I will be." Shull said that McCanles was a "horse thief stealing horses for the Confederacy. [51], Hickok was relieved of his duties as marshal less than two months after the accidental shooting, this incident being only one of a series of questionable shootings and claims of misconduct during his career. Hickok lost his re-election bid to his deputy. When it came to relieving themselves, men and women in the American West might have ducked behind a tree. [40]:192, On July 17, 1870, Hickok was attacked by two troopers from the 7th U.S. Cavalry, Jeremiah Lonergan and John Kyle (sometimes spelled Kile),[42] in a saloon. "Wild Bill and the Timber Thieves. [16], Several weeks later, Hickok was interviewed by Colonel George Ward Nichols, and the interview was published in Harper's New Monthly Magazine. He told them to mount their ponies and ride out of town "damn quick". In 1867, Hickok took a break from the west and moved to Niagara Falls, where he tried his hand at acting in a stage play called "The Daring Buffalo Chases of the Plains. Seldom did he have to repeat himself. [20], On July 12, 1861, David McCanles went to the Rock Creek Station office to demand an overdue property payment from Horace Wellman, the station manager. A monument has since been built there. When they reached the "Alamo" saloon Coe drew his pistol and fired it. As Hickok biographer Joseph Rosa states, in his definitive book "They Called Him Wild Bill", "thus the two were linked together in a relationship in death which had never existed in life". Hickok and McCanles did not get along. It is ridiculous at face value. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. However, by the early 1860's it was known as Troy Grove. After looking the city over, Hickok decided to accept the position. Hickok hailed from Illinois and had traveled to Missouri and Kansas as a young man looking for adventure. Coe had been the business partner of known gunman Ben Thompson, with whom he co-owned the Bulls Head Saloon. On this occasion however, she recalls her family cowered in fear because they had not been warned of the approaching cowherd. Most likely McCall became enraged over what he perceived as a condescending offer from Hickok to let him have enough money for breakfast after he had lost all his money playing poker the previous day. He enlisted as a civilian scout. This would be the first recorded time he assumed the office of a law enforcement officer. The game was interrupted by Hickok getting shot. Later, after bragging of his murder of Hickok, McCall was retried in Laramie, Wyoming Territory, found guilty, and hanged on March 1, 1877. He twice asked another man at the table, Charles Rich, to change seats with him, but Rich refused. Hickok is currently interred in a ten-foot (3 m) square plot at the Mount Moriah Cemetery, surrounded by a cast-iron fence with a U.S. flag flying nearby. Jesse James suffered from it. Wild Bill is also alleged to have carried a pair of .41-caliber Williamson dual-ignition derringers as "hideout" weapons, but there's no evidence he ever used a derringer in a gunfight. With his already evident skill in shooting , James brought in local game to add to the family larder. In quick succession, Hickok was said to have then killed five members of McCanless gang and knocked out another before three more gang members threw him down on a bed, only to be bested in hand-to-hand combat by the knife-wielding Hickok. (#13189) In March or early April of 1871 the city of Abilene Kansas offered him a job as city Marshal. The man's name was H.C. Lindsay, and he and Hickok knew each other from old Indian campaign days. In through the back door walked a cowardly little man named "Jack McCall". The county was having particular difficulty holding sheriffsthree had quit over the previous 18 months. Utter claimed Hickok's body, and placed a notice in the local newspaper, the Black Hills Pioneer, which read: "Died in Deadwood, Black Hills, August 2, 1876, from the effects of a pistol shot, J. The man, Dave Tutt, had been on the Confederate side during the war. Coe explained that he was shooting at a stray dog[30] but suddenly turned his gun on Hickok, who fired first and killed Coe. [24], In late 1863, Hickok worked for the provost marshal of southwest Missouri as a member of the Springfield detective police. On August 2, 1876, Hickok was playing poker at Nuttal & Mann's Saloon No. Lorenzo, and brother James, decided to take a hand,in the matter, and prevented any harm coming to the young man. There is also a confrontation, between Hickok and five cavalry troopers, that is somewhat in dispute as to the exact facts of the event. Wild Bill Hickok, is one of the most famous figures of the wild west. Hickok encouraged McCall to quit the game until he could cover his losses and offered to give him money for breakfast. According to Hance, Lorenzo was known as "Tame Bill", and James as "Wild Bill". He was born James Butler Hickok on 27 May 1837 in Troy Grove, Illinois. [33], In September 1865, Hickok came in second in the election for city marshal of Springfield. [1]. Because a knife would not have been worn unsheathed, it is likely a photographer's prop. 55:29. The town of Deadwood, South Dakota, re-enacts Hickok's murder and McCall's capture every summer evening. "Good morning boys and young ladies", he said to the group of young children. Hickok left his new bride a few months later, joining Charlie Utter's wagon train to seek his fortune in the gold fields of South Dakota. Col. George Armstrong Custer. Bonhams . [2][28] It is also recorded that when Hardin's cousin Mannen Clements was jailed for the killing of two cowboys, Hickok, at Hardin's request, arranged for his escape.[29]. Di Certo is the author of ten books and composer of three albums of children's songs. The bullet hit Hickok in the back of the head, killing him instantly. If the deceased and defendant engaged in a fight or conflict willingly on the part of each, and the defendant killed the deceased, he is guilty of the offense charged, although the deceased may have fired the first shot. Hickok said he had "tried to restore order". The bullet emerged through Wild Bills right cheek striking Captain Massie in the left wrist. 21:28. Potato Creek Johnny, a local Deadwood Celebrity from the late 1800s and early 1900s is also buried next to Wild Bill. On this fateful day Wild Bill violated one of his own cardinal rules and was sitting with his back to a door. McCanles also acted as the stations manager before the company replaced him with Horace Wellman, and McCanles had reputedly ridiculed Hickok during his convalescence from his injuries. He was involved in several notable shootouts during the course of his life. For the thirty-seven years Agnes survived Hickok she never remarried. It is likely that Hickok was already acting sheriff when elected as a newspaper reported him arresting offenders on 18 August and the commander of Fort Hays praised Hickok for his work in apprehending deserters in a letter he wrote to the Assistant Adjutant General on 21 August. PHOTOS: (1) Wild Bill as a young man. Hickok's brother, Lorenzo Butler Hickok, traveled from Illinois to attend the retrial. Most newspapers referred to him as William Haycock until 1869. The citizens of Abilene soon learned that they had nothing to fear, from the rowdy trail herd cowboys, with Wild Bill on the job. Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok: With Guy Madison, Andy Devine, Sam Flint, William Haade. Despite his reputation,[70] Hickok was buried in the Ingelside Cemetery, Deadwood's original graveyard. Hickok was still, or again, in Hays in August 1868 when he brought 200 Cheyenne to Hays to viewed by excursionists. The above few examples are typical of the numerous inconsistencies, inaccurate facts, and downright falsehoods connected to the Calamity Jane/Hickok stories. She died on August 21st 1907. The most reasonable, and the one most often related is as follows. But Coe "reckoned without his host". This proved to be not a very practical method. The plot of the film is almost entirely fictional and bears little resemblance to the actual lives of the protagonists. [9], Shortly before his death, Hickock wrote a letter to his new wife, which read in part, "Agnes Darling, if such should be we never meet again, while firing my last shot, I will gently breathe the name of my wifeAgnesand with wishes even for my enemies I will make the plunge and try to swim to the other shore. After the story was published McCormick's story changed. 10 in Deadwood, in the Black Hills, Dakota Territory. His motive was never really known, but some folks thought the criminal element in Deadwood feared the famous lawman and decided to eliminate him. McCall claimed at the resulting two-hour trial (by a motley group of assembled miners and businessmen) that he was avenging Hickok's earlier slaying of his brother. When he saw Hickok, he leveled his cocked rifle at him. It is believed that McCanles arrived at the station with his son, Monroe; his cousin, James Woods; and James Gordon, a man in his service. Shortly before Hickok's death, he wrote a letter to his new wife, which reads in part: "Agnes Darling, if such should be we never meet again, while firing my last shot, I will gently breathe the name of my wife-Agnes-and with wishes even for my enemies I will make the plunge and try to swim to the other shore" and "My dearly beloved if I am to die today and never see the sweet face of you I want you to know that I am no great man and am lucky to have such a woman as you", http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=479&ref=wvr. Two troopers, Jeremiah Lonergan and John Kile (Kyle), set upon Hickok in a saloon. Outlaw John Wesley Hardin arrived in Abilene at the end of a cattle drive in early 1871. [46]:4558[48] A newspaper reported, "A man was killed in his bed at a hotel in Abilene, Monday night, by a desperado called 'Arkansas'. Abilene's town gun laws did not allow this type of activity. Summary: A collection of 32 letters written by relatives of "Wild Bill" (James Butler) Hickok. The White Buffalo (1977), starring Charles Bronson as Hickok, tells a tale of Hickok's hunt for a murderous white buffalo that follows him in his nightmares. "Gunfighters of the Real West: Wild Bill Hickok. 12/26/2019 By John Adamski. Apparently, the joining of the Kansas Free Staters was not a full time occupation for young James. Hickok is currently interred in a 10ft (3m) square plot at the Mount Moriah Cemetery, surrounded by a cast-iron fence, with a U.S. flag flying nearby. His exploits in the West were published in an . Shortly before Hickok's death, he wrote a letter to his new wife, which reads in part: "Agnes Darling, if such should be we never meet again, while firing my last shot, I will gently breathe the name of my wife Agnes and with wishes even for my enemies I will make the plunge and try to swim to the other shore.". It is said he met the famous frontiersman Kit Carson while so employed. This in turn was destroyed by relic hunters and replaced in 1902 by a life-size sandstone sculpture of Hickok. In 1886, ten years after Hickok's death, the Dead man's hand was explained as being three Jacks and a pair of Tens in a North Dakota newspaper which attributed the term to a specific game held in Illinois 40 years earlier, indicating that Hickok's hand had yet to gain widespread popularity. McCall was subsequently rearrested after bragging about his deed, and a new trial was held. On July 21, 1865, the two men faced off in Springfield's town square, standing sideways before drawing and firing their weapons. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. He usually sat with his back to a wall so he could see the entrance, but the only seat available when he joined the game was a chair facing away from the door. Jane claimed that James Butler Hickok was the father. [12], While in Nebraska, Hickok was derisively referred to by one man as "Duck Bill" for his long nose and protruding lips. Hickok is a playable character in the 2018 board game Deadwood 1876 by Faade Games. Moriah Cemetery, Deadwood, SD Spouse: Agnes LAKE b. It's fitting that Wild Bill Hickok's gun would finally end up in the Adams Museum in Deadwood, South Dakota, the town where he was shot in the back of the head during a card game. To provide for his large family, the teenager took up hunting. These were silver-plated with ivory handles, and were engraved: "J.B. Hickock-1869". Reddish shades in hair appeared black in early wet and dry plate photography. Picks on rebels, especially Texans, to kill." Different versions of what occurred that day exist, depending upon which side one relies on. [a][8], In 1855, at age 18, James Hickok fled Illinois following a fight with Charles Hudson, during which both fell into a canal; each thought, mistakenly, that he had killed the other. Second, they never had a captain named "O'Neil" in the list of their ships captains! A man named Samuel Strawhun, a well known Hays city ruffian, decided to "clean out" one of the local saloons. Eventually, some of the more aggressive followers formed into groups. Chronology on Life of James Butler (Wild Bill) HICKOK, --------------------------------------------------------------------------------. [citation needed], From 1871 until his death in 1876, Hickok had vision problems. Most are addressed to Adah F. Saunders (Mrs. Harry P.) Daily of Oberlin, Kansas. According to the Harpers account, Hickok, while guiding a detachment of Union cavalry through southern Nebraska, decided to stop and visit an old friend, Wellmans wife, at Rock Creek Station. Hickok and Lanihan remained, respectively, sheriff and deputy as Hickok accused J.V. Hickok returned to Fort Riley after his duties with Sherman were concluded. This incident had a profound impact on young Bill Tilghman. In actuality, this kind of thing very rarely occurred, and the true life Western storieslike Wild Bill Hickok being shot in the back while playing cardstell a much more gruesome and less gallant tale. McLintock used a cane to tap the body, face, and head, finding no soft tissue anywhere. In accordance with her dying wish, Martha Jane Cannary, known popularly as Calamity Jane, was buried next to him. Coe supposedly stated that he could "kill a crow on the wing," and Hickok's retort is one of the West's most famous sayings (though possibly apocryphal): "Did the crow have a pistol? Moriah Cemetery, Deadwood, Lawrence, South Dakota Notes: Just as he pulled the trigger one of the policemen rushed around the corner between Coe and the pistols and both balls entered his body, killing him instantly. His romance with Martha Jane Burke, aka "Calamity Jane," similarly provided material for dime novelists. Hickok didn't seem to feel comfortable with all the "make believe" and never quite fit in. Wild Bill is probably the most famous Deadwood resident, even though he was only in town a few short weeks. Hickok was a good shot from a very young age and recognized locally as an outstanding marksman with a pistol. Hickok did not make a continuous patrol of the streets, as did his predecessor Tom Smith, but instead did it only a couple of times a day. Hickok, naturally, did not care for the comment. Although the true version of how, or when, Hickok acquired the sobriquet may never be known, it is known that in this area of the country, during this time period, James Butler Hickok began being known as "Wild Bill Hickok"! [8] On March 22, 1858, he was elected as one of the first four constables of Monticello Township, Kansas. His most famous descendant is James Butler (Wild Bill) Hickok. Sometime toward the end of 1867 records show that Hickok was in Hays City Kansas, working as a deputy U.S. Hickok rode Buckshot while 300-pound Jingles rode Joker. Pard, we will meet again in the happy hunting ground to part no more. The plan was to see if a full grown buffalo could be roped and captured from horseback. The family home even had a hidden cellar which they would use to hide the escapees. He quickly fired one shot in reaction, accidentally shooting and killing Abilene Special Deputy Marshal Mike Williams, who was coming to his aid, an event that would haunt him for the remainder of his life. Hickok gave a newspaper interview where the world learned about "Wild Bill" Hickok. He then drew his revolvers, fired over the heads of the mob, and stated he would shoot the first man to move. McCall lost heavily. There was no such recollection, of the incident, in the minds of old Abilene residents. The family participated in the Underground Railroad before the Civil War and even used their home as a station stop. [31], Several weeks later, an interview Hickok gave to Colonel George Ward Nichols, a journalist who subsequently became known as the creator of the Hickok legend,[32] was published in Harper's New Monthly Magazine. Not having the courage to do it himself, he one day filled about 200 cowboys with whiskey intending to get them into trouble with Wild Bill, hoping that they would get to shooting and in the melee shoot the marshal. Hickok and his accomplices, the station manager Horace Wellman, his wife, and an employee, J.W. Under the name "Wild Bill Hitchcock" [sic], the article recounted the "hundreds" of men whom Hickok had personally killed and other exaggerated exploits. He usually kept his back to walls, and avoided open doorways and windows. Marshal in the whole West." And that's about it: he beat up all the bad guys and somehow kept his good looks. As vile a character as I ever met for some cause Wild Bill incurred Coe's hatred and he vowed to secure the death of the marshal. "George Ward Nichols and the Legend of Wild Bill Hickok. In his 1895 autobiography (published after his own death and 19 years after Hickok's), Hardin claimed to have disarmed Hickok using the famous road agent's spin during a failed attempt to arrest him for wearing his pistols in a saloon. [32] There is another account of the Coe shootout. McCall was eventually tried and convicted of Hickok's murder, and was hanged. Four of the men on the self-appointed committee who planned Calamity's funeral (Albert Malter, Frank Ankeney, Jim Carson, and Anson Higby) later stated that, since Hickok had "absolutely no use" for Jane in this life, they decided to play a posthumous joke on him by laying her to rest by his side. On August 2, 1876, Hickok was playing poker at Nuttal & Mann's Saloon No. Hardin alleged that when his cousin, Mannen Clements, was jailed for the killing of two cowhands (Joe and Dolph Shadden) in July 1871, Hickokat Hardin's requestarranged for his escape. Politics Astrological Sign:. Twice he asked Rich to change seats with him and on both occasions Rich refused. Brink, were tried but judged to have acted in self-defense. One of Hickok's friends, White Eyed Jack Anderson, said that he had seen Calamity back in 1879. Hickok was offered the position of Marshal after the previous one,Tom Smith, was killed in the line of duty. It has been reported that Calamity Jane was buried next to him because that was her dying wish. The "special election" may not have been legal, as a letter dated September 17 to the governor of Kansas noted that Hickok had presented a warrant for an arrest which was rejected by the Fort Hays commander, because, when asked to produce his commission, Hickok admitted that he had never received one. Born in Illinois in 1837, James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok first gained . . [13], Hickok was arrested for murder two days later; however, the charge was later reduced to manslaughter. Hickok's killing of Whistler the Peacemaker with a long-range rifle shot had influence in preventing the Sioux from uniting to resist the settler incursions into the Black Hills. Many historic sites and monuments commemorate his life, and he has been depicted numerous times in literature, film, and television. Citizens of the town complained to Hickok, who requested that Thompson and Coe remove the image. Without waiting to see the results of his shot, Hickok turned on his heel and faced an angry group of Tutt's friends, who had taken a position behind him. They were immediately sobered up and struck dumb with fear. Hickok family papers. [19], In July 1869, Hickok was back in Hays and was elected sheriff and city marshal of Ellis County, Kansas, in a special election, on August 23, 1869.[20]. David McCanles "called out" Wild Bill from the Station House. [17], In September 1865, Hickok came in second in the election for City Marshal of Springfield. Although the show brought Hickok some much-needed income, he was unhappy, began drinking heavily, and returned to the West in March 1874. This was cut open by relic hunters in the 1950s and the statue removed.[46]. For confirmation that Hickok was employed as a U.S. Army scout fighting Indians in Kansas in the summer of 1867, see Ames, George Augustus, Russell, Majors and Waddell freight company, List of cultural depictions of Wild Bill Hickok, "How many men did Wild Bill Hickok actually kill? They quickly and quietly left town. [6] Since the event was outdoors, he could not compel people to pay, and the venture was a financial failure. The trial did not last more than fifteen minutes.[23]. Richardson wrote of the encounter for the April 1877 issue of Scribner's Monthly, in which he mentions McCall's second trial. There are many versions of the shootout that occurred at Rock Creek on July 12, 1861, shortly after the start of the Civil War, and all, in one way or another, contributed to Hickoks legend. Naturally, all such claims were made long after Hickok was dead. But Coe "reckoned without his host." [18] On March 22, 1858, he was elected one of the first four constables of Monticello Township. It was apparent that his marksmanship and health had been suffering for some time, as he had been arrested several times for vagrancy, despite earning a good income from gambling and displays of showmanship only a few years earlier. William Austin, the cemetery caretaker, estimated 500lb (230kg). The bear attacked, crushing Hickok with its body. This was during the Indian Wars, in which Hickok sometimes served as a scout for General George A. Custer's 7th Cavalry. She said she was the daughter of Jane and Wild Bill Hickok, and was born in a cabin near Livingston, Montana in 1873. Jingles described Hickok as "the bravest, strongest, fightingest U.S. [36] It is believed that the two met for the first time after Jane was released from the guardhouse in Fort Laramie and joined the wagon train that Hickok was traveling with. [43], On April 15, 1871, Hickok became marshal of Abilene, Kansas. Nowadays, though, his place of birth is called Troy Grove. authorities, and after trial has been sentenced to death for willful murder. He served for a time as a United States Marshal. In December of 1871 Abilene discharged Hickok as city marshal, after he had made one of the most lawless towns on the frontier safe for decent people.

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