A fierce gunfight ensued when cowboys, led by Lewis Sherwood of the Pontypine Ranch, cowardly attacked Henryville’s acting sheriff, Henry MacKenzie, outside of town. MacKenzie was escorting Jose Sanchez to Liberty to stand trial for his part in the murder of Mayor Haskel.
Sanchez was killed in the crossfire. His death might have been the intent so as to prevent valuable information from being obtained. Authorities close to the ongoing investigation have indicated that, prior to his murder, Sanchez was cooperating with them.
Among MacKenzie’s posse was Henry Wallinger who had earlier been instrumental in apprehending Sanchez, but the Ponty connection and the known antipathy between Mr. James Ponty and the Wallinger family leads to questions about how closely tied he is to the murder of Mayor Haskel two days ago.
