In a few weeks after the killing of Thompson, Bill again visited
Ellsworth, and during this visit he met with an episode in which his
influence among the desperado element was clearly evidenced. Reaching
the town late in the evening, he had gone direct to the house kept by
the woman just referred to, and after taking supper and playing a few
games of cards with her, he retired to bed. About eleven o’clock at
night, loud and boisterous noises, coupled with threats to tear the
house down if admittance were refused, awakened everyone in the house.
One of the girls raised a front window and asked the crowd what they
wanted. The reply came that they intended to clean out the house, and
to open the door quick, or they would break it down. The crowd numbered
twenty of the worst men Ellsworth could produce, and as they were
two-thirds drunk, everyone in the building except Bill became very much
alarmed, and fearful that some fatal consequences would be the result.
Bill arose from bed, and telling everyone in the house to leave the
settlement of the trouble to him, descended the stairs in his night
clothes, with his two derringers in his hands. A light was burning in
the hall, and while the men were pounding on the door, and swearing
that they would burn the house and everyone in it, Bill unlocked the
door and threw it open. As he did so, he placed himself upon the
threshold, and told the crowd that he would give them just ten seconds
to leave the place, adding: “Or I’ll turn this place into a great big
slaughter-house.” The surprise depicted on the faces of those twenty
men was a fit subject for a painter. They all tried to apologize at
once. Said the leader: “I’ll take my oath, Bill, if I’d a-knowed you
was here I never would a-come; we never meant any harm, and as you are
a gentleman, and we’re drunk, we owe you an apology. We’ll leave this
minute.” They all added in chorus: “That’s so, Bill, and we beg your
pardon a thousand times.”
“Then get out of here!” responded Bill.
And they went at once.