It happened on a winter day in January. Only the wives of Adam and Hoss Cartwright, Mary and Lily, and their children Mitch, Lisa and Amber were present at the ranch. First Burt Watts looked at the big ranch house and knocked then at the door. Mary answered the door carefully. She recognized the visitor at once.
“So sis, you have made it far. Is this all yours?”, he asked mocking.
“No, my father-in-law is the owner of this ranch. He runs it together with my husband and brothers-in-law. Now get lost because of you and your parents I have missed the first few living years of Mitch. You made sure that he disappeared just after I have had him”, answered Mary.
Lily heard the row and came nearer with the children. Lisa went to play but Mitch remained with the grownups.
Burt looked with disgust at the boy and said, “So that is my nephew? What a scrap!”
Mary didn’t take that insult and hit her brother in the face. Burt was not already in a good mood but now not anymore. He grabbed his revolver and shot Mary dead. Because Lily and Mitch saw it they got show down too. To make the disaster worse Lisa and Amber got a bullet too. At that moment Cody came running and he got hit in his left forepaw. Burt went laughing away.
After some time the Cartwrights came home. They were in an excellent mood until they saw what had happened at the yard. Adam jumped from his horse and ran to Mary. He kneeled down near her, took her into his arms and started to cry. Hoss did the same thing with his wife Lily. Ben, Little Joe and Candy looked at the children Cody. Griff went to get the sheriff and the doctor. Ben examined Mitch and discovered that he was still alive.
“Adam, your son is still alive”, said the rancher.
Adam looked up and was somehow relieved.
“Pa, Lisa and Amber are dead too but Cody has only a grazing wound”, said Little Joe.
Pam, the twin sister of Mitch, went to sit on the porch and slowly started to cry very much. Mitch slowly woke up and saw what had happened.
“Mitch, what has happened here for heaven’s sake?”, Adam asked directly.
The boy went to sit and looked confused out of his eyes.
“Uncle Burt came by. He made a hateful remark about me and mamma didn’t take that. Then Uncle Burt shot us down”, Mitch said slowly.
“Where have you been hit?”, asked Ben.
Mitch pointed at his right ankle. The rancher looked at the shot wound.
“It is fortunately not so bad”, said Ben.
He helped his grandson up but the boy nearly fell down again. The rancher lifted him and carried him to the guestroom, followed by Pam. Mitch got put to bed but he moaned due to the pain.
At the yard vowed both Adam and Hoss for revenge.
“That brother-in-law has lived his longest time on earth”, Adam groaned furiously.
“When I get him into my hands I will squeeze him so fine until he gets all red in the face”, Hoss said angry.
Suddenly Griff came riding towards them.
“Adam, Hoss, I just ran into a man and he said that he had just been here. He is on his way to town”, the ranch hand said hasty.
The brothers didn’t think any further and grabbed their horses to go to town as well. Griff went along.
Arrived in Virginia City Griff appointed the person. They saw him going into the Silver Dollar saloon.
“You warn the doctor and the sheriff. We will handle this further”, said Adam.
Griff nodded and did what he was told to do. The brothers went to the saloon.
In the Silver Dollar saloon the brothers stood at the bar. At a given moment Burt Watts came to stand next to them.
“You are two of those notorious Cartwrights of the Ponderosa ranch?”, he asked laughing.
“Why do you want to know that?”, Adam asked distrusting.
“So that I can kill you too”, laughed Burt.
The brothers looked at each other and they thought the same thing. Burt looked at them challenging.
“Do you do it or must I do it?”, asked Adam.
“You are the eldest but I am stronger”, Hoss answered light-hearted.
“That is true but I got more brains”, his brother reacted.
“What you got more of brains is with me power”, answered Hoss.
Adam couldn’t deny that. Burt became nervous of their conversation which the brothers wanted exactly. To cause some action Burt hit Adam in the face.
“Where was that good for?”, Adam asked amazed.
“Because I get nervous of your nagging”, answered Burt.
“Then you have a bad conscious. Hoss, go ahead”, said Adam.
Hoss winked at his brother and took Burt outside. Adam ordered another two beer.
Outside asked Burt, “Let me go creep. I haven’t done anything to you, have I?”
“You have killed our families though. And I don’t take that on behalf of my brother”, Hoss said angry.
Burt tried to pull himself loose but his opponent had him too tight. The outlaw hit around him but hit nothing.
After a while Adam came outside and called, “Hoss, your beer is getting warm.”
Hoss let the outlaw go so that this one ended up seven meters further and broke his neck because he ended up against the water trough. The brothers watched him and were more than satisfied.
Deputy Clem Foster came nearer and asked the boys, “What is the matter here?”
“That was my brother-in-law who has killed our wives and kids at the ranch. He injured Mitch but Pam escaped because I had to take her to the dentist”, Adam explained.
“I leave it hereby and you have our sympathy and that of Roy”, said Clem.
The brothers drank up their beer and went back home.
Arrived at home Adam went straight to his son and got to hear from his father, “Mitch has only a grazing wound. He has to stay in bed for a week though.”
“We want to bury the ladies as soon as possible but in private”, said Adam.
Ben nodded.
Two days after the killings the ladies Cartwright got buried at a private field. Although this tragedy had much effect it had brought the Cartwrights also closer together.