Ben yelled, “My God, Billy, you’ve just killed our best friend!”īen and a few Texans held off an angry crowd with rifles while Billy made his escape. Billy’s shotgun accidentally discharged and killed the sheriff. Their friend, Sheriff Whitney, came to stand beside a drunken Billy. The fight spilled into the street, and Billy came with a cocked shotgun to back up Ben.
Ben had staked a man who would not give him his half of the winnings. In 1873, Ben and his hapless brother Billy were running a gambling joint in Ellsworth, Kansas, when there was a dispute over a poker game.
