On March 16, 1874, Baxter announced that he would not issue any additional railroad bonds. This hit the Republicans where it hurt, because almost all were financially involved with one railroad or another. Both Clayton and Dorsey returned to Little Rock to meet with Baxter. The Conservative Gazette reported that they offered Baxter a lucrative federal appointment, but he had refused. Clayton then informed Baxter that he could no longer support him. The removal of Clayton's protection meant that McClure had a free hand.
Then on April 15th, as Baxter described the event: "Mr. Brooks, in person, with an armed force of a dozen or twenty took possession of my room, and I was permitted the alternative of forcible and unseemly ejection or of such arrest and punishment as he might see fit to inflict. Before I could take measures to reoccupy the State House, it was filled with armed desperadoes."
Though the Arkansas Supreme Court had ruled in Baxter's favor, Brooks was armed with a local court order declaring him governor. It had been obtained in proceeding at which neither Baxter nor his attorneys were present. They had not even been informed they were taking place. The New York Times offered this assessment of the events in Arkansas: "While his opponent was yet ignorant of his designs, Brooks stole upon him with 25 armed men and ejected him from his office. Thereupon, Brooks declared himself to be governor of Arkansas and has been making a great ado about the matter since… If the higher court had no jurisdiction, it is difficult to imagine how an inferior tribunal obtained it."
Neither Brooks nor McClure expected the district court order to stand on its merits. They simply hoped to create a situation that would allow President Grant to intervene on their behalf. Grant, however, hesitated to do so. He was neither a fan of the Brindle Tails nor McClure. Moreover, George H. Williams, the administrations moderate Attorney General, argued that legal precedent clearly favored Baxter. Finally, to side with Brooks's claim of election fraud was to throw into question Grant's own electoral victories in the South. Grant ultimately ruled in favor of Baxter and ordered Brooks to vacate the State House.
As Fay Hempstead reports, when Garland read Grant's proclamation to the crowd assembled on the streets of Little Rock:
…the cheering was tremendous and long continued. Hats were thrown in the air and men shouted themselves hoarse with every manifestation of rejoicing. The crowd then surged into the Anthony House, where Baxter was, and overwhelmed him with handshaking and congratulations.
For more information on the Brooks-Baxter War, see the article by Richard Owings.
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