ng to meet Thompson if they could avoid it.
Simms later in telling his story would sob at the memory of his feeling
of helplessness at that time. The law gave him no protection. He was
obliged to take matters in his own hands. He went to a judge of the
court, and asked him what he should do. The judge pondered for a time,
and said: "Under the circumstances, I should advise a shotgun."

Simms went to one of the faro dealers of the house, a man who was known
as bad, and who never sat down to deal faro without a brace of big
revolvers on the table; but this dealer advised him to go and "make
friends with Thompson." He went to Foster, Harris' old partner, and laid
the matter before him. Foster said, slowly, "Well, Billy, when he comes
we'll do the best we can." Simms thought that he too was weakening.

There was a big policeman, a Mexican by name of Coy, who was considered
a brave man and a fighter, and Simms now went to him and asked for aid,
saying that he expected trouble that night, and wanted Coy to do his
duty. Coy did not become enthusiastic, though as a matter of fact
neither he nor Foster made any attempt to leave the place. Simms turned
away, feeling that his end was near. In desperation he got a shotgun,
and for a time stationed himself near the top of the stair up which
Thompson would probably come when entering the place. The theater was up
one flight of stairs, and at the right was the customary bar, from which
"ladies" in short skirts served drinks to the crowd during the variety
performance, which was one of the attractions of the place.

[Illustration: THE OLD CHISUM RANCH BELOW ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO]

It was nervous work, waiting for the killer to come, and Simms could not
stand it. He walked down the stairway, and took a turn around the block
before he again ascended the stairs to the hall. Meantime, Ben Thompson,
accompanied by another character, King Fisher, a man with several
notches on his gun, had ascended the stairs, and had taken a seat on the
right hand side and beyond the bar, in the row nearest the door. When
Simms stepped to the foot of the stairs on his return, he met the
barkeeper, who was livid with terror. He pointed trembling up the stair
and whispered, "He's there!" Ben Thompson and King Fisher had as yet
made no sort of demonstration. It is said that King Fisher had decoyed
Thompson into the theater, knowing that a trap was laid to kill him. It
is also declared that Thompson went in mere