Directed by Bernard McEveety Teleplay by Earl W. Wallace Story by Hal Sitowitz Guest Cast WILLIAM SMITH as Latch JOHN COLICOS as Judge Flood HAL WILLIAMS as Widge BEN PIAZZA as Fifer KEVIN COUGHLIN as Elton GREGORY SIERRA as Osuna GERALD McRANEY as Pete Murphy Don Megowan as Mike Jackie Russell as Bar Girl Lloyd Nelson as Jury Foreman Fred Lerner as Guard

William Smith as Latch

According to William Smith this was the last episode of Gunsmoke filmed, although not the last one aired.  (Four episodes were aired after this one.)  That's why Gerald McRaney [Pete Murphy here] has been heard to claim to be the last man gunned down by Matt Dillon.  The plot is a standard one, used by virtually every western ever aired.   A corrupt judge/sheriff/landowner/mine owner/town boss sentences strangers to labor in [usually] a mine for a bogus crime.  The men in the mine have been working as slave labor for years when our heroes Matt Dillon, the Cartwrights,  whoever, figures out how to escape within a few days.  [See for example the Bonanza episode "Kingdom of Fear" (4-11-71).]  William Smith's series Laredo had a garish version of this plot in "Last of the Caesars, Absolutely."  Even Bill's later series Wildside, which only ran six episodes, used a version of this plot in "Delinquency of a Miner."  Smith's character Latch is not nearly as interesting, as nasty  or as colorfully dressed  as Jude Bonner, the character he played in the earlier episode "Hostage".   Although he steals food when he can, Latch is by no means a villain, just the most pathetic of the corrupt judge's victims.  He foils Matt's first attempt at escape out of fear of being put in "the hole" [He's put in there anyway because he's chained to Matt who must be punished.]  In the end, he's the one who makes the final effort that breaks through a tunnel to freedom.

Marshall Dillon wins a shoot-out with an escaped murderer only to find himself charged with murder, summarily convicted and sentenced to life at hard labor.He's knocked out and wakes up in the judge's mine chained to Latch.

Latch, once an articulate affable man, has become a walking zombie after 3 escape tries  punished by  weeks in "The Hole".

Judge Flood keeps himself supplied with workers for his mine by sentencing strangers in town to hard labor for trumped up crimes.

Widge, a former slave works for Flood as mine cook.  He figures Flood's system of justice is no worse than the one that kept him a slave.

Osuna is Judge Flood's right hand thug.

Fifer has been captive in the mine for over 2 years since being convicted for stealing his own horse.

Fifer is chained to Elton who came to Flood's town to buy stock for his father's ranch.

Pete Murphy [a preSimon & Simon Gerald McRaney]  is the murderer who loses in the shoot-out with Dillon.

The other men dig for freedom until the air runs low.  In a burst of manic energy, Latch digs barehanded and opens up an air hole which Matt turns into escape route.

Widge helps them outgun Flood & Osuna after they escape the mine.

Fifer & Elton return home.

Widge helps transport the villains to Dodge

Matt promises Latch they have a good doctor in Dodge.

BILL'S MAGIC RING We thought it rather nice that the guards in a slave labor camp allowed the prisoners to keep their jewelry.  Actually, the ring Bill is wearing is a family heirloom which, at the time of this filming, he couldn't get off.  It's turned around so the diamond doesn't show.  Keep a close eye out and you'll see it in all of Bill's films until his cameo in Maverick.  He had it cut off before filming began.  We miss it.

courtesy of WilliamSmith.org