In the Gunsmoke episode titled Cheyennes, U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon and his loyal companion Chester Proudfoot are on a routine patrol when they discover a horrific scene: a homestead ravaged by violence, with bodies scattered and signs of a Cheyenne raid. The sight of the dead and mutilated victims weighs heavily on Dillon, who has seen such brutality before but always hoped he would never witness it again. The discovery of a Spencer repeating rifle among the remains suggests that the Cheyenne have acquired modern weaponry, intensifying the threat they pose to the settlers.