Episode Details

Originally Aired: March 30, 1958

In Gunsmoke #312, "Why Not," Marshal Matt Dillon finds himself caught between family power and personal freedom when Cyrus Taggart, a wealthy Eastern industrialist, arrives in Dodge City demanding the return of his runaway daughter. The young woman has been living in Dodge under the name Patsy, working at the Long Branch saloon, and is involved with part-time gambler Burl Alden. Though she's of legal age and adamant about not returning to New York, her father proves ruthless in his methods to force compliance.

When Taggart discovers his daughter won't come willingly, he unleashes his financial influence on Dodge City. Through telegrams to banks and suppliers back East, he systematically destroys any means of employment for his daughter, leaving Kitty Russell with no choice but to fire her or face financial ruin. As the pressure mounts and tensions escalate between the hot-headed Burl Alden and the cold, calculating Taggart, Marshal Dillon watches the situation grow increasingly dangerous, knowing that money can be a more powerful weapon than any gun.