A Botched Arrest

The Horrell brothers weren’t going to go without a fight.

On March 19, 1873, several members of the Texas State Police attempted to arrest members of the Horrell family in Lampasas, Texas (photo). When the group entered a local saloon, the Horrell faction opened fire. Four of the officers died. More police came to town and managed to arrest Mart Horrell and three others. But they broke jail on May 2. A couple of months later, the Horrells moved to Lincoln County, New Mexico Territory—where they would leave a pile of dead bodies before returning to Texas.