I can recall an episode of The Virginian where these 4 guys killed the newspaper editor in town. A posse went after them. When they crossed the county line they decided to turn back, but the Virginian kept going.
He found Willow sprouts and figured there was water nearby. One of their guards caught him. He escaped with a pistol and managed to kill them all. The last one he tricked into making him think he was out of ammo.
When he got back to town he said, "All of the men who killed the editor are dead." He was a true tough guy. ;)
"When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one." Edmund Burke