Howard, Ranger Sergeant John McBride, and merchant and ex-police lieutenant John G. Atkinson were immediately executed by firing squad with their bodies hacked and dumped into a well. The Rangers were disarmed and sent out of town.
The execution of Howard, Ranger Sergeant John McBride, and John G. Atkinson involved a swift and brutal method of killing, with their bodies being mutilated and disposed of in a manner that suggests a deliberate act of cruelty. The Rangers were forced to surrender their weapons and leave the town after the incident.