Complex sentence: With a small armed party he captured Gibbons and Clarke at the local inn and took them back to Dorchester, but his warrant was incorrectly worded and Gibbons was released by the Justice.
Split into simpler sentences: With a small but armed party, he captured Gibbons and Clarke at the local inn and took them back to Dorchester. His warrant was, however, incorrectly worded, and Gibbons was released by the Justice.