Episode 5, "Panic," begins with Johnny Yuma's discovery of a dying family in a shack outside a town where diphtheria had struck the year before. Local businessman Lew Bussey (Karl Swenson) advises Johnny to leave quickly before he can spread the contagion, but he decides to return to the shack and tender to the sick until the doctor can arrive. Bussey follows close behind, leading a small posse out to burn down the shack and destroy any trace of disease, but Johnny and his trusted scattergun defy the mob and the helpless sheriff (James Chandler, second of five). The unexpected death of Johnny's horse helps the doctor (Dan Sheridan) quickly arrive at the correct diagnosis, which will haunt the vengeful townspeople for the rest of their lives. Another solid outing, featuring J. Pat O'Malley, previously seen in "Judgment," and a young Jamie Farr, then billed under a close facsimile of his real name, Jamsel Farah, in a decent role as Bussey's hardware employee (he would return for "Two Weeks").