[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Night_Cutthroats_3629.jpg]]

Citizens are leaving the town of New Athens in droves due to a group of ex-cons who have set up camp outside the city limits. West and Gordon are sent in to investigate after the Secret Service receives a plea for help. It soon becomes apparent that the trouble centers around a convicted murderer named Mike Trayne (Creator/BradfordDillman) who has recently returned to the town, revenge on his mind.

Disguises used by Artie: [[http://photobucket.com/gallery/user/l8dreamr/media/bWVkaWFJZDoxODcwMDE0MQ==/?ref=1 Joe, Piano Player]][[https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5vdyuj (6:35)]]

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!!Tropes present in this episode:
* BigEater: Sheriff Koster carries an infamous reputation as a lazy slob who can't keep his hands off the nearest dish.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Mike Trayne. His first priority is himself, as his accomplices learn the hard way.
* CoolOldGuy: Jeremiah (Shug Fisher), a spry old coot who is one of the few townspeople who chooses to stay and fight Trayne's army.
* CutPhoneLines: A variation; Trayne's men cut the telegraph lines just as Jim is calling for help.
* DisneyVillainDeath: Trayne dies by plunging off the saloon's second-floor balcony while fighting Jim.
* DistressedDude: After the ItWorksBetterWithBullets incident with Sally below, Artie is nonetheless captured (Trayne had been following them all along) and tied up at the villains' camp. This leads to a prolonged SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome when he cuts through the ropes binding his arms, kicks a guard unconscious, unties his legs, and blows up a wagon full of the gang's munitions with their own gunpowder as he rides away.
* EverybodySmokes: Several characters (including Jim and Artie) are shown puffing away on cigars.
* FauxAffablyEvil: Trayne is usually polite and well-spoken, even while his men are terrorizing the citizens.
* TheHeavy: Mike Trayne is the catalyst for everything that happens and the face of the gang.
* ICallHerVera: Jeremiah's rifle, "Old Lizzie".
* ItWorksBetterWithBullets: Sally pulls a gun on Artie but he quickly states that it's empty. Sure enough, he'd managed - somehow - to secretly unload it beforehand.
-->'''Artie''': Cardinal rule of mine: never travel next to a loaded gun unless you're sure it belongs to a very dear friend.
* TheMagnificentSevenSamurai: Jim and Artie are forced to pull this off once the gang finally attacks the town, albeit with considerably fewer than seven defenders.
* MissKitty: Sally Yarnell (Beverly Garland) is a villainous example.
* TheMole: Sally Yarnell and Mayor Cassidy (Walter Burke) are portrayed as just two more of Trayne's victims at first. Actually, they're all in cahoots.
* ThePianoPlayer: "Joe," a.k.a. Artie. As far as the bar patrons are concerned, he's a perfectly straight example of the trope: an Easterner in white shirtsleeves and slicked hair who tends to go right on playing no matter what excitement is happening around him. He might as well not even be there - which is, no doubt, precisely why Artie picked the disguise in the first place.
* {{Revenge}}: One of Trayne's goals is to not only burn New Athens to the ground, but destroy all its paper records (births and deaths, marriages, etc.) so there will be [[RetGone no trace that the town ever existed]].
* TheSoCalledCoward: Sheriff Koster. In the beginning he's extremely reluctant to help, but when the bullets start flying he finally steps up.
* SoundtrackDissonance: Jim fights Trayne's thugs in the saloon while Artie plays "Beautiful Dreamer" on the piano.
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