The Indian

"The Indian" is the 21th episode of The Rifleman Season One and the 21th episode overall. Directed by Arnold Laven and written by Cyril Hume, it aired on February 17, 1959.
==Synopsis==
Federal marshal Sam Buckhart arrives in North Fork in search of an Indian suspected of arson. The townspeople turn against him when they discover that he too is an Indian.
==Watch==
==Plot==
Lucas and Mark are riding along when they come up on two Indians riding on horseback, one holding the other one captive. Lucas approaches them and tells the captor that he should let the white man authorities take care of it instead. The captor introduces himself as Sam Buckhart, a Chiricahua Apache Indian and deputy United States Federal Marshal of this district, and tells Lucas he is arresting this man for attacking an unarmed man. He rides off with his prisoner.
In North Fork, Lucas and Micah Torrance find Sam dressed as a white man in the saloon, talking to real estate bigwig Gorman and seeking information about an Indian wanted for an arson that killed a sleeping man and his wife. Sam rides out of North Fork in the direction of the Apache clan that the Indian he's looking for belongs to. Right after he leaves, Mark loudly asks Lucas where "that Injun marshal" is going, tipping off Gorman and all his friends that Sam is an Indian which sends them into a hateful frenzy.
Lucas rides out to the Apache clan. Sam is speaking to the chief asking him to turn over Eskimimzin, the suspect of the arson. Eskimimzin agrees to go, believing he will sacrifice himself for the good of the Indian and white man's relationship, despite the fact that he did not the fire. Learning that Eskimimzin saw one of Gorman's drunkard friends Slade start the fire, Sam refuses to take Eskimimzin in, despite Eskimimzin begging him to let him die for the Apache nation.
As Sam leaves to go back to North Fork, Lucas warns him that they know he's Indian and that he should send back for a white marshal to finish the job instead, to which Sam refuses, causing a conflict between the two.
Back in North Fork, Sam is taking Slade into his custody when Gorman and a mob of angry citizens confront him. Lead by Gorman, they all threaten him, spit insults at him for being an Indian, and tell him to get out of town and leave Slade. With Micah taking Sam's side, Sam refuses to back down, and the mob start walking towards him with their guns drawn. Lucas jumps up on a buckboard and addresses the mob, feigning that he's on their side. He strategically beckons them to take on Sam and Marshal Torrance to stop Sam from arresting someone for burning down a cabin with a sleeping man and his wife in it. The crowd lose their resolve at this and start dispersing. Gorman and his friend Tub draw on Sam, who shoots both of them nonfatally.
As Sam goes to leave with Slade in his custody, Slade begs Micah to make Sam take Gorman too, because he would never have started the fire if it wasn't to oblige Gorman since Gorman wanted the land. Sam takes Gorman under his custody as well and leave North Fork with the two prisoners.
==Cast==
===Main===
*Lucas McCain - Chuck Connors
*Mark McCain - Johnny Crawford
*Micah Torrance - Paul Fix
===Recurring===
*Sweeney - Bill Quinn
===Guests===
*Sam Buckhart - Michael Ansara
*Gorman - Herbert Rudley
*Slade - Lewis Charles
*Tub - Mickey Simpson
*Old Chief - Frank De Kova
*Eskimimzin - Robert Chadwick
*Apache - Eddie Little Sky
Category:Episodes
Category:Season One episodes
Category:Episode pages with completed plot sections
Category:Episodes with no fatalities
Category:Episode pages with overly long plot summaries