The family did some moving around during this time period and the next child, James Butler Hickok, was born in May of 1837. 1621. There is also a confrontation, between Hickok and five cavalry troopers, that is somewhat in dispute as to the exact facts of the event. [26]:329 Hickok did not enjoy acting, and often hid behind scenery. It is generally conceded by historians that Hickok was attacked by the five troopers. That story is also thought to be an exaggeration. At the trial it was proved that the murderer was hired to do his work by gamblers[44] who feared the time when better citizens should appoint Bill the champion of law and order - a post which he formerly sustained in Kansas border life, with credit to his manhood and his courage. Hickok's image,however, with the town of Springfield was not all positive, and many did not care for him or his ways. Interestingly, most newspapers continued to use the name William Haycock when referring to "Wild Bill" until 1869 despite military records after 1865 using his correct name while acknowledging he was also known as Haycock. Born near LeClaire in Scott County, Iowa, in 1846, Buffalo Bill Cody rode on the Pony Express at the age of 14, fought in the American Civil War, served as a scout. Before the internment,however, some of her "friends" conceived the plan to bury her next to Wild Bill. In 1979 Hickok was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. The fifth card was either unknown, or some say that it had not yet been dealt. The game was interrupted by Hickok getting shot. Hickok himself told the writers with great seriousness that he had killed over 100 men. [12], While in Nebraska, Hickok was derisively referred to by one man as "Duck Bill" for his long nose and protruding lips. In 1861, after growing a mustache following the infamous McCanles incident, and with some encouragement from himself, he was to become known by the nickname he is most famous for, "Wild Bill.". It is interesting to note, during this time period, that young Hickok had some concerns about what his mother thought of his behavior. B. Hickock killed by the assassin Jack McCall in Deadwood, Black Hills, August 2, 1876. While Horace and Lorenzo took over the regular chores of running the family farm, young James took over the job of furnishing some of the food for the family. Hickok was reported to be an inveterate hater of Indians, but it is difficult to separate fact from fiction. Tutt walked off with the watch, but nothing further occurred at this time. Many people knew that Jane had a crush on Hickok but few, if any, knew that they were married. McCall may have been paid for the deed, or it may have been the result of a recent dispute between the two. 10. This would be the first recorded time he assumed the office of a law enforcement officer. 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. James Butler 'Wild Bill' Hickok was a legendary gunfighter and law man in the American Wild West. Later historians, however, have presented a radically different portrayal of the events at Rock Creek. Without waiting to see the results of his shot, Hickok turned on his heel and faced an angry group of Tutt's friends, who had taken a position behind him. "-"Phil" Coe was from Texas, ran the "Bulls Head" a saloon and gambling den, sold whiskey and mens souls. A humorous, if somewhat dangerous, incident occurred during an appearance by Hickok. His reputation as a gunfighter gave rise to legends and tales about his life. Corrections? It was during the planning and organization stages of the trip that Hickok first met Calamity Jane. [21][22] Hickok, Wellman, and another employee, J.W. This caused Hickok, the greatest gunfighter in the West, to be unceremoniously dumped face first into the dirt, and to see his horse being dragged away by the buffalo. The fifth card is debated, or, as some say, had not yet been dealt. Secondly, Hickok knew of Hardin and his reputation. On April 15th 1871 he was sworn in as Marshal at a salary of $150 dollars a month. It is also during this time that Hickok's trademark characteristics are recorded for the first time. He quickly fired one shot in reaction, accidentally shooting and killing Abilene Special Deputy Marshal Mike Williams, who was coming to his aid, an event that would haunt him for the remainder of his life. On March 5, 1876, Hickok married Agnes Thatcher Lake, a 50-year-old circus proprietor in Cheyenne, Wyoming Territory. My ancestor Amanda came from Samuel's line and "Wild Bill" came from Joseph's line. In July of 1876, Hickok joined a wagon train led by Charlie Utter in Cheyenne, Wyoming. [39] Three sheriffs had quit during the previous 18 months. In 1861 he was involved in a deadly shootout with the McCanles Gang at the Rock Creek Station after 40-year-old David McCanles, his 12-year-old son (William) Monroe McCanles, and two farmhands, James Woods and James Gordon, called at the station's office to demand payment of an overdue second installment on the property, an event that is still the subject of much debate. There was also overtones of a "woman" being involved in the problem between McCanles and Hickok. Eventually, Hickok tired of all the show business stuff and left for the West he so loved. Col. George Armstrong Custer. His own show, The Daring Buffalo Chase of the Plains, did not fare well, but in 1873 he joined Buffalo Bill Codys The Scouts of the Prairie, which was based in Rochester, New York. The movie The Plainsman (1936), starring Gary Cooper as Hickok, features the alleged romance between Calamity Jane and him as its main plot line. James Butler Hickok (May 27, 1837 August 2, 1876), better known as Wild Bill Hickok, was a legendary figure in the American Wild West. Wild Bill Hickok next set his sights on Abilene, Kansas, where he served as the town's . Brink, were tried for killing McCanles, but were found to have acted in self-defense. McCall claimed at the resulting two-hour trial (by a motley group of assembled miners and businessmen) that he was avenging Hickok's earlier slaying of his brother. Her father cried out "Children we're safe, it's Marshal Hickok they'll not harm us now!" It was apparent that his marksmanship and health had been suffering for some time, as he had been arrested several times for vagrancy, despite earning a good income from gambling and displays of showmanship only a few years earlier. She was a legitimate niece of Hickok, and approached the Billings Gazette and told them McCormick was a fraud and imposter. While acting in this capacity Sherman's command stopped in a small Kansas town. 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. Hickok and Lanihan, however, remained sheriff and deputy, respectively. [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. There is no doubt that Hickok was a fearless and deadly fighting man, equally at home with a rifle, revolver, or knife. Hickok warned the armed and dangerous man to cease causing trouble. And the family remained in complete safety while the cow herd, and the cowboys, passed by the ranch. One thing led to another and soon five or six of them lay unconscious on the pool room floor. His father was said to have used the family house, now demolished, as a station on the Underground Railroad. The winter of 1870-71 passed peacefully for Hickok. [6] Since the event was outdoors, he could not compel people to pay, and the venture was a financial failure. He told them to mount their ponies and ride out of town "damn quick". Sometime during this incident the name "Wild Bill" was applied to Hickok. Hardin was a well-known gunfighter, and is known to have killed more than 27 men. Recently, a "photo" of the mysterious Captain O'Neil surfaced. After the fact, there was much speculation as to whether romantic rivalry had had a role in the incident: Hickok was apparently involved with a woman who had also been involved with the married McCanles. Hickok ran as an Independent; but lost to his deputy, Peter Lanihan, who ran as a Democrat. [5], For unknown reasons, Hickok used the name William Hickok from 1858 and then William Haycock during the Civil War. awaiting execution. He sometimes meets up with his friend and occasional lover, Calamity Jane. Some contemporaneous reports of his exploits are known to be fictitious, but they remain the basis of much of his fame and reputation. There was no such recollection, of the incident, in the minds of old Abilene residents. 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. Not exactly the image some "historians" have given us concerning this fearsome gunfighter, but true none the less. He didn't do well living in the East either. In 1861 he was involved in a deadly shoot-out with the McCanles Gang at the Rock Creek Station after 40-year-old David McCanles, his 12-year-old son (William) Monroe McCanles, and two farmhands, James Woods and James Gordon, called at the station's office to demand payment of an overdue second installment on the property, an event that is still the subject of much debate. On the contrary, he was applauded. May 27 1837 - Troy Grove, La Salle, Illinois, USA, Aug 2 1876 - Deadwood, Lawrence, South Dakota, USA, May 27 1837 - Troy Grove, Lasalle, IL, USA, William Alonzo Hickok, Pamelia Polly Butler, Agnes Mersman, Martha Jane (Calamity Jane) Cannary, Horace Dewey Hickok, Oliver Otis Hickok, Lorenzo Butler Hickok, Lydia Hickok, Lorenzo Butler Hickok, Celinda Hickok, Homer, Troy Grove, LaSalle County, Illinois, United States, Mount Moriah Cemetery, Deadwood, Lawrence, South Dakota, United States. Wild Bill had learned of the scheme and cornered Coe, had his two pistols drawn on Coe. 2, serial number 29963, a .32 rimfire with a six-inch barrel, blued finish, and varnished rosewood grips. McLintock used a cane to tap the body, face and head, finding no soft tissue anywhere. David McCanles "called out" Wild Bill from the Station House. The Kansas Heritage Server would like to thank John Richard for contributing the following article about James Butler Hickok. (#13189) Naturally, all such claims were made long after Hickok was dead. Whether or not Coe had actually made the statement, and Hickok answered as reported, is disputable but it certainly personified the reputation Wild Bill accrued. A gruesome tale, but illustrative of the type and character of the town Hickok had come to tame. She spoke kindly of the Marshal who came to her dad's farm to visit. In any case, Hardin appeared to have thought highly of Hickok. Born in Troy Grove, near Ottawa, Illinois, he took part in the Kansas struggle preceding the Civil War, was a driver of the Butterfield stage line, and gained fame as a gunfighter. [15] He grew a moustache following the McCanles incident, and in 1861 began calling himself "Wild Bill".[16][17]. 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. It is also interesting to note, that court documents concerning the incident refer to Hickok as "William B. Hickok". The Codys were a farming family in Iowa but the death of Billy Cody's older brother sent the family to Kansas to start over. Many characters in Western novels are fashioned after Hickok. The bullet hit Hickok in the back of the head, killing him instantly. Most newspapers referred to him as William Haycock until 1869. Some accounts of report Hickok took part in Buffalo Bill's Wild West. He wore his revolvers backwards in a belt or sash (when donning city clothes or buckskins, respectively), and seldom used holsters per se; he drew the pistols using a "reverse", "twist" or Cavalry draw, as would a cavalryman. The next child, also named Lorenzo Butler Hickok, was born in November of 1832. [64], Hickok was playing five-card stud or five-card draw when he was shot. Shortly before Hickok's death, he wrote a letter to his new wife, which reads 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 wife-Agnes-and with wishes even for my enemies I will make the plunge and try to swim to the other shore" and "My dearly beloved if I am to die today and never see the sweet face of you I want you to know that I am no great man and am lucky to have such a woman as you", http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=479&ref=wvr. Hickok, naturally, did not care for the comment. In one show, he shot the spotlight when it focused on him. In neither of these actions was any blame laid upon Hickok. They had ivory grips and nickel plating, and were ornately engraved with "J.B. Hickok1869" on the backstrap. 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. After the war, Hickok became a scout for the U. S. Army and later was a professional gambler. 8:45. She died on August 3, 1655 in Farmington. [2], Because of his "sweeping nose and protruding upper lip," Hickok was nicknamed "Duck Bill. Hickok interrupted him and then proceeded to tell the entire mob what he thought of them, and it wasn't complimentary. 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. They quickly and quietly left town. After Hardin left town he and Hickok did not meet again. Hickok was winning, which irritated Tutt, and words were exchanged. Accounts differ on what happened next. The show was sponsored by Kellogg Cereals . [25][26] He later failed to win reelection. This was during the Indian Wars, in which Hickok sometimes served as a scout for General George A. Custer's 7th Cavalry. [11], Hickok first met former Confederate Army soldier Davis Tutt in early 1865, while both were gambling in Springfield, Missouri. ", This page was last edited on 14 April 2023, at 10:52. Shull, at the age of ninety-three,related the following version. This incident had a profound impact on young Bill Tilghman. Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok: With Guy Madison, Andy Devine, Sam Flint, William Haade. He met Hickok's mother, Polly Butler, in New York State. Apparently, a local bartender had bested a group of local toughs in a fight. 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?" [2][28] It is also recorded that when Hardin's cousin Mannen Clements was jailed for the killing of two cowboys, Hickok, at Hardin's request, arranged for his escape.[29]. The above few examples are typical of the numerous inconsistencies, inaccurate facts, and downright falsehoods connected to the Calamity Jane/Hickok stories. Many characters in Western novels are fashioned after Hickok. Rosa conjectures that Wellman had far more of a motive to kill McCanles, a belief supported by McCanles's son's own account. Hickok left home at age 17 and worked as a canal boat pilot in Utica, Illinois, before heading west in 1856 to Bleeding Kansas, which was embroiled in a violent conflict over whether slavery should be permitted there. "Wild Bill's Sweetheart: The Life of Mary Jane Owens. 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. Wild Bill had a premonition that Deadwood would be his last camp and expressed this belief to two of his friends Colorado Charlie. They would learn that the new Marshal was of iron will, expert with guns, fearless in the performance of his duties, and possessed of a well earned reputation as a killer of men when necessary. The incident helped contribute to the overall failure of the show. Although the show brought Hickok some much-needed income, he was unhappy, began drinking heavily, and returned to the West in March 1874. [42], McCall was subsequently rearrested after bragging about his deed, and a new trial was held. McCall may have been paid for the deed, or it may have been the result of a recent dispute between the two. t" it Springfield is nor Which i" it by 20t.T Illustration of James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok, Harpers New Monthly Magazine February 1867 ", Rosa, Joseph G. (1982). The man's name was H.C. Lindsay, and he and Hickok knew each other from old Indian campaign days. William Orville "Wild Bill" Hickok III (August 23, 1874 - September 4, 1933) was an American football player and industrialist. Hickok's deputies did little to assist him, there was no need. He wrote to his brother, in a letter dated August 14th 1858, that he hadn't had a "drink" in over a year! There were also women in the house, conceivably armed with shotguns. He said, "Her achievements have been greatly magnified by every writer I have ever met, for she was among the commonest of her class". They initially agreed not to fight over the watch, but when Hickok saw Tutt wearing it, he warned him to stay away. When the Civil War broke out in April 1861, Hickok signed on as a teamster for the Union Army in Sedalia, Missouri, and by the end of the year he was a wagonmaster. Wild Bill was having a run of bad luck that day and was forced to borrow a poker stake from the bartender. He had also served in some of the same areas Hickok had served with the Union. [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. This was his sixth murder. [d] The jury voted to clear Hickok, resulting in public backlash and criticism of the verdict. [21] Hickok subsequently visited McCanles' widow, apologized for the killing, and offered her $35 in restitution, all the money he had with him at the time. At the end of the trial, Judge Sempronius H. Boyd told the jury they could not find Hickok acted in self-defense if he could have reasonably avoided the fight. Hickok had only three deputies and himself, to control upwards of five thousand rowdy citizens. "George Ward Nichols and the Legend of Wild Bill Hickok. On this occasion however, his friends teased him about his habit and wouldn't let him sit with his back to the wall. Wild Bill Hickok, is one of the most famous figures of the wild west. Because a knife would not have been worn unsheathed, it is likely a photographer's prop. It was during this time period, however, that Hickok met his future wife Agnes Lake who had come to town with her traveling circus show, but more of than later. Good bye, Colorado Charlie, C. H. Utter. Friends of the beaten toughs now wanted to even the score, and had attracted a large crowd of sympathizers. A highly fictional film account of Hickok's later years and death, titled Wild Bill (1995), stars Jeff Bridges as Hickok and David Arquette as Jack McCall, and was written and directed by Walter Hill. The election results of Monticello Kansas show Hickok being elected as "Constable", in 1858. Hickok successfully roped the animal, however, the rope slipped back of the buffalo's hump. Macintosh of irregularities and misconduct during the election. Marshal in the whole West." And that's about it: he beat up all the bad guys and somehow kept his good looks. [36][37], In December 1867, newspapers reported that Hickok had come to stay in Hays City, Kansas. [4] Despite all Hickok photographs indicating he had dark hair, all contemporary descriptions confirm he was in fact golden blonde. In 1876, Hickok was diagnosed by a doctor in Kansas City, Missouri, with glaucoma and ophthalmia, a condition that was widely rumored at the time by Hickok's detractors to be the result of various sexually transmitted diseases. Hickok, with his good friend Mike Williams, heard the shot. On 28 March 1868, he was again in Hays as a deputy U.S. Marshall, picking up 11 Union deserters charged with stealing government property to be transferred to Topeka for trial. The two men, Hickok and Custer, became good friends. In March or early April of 1871 the city of Abilene Kansas offered him a job as city Marshal. During the years 1859-60 Hickok drove freight wagons, and coaches along the Santa Fe Trail. "[18] He proved to be a terrible actor and returned to the West, where he ran for sheriff in Ellsworth County, Kansas, on November 5, 1867, but was defeated by former soldier E.W. In quick succession, Hickok was said to have then killed five members of McCanless gang and knocked out another before three more gang members threw him down on a bed, only to be bested in hand-to-hand combat by the knife-wielding Hickok. Hickok was severely injured, with a crushed chest, shoulder, and arm. Fairchilds & Wild Bill Hickok By Bruce Clark July 29, 2004 at 05:06:38. 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. 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. [clarification needed] He was right; he would never leave Deadwood alive. First, the Cunard line never had a ship named the "Madagascar". 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