A lumberjack called Matthew Metcalfe was driving a wagon down California gulch. When the Espinosa suddenly appeared in front of him without saying a word, one of them fired a shot hitting Metcalfe on the left breast.
The lumberman fell backwards into the wagon as the panicked horses dashed wildly away. Filipe Espinosa later wrote in his diary "killed a man in a wagon" but he hadn't.
Matthew had been saved by a Booklet of Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation stuffed into his breast pocket. The pages had slowed down the flight of the bullet saving Metcalfe's life.
Finally, there was a survivor, someone who could help describe and locate the scourges of Colorado. Metcalfe reported the botched shooting and a posse of eight men was quickly formed in Fairplay led by John McCannon.
The posse found a promising trail of hoofprints close to California gulch following the path the horsemen found a gruesome clue, a corpse butchered beyond recognition. Well, almost one member of the posse recognized the body because it belonged to his brother .
McCannon and his men continued riding for one day and one night after daybreak they saw two horses calmly grazing behind a screen of campfire smoke. The posse split into two groups and approached the campsite.
They crept through the grass fingers nervously twitching by the trigger of their guns. When a human figure emerged from a bush, the men of Fairplay reacted quickly too quickly perhaps. Without any warning, a shot rang out, a red stain bloomed on the man's side as he slumped to the ground.
It could have been any innocent traveler but in this case it wasn't. Vivian and Espinosa cried out in fury and returned fire with his cult..
More rounds came flying in his direction until one tore through his brain. A second figure came running from behind the trees McCannon shouted to hold fire believing him to be a member of his posse.
This was felipe of course taking advantage of the moment of confusion. He sprinted away before the Fairplay gunman could take aim.
