He felt the hard lead crashing through the flesh of his thigh and saw the blood spurt out, but he grappled with his man, determined to get him now or die in the effort. Wilcox then feeling that he was safe, collared Johnson, who struck him a violent blow over the head with the empty revolver, which indented but did not fracture the skull. The officer began to push his man as best he could towards the house, calling out for Postmaster Fowler to come and assist him. Fowler started out, but Clodfelter, who was standing by, drew a revolver, and told him to “git” or he would shoot him. Fowler preferred the former alternative, and left Wilcox to his fate. By this time Johnson had begun to call on his confederate to shoot Wilcox, which Clodfelter refused to do, especially as Wilcox told him he did not believe he was coward enough to shoot an unarmed officer while trying to do his duty. Wilcox had yet to learn that this base villain was more than simply a friend of Johnson’s.
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Shooting of Officer Wilcox by Clodfelter and Johnson, near Denver, in 1875.
Upon being repeatedly urged to shoot, Clodfelter finally gave his revolver to Johnson, with the remark:
“Shoot the s—n of a b—h yourself.”
The instant Wilcox saw the weapon in Johnson’s hand he so wrenched the fellow’s arm that the weapon was useless, and Johnson immediately called on his confederate to take it back and shoot. This Clodfelter refused to do, but as the bitter, angry words:
“G—d d—n you! don’t you remember what I did for you once?”