor [#1] in the soap "General Hospital." He appeared in shows like "Peter Gun" to "Hardcastle & McCormick."   "Love that "Hardcastle & McCormick!"  "Hunt 'em, hear 'em and hang 'em, that's the code of the West!"

George Neise played Roger Quenton the traveling salesman.  He's the one who almost got away with killing Marge Crandell.  George has done many shows back in the 50's, 60's.  He appeared in a couple episodes of "The Untouchables".  The last thing I found on him was in 1971. "The Barefoot Executive".  He passed away in 1996.  Wonder what he was doing all that time?  He appeared with Chuck in "Tomahawk Trail" as Lt. Jonathan Davenport.  He had several recurring roles in "Zorro" as Captain Felipe Arrellanos.

 Douglas Kennedy played Peter Crandell, the father of Marge Crandell.  Now here is a familiar face.  Remember him from "The Big Valley" as Sheriff Fred Madden and
'Steve Donovan, Western Marshal' as Marshal Steve Donovan?  He has appeared several times in "The Lone Ranger" ~ "Wagon Train" ~ "Maverick" ~ "Gunsmoke" ~ "Bonanza"  and "Hawaii five-0".  He was known as the policemen who was taken over by the Martians in the 1953 sci-fi classic "Invaders From Mars."

Warren Jones played Fred Tate.  He is the one who was forcing himself on Marge.  (3rd picture—the Cowboy talking with Marge)  He was a regular in two TV series.  "The Blue Angels" as Captain Wilbur Scott and "Window on Main Street" as Harry McGill.  He really hadn't done too much.  He has appeared in "The Andy Griffith Show" and "Mr. Lucky".

Richard "Dick" Alexander played Nels in three episodes—'Smoke Screen'—'The Martinet'—'The Deserter'      See my Blacksmith page. 
How many actors played Nils or was it Niles or Nels?  Was it Swenson or was it Svenson?   There were six different actors who played Nils or Niles or Nels. 
Dick also appeared with Chuck in "Branded"

William "Billy" Benedict as Dave Prentice.  He was the man who Lucas asked to look for Mark.
 He played some of his larger parts in serials and in the East Side Kids/Bowery Boys features in which he was a regular.

Johnny Collier as Howie.  He was Mark's friend with the cigar.

We have a bartender here.....but no Sweeney!

*If anybody has any information on any of the stars, and would like to share it, please get in touch with