James Stewart as the six shooter. The man in the saddle is angular and long-legged. His skin is sundyed brown. The gun in his holster is gray steel and rainbow mother of pearl, its handle unmarked. People call them both the six shooter. Coleman, America's leader in modern automatic home heating equipment and the National Broadcasting Company, present James Stewart as the six shooter. A transcribed series of dramas based on the life of Britt Ponson, the Texas Plainsman who wandered through the Western Territories leaving behind a trail of still remembered legends. Now in just a moment, immediately following this important announcement, you will hear act one of the six shooter. Last year thousands of Americans who tried to get away with carelessness on the highways were killed or permanently injured in traffic accidents. And remember accidents don't always happen to the other fellow. Unless you are meticulous in your observance of the rules of highway safety, you and your loved ones are vulnerable to the menace of traffic accidents. Every motorist should take an active role in supporting the safety movement in his or her community. Encourage driver training in your high schools. Teach your children the rules of safety on the highway. Remember the life you save may be your own. Now act one of the six shooter starring James Stewart. I had a grandstand seat on a rocking chair on the front porch of the Temple City Hotel. Not that there was much to watch. A couple of women looking at the bonnets in the windows of Bradley's Mercantile and some kids playing mummy pig over in the alley next to bank. And the checker game in the shadow of a big elm across the street. But it was a couple of days before I was due to pick up some cattle and at a berry for Mrs. Pritchard. Well Temple City seemed as good a place as any to stop over. I was considering taking a little nap when I saw Will. At least that's who I thought it was. He was coming out of the general store carrying a box of groceries. I couldn't be sure though because just as he started to climb into a wagon another man rode up alongside and shut off my view. Well look who's in town. You doing the marketing Will? Thought the women usually did that. But I guess in your case it ain't such a bad idea to switch things around. I was hoping I'd run into you Temple. Two of my cows have been killed this week. You mean your wife's cows don't you Will? It wasn't two, it was three. The boys found another one grazing on my side of the creek this morning. You're gonna have to do something about that fence of yours. You won't have no stock left at all. That fence was all right yesterday. Maybe. But this is today. Now you listen to me Temple. I figure it's about time you done the listening Will. I want your wife's ranch. Ain't made no bones about it. She was willing to sell until you came along. She ain't willing now. I'll give you two dollars an acre. That's more than a fair price. Anybody will tell you that. We're not gonna be shoved off that land not for two dollars an acre or twenty. Then maybe I'd better talk to Sarah seeing as how it's her property. No! No. I'm warning you. You stay away from our ranch and our cattle or I'll... or I'll... Well go on. Tell me what you'll do Will. I'd be real interested to find out. Come on Bill. If it was Sarah giving him the warning I might take it seriously seeing as how she wears the pants in her family. The wagon moved in closer where I was sitting. I got a good look at him now. He changed a lot since last time we met up. He was older. There were a couple of those squint wrinkles between his eyes. Even so he still could have been more than 23 or 24 seeing as how he was only about 20 when we worked on the West Star Roundup together. Hey Will! Will! Hey Will! I thought he'd recognize me but I... Well I guess I'd change some too. I wasn't getting aged or like that but I I'd... I'd ripened up a bit I guess. Anyway Will kind of glanced my way and then drove on and from the way he was holding those reins I had a pretty good idea of what he was thinking. This temple fella, he pushed him too far and if I knew Will he was getting ready to do something about it. Well there was no point in trying to run him down now. We'd probably meet up later. So I went into the hotel and looked around for a place to sit down. The clerk behind the desk was playing a game of solitaire. Oh howdy Mr. Ponset. Something I can do for you? No, no, no thanks. Room all right? Yes fine, room's fine. Real pleasure having you stand with us. Anything you'd like? The Black Queen. The place on the King of Diamonds. Oh, oh thank you. Like to look at the Denver paper? Just came in on stage. No, no thanks. Just the same. I sort of figured on a little snooze. A little too much racket outside. I know what you mean. No, our temple's got a voice that carries all right. I could hear him and Will arguing clear in here. Yeah. Showing them off or nothing. No, Mr. Ponset. They've been squaring off like that ever since Will moved to town and married Sal Blake. Oh? Oh, looks like I'm stuck. Good thing I'm not playing at the gambling hall. I'd be out of fifty bucks. You see Noah's got the idea of buying Sarah's ranch and there's gonna be no stopping him till he buys it. Will he need her land for any reason? Sure thinks he does. Now if I can just get me the ace of spades. Forty years ago Noah's grandfather started this town. He owned all the acres between the foothills and the crick outside. Oh Temple said it was named for him as a matter of fact. Is that so? I don't know. But the old man's son, Fred, well he wasn't much good. First thing you know it sold off nearly everything his dad had left him. When Noah took over he swore he'd get all the temple property back again. Guess he's sort of stuck in his craw. The temple wasn't the biggest outfit in the valley no more. And I got my black seven. How's Noah Temple been doing? Well first folks didn't take him serious. They thought he was just a talker like his father but he sure fooled him. Today he's got more acres than his granddaddy ever had. There's only one piece of the original temple cut up he ain't been able to buy back. That land is sad. Oh sure was a surprise when Will wouldn't let us sell it. Nobody ever figured he'd stand up to Noah. A man like him. Why is there something wrong with him? Seven, eight, nine. What's that? Oh well you see Mr. Pontiff, Will's a coward. Missy is his yellow clear through. He won't ever wear a gun if there's a posse being formed. But he don't go along. And if there's a fight he lays low. You can call him names, you can insult him the way Noah Temple did and he just takes it. Gee that sure don't sound like him to me. You know Will Mr. Pontiff? Used to. A couple years ago we worked around him together. Oh that must have been before he moved to Temple City. Yeah he was down Texas. Back there Willie Techman wasn't afraid of nobody or nothing. And for a youngster he's mighty fancy with a gun. Techman? That's right yeah. Oh but that ain't his name Mr. Pontiff. Will's name is Fetter. Oh yeah Will Fetter. I don't know when he was surprised about him being yellow. You you got the wrong man. Uh-huh. Well they must look alike. It's a friend of yours and Will Fetter. Yeah. Yeah I guess they do. I went upstairs to my room started to pull my boots off you know it's funny. I hadn't been doing anything but sit all day and my feet hurt worse than they've been walking 20 miles. Oh my god. Looked out the window that sun was just about even if the church steeple. That's ought to be around three o'clock. I had a couple hours for supper so I let myself down in a bed. Hmm yeah yeah well come on in come on in. Mr. Pontiff. Oh oh excuse me ma'am I didn't know it was a lady. I'm sorry to bother you Mr. Pontiff. Well not at all not at all. I wasn't exactly what you'd call busy. Won't you sit down. Thank you. Yeah wait I'll get those boots out of your way. Mr. Pontiff I'm Will's wife. Oh oh I'm pleased to meet you ma'am. Will Will told me you were in town today. He saw you and you saw him didn't you. Yes ma'am at least I thought I did. Well you can't tell anyone he's here Mr. Pontiff. You didn't come to Temple City looking for Will did you. Will thought maybe that was the reason we heard about what happened in Prescott last winter when you came across Bar Cleaver. Well you heard wrong ma'am I didn't come across Cleaver he came across me. And as for Will he's made a new life here a good life. If he has to go back to prison. Prison. Oh. You knew about the bank robbery in Austin and about him breaking out before. You knew didn't you. No ma'am. Oh I have been back that way. You wouldn't have told the marshal. But we thought. We were sure. I just take it easy ma'am. If I hadn't come to see you nobody would have known he was Will Techman. You know things have a way of coming out sooner or later. How much longer was Will supposed to serve. Two years. Well that's not so long when you're young. We're going to have a baby Mr. Pontiff. But I almost wouldn't want to have him if he was going to grow up knowing his father had been in prison. Why should Will have to go back. Why. Well I guess maybe you'd better ask the judge who sentenced him ma'am. What I mean is they they say it's so a man will live a decent respectable life when he comes out. And Will's already living a decent respectable life. He works hard. He never makes trouble for anybody. He doesn't even wear a gun and he promised me he never will. Was that your idea not wearing a gun. Before we were married he told me about the trouble in Austin and how it broke out of prison. I suppose I should have made him go back. But I was so much in love I couldn't. So I asked him to give me his word he'd never use a gun again. Never even carry one. Must have been kind of hard on a fellow like Will to keep holding himself back that way. Hasn't been easy. I've heard what men like Noah Temple call him. But Will takes this. He's kept his word. This fellow Temple. You know the way he and Will were going out of today it sounded like they were heading for trouble. Won't be anything serious. Will just doesn't want us to be pushed off of the ranch. You can't hold that against him. He's going to be in jail. You can't hold that against him. No, no, no. There's none. Then you won't tell the Marshal over in Atterbury or anybody? Well I don't imagine Marshal Sanders like me mixing into his business. This is his district. I guess he can take care of it. Anyway he has so far. But now look here. Thank you Mr. Pontus. Thank you. And thanks for Will too. Well wait, wait, just wait. Well after all you know most of what she said was true. Sending Will back to prison might do more harm than good. And it wasn't up to me to sit judgment on him. I was going to be leaving town up there so anyway. And if anything happened after that wouldn't be my concern. So of course a man does have certain duties even if he's not wearing a badge. A man who spots a wanted criminal he's supposed to report it. And I always had before. I scraped some of the mud off my boots and washed my face, put on a clean shirt, and went downstairs in the lobby. The clerk was still playing solitaire. Just beat myself again Mr. Pontus. I was playing in the gammon hall out there ahead of $140. Pretty good for one afternoon. Yeah, yeah real good. About time for supper? Yeah go right on in. Molly will fix you up. Got baked ham tonight. Fine. Oh say uh Mr. Pontus. Yeah. Do you remember us talking about Will Fetter and him being afraid to carry a gun? Uh-huh. One of the downiest things just happened. Oh it wasn't anymore. Fifteen minutes ago I guess everybody's talking about. He went into Bradley's mercantile and he bought himself a carbine. Oh. Of course he's just trying to bluff Noah Temple. Folks are giving 10 to 1 and Will don't even know how to load a rifle. Where you going Mr. Pontus? Dining room's over there. Uh I guess maybe I'm not hungry yet. Say uh where abouts is Will's ranch? I think maybe I'll take a little ride. Maybe work up an appetite. We'll return to James Stewart as the six shooter in a moment. First a word from Coleman, America's leader in modern automatic home heating equipment. When winter comes does your house shrink like this? Well I guess it's time to close off that back room. There's just no way to heat it. Don't deprive yourself of valuable living space. Get a Coleman automatic heater and enjoy new warmth in the hardest to heat room. Get your Coleman oil or gas heater now during Coleman's big bonus sale. You'll get free bonuses. A new low price. Yes now you can get a dependable Coleman oil or gas heater at a new low price. A new low operating cost. Coleman saves you up to 25 percent on heating bills because Coleman gives you maximum heat from your fuel. And a 32 piece set of Libby safe edge glass wear worth 14 dollars. It's free with your new Coleman heater. Get free big bonuses during Coleman's big bonus sale. The sale is for limited time only so see your Coleman dealer tomorrow. Look for his name in your telephone direct rate. Remember comfort costs so little with a Coleman. Now act two of the six shooter starring James Stewart as Brett Ponson. The Fetter Ranch was about two miles south of town and from the outside looked neat and comfortable. It all kept up. The ground stretching out behind it was good grazing land. Oh it was worth at least five dollars an acre maybe more. I tied scar to a cottonwood in the yard and walked up the door. It's about time you got home. Will's about to... Mr. Ponson. Evening ma'am. Come on in. Will's not here. You know he was gone when I came back. He must be out tending the stuff. What's wrong? You haven't changed your mind, have you? Where's the Temple Ranch live in here? It's all around the whole four sides of our land. And Temple's ranch house, where's that? Well what's that got to do with it? What's happened? Will was in town this evening. He bought a rifle. I don't believe it. He promised me. You're wrong Mr. Ponson. Will isn't gunning for Noah Temple. He's out tending stock. He'll be home any minute. You'll see. Ivy. Where are you going? Here Temple's got quite an offset. It's the worst time of the budget. You won't find Will there. He gave me his word he'd never use a gun again. You won't find him. I headed due east for about a quarter of a mile and when I came to the edge of Will's property, I saw a sorrel tethered to a fence post. It looked like Will had decided to go the rest of the way on foot. So I climbed out of the saddle and looked around. There was a big break in the fence but the cattle hadn't made it. That barbed wire had been cut. And there were four heifers and a couple of steers lying just over the Temple boundary. Well there just wasn't much question about it. They'd been shot. So I crawled through the opening and went right past a big sign that said Temple Ranch trespassers will be shot. I found some footprints. I figured they were Will's. About 30 minutes later I caught sight of the ranch house. It's built about halfway up the side of a pretty steep hill. Big sprawling building. There was a light inside and I could just barely make out noise sitting at a desk working on some papers. So Will was well. He had plenty of time to get here and I heard a step and swung around. There was one of Temple's hands pacing up and down near the stable alongside the house. The way he was holding the rifle it looked like an army sentry instead of a cow hand. All of a sudden he gave a little gasp. I saw a shadow tighten around his throat. The separy went down. There was a struggle. Not very noisy though. Not noisy enough for Temple to hear it. And then everything was quiet. The shadow stood up. It was Will Tecman. He was inching his way toward the house toward the window where Temple was sitting. I came up behind him. I pulled out my gun. He was starting to aim his rifle. Will, drop it Will. What? Yeah. I might have known you'd turn up. Give me your rifle Will. Could get off the shot. Me even, not at Temple. Temple gets our ranch and I go to prison is that it? We'll talk all about that as soon as we get back to your place. Now come on. I carried Will's rifle and led the way. About 20 minutes later we passed another one of Temple's guards. He was dozing. Didn't notice it. Still had a couple of miles to go before we reached the fence where we left the horses. Will was sort of panting for breath. All right let's rest a minute. Okay. I thought you promised your wife you'd never take up a gun again Will. Mr. Ponson, I... You see them dead heifers over by the fence? Yeah. I had about wipes I heard of. I found them. I had to do something. As long as you knew who I was anyway, as long as I was going back to prison. I had to fix it so Sarah wouldn't have the ranch taken away from me. You wouldn't take a piece of land that'd be worth everybody getting so excited about. I've been shoved around Britt ever since I was a kid. I've been shoved around. Even when I held up the Austin bank I wasn't the one who... The one who what? Nothing. Nothing. Since I married Sarah, I've had to take a lot that other men wouldn't put up with because of her and because her knowing what I was. This thing with Temple got under my skin. I made up my mind to stand up to him. A man's got to take a stand sometime, somewhere. I'm sorry Will. Hey, what's that? Get down Will. We've got your dead to rights, brother. Press passing. I ain't alone Temple. Britt Ponson's with me. Ponson? That's right Temple. I'm glad I know that I wouldn't come alone. I'd like just four of us and take care of two of you. He won't be much use to you Ponson. Not enough fight. Okay boys, move in. I could see one of his boys firing from behind a tree behind us. So I aimed at his arm. The bullet hit him on the shoulder and he lurched forward. That meant only three of them now, but they were closer. Will still didn't say anything. He was waiting for me to make the next move. I tossed him the rifle. Thanks Britt. He got to his knees and started to cross a little clearing. He's still all right when he died behind a boulder. I knew where he was heading to. Noah Temple had been shooting from behind a clump of pines about 50 yards back. For a couple of minutes I didn't get a chance to watch him. Temple's two guards were on either side of me now. One of them was more than eight, ten feet away. I saw the barrel of his carbine rise up from behind the bush. Not only one guard left. About that time it seemed like he'd had enough. Anyway, I moved across the clearing toward the pine trees where Will had disappeared, pulled up behind a rock. Now, there was Noah Temple. Crouched down low, his gun ready. A little bit of movement and the brush caught my eye. It was Will. He was right behind Temple. Temple didn't know it. He was looking my way. Will had a perfect shot. I saw Will's finger curl around the trigger, but Will didn't fire. I couldn't figure out what had gotten into him. He didn't fire. Then he threw his rifle to one side and let out a yell. Temple turned and got off a shot. He was surprised he couldn't do much aim. Then Will was on top of him, twisting the gun out of his hands. After that I saw a fight the like of which I'd never seen before in my life. Will hit Temple across the face and he went over backwards. Then Temple kicked and his foot lifted Will right off the ground. But before Temple could pick himself up, Will was right on top of him again. Temple tried to reach for his gun and Will brought his boot right down on Temple's hand. Temple quit reaching. Then Will backed away and let Temple up again. As soon as Temple was steady again, Will drove his fist right into Temple's stomach. Temple's hand flew apart and he was wide open. Will hit him again and hit him again. Finally, Temple managed to send his fist into Will's face. Will looked like maybe he was going to go down, but he still had a fight left to land the right that snapped Temple right back. It was Temple that fell over and then I knew he wasn't going to get up again, not for quite a while. Feel better, Will? Yeah, yeah, that's better. You had your chance to kill him. You had a perfect shot. You didn't have to fight him this way. It's the only way I could get him to get up. I'm going to have to get him to the other side of the room. I'm going to have to get him to the other side of the room. I'm going to have to get him to the other side of the room. You couldn't have hit him that way. It's the only way I could fight him, Brett. Oh, I had him in my sights. Something kept me from pulling the trigger. Maybe you think I'm crazy, but I kept remembering what I'd promised Sarah. That I wouldn't use a gun again. I couldn't pull that trigger, Brett. I just couldn't. Uh-huh. Well, let's see if we can't get Temple here to a doctor. You know, it looks like he needs one. We left Nol with the Doc in Temple City, and I started off for Atterbury. I've made up my mind to tell the Marshal about Will, all about him. Sarah and Will, they agreed. They took a show, too. But then again, the way I see it right now, the state of Texas is looking for a gun-toting bank robber named Will Tecman. I just don't think Marshal Sanders would be very much interested in the law. Biden ranchers, he's called Will Fetter. I'd like to take a minute here to remind you about some of the great entertainment that's in store for you on NBC Radio. Now, for most of us, Monday evening is a time to relax, sit back, and take it easy. NBC had exactly that in mind when they designed their Monday night of entertainment. You'll want to listen to the delightful music of the railroad hour, as they resume their fall schedule of popular operettas that have entertained for so many years. Gordon McRae will be your host and star, and in the weeks to come you'll have many charming guest stars to add to your listening pleasure with their famous voices. And you'll want to relax to the melodies of the Firestone Orchestra and Chorus under the direction of Howard Barlow on The Voice of Firestone. Another great Monday night favorite is the telephone hour, with its wonderful program of music directed by Donald Borez. Yes, every Monday night hear these three fine musical programs on NBC Radio. Coleman, America's leader in modern automatic home heating equipment, and the national broadcasting company have presented James Stewart as the sick shooter. Mr. Stewart may currently be seen in the Universal International Picture Thunder Bay. Others in the cast were Michael Anne Barrett, Herb Ellis, Howard McNear, and Will Wright. The Sick Shooter is an NBC Radio Network production in association with Review Productions, and it is based on a character created by Frank Burt, and today's transcribed story was written by him. Special music was by Basil Aslan, and the entire production is under the direction of Jack Johnstone. All characters and incidents were fictitious, and any resemblance to actual characters or incidents is purely coincidental. Hal Gippey speaking.
