Ben Thompson, Gunslinger
Ben Thompson was born on November 11, 1842 in Knottingley, Yorkshire, England. When nine, his family moved to Austin, Texas. His father had once been a sailor, but by that time spent most of his time in saloons. Thompson and brother Billy used to fight bullies who made fun of their drunken father. At thirteen, Thompson shot another boy in an argument. The boy was not seriously hurt but did have to pick bird shot out of his body. About this time, his father went back to sailing and never returned. Thompson and his brother were left to support their mother and two sisters. At first they made a living by selling fish.
Thompson then got a job as an apprentice printer at the New Orleans Picayune. While there, he interfered with a man who was trying to force his attentions on a woman. The man, a Frenchman named Emile de tours, challenged him to a duel. As the challenged, Thompson got to pick the weapon. He chose to fight blindfolded in a dark room, with knives. Thompson won the fight, but had to leave town immediately.
Thompson went back to Austin, where he worked at the Southern Intelligencer office where he had worked before. He also gambled. When he discovered his skill at cards, he quit his day job. A gambler accused Thompson of cheating and challenged him to a gunfight. Thompson won that one too.
When the Civil War started, Thompson joined the cavalry in San Antonio. While there, he killed a sergeant and a lieutenant in a brawl. He escaped from jail and then signed up with another unit. He fought at the Battle of LaFourche Crossing in 1863.
While on leave, he married Catherine Moore, then returned to duty patrolling the Rio Grande. He ended up killing two Mexicans and a man named John Coombs in gambling disputes. Thompson escaped jail and returned to the army, where he served until the end of the war.
The law caught up with him and his brother in Austin, where they were charged with Coombs' death. After waiting several months in jail, he escaped and fled south of the border where he accepted a lieutenant's position in Mexican Emperor Maximilian's army. At the end of his time there he contracted yellow fever and was sick for several months. Then he returned to Austin. When he arrived, he and his brother were immediately arrested. A military court convicted them and sentenced them to ten years at Huntsville Prison. They were released two years later when civilian government came back to Austin.
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