Horrell Brothers

However, by the early 1870s, the Horrell boys (Mart, Tom, Merritt, Ben, and Sam) were involved in numerous lawless activities.

On February 10, 1873, Governor Davis issued an order prohibiting the carrying of firearms inside the town limits of Lampasas, Texas.

On March 14, 1873, state officers Wesley Cherry, Jim Daniels, and Andrew Melville arrested Bill Bowen, a brother-in-law to the Horrell brothers, for carrying a firearm.

After a verbal exchange with the Horrell brothers, who were inside the saloon, a gunfight ensued, leaving four officers dead, including Captain Williams.

On December 1, 1873, Sheriff Gylam and Ben Horrell rode into the town of Lincoln and began drinking, visiting several brothels and saloons before discharging their firearms in the street while drunk.

The Horrell brothers retaliated by killing two prominent Mexican ranchers, resulting in newly appointed Sheriff Alexander Hamilton Mills gathering a posse and hunting them down.

Shortly afterward, Edward "Little" Hart, a friend to the Horrell brothers, shot and killed Deputy Sheriff Joseph Haskins due to the latter having married a Hispanic woman.

[citation needed] Shortly after their acquittal, John "Pink" Higgins accused the Horrell brothers of cattle rustling.

On that day, while in the Wiley and Toland's Gem Saloon in Lampasas, John Higgins shot and killed Merritt Horrell in a gunfight.

[citation needed] The three remaining Horrell brothers vowed they would take revenge against John Higgins, his brother-in-law Bob Mitchell, and friend Bill Wren, voicing this publicly on several occasions.

When it was over, Bill Wren had been wounded, Frank Mitchell had been killed, and Horrell faction members Buck Waltrup and Carson Graham were dead.

All three Horrell brothers were arrested, and Texas Ranger Major John B. Jones acted as a mediator between the two sides to calm matters.