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. During the Civil War, he served as a wagon master, scout, detective, courier, and spy. McCanles may have been the first man Hickok killed. Overall, it was reported that Hickok had killed over 100 men during his lifetime. 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. [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. Both of his parents loved each other very much and always remained together. And though it is difficult to picture her in the domestic arena, Jane was also a mother. Hickok waved his hand past Mulvey at some onlookers and yelled, "Don't shoot him in the back; he is drunk." This was claimed after he was killed during a poker game on Aug. 2, 1876. [38], In July 1869, Hickok returned to Hays and was elected city marshal of Hays and sheriff of Ellis County, Kansas, in a special election held on August 23, 1869. 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. Since he was actually shot in the back of the head, that plot element is a complete artifice of the episode writers. Hickok and Brinks were charged with murder but found not guilty. [25][26]:136 Hickok had not been paid for some time, and was hired as a scout by General John B. Sanborn by early 1865. McCall alleged that John Varnes, a Deadwood gambler, had paid him to murder Wild Bill. In the episode Dillon and Hickok are old friends. [67], After bragging about killing Hickok, McCall was rearrested. The identity of the fifth card (his "hole card") is also the subject of debate. James Butler Hickok was born May 27, 1837, in Homer, Illinois, (present-day Troy Grove, Illinois) to William Alonzo Hickok, a farmer and abolitionist, and his wife, Polly Butler. Calamity Jane. Many historic sites and monuments commemorate his life, and he has been depicted numerous times in literature, film, and television. Not wasting a second, he quietly drew his revolver and shot Hickok in the back of the head, instantly killing him. and that Deft. They even did a stint abroad, performing for one season in Germany in 1862. After his release, McCall had lingered in Deadwood for a short while before heading to Wyoming. 10 Black Pioneers in Aviation Who Broke Barriers, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads, Name: Wild Bill Hickok, Birth Year: 1837, Birth date: May 27, 1837, Birth State: Illinois, Birth City: Troy Grove, Birth Country: United States. The son of William Alonzo and Polly Butler Hickok, he was by all accounts a master marksman from an early age. Hickoks growing reputation for fairness and courage earned him, in 1858, a position as a constable in Monticello, Kansas. [69] In 1979, Hickok was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. This was the last time Hickok was ever involved in a gunfight; the accidental death of Deputy Williams was an event that haunted Hickok for the remainder of his life. What was the relationship between Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane? Outlaw John Wesley Hardin arrived in Abilene at the end of a cattle drive in early 1871. Take that!" England and Wales company registration number 2008885. subscribe to All About History for as little as 26. He later became a lawman before settling down in Deadwood, South Dakota where he would soon meet his death. In the early 1990s ABC television series Young Riders, a fictional account of Pony Express riders, Hickok is portrayed by Josh Brolin.[80]. In 1871 he took over as the marshal of the tough cow town of Abilene, Kansas. Several times he was arrested for vagrancy. At 4:15 in the afternoon, a young gunslinger named Jack McCall walked into the saloon, approached Hickok from behind, and shot him in the back of the head. At Bridger, Montana, Jane moved in with a cowboy named Robert Dorsett. 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. Hickok remains a popular figure of frontier history. [c] However, if they felt the threat of danger was real and imminent, he instructed they could apply the unwritten law of the "fair fight" and acquit. authorities, and after trial has been sentenced to death for willful murder. They traveled to Deadwood, South Dakota, together and were acquaintances, but there is no evidence of a romance (especially on his part). Calamity Jane never married Wild Bill . [d] The jury voted to clear Hickok, resulting in public backlash and criticism of the verdict. 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. Military records after 1865 list him as Hickok, but note that he was also known as Haycock. ", "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. Some contemporaneous reports of his exploits are known to be fictitious, but they remain the basis of much of his fame and reputation. Personal account of the foreman of the Overland Stage Company stations, as given to, Judge Boyd told the jury, "The defendant cannot set up justification that he acted in self-defense if he was willing to engage in a fight with the deceased. Zimmerman said that despite their closeness in age, he and Jessie didnt say much to each other. In December, the Rawlins Republican reported that Jane visited town with a little girl she had stolen. The child was no doubt Jessie, who was next seen with her mother in Ekalaka, Montana in 1894 by at least two people. [13][14] He was also known before 1861 among Jayhawkers as "Shanghai Bill" because of his height and slim build. B. Hickock [sic] (Wild Bill) formerly of Cheyenne, Wyoming. During this period Hickok prevented a man from beating an 11-year-old boy, who grew up to become Buffalo Bill Cody, Hickoks longtime friend. [21][22] Hickok, Wellman, and another employee, J.W. Both parents were reputed to be unsavory, involved in petty crimes and often financially destitute. McLintock used a cane to tap the body, face, and head, finding no soft tissue anywhere. [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'. 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. 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. Brink, were tried for killing McCanles, but were found to have acted in self-defense. Behind the mission, arent those the Santa Catalina Mountains? Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Did Old West houses have outhouses, and were public facilities available? Tutt reached for his pistol but Hickok was the first to draw his weapon, and shot Tutt instantly, from approximately 75 yards. In more recent times, however, Calamity Jane biographer James McLaird disproved McCormicks claim by researching when and how her fantastic autobiography unfolded. In an 1871 account that changed his life, Hickok was reportedly involved in a shootout with saloon owner Phil Coe. Hickok ordered him to be arrested for firing a pistol within the city limits. Hardin left Kansas before Hickok could arrest him. But thirty years had passed when she began making inquiries about Jane, whom she thought was her grandmother. [citation needed], From 1871 until his death in 1876, Hickok had vision problems. He seemed to have respect for Hickok's abilities and replied, "If Bill needs killing, why don't you kill him yourself? 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. ", Rosa, Joseph G. (1979). On July 21, 1865, frontier legend Wild Bill Hickok gunned down gambler Davis Tutt in what is often called the first "Wild West" showdown. This, too, was badly defaced, and was then enclosed in a cage for protection. Most newspapers referred to him as William Haycock until 1869. In the film version, Howard Keel co-stars as Hickok to Doris Day's Calamity Jane. 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. In June, Hickok mustered out and went to Springfield, where he gambled. At the time of the so-called McCanles Massacre, Hickok was known as Duck Bill because of his sweeping nose and protruding upper lip (covered with a mustache later in life). He left his wife a few months later to seek his fortune in the goldfields of South Dakota. Hickok lost a gold watch to Tutt in a poker game. In 1941, Jean Hickok McCormick appeared in Billings, Montana. To date, four children have been credited to the lady, although some of the claims have come from the children themselves. 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. There, the freight company had built a stagecoach stop along the Oregon Trail near Fairbury, Nebraska, on land purchased from David McCanles. The bear then grabbed his arm in its mouth, but Hickok was able to grab his knife and slash its throat, killing it. There, again, he killed several men, including his deputy marshal, whose deaththe result of an accidental shootingled to Hickoks dismissal. "[46] Hoping to intimidate Hickok, Coe allegedly stated that he could "kill a crow on the wing". Di Certo is the author of ten books and composer of three albums of children's songs. The story quickly became newspaper and magazine fodder. Last, there is Jessiethe most credible of Calamity Janes daughters. Hickok accused a J.V. Wild Bill Hickok was an American frontiersman, army scout and lawman who helped bring order to the frontier West. Quay House, The Ambury, Within a month of the birth, newspapers tracked her to a hurdy-gurdy house in Livingston. Their quick-draw duel was recorded as the first of its kind. 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. [46]:pp.5456[47], In August 1871, Hickok sought to arrest Hardin for killing Charles Couger in an Abilene hotel "for snoring too loud". 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. 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