When the meeting was held in Alliance, Superintendent Phelan of the Burlington had present, as he usually had at any gathering, a man who would report to him what "was doing." The man in this case "fanned it" to headquarters that the crowd was organized to go out and take the records, and as stated Phelan had the engine ready. Also the wires conveyed the information to Hemingford. The people of that town, quite a number of them, took shot guns and bulldog revolvers, and any other weapon handy and the "flimsy structure" known as the court house at Nonpareil was filled with the defenders, had the enemy appeared. But there had been a change of heart in the Alliance crowd, and the affair had been called off.

After waiting until late at night part of the defenders at Nonpareil started home. When some distance away from the building, so the story goes, one who had started south to his home decided to try out his gun. At that someone in the court house yelled, "Alliance is coming," and the effect was said to be about the same as the effect upon the German west front, when the sound of "the Yanks are coming" came over the battlefield. Over and under each other they went, finding exits where they could. Several brave boys jammed in the doorway and tore out the side of the building, others smashed the windows, carrying the sash away with them. In fact, it is said, that the north side of the building was a wreck, this side being in the direction of Hemingford. I have no doubt that Hall and Tash stood the test all right, but of the rank and file, one party reports at least four of them went down in one pile just outside the building, but they soon recovered their feet, and faded into the moonlight.