 Ellinger and a witness said it was entirely unprovoked, and Ellinger died four days later.On Christmas Day 1886 another Clanton Gang member, Billy Evans, wanted to 'see if a bullet would go through a Mormon' and killed Jim Hale (who had identified cattle stolen by the Clantons) in cold blood.When Owens became sheriff at the first of the year he hired ex-Texas lawman Jeff Milton to arrest the Clantons, but Milton later backed out.