Goodbye, boys, if I never see you again." With the house on fire, Nate Champion signed his journal entry and put the journal in his pocket before he emerged, running from the back door with a Colt revolver in the left hand and a Winchester rifle in the right. He was gunned down by four men firing simultaneously, hit by 28 bullets. The invaders later pinned a note on Champion's bullet-riddled chest that read "Cattle Thieves Beware". They also carefully removed entries from the diary which named some of the attackers. Aftermath of death The following day the posse led by the sheriff besieged the invading force at the "TA Ranch" on Crazy Woman Creek. After two days, one of the invaders escaped and was able to contact the acting Governor of Wyoming, Amos W. Barber. Frantic efforts to save the besieged invaders ensued, and telegraphs to Washington resulted in intervention by the President of the United States, Benjamin Harrison. The Sixth Cavalry from Fort McKinney was ordered to proceed to the "TA Ranch" and take custody of the invaders and save them from the posse. As part of the surrender, the invaders turned in all their arms and equipment to the Army. Major Wolcott, as unofficial leader of the group made a list of these arms and provided it to the government. In the end the invaders went free due to cunning legal maneuvers by the defense attorneys. Although many of the leaders of the invaders, such as W. C. Irvine, were themselves Democrats, and their opponents were mostly Democrats. A scandal was caused by the rescue of the Invaders at the order of President Harrison, and the failure of the courts to prosecute them. As a result of the scandal, Wyoming voted Democratic in the elections of 1894. Dramatic representations Henry Brandon (1912–1990) played Champion in a 1955 episode of Jim Davis's syndicated western television series, Stories of the Century. Christopher Walken played a highly fictionalized Champion in Michael Cimino's 1980 film Heaven's Gate. Tom Berenger is Cain Hammett in Johnson County War. Cain is completely based on the life, actions and looks of Nate Champion. External links The Johnson County War: 1892 Invasion of Northern Wyoming at wyohistory.org References 1857 births 1892 deaths Cowboys People of the American Old West American cattlemen People from Johnson County, Wyoming People from Leander, Texas People from Round Rock, Texas