Ben Thompson
Encyclopedia
Wyatt Earp
Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp was an American gambler, investor, and law enforcement officer who served in several Western frontier towns. He was also at different times a farmer, teamster, bouncer, saloon-keeper, miner and boxing referee. However, he was never a drover or cowboy. He is most well known...
, Buffalo Bill Cody, Doc Holliday
Doc Holliday
John Henry "Doc" Holliday was an American gambler, gunfighter and dentist of the American Old West, who is usually remembered for his friendship with Wyatt Earp and his involvement in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral...
, John Wesley Hardin
John Wesley Hardin
John Wesley Hardin was an American outlaw, gunfighter, and controversial folk hero of the Old West. He was born in Bonham, Texas. Hardin found himself in trouble with the law at an early age, and spent the majority of his life being pursued by both local lawmen and federal troops of the...
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
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, 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
Marshal
Marshal , is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. The word is an ancient loan word from Old French, cf...
in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, the crime rate dropped sharply during his term. He was murdered at the age of 41 in San Antonio on March 11, 1884 during the Vaudeville Theater Ambush
Vaudeville Theater Ambush
The Vaudeville Theater Ambush, on March 11, 1884, was an ambush conducted against the lawmen Ben Thompson and King Fisher, carried out by enemies of Thompson. It took place at the Vaudeville Variety Theater in San Antonio, Texas.-Background:...
.
Early life
Thompson was born in KnottingleyKnottingley
Knottingley is a town within the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England on the River Aire and the A1 road. It has a population of 13,503....
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
02 Nov 1843. His parents moved the family to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
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
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, 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 WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
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
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, enlisting as a private
Private (rank)
A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career...
. 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. He also shot and killed a teamster
Teamster
A teamster, in modern American English, is a truck driver. The trade union named after them is the International Brotherhood of Teamsters , one of the largest unions in the United States....
who was trying to steal an army mule.
After the war ended, Thompson left for Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, and joined the forces of Emperor Maximilian
Maximilian I of Mexico
Maximilian I was the only monarch of the Second Mexican Empire.After a distinguished career in the Austrian Navy, he was proclaimed Emperor of Mexico on April 10, 1864, with the backing of Napoleon III of France and a group of Mexican monarchists who sought to revive the Mexican monarchy...
during the French intervention in Mexico
French intervention in Mexico
The French intervention in Mexico , also known as The Maximilian Affair, War of the French Intervention, and The Franco-Mexican War, was an invasion of Mexico by an expeditionary force sent by the Second French Empire, supported in the beginning by the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Spain...
. 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 prisonPrison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
. He served the time at the state penitentiary
Penitentiary
Penitentiary may refer to:* Prison or penitentiary, a correctional facility* Apostolic Penitentiary, a tribunal of mercy, responsible for issues relating to the forgiveness of sins in the Roman Catholic Church* Penitentiary...
in Huntsville
Huntsville, Texas
Huntsville is a city in and the county seat of Walker County, Texas, United States. The population was 35,508 at the 2010 census. It is the center of the Huntsville micropolitan area....
but received a full pardon.
In 1870, Thompson left Texas for Abilene, Kansas
Abilene, Kansas
Abilene is a city in and the county seat of Dickinson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 6,844.-History:...
, a newly expanding boom town
Boomtown
A boomtown is a community that experiences sudden and rapid population and economic growth. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although the term can also be applied to communities growing very rapidly for different reasons,...
due to the cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
trade. In 1871, Thompson opened the Bulls Head Saloon in Abilene, with partner
Business partner
Business partner is a term used to denote a commercial entity with which another commercial entity has some form of alliance. This relationship may be a highly contractual, exclusive bond in which both entities commit not to ally with third parties...
Phillip H. Coe
Phil Coe
Phil Coe , born Phillip Houston Coe, was a soldier, and Old West gambler and businessman from Texas. He became the business partner of gunfighter Ben Thompson in Abilene, Kansas...
. 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 cowboy
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
s' 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
Marshal
Marshal , is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. The word is an ancient loan word from Old French, cf...
"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
Ellsworth, Kansas
Ellsworth is a city in and the county seat of Ellsworth County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,120.-19th century:...
, which for a decade during that period also prospered as a cattle-oriented boom town. Soon after, Thompson's younger brother Billy Thompson
Billy Thompson (gunman)
Billy Thompson, sometimes known as Texas Billy Thompson was an Old West gunman and gambler, and the younger brother of the famous gunman and lawman Ben Thompson. The younger Thompson brother never achieved the fame that his brother achieved, and in his own lifetime was mainly referred to as the...
accidentally shot and killed Ellsworth town Sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
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
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, but eventually was returned to be tried
Trial
A trial is, in the most general sense, a test, usually a test to see whether something does or does not meet a given standard.It may refer to:*Trial , the presentation of information in a formal setting, usually a court...
in the death of Sheriff Whitney. He was acquitted
Acquittal
In the common law tradition, an acquittal formally certifies the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as the criminal law is concerned. This is so even where the prosecution is abandoned nolle prosequi...
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
Texas Panhandle
The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a rectangular area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east...
. There he met and befriended gunman Bat Masterson
Bat Masterson
William Barclay "Bat" Masterson was a figure of the American Old West known as a buffalo hunter, U.S. Marshal and Army scout, avid fisherman, gambler, frontier lawman, and sports editor and columnist for the New York Morning Telegraph...
. When Masterson shot and killed a Cavalry sergeant in a dispute over a woman, Thompson stepped in to prevent other soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
s 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
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, 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
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
, 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
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
. Wilson fired at Thompson but missed. Thompson responded with three shots, killing Wilson. Bartender
Bartender
A bartender is a person who serves beverages behind a counter in a bar, pub, tavern, or similar establishment. A bartender, in short, "tends the bar". The term barkeeper may carry a connotation of being the bar's owner...
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
Buffalo Bill
William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody was a United States soldier, bison hunter and showman. He was born in the Iowa Territory , in LeClaire but lived several years in Canada before his family moved to the Kansas Territory. Buffalo Bill received the Medal of Honor in 1872 for service to the US...
new carriage to take Billy back to his brother Ben Thompson at Dodge City. ( - this is not sufficient: reference Bat Masterson's autobiography, Keith County, Nebraska, commissioners' minutes, Edgar Beecher Bronson
Edgar Beecher Bronson
Edgar Beecher Bronson was a Nebraska rancher, a West Texas cattleman, an African big-game hunter, a serious photographer and starting late in life, an author of fiction and personal memoirs....
'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 VaudevilleVaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
Variety Theater owner Jack Harris
Vaudeville Theater Ambush
The Vaudeville Theater Ambush, on March 11, 1884, was an ambush conducted against the lawmen Ben Thompson and King Fisher, carried out by enemies of Thompson. It took place at the Vaudeville Variety Theater in San Antonio, Texas.-Background:...
in San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
. 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
William M. Walton
William Martin Walton was a prominent lawyer in Austin, Texas. During the Civil War, Walton was a Major in the Confederate Army. After the War, he was elected Attorney General of the state and also headed the state Democratic Party...
, 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 ranchRanch
A ranch is an area of landscape, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool. The word most often applies to livestock-raising operations in the western United States and Canada, though...
er King Fisher
King Fisher
King Fisher was a gunslinger of the American Old West.- Early life :John King Fisher was born in Collin County, Texas, to Jobe Fisher and Lucinda Warren Fisher. He had two brothers, Jasper and James, and his mother died when he was two years old. His father then remarried to a woman named Minerva...
; 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
Feud
A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight between parties—often groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one party perceives itself to have been attacked, insulted or wronged by another...
. 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
Uvalde, Texas
Uvalde is a city in and the county seat of Uvalde County, Texas, United States. The population was 14,929 at the 2000 census.Uvalde was founded by Reading Wood Black in 1853 as the town of Encina. In 1856, when the county was organized, the town was renamed Uvalde for Spanish governor Juan de...
. 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
Oakwood Cemetery (Austin, TX)
Oakwood Cemetery, originally called City Cemetery, is the oldest city-owned cemetery in Austin, Texas. Situated on a hill just east of I-35 that overlooks downtown Austin, just north of the Swedish Hill Historic District and south of Disch-Falk Field, the once-isolated site is now in the center of...
in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
.
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 BillBuffalo Bill
William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody was a United States soldier, bison hunter and showman. He was born in the Iowa Territory , in LeClaire but lived several years in Canada before his family moved to the Kansas Territory. Buffalo Bill received the Medal of Honor in 1872 for service to the US...
.
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
Roulette
Roulette is a casino game named after a French diminutive for little wheel. In the game, players may choose to place bets on either a single number or a range of numbers, the colors red or black, or whether the number is odd or even....
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
- 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/
- A&S Antique Auction company
- http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/archive/200001A40.html Ben Thompson furniture appears on PBS Antiques Roadshow