Posted on 08/02/2016 3:27:43 PM PDT by Bratch
On this day in 1876, famous gunfighter “Wild Bill” Hickok was shot in the back of the head. He died on the spot without ever seeing his murderer, the young, up-and-coming gunslinger Jack McCall.
Wild Bill, born James Butler Hickok, gained notoriety in the west thanks to accounts (often exaggerated) of his impressive gunfighting and accurate aim. Much of his shootouts took place during his sporadic career as a lawman, from 1865-1871. During an 1871 shootout with saloon owner Phil Coe, Hickok accidentally shot and killed Mike Williams, a Special Deputy Marshall who had run into the shootout to help Hickok. This event reportedly affected Hickok deeply for the remainder of his days and he was relieved of his duties as marshall soon after the incident.
Legends tend to disagree on just how many men Hickok killed, but the numbers are likely inflated. Eventually his eyesight began to give out on him and, after a brief stint in Buffalo Bill’s show Scouts of the Plains, he turned to poker.
Hickok always insisted on sitting with his back to a wall, a precaution against being surprised from behind. On the day he died, there was only one open seat at the poker table and it left Hickok’s back to the saloon door. He asked to switch seats a couple of times with no luck. Soon enough, Jack McCall walked in and shot Hickok at point-blank range. The four cards Hickok was holding as he died—two black aces and two black eights—have since become known as the “dead man’s hand.”
McCall’s reasons for killing the famous “Wild Bill” may never be known for sure. He was reportedly bitter after losing badly at the same table as Hickok the day before, but in his trial he claimed that Hickok had killed his brother during his time as a lawman in Abilene, Kansas. McCall was acquitted by the informal mining town jury that first brought him to trial, but was later rearrested and judged guilty. He was hanged in March of 1877.
The HBO Series begins right after Wild Bill was killed. Good show.
Sorry, the HBO series Deadwood...
One account says McCall was acquitted, while the other says he was hung. Which one was it?
Never mind, the article actually answers my question. I guess double jeopardy was not in effect yet.
I have been to that bar several times.
On the wall is his ‘death chair’ with bullet holes in the back of the chair...
Shot in the head...holes in the back of the chair...
And even though he was a well-known prevaricator, no one every dubbed him “Lyin’ Bill”...
And even though he was a well-known prevaricator, no one every dubbed him “Lyin’ Bill”...
He was found ‘innocent’ after a jack-leg camp Deadwood trial, a jury of gold miners, and magistrate and prosecuting attorney and defense attorney, chosen from a pool of men seeking their fortunes in Deadwood.
In the series of the same name, his friend Seth Bullock runs him down and delivers him to Fort Kearney where presumably he was found guilty and hanged.
“...while the other says he was hung. Which one was it?”
Damn! it’s HANGED!
It’s even written for you to read: h-a-n-g-e-d.
Hanged.
Hung is a description of the length of his, er, organ...
To conjugate the verb:
Is hanged.
Was hanged.
Shall be hanged.
McCall was acquitted by the informal mining town jury that first brought him to trial, but was later rearrested and judged guilty. He was hanged in March of 1877.
(from the article)
so was he well hanged, or hanged well?
“I guess double jeopardy was not in effect yet. “
Camp Deadwood was in Indian territory, so they lacked jurisdiction to try anyone.
In the show, US cavalry had run the miners, saloon owners, etc. out of the area once before, and it was supposed to be Indian land, treaty and all that.
George Custer had his scalp lifted in June of 1876 not too far away. Everyone in Deadwood and surrounding camps were concerned about their claims, land titles, and their scalps.
McCall was hated, Hickock was liked. McCall used a bogus argument that Wild Bill killed his brother in Abilene and odd as frontier justice seems here, they let him go.
By the way, does anyone know what the kicker was in the "dead man's hand?"
Yep you’re right. Thanks.
If only George would have given the gatling guns a little slack.
That’s right. In the show they sent to Ft. Kearney for small pox vaccine. Did they really have a pox outbreak in the camp, do you know?
famous last words: “Arrows hurt.”
Along with “please Mr.Custer, I don’t wanna go”.
An irony was that a lot of the Injins had lever action repeating rifles while our boys in blue were stuck with those rolling block single shot rifles.
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