Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-03-13

caiyed aome education III PI,",
schooIs. Even IN those day zen ils'u
tslen his bent. being wild, heruin'
scnr,,m how. When the war came o. |
thouyh but youths, he and ms orotn-
or enlisted In the cause OF the .oli'eu-
eracy CRYING in Parham's regllhsnt,
rhey y ere both daring men jus
nrjor o the close OF the MaI
ben was appointed captain, ous
before his commission was recelNeu wy
war was at an end. As he ofteh saiu
"r1vEp on EXCITEMENT"
and his restless spirit could not pr9ok
tho even ways Of peace, ana IN u spirit
Of adventure he went to Matamoras III
1865 and enlisted under MaNluiliihl'
Incoming "A captain In ms service
Alter that short war iho'hp'
son returned TO the boiuer'
and lived on monte, faro ana other
ganes along the frontier. In lSo9 NJ
came back 10 Austin and after tia'
date most of his life WAS spent IN tne
capital. His brother Billy kliieu the
-heriff at Ellsworth, Kan. Ellsworth
was then the terminal point OF Tue
drive. and many gamblers went along
with the cattlemen TO play with theih u
Ben and Billy Thompson were III NE
crowd The two brothers stood the
Officers oil with Winchester rifles, ana
escaped, returning To Texas anu 70
Austin. Billy was ef erward arrested
mud taken to Leavenworth, Kansas,
and lodged In Jail. Matters were COM
uromised, however, and lie returned
to Texas When Ben came back
To Austin fum the borders
he opened gambling house on Con
press avenue. In partnership WIN
him were Mat WOodliiie and PM
Cole. The former was killed az
Brashear CITY, La, in 1874 or 1870,
while resisting arrest. Cole WAS Killed |
in 1873 or 1874 in Kansas CITY.
THE FIRST BAD BREAK
Thompson made in Austin was
the killing of Wilson of the
variety theater in 1873. \ crowd |
of Young fellows went up to the vaTi-
ETY. theater and one of the boys got |
very NOISY. Wilson, the proprietor,
tried to make the young man leave. !
Ben took it up and said his friend WAS
not doing anything. Wilson got mad
at Ben aud said he would make him
leave the house too. Az the same time |
Wilson stepped around behind the bar
counter and picked upa doubie-barrel
shotgun, raised IL ana |
fired right into the crowd.
a policeman standing near by knocked
up the gun just IN time TO prevent
anyone being killed, but one OF the |
buckshot passed through Thompson =
sleeve. The minute the shot was |
fired Thompson pulled his gun |
and shot Wilson through the |
heart, and he fell dead. AT the
same time Matthews, the barkeeper,
raised his Winchester with the inten-
ton of firing Mt Thompson. He had !
Just got his gun up when Ben saw him
aud fired. Matthews saw that Ihonp- |
son was going To shoot, anu Iried 10 |
drop behind the counter. He got Just |
low enough to receive the shot IN MS |
mouth. Matthews recovered ana alter |
wards edited paper ut Hot springs, |
where he was lately Killed. lmmtdi,
utely after the affair the crowd walked |
to the sh-riil's Office and Ben gave
himself up. His preliminary trlal was
had next day, ana he was required 10
give IL large bond. He was acquitted
at his trial,
HAVING HIS FUN.
on hot summer night III
1874, Ben was walking IL m.
in an entirely sober condition.
He was accompanied by friend. In
front of tue Raymond house II num-
Der of guests We're sitting out To keep
cool. Que sat against the wall asleep. |
He said 10 his companion Lets |
have SOME lun.n Say Ing that he |
walked TO the man, poiSed his pistol |
under his chair and fired. The fellow
bounced about six feet into The air,
ana ran Off screaming: Pm dead. !
TN Shot Ben escaped aud as his
friend never gave him away, there are !
few that ever learned who il was that
scared the fellow.
Hen was nothing if not funny. In
1878 he and "a man named Lorraine
kept gambling house at Austin. Ben
drew out n great deal
of money, and Lorraine
! refused to give up amy more. He went
| iu where Lorraine was dealing and
said, Lorraine, amt you going to
give ME back that money!" Lorraine
said he was not. Ben pulled his gun
and shot into the check-rack then
shot into the glohe of the hazard
dealer, and finally shot one Of the gas
| lights ont. He walked oil laughing
and WAS not arrested for what he had
done. The next day Inc sent to New
York and got another check-rack.
In 1870 lac heard that y wSman
named Fannie Kelly had said some.
thing offensive about him, and went
down 10 her house TO see about it,.
Upon entering the parlor he
proceeded TO shoot out the keys
OF the piano, one after another, the
hired piano player jumping out of the
window In sueha hurry ~ to carry the
sash with him. After puncturing the
mirror ndput,lng out the lights lie
took his departure. He was not ny
rested, 80 no complaint was 1led
Al FORT WORTH.
In 1873, when Messrs. Mas & prin.
tie opened bar-room IN this
city, Ben Thompson,cam hc,e andr
4 gambling house up stairs in The same
, building.
, He didn't have much fun Will,
( here, for jim Courtright was on deck
/. One night Ben went down to Brown 5
r which WAS located corner Of Fourth
. and Houston, with Joe Lance. Ber
B shot In al the door. Jim Courtright
: went down to arrest him, and told
4 him to open the door, He replied thai
a lac would "shoot any man that cam,
4 in,p and refused 10 open the door
COPYRIGHT told him he would kicb
II In then, He replied that lie woulJ
Kill the man that KICKED 1t in. Court
Y right told linn lac was city marshal
I and Ben then had the door opened
= The two men submitted 10 arrest wer,
y dlsarmed and gave bond. They agar
" got pistol Is and pulled them out at Kra
mtr's when 1 ey Were again arrested