Russell had reached the house as Cook surmised, dismounted, but just as the old trapper opened the door to receive him, he fell into the trapper's arms -- dead. A bullet fired by one of the Mexicans hiding in a little chicken house had passed through his head, tearing a hole two inches square on the outgoing side. Finding him dead, Cook caught Russell's horse and rode to the cattle foreman's house to report the incident and request bloodhounds to trail the assassins.

Before daylight Sunday morning, a posse of twenty-three men under the leadership of Deputy Sheriff Frank MacPherson of Catskill followed the trail to the house of Francisco Chaves, where 100 to 150 Mexicans had gathered. MacPherson boldly approached the fortified adobe house and demanded entrance. The men inside informed him that they had some wounded men among them but he would not be allowed to see them even though he offered medical aid. The officer demanded the names of the injured men; the Mexicans not only refused to give them, but told the possemen if they wanted a fight they could have it. Since the strength of the Mexicans had been underrated, too small a posse had been collected, and since the deputy had not been provided with search warrants, MacPherson and his men decided it was much wiser to withdraw.

The posse's retreat encouraged the Mexicans to be overbearing and impudent. During the following week, six tons of hay belonging to one rancher were burned; some buildings, farm tools, two horses, plows, and hay owned by Bonito Lavato, a friendly interpreter for the company, and Pedro Chavez' hay were stolen or destroyed; and a store was broken into and robbed. District Attorney M. W. Mills warned that he would vigorously prosecute persons caught committing these crimes or carrying arms -- he just didn't catch anyone.