Ben Thompson

City Marshal Ben Thompson.

For other people named Ben (or Benjamin) Thompson, see Benjamin Thompson (disambiguation).

Ben Thompson (November 2, 1843 - March 11, 1884) was a gunman, gambler, and sometime lawman of the Old West. He was a contemporary of Wyatt Earp, Buffalo Bill Cody, Doc Holliday, John Wesley Hardin and James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickock, some of whom considered him a trusted friend, others an enemy.

Ben Thompson had a colorful career, fighting with the Confederates during the American Civil War, and in Mexico under the Emperor, before being imprisoned at the age of 25 for the severely injuring his brother-in-law, who had physically abused Thompson's wife. After his release, Thompson made his name as a gunman and a gambler in Texas and Kansas. After he was hired in 1881 as Marshal in Austin, Texas, the crime rate dropped sharply during his term. He was murdered at the age of 40 in San Antonio on March 11, 1884 during the Vaudeville Theater Ambush.

Early life

Thompson was born in Knottingley, West Yorkshire, England 02 Nov 1843. His parents moved the family to Texas in 1852, part of a wave of immigration to the new republic. He received a basic education from his family, as there were no schools.

Thompson began working as a printer while still in his teens, but discovered gambling. He quickly began traveling while making a living as a professional gambler. When he was 17 and playing in New Orleans, an opponent accused him of cheating and attacked him; Thompson stabbed and killed the young man. This was the first of many killings to be attributed to Ben Thompson.

Military service

When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Thompson was not interested. By 1863 his views had changed, and at the age of 20, he joined the Confederate States Army in Texas, enlisting as a private. He did participate in some military action, but his time in the service is most notable for his killing a fellow Confederate soldier, Sgt. William Vance, during a dispute.^{[citation needed]} He also shot and killed a teamster who was trying to steal an army mule.

After the war ended, Thompson left for Mexico, and joined the forces of Emperor Maximilian during the French intervention in Mexico. He stayed for a short while, then returned to Texas.

Return to Texas

Thompson had learned that his wife was being physically abused by her brother, Jim Moore. Soon after his return to Texas in 1868, Thompson confronted Moore about this and severely injured him. Charged with attempted murder, Thompson was convicted and sentenced to 2 years in prison. He served the time at the state penitentiary in Huntsville but received a full pardon.

In 1870, Thompson left Texas for Abilene, Kansas, a newly expanding boom town due to the cattle trade. In 1871, Thompson opened the Bulls Head Saloon in Abilene, with partner Phillip H. Coe. Historians believe that the men met while serving in Mexico, but that has never been confirmed. They had known one another for some time before Abilene. The saloon prospered due to the cattle drives that gave Abilene a steady stream of cowboys' passing through who were anxious to drink and gamble.

That same year, Thompson was injured in a fall from a horse. In his absence, on October 5, Coe was involved in a shootout with town Marshal "Wild" Bill Hickok. Coe died from his wounds. Hickok was holding off a crowd during a street brawl when Coe fired on him. Hickok shot back and fatally wounded Coe.

Seconds later, Hickok saw movement of someone rushing toward him, and he fired one round, mistakenly killing Special Deputy Mike Williams, who was coming to his aid. This haunted Hickok for the rest of his life. Thompson never confronted Hickok over the shooting of Coe, apparently thinking that Hickok was justified. Both men left Abilene soon afterward.

Thompson moved on to Ellsworth, Kansas, which for a decade during that period also prospered as a cattle-oriented boom town. Soon after, Thompson's younger brother Billy Thompson accidentally shot and killed Ellsworth town Sheriff Chauncey Whitney. Whitney was standing near the two Thompson brothers, who were facing off against local police officer John "Happy Jack" Morco and gambler John Sterling over a gambling dispute. Whitney was a friend to both brothers, and numerous witnesses confirmed that Whitney said before he died that the shooting was accidental.

Morco filed charges of assault against Ben Thompson the following day, due to Thompson's having fired in his direction prior to Whitney's being shot. Officer Ed Hogue arrested Ben Thompson. That same week, police officer Ed Crawford killed Thompson's friend, Cad Pierce, in an incident which Crawford reportedly provoked. Morco and Hogue ran another Thompson friend, Neil Cain, out of town. The town council dismissed all three officers: Morco, Hogue, and Crawford, for inappropriate behavior. Soon after, newly appointed police officer J.C. "Charlie" Brown killed Morco after he pulled a gun during a street disturbance. Texas cowboy friends of Cad Pierce killed Crawford next, and Ed Hogue fled town.

Billy Thompson fled Kansas, but eventually was returned to be tried in the death of Sheriff Whitney. He was acquitted because of witnesses' testifying as to Whitney's saying the shooting was accidental. His older brother Ben also provided a strong defense team of attorneys.

In 1875, Ben Thompson returned to Texas, staying at Fort Elliott, in the Panhandle. There he met and befriended gunman Bat Masterson. When Masterson shot and killed a Cavalry sergeant in a dispute over a woman, Thompson stepped in to prevent other soldiers from attacking Masterson. After that incident, the Santa Fe Railroad hired both gunmen to intercede in a right-of-way dispute between that railroad and the Rio Grande Railroad.

After the railway war ended, Thompson went to Austin, where he opened the Iron Front Saloon. One of Thompson's main competitors was the Capital Theater, owned and operated by Mark Wilson. On Christmas Eve, 1876, Thompson and friends were at the Capital Theater drinking, when a fight erupted involving other patrons. When Thompson tried to intervene, Wilson produced a shotgun. Wilson fired at Thompson but missed. Thompson responded with three shots, killing Wilson. Bartender Charley Matthews fired a Winchester and grazed Thompson's hip. The gunman shot back; though seriously wounded, Matthews survived. Thompson was not arrested, as the shooting incident had numerous witnesses and was ruled justified self defense.

In June 1880, Ben Thompson sent his friend Bat Masterson from Dodge City to Oglalla, Nebraska, then "the end of the Texas Trail," to rescue his younger brother Billy, who was in trouble again. Billy had been doing a little gambling and a lot of drinking. One afternoon he insulted Big Alice, the "leading lady" at Bill Tucker's saloon, Cowboys Rest, and Tucker threw him out. Billy sulked awhile and returned to shoot at Tucker. He was just handing a glass of whiskey across the bar to Dillard Fant, one of the major cattle owners from Texas. He annually sent three to eight large cattle herds up the trail. The shot nicked Tucker's hand, cutting off his thumb and two fingers. Tucker dropped to the floor behind the bar from the shock.

Billy swaggered off down the street. Tucker recovered quickly, grabbing the shotgun he kept behind the bar, and fired from the doorway to fill Billy's backside with buck shot. Townspeople took Thompson to his room to have the shot dug out and recuperate. He was indicted and ordered under guard by Sheriff Martin DePriest. When Masterson arrived, he got the guard, Walter "Picidilly" Swan, drunk. Masterson took Billy and caught the eastbound train, taking him to North Platte. There he borrowed William "Buffalo Bill" Cody's new carriage to take Billy back to his brother Ben Thompson at Dodge City. (^{[citation needed]} - this is not sufficient: reference Bat Masterson's autobiography, Keith County, Nebraska, commissioners' minutes, Edgar Beecher Bronson's Reminiscences of a Ranchman, and other sources.)

City Marshal for Austin, Texas

In 1881, Thompson was hired by the city of Austin to serve as City Marshal. He reportedly did so well in the position that Austin had a drop in the crime rate. In 1882, Thompson became involved in a dispute with Vaudeville Variety Theater owner Jack Harris in San Antonio. Thompson shot and killed Harris, who also was armed. Thompson was indicted for murder, and resigned his position as Marshal. He was tried and acquitted, after which he returned to Austin. He was welcomed by the citizens, but he did not return to his law enforcement job. One of the defense lawyers for Thompson was William M. Walton, who later wrote a biography, The Life and Adventures of Ben Thompson.

Murder

On March 11, 1884 in San Antonio, Thompson ran into gunfighter and rancher King Fisher; they were there on separate business. The two men, who had known one another for several years, decided to attend a show at the Vaudeville Theater. Thompson was aware of threats from friends of Harris, but he did not appear concerned.

Fisher and Thompson attended a play at the Turner Hall Opera House, and later, at around 10:30pm, they went to the Vaudeville Variety Theater. A local lawman named Jacob Coy sat with them. Thompson wanted to see Joe Foster, a theater owner and friend of Harris's, and one of those fueling the ongoing feud. Thompson had already spoken to Billy Simms, another theater owner, and Foster's new partner.

Fisher and Thompson were directed upstairs to meet with Foster. Coy and Simms soon joined them in the theater box. Foster refused to speak with Thompson. Fisher allegedly noticed that something was not right. Simms and Coy stepped aside, and as they did Fisher and Thompson leapt to their feet just as a volley of gunfire erupted from another theater box, with a hail of bullets hitting both Thompson and Fisher. Thompson fell onto his side, and either Coy or Foster ran up to him and shot him in the head with a pistol. Not able to return fire, Thompson died almost immediately. Fisher was shot thirteen times, but fired one round in retaliation, possibly wounding Coy. He was crippled for life, but the shot may have been from friendly fire.

Trying to draw his pistol, Foster shot himself in the leg, which was later amputated. He died soon after the surgery. The description of the events of that night are contradictory. There was a public outcry for a grand jury indictment of those involved, but no action was ever taken. The San Antonio Police and the prosecutor showed little interest in the case.

Fisher was buried on his ranch. His body was later moved to the Pioneer Cemetery in Uvalde, Texas. Thompson's body was returned to Austin, where his funeral was one of the largest the city has ever seen. He was buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Austin, Texas.

Thompson's will and property

Among Thompson's gun collection was a custom made and engraved Stevens-Lord No. 36 target pistol, given to him as a gift from Buffalo Bill.

Thompson's will deeded all his property to his business partner. It has been sold several times since.

On January 13, 2007 Ben Thompson's roulette table was one of 550 western items sold at auction by A&S Antique Auction in Waco, Texas. The table had been on loan to the Texas Ranger Museum, by the founding curator Gaines de Graffenried. Tom Burks, the curator of the A&S Antique Auction, said that the table was used by Thompson in a gambling house he opened above the Iron Front Saloon on Congress Avenue in Austin.

Further reading

• Adams, Paul (January 1945). The Unsolved Murder of Ben Thompson. Southwestern Historical Quarterly 48. http://www.tshaonline.org/publications/journals/shq/online/v048/n3/contrib_DIVL5492.html. 
• Starr, Mary (1963). History of Travis County and Austin, 1839-1899. Texian Press. 
• Walton, W. M. (1884, 1956 (reprint)). The Life and Adventures of Ben Thompson. Austin. 
• Braun, Matt (September 2000). Deathwalk. St. Martin's. p. 336. ISBN 0312975163. 

• J. Silverman, "When the bad guys really wore the badges: SF Stages' new work by Kilmurry", Santa Fe New Mexican, (New Mexico), July 4, 1997.

External links

• http://www.frontiertimes.com/outlaws/thompson.html
• http://ddfa.org/kingfisher.html
• http://www.oldwestlibrary.com/OWL/excerptthompson.htm
• http://www.trivia-library.com/b/cowboy-biography-ben-thompson.htm
• http://www.fortunecity.com/boozers/angel/21/
• "Ben Thompson". Find a Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=1028. Retrieved 2009-03-24. 
• A&S Antique Auction company
• http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/archive/200001A40.html Ben Thompson furniture appears on PBS Antiques Roadshow