Nicknamed "Gambler's Roost," Brennan's Saloon on the south side of the street was a favorite of the sporting crowd. Ben Thompson, one of the most notorious gunmen in the West, ran the Faro tables there. Dick Clark, considered the premier gambler of his time, found a ready-made crowd of challengers, and others included Jim Moon, who once nearly killed a soldier with his bare fists, One-Legged Jim Goodwyn, and John Sterling. Sterling played a predominant role in the events that led to the shooting of Sheriff Whitney. From the street, John Sterling and lawman "Happy Jack" Morco challenged the Texans to "get your guns and fight." Although the No Gun Law was in effect in Ellsworth and Ben Thompson's guns were checked at Jake New's Saloon, he went out the back door and down the alley to retrieve them. The fight eventually moved back to the front of Brennan's, where, as Ben fired at Happy Jack, his brother Billy Thompson stumbled and accidentally shot Sheriff Chauncey Whitney in the chest with a shotgun blast. Whitney fell to the street, called for his wife, and declared that the shooting was an accident. Sheriff Chauncey B. Whitney died three days later.