... obviously nobody involved in television in 1956 anticipated prolonged reruns, DVDs, streaming, or very much analysis . In the episode prologue Matt Dillon walks through Boot Hill waxing philosophical. You can clearly see some of the death years on the tombstones. A couple of them read 1882 and 1883. The title of the episode is "Reunion 78" - as in 1878. The lead guest character talks about Quantrill's Raiders and the havoc they raised in Lawrence, Kansas as having occurred ten years before, which would make this 1873. So which is it??? If Marshal Dillon is "seeing dead people" ten years before their death, he indeed has a great burden. No wonder he is a serious man. But I digress.
A cowpoke and a girthy entrepreneur/salesman are engaged in what seems to be good natured conversation in a bar. But it turns out the cowpoke's family was killed in an attack by Quantrill's Raiders ten years before and the salesman has the identifying tattoo of Quantrill's Raiders on his arm. The cowpoke decides to force the salesman to drink himself to death as revenge, but Matt Dillon breaks this up. The disagreement moves outside and later the salesman and ex-raider is found shot dead by the cowpoke, who claims it is self defense. A saloon girl actually saw what happened, but for some reason does not want to talk. Earlier she had seemed to have recognized the cowpoke and retired to her room so the cowpoke could not recognize her in return. What goes on here?
Watch and find out what happened.