60-464: 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 . He earned a great deal of notoriety in his own time, much of it bolstered by
120-557: A Confederate officer in Missouri in 1864. Hickok had not been paid for some time, and was hired as a scout by General John B. Sanborn by early 1865. In June, Hickok mustered out and went to Springfield, where he gambled. The 1883 History of Greene County, Missouri described him as "by nature a ruffian ... a drunken, swaggering fellow, who delighted when 'on a spree' to frighten nervous men and timid women." While in Springfield, Hickok and
180-404: A Democrat. Hickok and Lanihan, however, remained sheriff and deputy, respectively. Hickok accused a J.V. Macintosh of irregularities and misconduct during the election. On December 9, Hickok and Lanihan both served legal papers on Macintosh, and local newspapers acknowledged that Hickok had guardianship of Hays City. In September 1869, his first month as sheriff, Hickok killed two men. The first
240-399: 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. 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. But Coe "reckoned without his host". Wild Bill had learned of
300-551: A fugitive from justice, working as a stagecoach driver and later as a lawman in the frontier territories of Kansas and Nebraska . He fought and spied for the Union Army during the American Civil War and gained publicity after the war as a scout, marksman , actor, and professional gambler. He was involved in several notable shootouts during the course of his life. In 1876, Hickok was shot and killed while playing poker in
360-410: A local gambler named Davis Tutt had several disagreements over unpaid gambling debts and their common affection for the same women. Hickok lost a gold watch to Tutt in a poker game. The watch had great sentimental value to Hickok, so he asked Tutt not to wear it in public. They initially agreed not to fight over the watch, but when Hickok saw Tutt wearing it, he warned him to stay away. On July 21, 1865,
420-598: A military escort from Fort Hays. He was assigned Buffalo Bill Cody, a sergeant, and five privates. They arrived in Topeka on April 2. Hickok remained in Hays through August 1868, when he brought 200 Cheyenne Indians to Hays to be viewed by " excursionists ". On September 1, 1868, Hickok was in Lincoln County, Kansas , where he was hired as a scout by the 10th Cavalry Regiment , a segregated African-American unit. On September 4, Hickok
480-403: A normal person, but is transformed into someone extraordinary by significant life events, often in response to social injustice, and sometimes in response to natural disasters. One major category of folk hero is the defender of the common people against the oppression or corruption of the established power structure. Members of this category of folk hero often, but not necessarily, live outside
540-415: A picture of a bull with a large erect penis on the side of their establishment as an advertisement. Citizens of the town complained to Hickok, who requested that Thompson and Coe remove the image. They refused, so Hickok altered it himself. Infuriated, Thompson tried to incite John Wesley Hardin to kill Hickok by exclaiming to Hardin that "He's a damn Yankee. Picks on rebels, especially Texans, to kill." Hardin
600-501: A saloon in Deadwood , Dakota Territory (present-day South Dakota ) by Jack McCall , an unsuccessful gambler. The hand of cards that he supposedly held at the time of his death has become known as the dead man's hand : two pairs; black aces and eights. Hickok remains a popular figure of frontier history. Many historic sites and monuments commemorate his life, and he has been depicted numerous times in literature, film, and television. He
660-405: A seat opened up at the table, a drunk man named Jack McCall sat down to play. McCall lost heavily. Hickok encouraged McCall to quit the game until he could cover his losses and offered to give him money for breakfast. Although McCall accepted the money, he was apparently insulted. The next day, Hickok was playing poker again. He usually sat with his back to a wall so he could see the entrance, but
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#1733084642200720-511: A shot through the head. Hickok said he had "tried to restore order". At the coroner's inquest into Strawhun's death, despite "very contradictory" evidence from witnesses, the jury found the shooting justifiable. On July 17, 1870, Hickok was attacked by two troopers from the 7th U.S. Cavalry , Jeremiah Lonergan and John Kyle (sometimes spelled Kile), in a saloon. Lonergan pinned Hickok to the ground, and Kyle put his gun to Hickok's ear. When Kyle's weapon misfired, Hickok shot Lonergan, wounding him in
780-444: Is chiefly portrayed as a protagonist , although historical accounts of his actions are often controversial, and much of his career is known to have been exaggerated both by himself and by contemporary mythmakers. While Hickok claimed to have shot numerous gunmen in his lifetime, he killed only six or seven, all between 1861 and 1871 according to Joseph G. Rosa , Hickok's biographer and the foremost authority on him. James Butler Hickok
840-413: Is drunk." 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. The second man 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. Strawhun "made remarks against Hickok", and Hickok killed him with
900-400: Is known to have killed more than 27 men. In his 1895 autobiography, published after his death, Hardin claimed to have been befriended by Hickok, the newly elected town marshal, after he had disarmed the marshal using the road agent's spin , but Hardin was known to exaggerate. In any case, Hardin appeared to have thought highly of Hickok. Hickok later said he did not know that "Wesley Clemmons"
960-517: The Utah War . Hickok used his late father's name, William Hickok, from 1858, and the name William Haycock during the American Civil War . Most newspapers referred to him as William Haycock until 1869. He was arrested while using the name Haycock in 1865. He afterward resumed using his given name, James Hickok. Military records after 1865 list him as Hickok, but he was also known as Haycock. In an 1867 article about his shootout with Davis Tutt , his surname
1020-466: The Weekly Missouri Democrat , reported Hickok to be "an inveterate hater of Indian People", perhaps to enhance his reputation as a scout and American fighter. But separating fact from fiction is difficult considering his recruitment of Indians to cross the nation to appear in his own Wild West show. Witnesses confirm that while working as a scout at Fort Harker, Kansas , on May 11, 1867, Hickok
1080-468: The " dead man's hand ". The identity of the fifth card (his " hole card ") is also the subject of debate. McCall's motive for killing Hickok is the subject of speculation, largely concerning McCall's anger at Hickok's having given him money for breakfast the day before, after McCall had lost heavily. Folk hero A folk hero or national hero is a type of hero – real, fictional or mythological – with their name, personality and deeds embedded in
1140-753: The Plains exhibition "because the lights affected his eyes, so he had to give it up". Charles Snyder, the Lucien Howe Librarian of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School , said "Granular conjunctivitis , ophthalmia , trachoma —call it what you will—was common on the Western Frontier. Jesse James suffered from it." In 1876, Hickok sought treatment from an eye specialist in Kansas City, Missouri . No definitive diagnosis has survived, but speculation ranges from secondary syphilis to glaucoma . Although he
1200-484: The Plains . Since the event was outdoors, he could not compel people to pay, and the venture was a financial failure. 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. 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. The incident helped contribute to
1260-400: The bear and fired a shot into its head, but the bullet ricocheted off its skull, infuriating it. The bear attacked, crushing Hickok with its body. Hickok managed to fire another shot, wounding the bear's paw. The bear then grabbed his arm in its mouth, but Hickok was able to grab his knife and slash its throat, killing it. Hickok was severely injured, with a crushed chest, shoulder, and arm. He
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#17330846422001320-540: The brigade, met his friend Buffalo Bill Cody, who was serving as a scout. In late 1863, Hickok worked for the provost marshal of southwest Missouri as a member of the Springfield detective police. His work included identifying and counting the number of troops in uniform who were drinking while on duty, verifying hotel liquor licenses, and tracking down individuals who owed money to the cash-strapped Union Army. Buffalo Bill claimed that he encountered Hickok disguised as
1380-467: The crow have a pistol? Was he shooting back? I will be." On October 5, 1871, Hickok was standing off a crowd during a street brawl when Coe fired two shots. Hickok ordered him to be arrested for firing a pistol within the city limits. Coe claimed that he was shooting at a stray dog, and then suddenly turned his gun on Hickok, who fired first and killed Coe. In another account of the Coe shootout: Theophilus Little,
1440-462: The group returned to the fort "without nary a dead Indian, [never] even seeing a live one". In December 1867, newspapers reported that Hickok had come to stay in Hays City, Kansas . He became a deputy U.S. marshal, and on March 28, 1868, he picked up 11 Union Army deserters who had been charged with stealing government property. Hickok was assigned to bring the men to Topeka for trial, and he requested
1500-675: The killing, and offered her $ 35 [$ 1,187 in 2023 dollars] in restitution, all the money he had with him at the time. After the Civil War broke out in April 1861, Hickok became a teamster for the Union Army in Sedalia, Missouri . By the end of 1861, he was a wagon master , but in September 1862, he was discharged for unknown reasons. He then joined General James Henry Lane 's Kansas Brigade, and while serving with
1560-453: The knee, and shot Kyle twice, killing him. Hickok again lost his re-election bid to his deputy. On April 15, 1871, Hickok became marshal of Abilene, Kansas . He replaced Tom "Bear River" Smith , who had been killed while serving an arrest warrant on November 2, 1870. Outlaw John Wesley Hardin arrived in Abilene at the end of a cattle drive in early 1871. Hardin was a well-known gunfighter, and
1620-632: The law in some way. Davis Tutt Davis Kasey Tutt (c. 1836 – July 21, 1865) was an American Old West gambler and former soldier, best remembered for being killed during the Wild Bill Hickok – Davis Tutt shootout of 1865, which launched Wild Bill Hickok to fame as a gunfighter . Tutt was born in Yellville, Arkansas , son of Hansford Tutt, a member of a politically influential family in Marion County, Arkansas , and his first wife. When he
1680-480: The left wrist. 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. Hickok was playing five-card stud or five-card draw when he was shot. He was holding two pairs: black aces and black eights (although there is some dispute as to the suit of one of the aces, diamond vs. spade) as his "up cards", which has since become widely known as
1740-506: The many outlandish and often fabricated tales he told about himself. 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 born and raised on a farm in northern Illinois at a time when lawlessness and vigilante activity were rampant because of the influence of the " Banditti of the Prairie ". Drawn to this criminal lifestyle, he headed west at age 18 as
1800-508: The mayor of Abilene and owner of the town's lumber yard, recorded his time in Abilene by writing in a notebook, which was ultimately given to the Abilene Historical Society. Writing in 1911, he detailed his admiration for Hickok and included a paragraph on the shooting that differs considerably from the reported account: "Phil" Coe was from Texas, ran the "Bull's Head" a saloon and gambling den, sold whiskey and men's souls. As vile
1860-410: 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." Martha Jane Cannary, known popularly as Calamity Jane , claimed in her autobiography that she was married to Hickok and had divorced him so he could be free to marry Agnes Lake, but no records that support her account have been found. The two possibly met for the first time after Jane
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1920-488: The only seat available when he joined the game was a chair facing away from the door. He twice asked another man at the table, Charles Rich, to change seats with him, but Rich refused. McCall then entered the saloon, walked up behind Hickok, drew his Colt Model 1873 Single Action Army .45-caliber revolver and shouted, "Take that!" as he shot Hickok in the back of the head at point-blank range. Hickok died instantly. The bullet emerged through his right cheek and struck Massie in
1980-573: The other. 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. While there 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
2040-505: The overall failure of the show. In 1873, Buffalo Bill Cody and Texas Jack Omohundro invited Hickok to join their troupe after their earlier success. Hickok did not enjoy acting, and often hid behind scenery. In one show, he shot the spotlight when it focused on him. He was released from the group after a few months. From 1871 until his death in 1876, Hickok had vision problems. A former cavalryman, J.W. "Doc" Howard, who had known Hickok, stated that Hickok had left Buffalo Bill's Scouts of
2100-406: The popular consciousness of a people , mentioned frequently in folk songs , folk tales and other folklore ; and with modern trope status in literature, art and films. Although some folk heroes are historical public figures, many are not. The lives of folk heroes are generally fictional, their characteristics and deeds often exaggerated to mythic proportions. The folk hero often begins life as
2160-446: The previous 18 months. Hickok may have been acting sheriff before he was elected; a newspaper reported that he arrested offenders on August 18, and the commander of Fort Hays wrote a letter to the assistant adjutant general on August 21 in which he praised Hickok for his work in apprehending deserters. The regular county election was held on November 2, 1869. Hickok ran as an Independent; but lost to his deputy, Peter Lanihan, who ran as
2220-417: The remainder of his life. 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. In 1872, Hickok recruited six Native Americans and three cowboys to accompany him to Niagara Falls , where he put on an outdoor demonstration called The Daring Buffalo Chase of
2280-419: The rest of these bullets?" Not a word was uttered. 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. 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
2340-437: The scheme and cornered Coe, had his two pistols drawn on Coe. 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. 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
2400-452: The station manager. McCanles reportedly threatened Wellman, and either Wellman or Hickok, who was hiding behind a curtain, killed McCanles. Two men with McCanles (James Wood and James Gordon) were also killed. Hickok, Wellman, and another employee, J.W. Brink, were tried for killing McCanles, but were found to have acted in self-defense. McCanles may have been the first man Hickok killed. Hickok subsequently visited McCanles' widow, apologized for
2460-588: The town marshal to pay the performance fee. She and the circus departed the next day, but Lake and Hickok continued to correspond. On March 5, 1876, Hickok married Lake in Cheyenne , Wyoming Territory . 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 . Shortly before his death, Hickok 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
Wild Bill Hickok - Misplaced Pages Continue
2520-404: The two men faced off in Springfield's town square, standing sideways before drawing and firing their weapons. Their quick-draw duel was recorded as the first of its kind. Tutt's shot missed, but Hickok's struck Tutt through the heart from about 75 yards (69 m) away. Tutt called out, "Boys, I'm killed", before he collapsed and died. Two days later, Hickok was arrested for murder. The charge
2580-504: The verdict. 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, was published in Harper's New Monthly Magazine . Under the name "Wild Bill Hitchcock" [ sic ], the article recounted the "hundreds" of men whom Hickok had personally killed and other exaggerated exploits. The article
2640-422: The war, they became friends and often gambled together. Tutt even loaned Hickok money on occasion. Historians have debated the amount, but Hickok himself stated he owed Tutt $ 25. The fall out between Tutt and Hickok was due to Hickok's failure to repay the money he owed, worsened by Tutt taking Hickok's watch as collateral. Hickok allowed Tutt to take it, but warned him to never wear it in public. Hickok approached
2700-407: Was 15. Hickok was a good shot from a young age, and was recognized locally as an outstanding marksman with a pistol. Photographs of Hickok appear to depict dark hair, but all contemporaneous descriptions affirm that he had red hair . 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
2760-410: Was Bill Mulvey, who was galloping through town on a rampage, drunk, shooting out mirrors and whisky bottles behind bars. Citizens warned Mulvey to behave, because Hickok was sheriff. Mulvey angrily declared that he had come to town to kill Hickok. When he saw Hickok, he leveled his cocked rifle at him. Hickok waved his hand past Mulvey at some supposed onlookers and yelled, "Don't shoot him in the back; he
2820-607: Was Hardin's alias, nor that he was a wanted outlaw. He told Clemmons (Hardin) to stay out of trouble in Abilene and asked him to hand over his guns, and Hardin complied. Hardin alleged that when his cousin, Mannen Clements, was jailed for the killing of two cowhands (Joe and Dolph Shadden) in July 1871, Hickok—at Hardin's request—arranged for his escape. In August 1871, Hickok sought to arrest Hardin for killing Charles Couger in an Abilene hotel "for snoring too loud". Hardin left Kansas before Hickok could arrest him. A newspaper reported, "A man
2880-707: Was a boy, Tutt's family became involved in the Tutt-Everett War , during which his father and other family members were killed. Enlisting in 1862 in Company A, 27th Arkansas Infantry Regiment, Davis Tutt fought for the Confederate States of America in the Trans-Mississippi Theater during the American Civil War . At its end, he decided to go west, stopping first in Springfield, Missouri , where he met Wild Bill Hickok. Despite serving on opposite sides during
2940-409: Was attacked by a large group of Indians, who fled after he shot and killed two. In July, Hickok told a newspaper reporter that he had led several soldiers in pursuit of Indians who had killed four men near the fort on July 2. He reported returning with five prisoners after killing 10. Witnesses confirm that the story was true to the extent the party had set out to find whoever had killed the four men, but
3000-597: Was bedridden for four months before being sent to Rock Creek Station in the Nebraska Territory to work as a stable hand while he recovered. There, the freight company had built a stagecoach stop along the Oregon Trail near Fairbury, Nebraska , on land purchased from David McCanles. On July 12, 1861, David McCanles went to the Rock Creek Station office to demand an overdue property payment from Horace Wellman,
3060-531: Was born May 27, 1837, in Homer, Illinois, (present-day Troy Grove, Illinois ) to William Alonzo Hickok (1801–1852), a farmer and abolitionist , and his wife, Pamelia Hickok (née Butler, 1804–1878). Hickok was of English ancestry. James was the fourth of six children. His father was said to have used the family house, now demolished, as a station on the Underground Railroad . William Hickok died in 1852, when James
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#17330846422003120-500: Was controversial wherever Hickok was known, and several frontier newspapers wrote rebuttals. In September 1865, Hickok came in second in the election for city marshal of Springfield. Leaving Springfield, he was recommended for the position of deputy federal marshal at Fort Riley , Kansas. This was during the Indian Wars , in which Hickok sometimes served as a scout for General George A. Custer 's 7th Cavalry . Henry M. Stanley , of
3180-542: Was elected one of the first four constables of Monticello Township . In 1859, he joined the Russell, Majors and Waddell freight company , the parent company of the Pony Express . In 1860, Hickok was badly injured by a bear, while driving a freight team from Independence, Missouri , to Santa Fe, New Mexico . According to Hickok's account, he found the road blocked by a cinnamon bear and its two cubs. Dismounting, he approached
3240-473: Was in town under his assumed name Wesley Clemmons, but was better known to the townspeople by the alias "Little Arkansas". He seemed to have respect for Hickok's abilities and replied, "If Bill needs killing, why don't you kill him yourself?" Hoping to intimidate Hickok, Coe allegedly stated that he could "kill a crow on the wing". Hickok's retort is one of the West's most famous sayings (though possibly apocryphal): "Did
3300-410: Was just 39, his marksmanship and health were apparently in decline, and he had been arrested several times for vagrancy , despite earning a good income from gambling and displays of showmanship only a few years earlier. Hickok met Agnes Thatcher Lake, at the time 45 years old, on July 31, 1871. Lake, a widow and the proprietor of Lake's Hippo-Olympiad circus, arrived in Abilene and went to the office of
3360-437: Was killed in his bed at a hotel in Abilene, Monday night, by a desperado called ' Arkansas ' . The murderer escaped. This was his sixth murder." Hickok and Phil Coe , a saloon owner and acquaintance of Hardin's, had a dispute that resulted in a shootout. The Bull's Head Saloon in Abilene had been established by gambler Ben Thompson and Coe, his partner, businessman, and fellow gambler. The two entrepreneurs had painted
3420-497: Was later reduced to manslaughter. He was released on $ 2,000 bail and stood trial on August 3, 1865. At the end of the trial, Judge Sempronius H. Boyd told the jury they could not find that Hickok acted in self-defense if he could have reasonably avoided the fight. However, if they felt the threat of danger was real and imminent, he instructed that they could apply the unwritten law of the "fair fight" and acquit. The jury voted to clear Hickok, resulting in public backlash and criticism of
3480-645: Was misspelled as Hitchcock. While in Nebraska, Hickok was derisively referred to by one man as "Duck Bill" for his long nose and protruding lips. He was also known before 1861 among Jayhawkers as "Shanghai Bill" because of his height and slim build. He grew a moustache following the McCanles incident, and in 1861 began calling himself "Wild Bill". In 1857, Hickok claimed a 160-acre (65 ha) tract in Johnson County , Kansas, near present-day Lenexa . On March 22, 1858, he
3540-490: Was released from the guardhouse in Fort Laramie and joined the wagon train in which Hickok was traveling. The wagon train arrived in Deadwood in July 1876. Jane confirmed this account in an 1896 newspaper interview, although she claimed she had been hospitalized with illness rather than in the guardhouse. On August 1, 1876, Hickok was playing poker at Nuttal & Mann's Saloon No. 10 in Deadwood , Dakota Territory . When
3600-576: Was wounded in the foot while rescuing several cattlemen in the Bijou Creek basin who had been surrounded by Indians. The 10th Regiment arrived at Fort Lyon in Colorado in October and remained there for the rest of 1868. 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. Three sheriffs had quit during
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