It was 4:15 in the afternoon, August 2nd, in the year of Our Lord 1876. "Wild Bill" Hickock was sitting at the poker table at the #10 saloon in a black hills mining town in South Dakota, the town was called: Deadwood.....
That was the time and the place the famed American gunfighter of the Old West met his end...at least in this life.
Wild Bill Hickock, born in the state of Illinois in 1837, had gained his fame in life by killing people...people who lived "outside of the law." Actually, Wild Bill got his notoriety back in 1861. 3 men were out to kill Wild Bill because he had contested their behavior and the 3 men had taken a violent opposition to Wild Bill's objection of their behavior. Hickock spoke of his "philosophy"in situations like this as "violence can only be met with violence." The 3 men were supposedly members of a local gang called the McCanless Gang, and from there the story gets a little "hazy". Some reports indicated all 3 men were unarmed when Hickock shot and killed them...I really don't know. I do know it had to do with the same thing almost all gunfights of the time had its origins...money. And, if it wasn't money, then it was over a woman. That pretty much sums up the reasoning behind gunfighting.
After the gunfight in 1861, "Wild Bill" received notoriety of it from a popular periodical of the time; The Harper's New Monthly Magazine. His fame of the gunfight was greatly sensationalized and other articles and books were written of the "famous gunbattle".
Hickock stood over 6' tall, was known to be broad shouldered and deep chested. His holsters were adorned with the infamous 2 ivory Colt Navy revolvers, which were "butt-forward" when sitting in its holsters. "Wild Bill" was known as the "best pistol shot in the plains" and was spoke of by men like Lt. Col. George Custer who said of Hickock; " A strange character, just one which a novelist might gloat over....".
"Wild Bill" was credited with over 100 deaths, and what was somewhat forgotten in the "shadows" of his life were his tenures as a great Civil War scout, detective, spy, Indian scout, U.S deputy Marshall, county Sheriff, and town Marshall....all in the shadows because of his reputation as a gunfighter.
In private life, Hickock was noted to be courteous, soft spoken, and graceful.
It was in 1871 Hickock faced his last gunfight. The place was Abilene Texas and it was here "Wild Bill" accidentally shot his deputy, Mike Williams. Hickock was remorseful, paid for his deputy's funeral and faced William's wife to explain to her how and why it all happened.
After that, it seemed Hickock drifted along. He did appear in Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show, became a guide for wealthy hunters, and as his eyesight began to fail him, resorted to gambling in various locations. He was actually arrested several times for vagrancy.
On that afternoon in Deadwood, South Dakota it was a young gunslinger named Jack McCall who walked into the #10 saloon, came up behind "Wild Bill", put a pistol to the back of his head, and shot and killed him. Hickock never saw his murderer, and his guns had not left his holster. McCall tried to escape, but his remaining cartridges were "duds", so he was captured, tried, convicted, and hanged for the murder of "Wild Bill" Hickock. Hickock was 39 years old.
Legend says Hickock was in the midst of a poker game and in his hand at the time of his death were: a pair of black Aces and black 8's....which became known as "the Deadman's Hand."
In 1886, a town Marshall was needed in Coolidge, Kansas. They put an ad out for those who may be interested in the job...it was on July 17th this poster was brought before the public. Many thought: if "Wild Bill" were alive...he would qualify for what they are lookin' for in Coolidge. The ad read:
" WANTED: A man for Marshall with a skin of a rhinoceros, a bullet proof head, one who can see all around him, run faster than a horse, and is not afraid of anything in Hades or in Coolidge. A man who would rather kill 4 or 5 whiskey-drinking, gambling hoodlums before breakfast, than to eat without this type of exercise. Such a man can get this job at a reasonable wage, and if he puts off "climbing the golden stairs" (doesn't get shot and killed), may be eligible to get notoriety in a 10 cent novel."
As I completed this article, my 82 year old Aunt stopped in. I mentioned to her about the article I was writing on "Wild Bill". She looked at me and said: "That was the first present I received when I was a child. I was 4 years old and my Dad bought me a "Wild Bill" Hickock outfit." The year...1932. His life and legend lives on......
That was the time and the place the famed American gunfighter of the Old West met his end...at least in this life.
Wild Bill Hickock, born in the state of Illinois in 1837, had gained his fame in life by killing people...people who lived "outside of the law." Actually, Wild Bill got his notoriety back in 1861. 3 men were out to kill Wild Bill because he had contested their behavior and the 3 men had taken a violent opposition to Wild Bill's objection of their behavior. Hickock spoke of his "philosophy"in situations like this as "violence can only be met with violence." The 3 men were supposedly members of a local gang called the McCanless Gang, and from there the story gets a little "hazy". Some reports indicated all 3 men were unarmed when Hickock shot and killed them...I really don't know. I do know it had to do with the same thing almost all gunfights of the time had its origins...money. And, if it wasn't money, then it was over a woman. That pretty much sums up the reasoning behind gunfighting.
After the gunfight in 1861, "Wild Bill" received notoriety of it from a popular periodical of the time; The Harper's New Monthly Magazine. His fame of the gunfight was greatly sensationalized and other articles and books were written of the "famous gunbattle".
Hickock stood over 6' tall, was known to be broad shouldered and deep chested. His holsters were adorned with the infamous 2 ivory Colt Navy revolvers, which were "butt-forward" when sitting in its holsters. "Wild Bill" was known as the "best pistol shot in the plains" and was spoke of by men like Lt. Col. George Custer who said of Hickock; " A strange character, just one which a novelist might gloat over....".
"Wild Bill" was credited with over 100 deaths, and what was somewhat forgotten in the "shadows" of his life were his tenures as a great Civil War scout, detective, spy, Indian scout, U.S deputy Marshall, county Sheriff, and town Marshall....all in the shadows because of his reputation as a gunfighter.
In private life, Hickock was noted to be courteous, soft spoken, and graceful.
It was in 1871 Hickock faced his last gunfight. The place was Abilene Texas and it was here "Wild Bill" accidentally shot his deputy, Mike Williams. Hickock was remorseful, paid for his deputy's funeral and faced William's wife to explain to her how and why it all happened.
After that, it seemed Hickock drifted along. He did appear in Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show, became a guide for wealthy hunters, and as his eyesight began to fail him, resorted to gambling in various locations. He was actually arrested several times for vagrancy.
On that afternoon in Deadwood, South Dakota it was a young gunslinger named Jack McCall who walked into the #10 saloon, came up behind "Wild Bill", put a pistol to the back of his head, and shot and killed him. Hickock never saw his murderer, and his guns had not left his holster. McCall tried to escape, but his remaining cartridges were "duds", so he was captured, tried, convicted, and hanged for the murder of "Wild Bill" Hickock. Hickock was 39 years old.
Legend says Hickock was in the midst of a poker game and in his hand at the time of his death were: a pair of black Aces and black 8's....which became known as "the Deadman's Hand."
" WANTED: A man for Marshall with a skin of a rhinoceros, a bullet proof head, one who can see all around him, run faster than a horse, and is not afraid of anything in Hades or in Coolidge. A man who would rather kill 4 or 5 whiskey-drinking, gambling hoodlums before breakfast, than to eat without this type of exercise. Such a man can get this job at a reasonable wage, and if he puts off "climbing the golden stairs" (doesn't get shot and killed), may be eligible to get notoriety in a 10 cent novel."
As I completed this article, my 82 year old Aunt stopped in. I mentioned to her about the article I was writing on "Wild Bill". She looked at me and said: "That was the first present I received when I was a child. I was 4 years old and my Dad bought me a "Wild Bill" Hickock outfit." The year...1932. His life and legend lives on......
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