The Kansas Pacific Railroad depots were a natural gathering place for frontier towns, bustling with dray operators moving freight for local businesses and serving as the first place where information from back East arrived, making them a center of news and gossip. The open area of the plaza also lent itself to confrontation, since innocent parties could take cover when a fight seemed imminent. In the famous shooting of Sheriff Whitney, Ben Thompson said that he and Billy went to the depots for that reason. A few shots were exchanged there between the Thompsons and Happy Jack Morco, who had stationed himself inside one of the South Main Street shops. Sheriff Whitney and City Deputy John Delong approached the Thompsons from North Main Street and guaranteed their safety. Whitney asked them to take a drink with him, and they returned to Joe Brennan's Saloon. Whitney was the only disarmed man involved, because it was Sunday and he was on his way to a picnic when the disturbance erupted.