The Vaudeville Theater Ambush of 1884 went down in history as one of the
most famous gunfights in San Antonio, but the killing that night of Ben
Thompson and John King Fisher, two of the most notorious pistoleers of
the day, became something of a mystery. The two men entered the theatre
just before midnight on March 11, and less than an hour later, both lay
dead, shot down in what for all accounts was a true massacre. The
responsible gunmen never were prosecuted for their crimes, and Thompson
and Fisher--a mere mention of either man's name was enough to put the
fear of death in any opponent--have been widely ignored since. Now,
historian G.R. Williamson brings to light the mystery and the myths
surrounding these men and their infamous deaths in Texas Pistoleers.