The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-03-20
SKETCH.
A SKECH OF THE CAREER
OF THOMPSON WHO NET HIS
DEATH IN SAN ANTONIO.
A Wonderful Career of a Remark
able Man Briefly Told by
Those Who Knew Him.


Those Who Knew Him.
Major Ben Thompson, better known |
as Captain Ben, though his military |
commission was that of major, has
had life that reads more like ro-
an Englishman by birth, and
lea when he was very small
Liad. His father was aaI an English officer
in the British navy. He came direct
ly to Austin from his native land and
with his family settled here. The old
gentlemen was noted for his courage
but he was a shoulder hitter and not
a shooter like his son. Thompson was
forty one years cd at the time of his
death and seldom has one man crowd
ed into so brief life so many thrill
ing events.
HIS EARLY LIFE
even when a boy was that of the
man of after years. He went to
school some and acquired limited
education, but the most of his time
was spent in hunting fun. He was
known to be fighter, and those Who
were boys with him say if he had
spite at boy he would fix things so
that the boy would begin fight with
him and then he would punish him
numerically. AS early as 1853 he
had his first shooting scrap. In COM
pany with a number of other boys he
went hunting geese. The party di-
vided, and one division went down
one side of the Colorado and the other
the opposite. A flock of geese were
seen on an island in the stream and
both parties tried to crawl up to them
and get within shooting distance.
| The boys on the other side from
Thompson shot first and only scared
the geese away. This made Thomp-
| son and the boys with him angry and
they began to shoot at the others. The
other side returned the fire and reg
son proposed to the leader of the other
side, who is still living and most
highly respected citizen, to settle it by
ADUEL.
This was agreed to and the two
placed themselves forty PAGES apart
and blaZed away at each other with
shot-guns. Both were wounded, and
Thompson's opponent had to be carried
home by his comrades. The next
shooting he did, was with a negro boy
named johnson. He and the boy had
quarrel, and Thompson went home,
yot his shotgun and blazed away at
aim, wounding him quite severely.
He was arrested and put in Jail.
He had learned to play cards
before this, and while in Jail he gam
bled with a prisoner who had a lot of
jewelry, and won it all. He was In
Jail about six months. He then went
to work for man by the name of
Sadler, in book bindery, and went
with him to New Orleans. While
there, man came into the shop and
J wanted to take away certain articles
without the consent of the owner and
Thompson shot him, but
DID NOT KILL HIM,
and for this he was tried and
acquitted. He then returned to
Austin, and soon after, the war
between the states broke out. In the
year 1862, John Rapp and man
named Combs had a fuss near where
Mr.. BrahIs cigar store now is and
friend Rapp and shot Combs. He was
| AOb UI1Cu lOI U1lS. I1O UuOu WCuU
down to Laredo and got into diff
Guilty with some Mexican gamblers
he and his brother Bill, and he killed
escape. After this he joined Colo
mel Fords regiment and served
with him a short time. He was also
for a short time in the Third Texas,
and was noted for his daring. 1t was
during the war that he assisted in
lynching the
WILLIS BOYS,
who had been arrested by military
authority and confined in the guard
house. Thompson and those with
him took them to tree still standing
near the pecan elevator. and strung
them up and left them to strangle to
death.
Shortly after the war he killed a
man near the lunatic asylum. They
had some words about contraband
goods which the man possessed, and
this man leveled shotgun at Thomp-
son. and Thon pson shot him
dead in his seat. Just after
the war, and while the
state was still under military rule, he,
in company with others, killed some
United States soldiers south of the
city, and for this he was arrested and
put into the Bull Pep," as it was
called. By the aid of friends he
bribed the guard, made his escape and
went to Mexico, taking the prison
guard with him. Here he remained
for some time, and it is said,
killed several men while he was
absent. He however returned to Aus
tin before the military reg ime was
over, and shortly after he saved Judge
Schutze's life. In the heat of politi-
cal discussion five men were about to
cut him to pieces with knives, when
Thompson came to his rescue and
dr. owe the fellows off. He soon after
got into
ANOTHER DIFFICULTY,
this time with his brother-in-law,
Jim Moore, and shot Moore. He
was tried by the military court,
convicted and sent for four
years to states prison. The president
pardoned him at the expiration of two
| years, and he returned again to Austin.
Here he did not remain very long, but
joined Macmillan in Mexico and be-
came one of the most daring officers
| in that unfortunate princes army.
For his brave and gallant conduct
Macmillan promoted him to the rank
and position of major, and it
is automatically reported that the
unfortunate Macmillan once re-
marked that not an officer in all his
forces possessed the daring of Major
Thompson. His
DAsHING CONDUCT
in this Mexican campaign is said to
be one continual course of startling
deeds of bravery, and he became the
terror of the opposing forces. He in
spired the men under his command
with something of the spirit he him
self exhibited, and the regiment to
which he was attached, and which
he virtually commanded, is said
to have been lnvincible. After
the fall of MaXimilion he returned to |
Austin. 1t was about this time that |
a fellow came to the capital who said |
he was hunting Ben Thompson |
and If he could fad him would |
show him there was one man who |
was not afraid of him. Thompson
heard of it and went home and
dressed up in the height CT fashion,
sought him, and began to talk to him.
Thompson told him he was from Bos-
ton, and had come down here for his
health. He took occasion to say some
thing to draw the fellow out, and