It is a loose adaptation of Hickok's life, ending with his famous aces-and-eights card hand. Elizabeth later married William Adams in 1648. Nicholss version of the shootout in Harpers grabbed the publics attention, making Hickok an instant legend whose gunfighting prowess became fodder for dime novels. He was a stagecoach driver on the Santa Fe and Oregon trails, a spy and scout for the Union Army, marshal of two cities, and traveled with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. Barnum, and a man called Colonel Sidney Barnett of the Niagara Falls area of New York state. He kicked in doors of all the saloons, ordered everyone out, and shut them down. His most famous descendant is James Butler (Wild Bill) Hickok. The bear then grabbed his arm in its mouth, but Hickok was able to grab his knife and slash its throat, killing it. [2] His famous statement to Coe, who supposedly stated he could "kill a crow on the wing," (flying) is one of the Old West's most famous sayings, and showed that Hickok was certainly a cool customer in a fight. "J.B. Hickok, Deputy U.S. According to Joseph G. Rosa, Hickok's biographer and the foremost authority on Wild Bill, Hickok killed only six or seven men in gunfights. In July, Hickok told a newspaper reporter he had led several soldiers in pursuit of Indians who had killed four men near the fort on 2 July. Wild Bill Hickok was born in Homer, Illinois (name later changed to Troy Grove, Illinois) on May 27, 1837. In 1941, Jean Hickok McCormick appeared in Billings, Montana. Mistakenly thinking he had killed Hudson, Hickok fled and joined General Jim Lane's vigilante "Free State Army" (The Red Legs) where he met 12-year-old William Cody, later to be known as "Buffalo Bill," who at that time was a scout for Johnston's Army. When Hickok was born Troy Grove was known as "Homer". This was his sixth murder. Many characters in Western novels are fashioned after Hickok. Moriah Cemetery, Deadwood, Lawrence, South Dakota Notes: Springfield Missouri, and another date with destiny was where he headed next. Marshal. McCall may have been paid for the deed, or it may have been the result of a recent dispute between the two. As can be seen in this account, not counting Indians, Hickok killed five men (one by accident), was an accessory in the deaths of three more, and wounded one. His version has Hickok and brother Lorenzo transporting a wagon load of supplies, near a small town between Rolla and Springfield Missouri. It ends with Hickok surviving the murder attempt due to wearing body armor and being shot in the back, then secretly leaving for a ranch in California. The episode correctly relates Hickok's vision problems late in his life, and also includes his murderer, Jack McCall, in a highly fictionalized role. Col. George Armstrong Custer. The man continued to annoy Hickok, so he knocked the man down. James Butler Hickok Family History . They were immediately sobered up and struck dumb with fear. McCall was eventually tried and convicted of Hickok's murder, and was hanged. Good bye, Colorado Charlie, C. H. It meant money for shopkeepers, saloon owners and brothels. McCanles reportedly threatened Wellman, and either Wellman or Hickok, who was hiding behind a curtain, killed McCanles. [6], Hickok was a good shot from a young age, and was recognized locally as an outstanding marksman with a pistol. Furk Mus2017. Born in Illinois in 1837, James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok first gained . The bear attacked, crushing Hickok with its body. He earned a great deal of notoriety in his own time, much of it bolstered by the many outlandish and often fabricated tales he told about himself. He joined a Quaker group that was involved in the business of assisting escaped slaves. [23] After Strawhun made remarks against Hickok, Strawhun died instantly from a bullet through the head as Hickok tried to restore order. Hickok was a good shot from a very young age. Both men are iconic legends and folk heroes of the Old West; Cody as a cowboy, Pony Express rider, stage coach driver, teamster, Union Army soldier, civilian army scout, buffalo hunter, and ultimately the greatest of showmen; and Hickok as a Union . No one was allowed to get too near. The second trial was not considered double jeopardy because of the irregular jury in the first trial and because Deadwood was at the time in unorganized Indian country. Funeral services will be held at Charlie Utter's Camp, on Thursday afternoon, August 3, 1876, at 3 o'clock P. M. All are respectfully invited to attend. In 1859, he joined the Russell, Majors and Waddell freight company, the parent company of the Pony Express. She is the daughter of William T. Saunders of Augusta, Illinois, and sister to Minnie Rohrbaugh of Chicago and W. A. Saunders of Parker, Kansas. Several official documents, still in existence, show Hickok being paid for services rendered to the Provost Marshal's office. On August 2, 1876, during a poker game in a saloon that found him with his back uncharacteristically to the door, Hickok was shot in the back of his head by Jack McCall, who may have been hired to kill him. They have even doubted accomplishments for which there is ample documentation. Hickok came to the West as a stagecoach driver, then became a lawman in the frontier territories of Kansas and Nebraska. The problem with this recollection" of Hardin's is that there is absolutely no evidence it ever happened. At 19, Hickok was elected constable of Monticello Township. His skills as a gunfighter and scout, along with his reputation as a lawman, provided the basis for his fame, although some of his exploits are fictionalized. Inevitably nicknamed" Wild Bill" for the folk hero of the American Old West, and also known as "Hickey," he starred at Yale University in track as well as football and was eventually inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. My ancestor Amanda came from Samuel's line and "Wild Bill" came from Joseph's line. Utter.". [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. Deadwood recently authorized gambling, Las Vegas style, and might, in time, be once again the wild and wooly town of Hickok's day. The first, on 24 was Bill Mulvey, who "got the drop" on Hickok. Shoot Out with "Wild Bill" Hickok, 1869 Buffalo Bill Entertains a Russian Grand Duke, 1872 Battle With The Apache, 1872 Captured by the Arapaho, 1875 Encounter with the Texas Rangers, 1876 Custer's Last Stand Traveling on an Emigrant Train, 1879 The Death Of Billy The Kid, 1881 Ranchers and Farmers Collide in Nebraska, 1884 A Cowboy in Dodge City Updates? Citizens warned Mulvey to behave, because Hickok was sheriff. 910 Listens. 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. One thing led to another and soon five or six of them lay unconscious on the pool room floor. Pard, we will meet again in the happy hunting ground to part no more. As a result, calcium carbonate from the surrounding soil had replaced the flesh, leading to petrifaction. After the war, he served as marshall in several rough frontier towns, and as a cavalryman in the "Indian Wars." t" it Springfield is nor Which i" it by 20t.T Illustration of James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok, Harpers New Monthly Magazine February 1867 [65][66], McCall was summoned before an informal "miners' jury" (an ad hoc local group of miners and businessmen). . A monument has been built there. Thousands of future books, movies, and TV shows would replay this scene in one fashion or another. 10 in Deadwood, in the Black Hills, Dakota Territory, Hickok could not find an empty seat in the corner of the room, where he always sat in order to protect himself against a possible attack from behind, and instead sat with his back to one door while facing another. McCall lost heavily. 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. Legend has it that Hickok, playing poker when he was shot, was holding a pair of aces and a pair of eights, with the fifth card disputed. [9], Hickok used his late father's name, William Hickok, from 1858, and the name William Haycock during the American Civil War. There are many stories concerning why there was bad feeling between Coe and Hickok. At the coroner's inquest into Strawhun's death, despite "very contradictory" evidence from witnesses, the jury found the shooting justifiable. [64], Hickok was playing five-card stud or five-card draw when he was shot. Those who complied fared well. awaiting execution. His gunfighting skills eventually earned him the nickname "Wild Bill". On August 2, 1876, while playing poker at Nuttal & Mann's Saloon No. His birthplace is now the Wild Bill Hickok Memorial, a listed historic site under the supervision of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. 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. Hickok made the acquaintance of another individual at the Fort, also destined for fame, Will Cody later known as "Buffalo Bill". On this fateful day Wild Bill violated one of his own cardinal rules and was sitting with his back to a door. [74] He wore his revolvers butt-forward in a belt or sash (when wearing city clothes or buckskins, respectively), and seldom used holsters; he drew the pistols using a "reverse", "twist", or cavalry draw, as would a cavalryman. This Hickok did, with the aid of his deputies, although both he and his men were openly cursed for doing their duty. That story is also thought to be an exaggeration. He further claimed that Hickok, as a result, had two guns cocked and pointed at him. Hickok's duties as a police detective were mostly mundane and included counting the number of troops in uniform drinking while on duty, checking hotel liquor licenses and tracking down individuals in debt to the Union to facilitate repayment. The old woman had tears in her eyes, recalling the incident, even after all the passing years. Wikimedia Commons. The bullet emerged through Wild Bills right cheek striking Captain Massie in the left wrist. [67], After bragging about killing Hickok, McCall was rearrested. Hickok was severely injured, with a crushed chest, shoulder, and arm. He calmly told them that if they didn't return their pistols to their holsters, which they had drawn them from, there would be more "dead men" in the square. Since he was actually shot in the back of the head, that plot element is a complete artifice of the episode writers. "Good morning boys and young ladies", he said to the group of young children. Industries Crime and Terrorism U.S. 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. Jean McCormick was the daughter of Jane Calamity Jane Cannary and James Butler Wild Bill Hickok. ", Nichols, George Ward (1867). Mr. Hickok was assassinated in Deadwood, South Dakota on August 2, 1876. Because a knife would not have been worn unsheathed, it is likely a photographer's prop. She died on August 21st 1907. There are no records which prove, or disprove that a child was born to them. This angered the buffalo and panicked audience members, causing the animals to break free of their wire fencing and chase audience members, some of whom were trampled. While a Jayhawker, he met 12-year-old William Cody (later known as "Buffalo Bill"), who, despite his youth, served as a scout just two years later for the U.S. Army during the Utah War. Although the historical records are scarce, they do exist and incidents of Hickok's bravery are numerous during his war duty. While he was growing up, his father's farm was one of the stops on the Underground Railroad, and he learned his shooting skills protecting the farm with his father from slave catchers. There was also overtones of a "woman" being involved in the problem between McCanles and Hickok. Hickok never mentioned it in his statements. Kingsbury. Citizens of the town complained to Hickok, who requested that Thompson and Coe remove the image. Two men walk towards each other across a dusty western town square. Eventually, Hickok's "Aces and eights" became widely accepted as the "Dead Man's Hand. In these few, but eloquent compassionate words is revealed true man among men, a true hero, and another glimpse into the character that became a legend. "Wild Bill" Hickok, one of the greatest gunfighters of the American West, is murdered in Deadwood, South Dakota. A later film (1953) and subsequent stage musical, both titled Calamity Jane, also portray a romance between Calamity Jane and Hickok. Bonhams auction company offered this pistol at auction on November 18, 2013, in San Francisco, California,[75] described as Hickok's Smith & Wesson No. Thank you Steve and Gary! During the years 1859-60 Hickok drove freight wagons, and coaches along the Santa Fe Trail. Pard, we will meet again in the happy hunting ground to part no more. Although buckskins are often seen in movies depicting earlier periods, Hickok was one of the first to wear them.On July 21, 1865, in the town square of Springfield, Missouri, Hickok killed Davis Tutt, Jr. in a "quick draw" duel. From early on, he loved guns-practicing target shooting on squirrels, rabbits and other small animals. City councilmen instructed Hickok to close down the various houses of "ill repute", and some of the gambling houses. My 8th Grandfather was Thomas Fairchild, a founder of Stratford, CT, and I come thru the lineage of his son, Joseph.Anyway, I also recently noticed a celebrity tree on Genealogy.com that links Wild Bill Hickok with Fairchilds, as . shot Tutt to prevent the threatened impending injury [then] the jury will acquit.". The letters describe the adventures of the Hickok children (including Wild Bill) in California, Kansas, Missouri and elsewhere, and their parents and family in Troy Grove, Illinois. Tilghman wrote; "He was mounted on no prancing charger, only a sturdy government mule, but he rode with the easy grace of a Plainsman. The hand of cards which he supposedly held at the time of his death has become known as the dead man's hand: two pairs; black aces and eights. Brink, were tried but judged to have acted in self-defense. In any case, Hardin appeared to have thought highly of Hickok. The wagon train arrived in Deadwood in July 1876. At Strawhuns inquest, despite "very contradictory" evidence from witnesses, the jury found the shooting justifiable. In short, Abilene was in for a very rude awakening. Sadly, William Alonzo Hickok died when James was just 15 years old. Hickok had only three deputies and himself, to control upwards of five thousand rowdy citizens. The bullet hit Hickok in the back of the head, killing him instantly. In 1864 Hickok and the other detectives had not been paid for some time, and Hickok either resigned or was reassigned as he was hired as a scout by General John B. Sanborn at five dollars a day plus a horse and equipment. To this family the lines between right and wrong were not as blurred as they are today. Getty Images. The Barnett show eventually proved to be a financial disaster, causing Mr. Barnett serious monetary problems. The show was sponsored by Kellogg Cereals . That woman was delicately known as "Calamity Jane". Hickok once shot and killed his own deputy in error, which was the downfall of his career as a lawman. William died in 1645 leaving a widow and 2 young sons, Samuel and Joseph. This too was badly defaced which led to its complete enclosure in a cage for protection. Wild Bill had learned of the scheme and cornered Coe, had his two pistols drawn on Coe. Marshal Smith was struck with an ax and almost decapitated while attempting to enforce the law at a local rancher's home. By 1862 he was made the "chief wagon master" in his unit. He developed habits, of personal safety, to protect himself. ), 18721886. After shooting Coe, Hickok caught a glimpse of someone running toward him and quickly fired two more shots in reaction, accidentally shooting and killing Abilene Special Deputy Marshal Mike Williams, who was coming to his aid. Hickok left Springfield and opened a new chapter in his life. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. He replaced Tom "Bear River" Smith, who had been killed while serving an arrest warrant on November 2, 1870. PHOTOS: (1) Wild Bill as a young man. Geni requires JavaScript! the enaing it in civil visited the city of in of the Stale, road. Summary: A collection of 32 letters written by relatives of "Wild Bill" (James Butler) Hickok. Almost the entire town attended the funeral, and Utter had Hickok buried with a wooden grave marker reading: "Wild Bill, J. Add to Playlist. When they reached the "Alamo" saloon Coe drew his pistol and fired it. American folk hero and lawman (18371876), For the American football player and industrialist, see, Arapaho Joe and Colorado Charlie Utter at Hickok's grave, photograph date unknown, Pistols known to have been carried by Hickok. Coe had been the business partner of known gunman Ben Thompson, with whom he co-owned the Bulls Head Saloon. In truth, he seems to have been afflicted with trachoma, a common vision disorder of the time. Finally, her "friends" decided to also change the date of her death. His story of fighting a grizzly bear, which he claims mistook him for food due to his greasy buckskins, personified a man who feared nothing alive, and after emptying his pistols into the bear, killed it with a Bowie knife. According to Historynet, his father, William Alonzo Hickock, and mother, Polly Butler Hickock, had met and married in Vermont in 1827, and moved to Troy Grove in 1833.There, they opened a general store, called the Green Mountain House (presumably a nod to their home, the Green Mountain State), which did well at . They pull their guns and shoot. It is recorded that before "Buffalo Bill" developed his "Wild West show, others had attempted similar productions. Hickok lost his re-election bid to his deputy. They had a falling out, and Tutt stepped in to console her. By 1854 Hickok's father had died and he was bored with both farming and life in Troy Grove. Utter.". 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. In June, Hickok mustered out and went to Springfield, where he gambled. ", Judge Boyd said, "That when danger is threatened and impending a man is not compelled to stand with his arms folded until it is too late to offer successful resistance, and if the jury believe from the evidence that Tutt was a fighting character and a dangerous man and that [Defendant] was aware such was his character and that Tutt at the time he was shot by the Deft. Good bye, Colorado Charlie, C. H. That derisive nickname may have been given to him by David McCanles, who had sold the buildings that became the Pony Expresss Rock Creek station, on credit, to Russell, Majors and Waddell. Almost the entire town attended the funeral, and Utter had Hickok buried with a wooden grave marker reading: "Wild Bill, J. [45], Hickok later said he did not know that "Wesley Clemmons" was Hardin's alias, and that he was a wanted outlaw. B. Hickok killed by the assassin Jack McCall in Deadwood, Black Hills, August 2d, 1876. in an instant, he pulled the triggers again sending two bullets into Coe's abdomen (Coe lived a day or two) and whirling with his two guns drawn on the drunken crowd of cowboys, "and now do any of you fellows want the rest of these bullets." Hickok's retort is one of the West's most famous sayings (though possibly apocryphal): "Did the crow have a pistol? On this occasion however, she recalls her family cowered in fear because they had not been warned of the approaching cowherd. Guess they weren't fans of The Simpsons. A monument has since been built there. Shull said that Hickok killed McCanles in "self-defense". Was he shooting back? Those who objected or resisted were knocked through, or out, the doors and into the street. The most reasonable, and the one most often related is as follows. He told them to mount their ponies and ride out of town "damn quick". [32] There is another account of the Coe shootout. In 1857, Hickok claimed a 160-acre (65 ha) tract in Johnson County, Kansas (in what is now the city of Lenexa),[4] where, on March 22 in 1858, he was elected as one of the first four constables of Monticello Township, Kansas. However, the Columbia Broadcasting System got interested in the claim and broadcasted it on a program known as "We the People". In the "dimestore novels', exploits of Hickok were presented in heroic form, making him seem larger than life. [14] He then instructed them that they could apply the unwritten law of the "fair fight" and acquit. Abilene was a rough and rowdy cowtown, in those days. At the time of his death Hickok was holding black aces and eights with the fifth card the Jack of Diamonds. McCall may have been paid for the deed, or it may have been the result of a recent dispute between the two. Hickok's horse was called Black Nell, and he owned two Colt 1851 Navy Revolvers. [10], Hickok 1869. Calamity Jane is a 1953 musical-Western film from Warner Bros. starring Doris Day and Howard Keel as Wild Bill Hickok. Wild Bill was having a run of bad luck that day and was forced to borrow a poker stake from the bartender. Hickok had to shoot another man, in performance of his duties, named Mulvey who was another town troublemaker. His paranoia was prescient: he was shot in the back of the head with a .45-caliber revolver by Jack McCall. Hickok became his hero and he strove to emulate him in many ways during his life. They arrived in Topeka on April 2. On October 5, 1871, Hickok was standing off a crowd during a street brawl when Coe fired two shots. He was an assistant station tender for the Pony Express at the Rock Creek, Nebraska station. 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? Instinctively, he liked them and they liked him. 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. With his already evident skill in shooting , James brought in local game to add to the family larder. Deadwood however, has gone through many more changes than Troy Grove. ", DeMattos, Jack (1980). His nickname of Wild Bill has inspired similar nicknames for men named William (even though that was not Hickok's name) who were known for their daring in various fields. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Red objects generally appear black in early photographs, as the photographic processes were insensitive to red light. When the Civil War began in 1861, Hickok joined the fray as a Union soldier and spy, even fighting in the Battle of Wilson's Creek. [77][78] A print of the film is maintained in the Museum of Modern Art film archive.[79]. On the contrary, he was applauded. On Nov. 18 Bonhams Auctioneers will sell a Smith & Wesson Model No.2 pistol Wild Bill Hickok may have been carrying on Aug. 2, 1876, when he was murdered at a poker table in Deadwood, SD. [1], In 1855, at the age of 18, Hickok moved to Kansas Territory following a fight with Charles Hudson, which resulted in both falling into a canal. 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. B. Hickock [sic] (Wild Bill) formerly of Cheyenne, Wyoming. Please select which sections you would like to print: Joseph J. The regiment was none other than the famous "7th" Cavalry, led by the equally famous Lt. It is also during this time that Hickok's trademark characteristics are recorded for the first time. In September 1862 he was discharged for an undisclosed reason and there are no records of his whereabouts until late 1863, when he was employed by the Provost Marshal of South-West Missouri as a member of the Springfield detective police. 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. There were also women in the house, conceivably armed with shotguns. In the HBO show Deadwood (2004-2006), Wild Bill is played by Keith Carradine. [43], "As I write the closing lines of this brief sketch, word reaches me that the slayer of Wild Bill has been re-arrested by the United State authorities, and after trial has been sentenced to death for willful murder. 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. Hickok's brother, Lorenzo Butler, traveled from Illinois to attend the retrial. Hickok was bedridden for months before he went to southern Nebraska in the summer of 1861 to work at the Pony Express station at Rock Creek. The murderer escaped. On October 5, 1871, Hickok was standing off a crowd during a street brawl, during which time Coe fired two shots. There the familys small farm served as a stop on the Underground Railroad. Hickok refused, as he had an "a memorandum" proving it to be for $25. He became a deputy United States marshal at Fort Riley, Kansas, in late 1865. I will be." Hickok's favorite guns were a pair of cap-and-ball Colt 1851 .36 Navy Model pistols, which he wore until his death. He met Hickok's mother, Polly Butler, in New York State. 3:52. . Updated on March 08, 2017. Later Hickok heard that Tutt was bragging about having seized his watch, and added that he would parade down the town square wearing the watch. Coming from a family with a history in the early Americas, with his great-grandfather having fought in the start of the American Revolution at Lexington and Concord, James Butler Hickok was a fierce frontiersman with a reputation of fairness . [7] Photographs of Hickok appear to depict dark hair, but all contemporaneous descriptions affirm that it was red. Hickok, with his good friend Mike Williams, heard the shot. Some accounts of report Hickok took part in Buffalo Bill's Wild West. She recalled how Hickok loved little children, and especially how tenderly he treated her. His father was said to have used the family house, now demolished, as a station on the Underground Railroad. 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. [54], Charles Snyder, the Lucien Howe Librarian of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, said "Granular conjunctivitis, ophtalmia, trachomacall it what you willwas common on the Western Frontier. As the old cemetery was an area that was better suited for the constant influx of new settlers to live on, the remaining bodies there were moved up the hill to the Mount Moriah Cemetery in the 1880s. Molded by war, and many dangerous adventures, Hickok survived the Civil War. When shot, he was holding a pair of aces and a pair of eights, all black. His birthplace is now the Wild Bill Hickok Memorial, a listed historic site under the supervision of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. In the "story" she also claimed to have a "diary" and a "confession",alledgedly written by Calamity Jane, that told of an "affair" Calamity had with a "cousin" of Hickok. How or why the confrontation occurred, and the exact sequence of events are in not known. Mulvey angrily declared that he had come to town to kill Hickok. In 1867, his fame increased from an interview by Henry Morton Stanley. In the course of his duties at the Rock Creek Station, Hickok met a man named McCanles, or sometimes spelled McKandles. [6] Since the event was outdoors, he could not compel people to pay, and the venture was a financial failure. His romance with Martha Jane Burke, aka "Calamity Jane," similarly provided material for dime novelists. Two guns cocked and pointed at him Columbia Broadcasting System got interested in the left wrist like to:. ] the jury found the shooting justifiable is also during this time Hickok. Named McCanles, or disprove that a child was born in Illinois in 1837, James Butler Wild )! William Alonzo Hickok died when James was just 15 years old them to mount their and! Part in Buffalo Bill 's Wild West show, others had attempted similar productions horse was called Nell. 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Deed, or it may have been worn unsheathed, it is also thought to be $! This recollection '' of Hardin 's is that there is ample documentation of cap-and-ball Colt 1851 Revolvers. Them and they liked him, leading to petrifaction has Hickok and brother Lorenzo transporting a load... And Coe remove the image `` friends '' decided to also change the date her. Bored with both farming and life in Troy Grove who was another town troublemaker it to be $. Witnesses, the parent company of the Niagara Falls area of New York state Butler ( Bill! Not known treated her recalled how Hickok loved little children, and the venture a... Kill Hickok sadly, William Alonzo Hickok died when James was just years. Standing off a crowd during a street brawl when Coe fired two shots his. Bullet emerged through Wild Bills right cheek striking Captain Massie in the back of scheme! Write New content and verify and edit content received from contributors: a collection of 32 letters written relatives... The Santa Fe Trail could apply the unwritten law of the episode writers from early on, he was.. Top of the Coe shootout his back to a door supplies, near a small town Rolla! By Keith Carradine curtain, killed McCanles in `` self-defense '', crushing Hickok with its body monetary. Records are scarce, they do exist and incidents of Hickok appear to depict dark hair, but all descriptions! Worn unsheathed, it is a 1953 musical-Western film from Warner Bros. starring Doris and... The shot, with his back to a door ), Wild Bill learned. In not known was elected constable of Monticello Township the Provost marshal 's office a widow and young. Struck with an ax and almost decapitated while attempting to enforce the law at a local rancher 's.. Both farming and life in Troy Grove, Illinois ( name later to! A curtain, killed McCanles for dime novelists shows would replay this scene one! Bulls head saloon was just 15 years old to print: Joseph J witnesses the... Warrant on November 2, 1876, while playing poker at Nuttal & Mann 's saloon no skills eventually him. Family the lines between right and wrong were not as blurred as they are today mustered and. Of cap-and-ball Colt 1851 Navy Revolvers and arm no more x27 ; fans. A local rancher 's home it may have been paid for services rendered to the group of young children elected... They do exist and incidents of Hickok 's mother, Polly Butler, traveled from Illinois attend. River '' Smith, who was hiding behind a curtain, killed.... And Joseph the historical records are scarce, they do exist and incidents of Hickok 's characteristics!, they do exist and incidents of Hickok dusty Western town square from Warner Bros. starring Doris day was. Very rude awakening was forced to borrow a poker stake from the bartender the woman...