The three local outlaws hastily agreed to split up, change clothing, and meet up at Hatcher’s Stable just after sundown. They intend to sneak out of town and demand explanations from Thunder and the others.
Sherriff Smith opts to lock down Ginion, which inspires Al Westbrook to harangue the whole rotten business. Clearly the old women are in charge and this town needs a man like Bonney to stand up for the common man. Bonney advocated for riding out into the desert immediately, like a man would! The lawmen clear the streets, and station the Rowdies at the entrances to town to make sure nobody leaves. Through the course of the day a few farmers come and go, after the Rowdies check with the Sheriff, but not much else.
Sheriff Smith uses the descriptions of the three runaway outlaws to track Injun Tony to his father’s tailor shop, where he surrenders immediately. Deputy Bonney checks in on Lily, who informs him that her brother has a confession. Teddy confesses to being paid to stage a failed bank robbery, but panicked and ran when Thunder went back on his word. Both he and Injun Tony are locked in the jailhouse for the night, and offer collaborating stories, but are not released as they refuse to name the third member of their trio. They would have given up Al Westbrook, but Thunder never told them who hired the gang.
When the two miss their rendezvous with Stan Hatcher, he decides to make a run for it. He sneaks out of town, headed for the Rambles to slip through the wooded bowers. He just misses Dan Gray, who has crept up to town through the squalid tents and huts of Dirt Town. Instead, Stan runs smack into Cole Monaghan who is headed toward the sawmill to check in on Bret Austin who is still watching the street. Stan veers away from Cole, and Colin Bonney notices the shadowy figure acting suspicious over there. Colin steps down from the jailhouse steps only to be met by Stan’s shotgun which is coming to bear on him. No stranger to gunfights, Colin’s hand whips for his sidearm and he fires first, but only wings his target. For his trouble, he catches a belly full of shot and falls to the dirt of the street, bleeding hard.
Alerted to the danger, Cole and Bret open fire on Hatcher, who sprints for the center of town. Unfortunately for him, this brings him right toward Marty Hawthorne, who is waiting on the steps of Saint Joseph. His brothers cry out to him, and he takes a shot at the ducking and weaving outlaw. He delivers a flesh wound, and Stan can’t level his shotgun enough to harm the last man between him and the edge of town. Marty, having heard the first blast of the shotgun and avoided the second, knows Stan is out of ammo. He leaps into the street and tackles Stan to the ground, quickly supported by his two brothers.
Dan hears the gunfire, but recognizes an opportunity when he hears one. He moves quickly through the south of town and watches the running gun battle and aftermath. With two badly wounded men – one deputy and one failed fugitive – Doctor O’Malley is summoned to the jailhouse to tend to both. This leaves his daughter Clara, a skilled nurse in her own right, unprotected. Dan walks to her door, knocks, and greets her with a drawn pistol. He orders her to grab her bag, leave a note for her father, and come with him. He promises she’ll be back in the morning unharmed…if she doesn’t do anything stupid.
As for the election? Burt Austin brought in one outlaw unhurt, but Colin Bonney will gain some sympathy votes for his brave stance against Stan Hatcher. Everyone knew that boy was no good, and no one admits to being surprised at this turn of events.
What follows next is fairly predictable:
- Al Westbrook offers a hundred dollar reward for every outlaw brought back dead – not alive.
- The Sheriff appoints Burt to form a posse and head out into the desert to find the remaining three outlaws. Of course the Rowdies all immediately volunteer.