A bartender on the way to Dodge City named Harry Speener suffers a broken leg when his horse throws him. Speener is found blaming the horse by Joe Harpe. Matt Dillon and Chester Goode soon ride by, and Harpe helps them transport the constantly complaining Speener to Dodge where Doc Adams sets the broken leg.
Speener continues to bellyache about his condition. Harpe feels a sense of responsibility for Speener's life after saving it. Harpe pays Speener's medical expenses. People around Dodge take a liking to Harpe, but most cannot stand Speener.
When Marshal Dillon receives a wanted poster for Harpe, Chester innocently tells Speener that Harpe is a fugitive with a dead-or-alive bounty on his head. Speener tells Harpe, and the two men leave Dodge to escape Harpe's arrest.
Out on the prairie, Harpe admits he committed the robbery, but he now regrets it. Speener subsequently shoots Harpe in the back with plans to collect the $500 bounty. Marshal Dillon and Chester had set out in pursuit of Harpe, but by the time they catch up to the men, Harpe is dead. Matt has no choice but to pay Speener the bounty for Harpe, since the man was wanted dead or alive. Word quickly spreads around town about Speener's "blood money."
Vinton Hayworth is back for another Gunsmoke guest star turn. He plays the Speener character in this story. This is his second appearance in the series, and he would return once more in Season 9.
This episode includes the only Gunsmoke appearance for actor James Dobson, who portrays Joe Harpe.
This story represents John Meston's writing at its best. The lines are blurred between right and wrong. The man that is friendly and respected by others is the lawbreaker, while the slimy snake that everyone despises operates within the law.
Another reviewer mentioned Afred Hitchock should have directed this episode. The first time I saw it, I thought it could have easily been an episode of the series Alfred Hitchcock Presents, which was still in its original run when this episode of Gunsmoke first aired.