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Facts and Events
| Name[1] |
Ben Thompson |
| Gender |
Male |
| Birth? |
2 Nov 1843 |
Knottingley, Yorkshire, England |
| Emigration[2] |
1851 |
Austin, Texaswith family from England |
| Military[5][12] |
To Jun 1865 |
Waco, Texasattached to a regiment of the Confederate Army |
| Other[3] |
25 Dec 1876 |
Austin, Texasshot and killed a co-owner of the Capitol Theatre |
| Other[3] |
31 May 1877 |
Jury returns Not Guilty verdict in killing of theatre owner |
| Employment[1][3][7][9] |
From 18 Dec 1880 to abt 1882 |
Austin, TexasElected City Marshal |
| Other[1][3][7] |
11 Jul 1882 |
San Antonio, Texasshot and killed Jack Harris |
| Residence[3] |
From 12 Jul 1882 to Jan 1883 |
San Antonio, Texasin jail awaiting and during trial |
| Other[1][3][8] |
20 Jan 1883 |
in the case of "State of Texas vs. Ben Thompson", the jury returns Not Guilty verdict in killing of Jack Harris |
| Death[1][6] |
11 Mar 1884 |
San Antonio, Texas |
| Cause of Death[1][3][6][10][11] |
|
Murdered (gun shot) by William ("Billy") H. Simms ... or J. C. Foster ... or Jacob S. Coy. |
| Reference Number |
|
Q4886572 (Wikidata) |
Family
According to Source 4 ("Ben Thompson, Gambler, gunfighter, poet"), in 1871 Ben's wife's name was Kate; their first child's name was Bennie; and in Dec 1871 a new girl was born to Kate. However, a stagecoach accident resulted in Kate's having an arm amputated in mid-1871.
According to Source 3 ("Billy Simms - A Lover of Fair Play"), Ben Thompson had a wife and daughter as of Jan 1883.
Wikipedia
- the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia
Ben Thompson (November 2, 1843 – March 11, 1884) was a gunman, gambler, and sometimes lawman of the Old West. He was a contemporary of "Buffalo" Bill Cody, Bat Masterson, John Wesley Hardin, and "Wild Bill" Hickok, some of whom considered him a friend, others an enemy. Thompson fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War, and later for Emperor Maximilian in Mexico. When hired in 1881 as marshal in Austin, Texas, the crime rate reportedly dropped sharply. Thompson was murdered at the age of 40 in San Antonio, Texas, in the "Vaudeville Theater Ambush."
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Knottingley born Billy Thompson, in Images of Yorkshire.
- ↑ Life in Knottingley during the nineteenth century, in Images of Yorkshire.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Billy Simms - A Lover of Fair Play, in Images of Yorkshire.
- Ben Thompson, Gambler, gunfighter, poet, in Images of Yorkshire.
- ↑ Ben Thompson's Mexican Adventure Part One, in Images of Yorkshire.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 In section "The Death of Ben Thompson" of source 1 ("Knottingley born Billy Thompson")
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 In section "Ben Thompson Kills His Man" of source 1 ("Knottingley born Billy Thompson")
- ↑ In section "Once Again Texas Rangers Arrest Billy" of source 1 ("Knottingley born Billy
- ↑ Thompson campaigned for the position in the fall of 1880 and won the election with 56% of the votes cast. (from Source 3, "Billy Simms - A Lover of Fair Play")
- ↑ From Source 3, "Billy Simms - A Lover of Fair Play":
"At the conclusion of the testimony, the coroner’s jury took only fifteen minutes to return the following verdict: Ben Thompson and J. K. Fisher both came to their deaths...from the effects of pistol shot wounds from pistols held in and fired from the hands of J. C. Foster, Jacob S. Coy and William Simms, and we further find that the said killing was justifiable and done in self defense."
Amazingly no one who testified could or would identify who actually fired the countless shots that created the twenty-two bullet wounds later found in the bodies of Thompson and Fisher. One unrelenting juror continually pressed Simms during his testimony and repeatedly asked him just who had fired the fatal shots. Simms refused to answer the question and the justice presiding sustain Simms’ right not to answer."
- ↑ From Source 3, "Billy Simms - A Lover of Fair Play":
"(In an 18 March interview, Joe Foster) claimed that it was he who fired the fatal shots into Ben Thompson. He stated that his first shot struck Thompson squarely in the chest helping to knock Thompson, Fisher and house policeman Coy to the floor. Foster then rushed up to the sprawling Thompson and placed his pistol against his left eye and turned it loose again."
- ↑ In section "The Civil War Ends in Texas" of source 5 ("Ben Thompson's Mexican Adventure Part One")
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