[9][41], The second killed by Hickok was Samuel Strawhun, a cowboy, who was causing a disturbance in a saloon at 1:00 am on September 27, when Hickok and Lanihan went to the scene. He traveled west to Deadwood, South Dakota, in a wagon train that included Martha Jane Cannary (Calamity Jane), who later claimed she had secretly married him. Omissions? Hickok was of English ancestry. He reported returning with five prisoners after killing 10. The murderer escaped. The trial did not last more than fifteen minutes.[23]. 2 Army revolver, a five-shot, single-action, .32-caliber weapon, innovative as one of the first metallic cartridge firearms and favored by many Union officers during the Civil War. By Tyler MacDonald / May 18, 2021 9:31 am EST. ", Rosa, Joseph G. (1979). The gun did not sell because the highest bid of $220,000 was less than the reserve set by the gun's owners.[76]. A second son, named Lorenzo Butler Hickok, was born in October of 1831 but died soon thereafter. Lancaster, California. Did Old West houses have outhouses, and were public facilities available? ", 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. Hickok, just a stable-hand at the time, killed the three men, despite being severely injured. ", "James Butler Hickok May 27 1837 - August 2 1876 Better known as "Wild Bill" Hickok", "James Butler 'Wild Bill' Hickok, Early Deadwood", "Nebraska Legends: Rock Creek Station and the McCanles Massacre", "Chronology on Life of James Butler HICKOK, Wild Bill Hickok, Old West Kansas", "Rock Creek Station State Historical Park", "Legal Culture, Wild Bill Hickok and the Gunslinger Myth", "Myths and Realities of Frontier Violence: A Look at the Gunfighter Saga", "Frontier Hero - Reminiscences of Wild Bill Hickok by his old Friend Buffalo Bill", "The State Journal (Jefferson City, Mo. Wild Bill had learned of the scheme and cornered Coe, had his two pistols drawn on Coe. The new trial was held in Yankton, the capital of the Dakota Territory. The incident helped contribute to the overall failure of the show. [29][30], Two days later, Hickok was arrested for murder. Dismounting, he approached the bear and fired a shot into its head, but the bullet ricocheted off its skull, infuriating it. Hickok lost a gold watch to Tutt in a poker game. Visit our corporate site. According to their account, the shootout took place not inside the Wellmans cabin but inside the Rock Creek station itself, and Hickoks defense was far from single-handed. (If said child had actually existed, he or she was said to . Duck Bill and Shanghai Bill The glorification of Wild Bill Hickok began in Springfield, Mo., on July 21, 1865, when he killed gunman Dave Tutt. Children: Possibly two daughters; . The couple had five children besides James Butler, three boys and two girls. Hickok has remained one of the most popular and iconic figures of the American Old West, and is still frequently depicted in popular culture, including literature, film, and television. [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. [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. 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. He is now at Yankton, D.T. What happened to Wild Bill Hickok's pistols? During the Civil War, Wild Bill Hickok served in the Union Army as a civilian scout and later a provost marshal. Charlie Utter, Hickok's friend and companion, 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. [65][66], McCall was summoned before an informal "miners' jury" (an ad hoc local group of miners and businessmen). Bath Hickok moved to Leavenworth in the Kansas Territory, where he joined Jim Lane's Free State Army (also known as the Jayhawkers), an antislavery vigilante group active in the new territory during the Bleeding Kansas era. August marks of the deaths of two of the Wild West's most famous figures: Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane. Many historic sites and monuments commemorate his life, and he has been depicted numerous times in literature, film, and television. A former cavalryman, J.W. [40]:196, In September 1869, his first month as sheriff, Hickok killed two men. Hickok was a favourite of Custer and his wife, Libbie, who described him as a delight to look upon. Hickoks physical appearance was by many accounts arresting. [5] William Hickok died in 1852, when James was 15. Tutt called out, "Boys, I'm killed", before he collapsed and died. Notorious Old West gunmen John Wesley Hardin and James Butler Hickok, also known as "Wild Bill," began as friends. In 1876, Hickok was shot and killed while playing poker in a saloon in Deadwood, Dakota Territory (present-day South Dakota) by Jack McCall, an unsuccessful gambler. Though no solid record exists, he is believed to have served as a Union spy in the Confederate Army before his discharge in 1865. Take that!" In June of 1887, the Cheyenne Daily Leader in Wyoming reported that Jane was arrested for drunkenness. . [6] Since the event was outdoors, he could not compel people to pay, and the venture was a financial failure. McCall was brought to trial the next day. In the melee, Hickok caught a glimpse of someone moving towards him and responded with two shots killing his deputy Mike Williams. 10 in Deadwood, Dakota Territory. Citizens of the town complained to Hickok, who requested that Thompson and Coe remove the image. Under the name "Wild Bill Hitchcock" [sic], the article recounted the "hundreds" of men whom Hickok had personally killed and other exaggerated exploits. [9], Hickok used his late father's name, William Hickok, from 1858, and the name William Haycock during the American Civil War. [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. To date, four children have been credited to the lady, although some of the claims have come from the children themselves. [19] According to Hickok's account, he found the road blocked by a cinnamon bear and its two cubs. Wild Bill Hickok's iconic status is rooted in a shootout in July 1861 in what came to be known as the McCanles Massacre in Rock Creek, Nebraska. Calamity Jane never married Wild Bill Hickok. 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. James Butler Hickok (May 27, 1837 - August 2, 1876), also known as "Wild Bill" Hickok was a legendary figure in the old west. Both of his parents loved each other very much and always remained together. . Pard, we will meet again in the happy hunting ground to part no more. [62][63] Hickok may have told his friend Charlie Utter and others who were traveling with them that he thought he would be killed while in Deadwood. For the next several years, Hickok worked as a stagecoach driver. Bill and Jane are buried next to each other in Deadwoods Mount Moriah Cemetery. Overall, it was reported that Hickok had killed over 100 men during his lifetime. In June, Hickok mustered out and went to Springfield, where he gambled. [34]:34 The show featured six buffalo, a bear, and a monkey, and one show ended in disaster when a buffalo refused to act, prompting Hickok to fire a bullet into the sky. On July 21, 1865, the two men faced off in Springfield's town square, standing sideways before drawing and firing their weapons. He worked as a technical writer on the Atlas, Minuteman, and Titan missile-launching systems, as well as Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Their quick-draw duel was recorded as the first of its kind. The cards he was holding at the time a pair of black aces and a pair of black eights became known as "the dead man's hand.". Calamity Jane is reputed to have led a mob that threatened McCall with lynching, but at the time of Hickok's death, Jane was actually being held by military authorities. William Austin, the cemetery caretaker, estimated 500lb (230kg). ", This page was last edited on 27 February 2023, at 18:12. Picks on rebels, especially Texans, to kill." During the Civil War, he served as a wagon master, scout, detective, courier, and spy. Infuriated, Thompson tried to incite John Wesley Hardin to kill Hickok by exclaiming to Hardin that "He's a damn Yankee. Wild Bill Hickok is remembered for his services in Kansas as sheriff of Hays City and marshal of Abilene, where his ironhanded rule helped to tame two of the most lawless towns on the frontier. John McCall ( / mkl / ); (1852/1853 - March 1, 1877), also known as " Crooked Nose " or " Broken Nose Jack ", was the murderer of Old West legend Wild Bill Hickok. Foxs visit coincided with the few weeks Jessie actually attended St. Edwards Academy in Deadwood. Hickok lost his re-election bid to his deputy. The two men faced each other sideways for a duel. awaiting execution. Three years after Jack McCall shot Hickok in the back as he was playing cards in Deadwood, South Dakota, an 1879 story in the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Daily Leader noted that the pistols were made expressly . When Varnes could not be found, McCall then implicated Tim Brady in the plot. Author McClaird theorised that Jessie, who had no birth certificate, said what she had to in order to receive financial assistance at her last residence in California. [d] The jury voted to clear Hickok, resulting in public backlash and criticism of the verdict. Many people knew that Jane had a "crush" on Hickok but few, if any, knew that they were married. He later became a lawman before settling down in Deadwood, South Dakota where he would soon meet his death. 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. Paramount Pictures' Western silent film Wild Bill Hickok (released on November 18, 1923) was directed by Clifford Smith and stars William S. Hart as Hickok. Alonzo and Polly Hickok moved to Illinois in 1833, finally settling in Troy Grove (known as Homer at the time), LaSalle County, along the banks of the Little Vermillion Creek. [citation needed], From 1871 until his death in 1876, Hickok had vision problems. Hickoks family emigrated from England in 1635 to Massachusetts, where his great-grandfather responded to the British march on Lexington and Concord at the beginning of the American Revolution. Jane had been hired to travel with Kohl & Middleton Dime Museums; as she purchased her ticket out of town she told railroad agent A.O. Some contemporaneous reports of his exploits are known to be fictitious, but they remain the basis of much of his fame and reputation. Hickok was arrested for murder, tried, and acquitted. [citation needed], Leander Richardson, a reporter, interviewed McCall shortly before his execution, and wrote an article about him for the April 1877 issue of Scribner's Monthly. He left his wife a few months later to seek his fortune in the goldfields of South Dakota. "J.B. Hickok, Deputy U.S. [12] The article was controversial wherever Hickok was known, and several frontier newspapers wrote rebuttals. He told Mrs. McCanles he was sorry he had to kill her man then took out $35 [$1,056 in 2021 dollars] and gave it to her saying: "This is all I have, sorry I do not have more to give you." Most modern retailers of Old West period clothing seem to sell only banded collared shirts, yet old photographs show cowboys did wear shirts with collars. The son of William Alonzo and Polly Butler Hickok, he was by all accounts a master marksman from an early age. The identity of the fifth card (his "hole card") is also the subject of debate. 2 Revolver on Offer at Bonhams This Fall", "Wild Bill Hickok's Death-Day Revolver Fails to Sell at California Auction", "Wild-Bill-Hickok - Trailer - Cast - Showtimes", "Josh Brolin as James Butler Hickok (aka Wild Bill)", https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0028/2964/7961/files/Deadwood_1876_Rules_English.pdf?4346553514003986582, Black Hills War, or Great Sioux War (1876), Cheyenne-Black Hills Stage Route (18761887), Sidney-Black Hills Stage Road (18761887), Rapid City, Black Hills and Western Railroad (18931947), Fossil Cycad National Monument (19221957), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wild_Bill_Hickok&oldid=1141945329, All articles with bare URLs for citations, Articles with bare URLs for citations from March 2022, Articles with PDF format bare URLs for citations, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox person with multiple parents, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from July 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2019, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2015, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, James B. Hickok, J.B. Hickok, Shanghai Bill, William Hickok, William Haycock, Bird, Roy (1979). The original wooden grave marker was moved to the new site, but by 1891, it had been destroyed by souvenir hunters whittling pieces from it, and it was replaced with a statue. In real life, Calamity Jane (Martha Jane Canary) never met 'Doc' Holliday: she actually was in love and pursued 'Wild Bill' Hickock. Mulvey wheeled his horse around to face those who might shoot him from behind, and before he realized he had been fooled, Hickok shot him through the temple. All Rights Reserved. Hickok was of English ancestry. [citation needed] Although he was just 39, his marksmanship and health were apparently in decline, and he had been arrested several times for vagrancy,[53] despite earning a good income from gambling and displays of showmanship only a few years earlier. The bear attacked, crushing Hickok with its body. One of the workers, Joseph McLintock, wrote a detailed description of the reinterment. In 1941, Jean Hickok McCormick appeared in Billings, Montana. What do you know about Pete Spence, a member of the Cowboys of Tombstone? [9], At the time of his death, Hickok was wearing a Smith & Wesson Model No. Two 7th Cavalry troopers jump, Most people have heard of Calamity Jane, once promoted as The Famous Woman Scout of. A legend during his life and considered one of the American west's premier gunfighters, James Butler ("Wild Bill") Hickok was born May 27, 1837, in Troy Grove, Illinois. Wild Bill Hickok's proficiency with a pistol is well known, but there remains some confusion concerning how he used his weapons and which ones he actually used. 22nd August 2017 authorities, and after trial has been sentenced to death for willful murder. Still, feeling he had escaped punishment, McCall began to brag to anyone that would listen that he had killed Wild Bill Hickok. To date, four children have been credited to the lady, although some of the claims have come from the children themselves. The Harper's piece also told the story of how Hickok had pointed to a letter "O" that was "no bigger than a man's heart." ", Nichols, George Ward (1867). Wild Bill Hickok was one of the early "Heroes of the West." He had built a reputation as an extraordinary gunfighter with a sense of fairness and justice. [citation needed], Buffalo Bill claimed that he encountered Hickok disguised as a Confederate officer in Missouri in 1864. This was his sixth murder. Classmate Mary Connolly remembered Jessie, saying, we all played hopscotch and jumped rope on the playground. But mother and daughter eventually left town again. James Butler Hickok (May 27, 1837 August 2, 1876), better known as "Wild Bill" Hickok, was a folk hero of the American Old West known for his life on the frontier as a soldier, scout, lawman, cattle rustler, gunslinger, gambler, showman, and actor, and for his involvement in many famous gunfights. [52], In 1876, Hickok was diagnosed by a doctor in Kansas City, Missouri, with glaucoma and ophthalmia. Area newspapers reported that Jane named the boy Little Calamity. A freighter named Evans recalled watching Jane smother the baby with kisses, calling him Muzzies yittle snoozey [sic] darling. Jane later told others that Little Calamity died. Hickok died immediately. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Like his friend Buffalo Bill Cody, Hickok was the son of an abolitionist. Later historians, however, have presented a radically different portrayal of the events at Rock Creek. 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