When the distance had been chopped to 150 yards, Cook opened up with the .45-90 and held them off.
___?___ and his possemen heard the firing from a long distance, and knowing full well that the outlaws had been cornered, turned and galloped toward the sound of the shooting. ___?___, an old hand at border skirmishing, came in on the battle off the left flank. He pulled the horses down at a couple of hundred yards, dropped to the ground, and commenced a bold advance without any heed for cover or the bullets which splashed the rocks about him. Jake Combs who was at ___?___s shoulder got an earlobe shot away. Jubal Friar, one of the outlaws, rose up behind a rock and triggered off two quick shots at the advancing ___?___. Thalis Cook shot him in the head with the big Winchester.
The pair of outlaws ran up the mountain, attempting to reach their hobbled horses. Ease Bixler got to a horse, cut the hobbles, and bareback rode out of the fight. Art Friar, brother of the man just killed by Cook, threw up his hands. I quit, he yelled, dont shoot no more.
___?___ and Cook closed in on him. When he did not put up his hands at the command, the lawmen separated and moved in at a trot. When at a distance of thirty feet, Art Friar suddenly whipped his hand around behind his back and drew a six-shooter he had rammed into the pants belt. Both ___?___ and Cook fired and both hit him. He was killed instantly. The third rustler was picked up two days later trying to steal a saddle.
The dead outlaws were roped on their own horses and hauled out to Alpine. The arrest warrant, issued by Judge Van Sickle of Alpine, had somehow gotten saturated with blood. It was returned to the good judge in that condition. Mute evidence that it had been served.
From Gunfighters, by Colonel Charles Askins.
