While Sheriff Coffee is in Saint Louis, the Morrisey bunch decides to work off excess energy by wrecking the saloon in a violent spree. When Deputy Bill Harris tries to arrest them, they hit him on the head with a whiskey bottle, accidentally killing him. All of them get away except Cliff, who is put in jail. He refuses to say the names or locations of his friends. Mayor Garrett holds an emergency meeting of the Virginia City town council. They hire legendary lawman Wes Dunn, as the temporary sheriff. He is a humorless man who is determined to restore order in town. He beats Cliff almost to death to find out where his friends are, but Cliff will not say anything. Meanwhile, Hoss finds Chuck, a wounded gang member. When he tries to take Chuck's gun away, he shoots Hoss. Joe goes with Dunn to find the other men. He thinks Dunn is a hero until he sees him murder one of the suspects in cold blood.
Guest stars
All episodes — Season 7
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S7 E1The Debt
Sep 12, 196549 min
Wiley and Annie Kane arrive at the Ponderosa to work off their father's debt to Ben. It seems as though the elder Kane once swindled the Cartwright patriarch.
S7 E2The Dilemma
Sep 19, 196549 min
Ben helps a convict win a parole only to have the man later become the chief suspect in a bank robbery.
S7 E3The Brass Box
Sep 26, 196549 min
Juan Ortega claims he has a land grant which gives him ownership of the entire Nevada Territory.
S7 E4The Other Son
Oct 3, 196549 min
A mule skinner and his two sons are hired by Ben to transport nitroglycerin to California.
S7 E5The Lonely Runner
Oct 10, 196549 min
A judge awards itinerant horse breeder Jim Acton's beloved mare to rancher Sam Whipple. Jim tries to buy her back, but Whipple refuses his offer, after which a fight ensues and Jim kills Whipple in self-defense. The Cartwrights want to brin
S7 E6Devil on Her Shoulder
Oct 17, 196549 min
Ben is attracted to Sarah Reynolds, a member of a religious order led by her fanatical uncle. When she is accused of being a witch, the Cartwrights step in.