Spare the Rod, Spoil the Bandit

 is a mission in Red Dead Redemption.

Story
Leigh Johnson asks John's help in silencing a group of outlaws who have been terrorizing a town. They form a posse of John Marston, Marshall Leigh Johnson, Eli, Jonah and an unknown man.

Mission Prerequisites
Before this mission becomes available, the player must complete:
 * Bonnie MacFarlane mission: "Women and Cattle";
 * Leigh Johnson mission: "Justice in Pike's Basin"; and
 * Nigel West Dickens mission: "Old Swindler Blues"

Mission Objectives
To complete this mission, the player must:
 * Ride with Marshal Johnson to Ridgewood Farm.
 * Follow the circling vultures en route.
 * Free all hostages at the farm.
 * Track the remaining bandits south.
 * Defeat the bandits.

Mission Details
You start off outside the Sheriff's office, mount your horse and ride with the Marshal and his men. As you ride around with them, the posse notices vultures flying high above some dead bodies. After investigating two campsites filled with bodies (make sure not to hang around the campsites too long or you will fall behind), your posse rounds up at Ridgewood Farm. You search the area for any signs of life, and afterward Marshal Johnson calls the posse to the barn, hoping to find either survivors or bandits inside.

A young girl runs out of the barn, explaining that the bandits are holed up inside the Ridgewood Farmhouse in the middle of town. Your posse heads towards the house to investigate and as you do, bandits pour out and a gunfight ensues.

Quickly dispatch all of the bandits and head inside, watching carefully around the doorways and walls as you make your way upstairs to save the few remaining survivors. You will be able to save a couple before you face up against a bandit using a woman as a human shield. This shot must be just right, or else the bandit will shoot her in the head and you will be forced to restart the mission.

After the violence, the survivors are rounded up and questioned for answers about more bandits. The hostages notify the Marshal of the location of a group of bandits, and the posse sets out in pursuit. Deputy Eli mentions that this looks to be the work of Williamson's gang.

After the cutscene, ride with the Sheriff's posse to Mercer Station. This is where it gets a little complicated; to be safe, switch to the knife on the way there. After the cutscene, the player will start in the shed and should immediately switch to the knife from the pistol (important). For this battle, the player will need to use the knife the entire time in order to get 100% accuracy. For some reason, possibly a glitch, if the player uses any gun to shoot the enemy, even if the shots connect dead-on, the gun equipped will lose accuracy. Take it slow; the player will need to exit the shed to get to the enemy. Use what little cover there is and take out the enemy slowly. The knife is very deadly, one to two hits will usually kill the gang members. Pop a med bottle if health gets too low. Use this strategy for both waves of enemies and the mission will end with 100% accuracy, as long as the player used the knife for this entire section of the mission. Also remember to keep somewhat near the shed; if the player strays too far away, it will result in mission failure.

After catching up with the bandits, a cutscene takes place showing Bill Williamson and John Marston talking once again. This time, however, Williamson runs away, sending his gang and right hand man Norman Deek to finish the job. The posse hides in a broken-down shack, fending off the bandits. After two waves of bandits, the mission will end with a cutscene showing Norman Deek getting caught.

Mission Failure
The mission will fail if the player:
 * Assaults or kills Marshal Johnson, Deputy Eli or Deputy Jonah.
 * Assaults or kills Marshal Johnson's, Deputy Eli's or Deputy Jonah's horse.
 * Abandons Marshal Johnson and the deputies.
 * Assaults or kills the hostages.
 * Breaks the law.
 * Kills a dog.
 * Commits vandalism.
 * Assaults or kills townsfolk.
 * Dies.

Mission Complete Unlockables

 * Winchester Repeater (found)
 * "American Appetites" Part 3 Stranger side-mission

Tips and Trivia

 * The player should not start this mission if he doesn't have any ammo as it makes shooting open the barn impossible.
 * It is possible to 100% accuracy on this mission, although it is a bit annoying. Ride with the posse to Ridgewood Farm, investigate the 2 spots and head over to the barn. When ordered to shoot the planks, don't because it will lower accuracy. Instead push/nudge Eli so he has a clear shot of the boards. The player can also nudge the deputy next to Eli more towards the right. This way, after a brief pause Eli will automatically shoot the boards off. After the cutscene, proceed to clear out the house, making sure all the shots connect.
 * The player will be given a Winchester Repeater for free if they haven't purchased one already during the mission.
 * It is also possible to skip having to even go inside the farm house. After the barn encounter, shoot all the bandits who come outside on the front porch &mdash; as soon as there's only a few dots left, run around the left side of the house around to the back, and you can shoot the bandits that are upstairs through the windows.
 * There is another mission later on in the game called "Spare the love, Spoil the child". These Missions have very similar names.
 * If you shoot the rope hanging the dead man, it will break and his body will flop to the floor.