Episode Details

Originally Aired: August 3, 1958

In Gunsmoke #330, "Miguel's Daughter," Marshal Matt Dillon finds himself caught between protecting an innocent young woman and preventing a desperate father from taking the law into his own hands. When Josefina Ramirez is accosted by two rough cowboys in Dodge City, Kitty Russell comes to her rescue and asks Matt to escort the frightened girl home. The ride to the rundown Grimes place nearly ends in disaster when Josefina's father, Miguel, opens fire on them, mistaking Matt and Chester for the men who threatened his daughter. Miguel explains his fierce protectiveness - as Mexican immigrants struggling to make a living on poor land, they've faced prejudice and danger at every turn, and he'll kill anyone who threatens Josefina.

Despite Matt's stern warning about letting the law handle trouble, the two cowboys who originally harassed Josefina aren't finished. They track her to the isolated farm, determined to have their way. When Miguel orders them off his property at gunpoint, they retreat temporarily, but their departure is only tactical. As the episode reaches its climax, the men devise a plan to sneak back through the scrub and catch Josefina by surprise, setting up a dangerous confrontation that will test whether Miguel can protect his daughter without becoming an outlaw himself.