(salesman) from Chicago; and a Texas merchant named Johnson. An old rusty axe with human flesh on its blade, presumed to be the murder weapon, was also located. Search, capture and execution Soon after the discoveries, information from Beaver came that all four of the Kelly Family had passed through town a few days ago, en route to New Mexico. It was noted that they were driving a span of several horses, and appeared to have a lot of money on them. A posse of 20 men was quickly organized, and the family's trail led to Palo Duro Creek, from where it appeared that their route had changed towards Wheeler, Texas. After a while, the posse caught up with them, and engaged in a two-hour long chase. Eventually, Kate Kelly's horse tripped and Kate fell to the ground, breaking her neck in the process. She was left behind, and half an hour later, the vigilantes caught up with Bill and Kit, but William managed to escape. Upon capture, Kit began pleading for mercy, only to be told off by her brother for being as complicit in the murders as he was. Two ropes were procured and the duo were prepared to be hanged on a nearby tree. Moments before they were hanged, Kit whispered to Bill if she should tell them everything, only for her brother to curse at the posse and encourage them to 'find out for themselves'. Subsequently, both were left hanging on the tree. The vigilantes then chased after William, whose horse left behind a recognizable trail because it was shod only in the front. They eventually caught up with him, and after firing two shots at the fugitive, he gave up, stopped and dismounted from his horse. The group quickly surrounded him, and the leader allowed the criminal to confess all of his sins. William proceeded to explain their family history, but claimed to have moved towards Texas because of the crimes in the area, denying taking part in the killings. The posse being dissatisfied, he was quickly hanged for a bit before being lowered down and asked to confess. Finally he did, telling that all of the family members had taken part, where the money was stored and that they had killed 9 men and 2 women. The elder Kelly was then stripped of all his belongings, including a gold watch belonging to J. T.