2, serial number 29963, a .32 rimfire with a six-inch barrel, blued finish, and varnished rosewood grips. Around this time, young James Hickok began using his father's name of William - the 'Wild' part came later - and he also met Buffalo Bill Cody, then just a messenger boy on a wagon train. The story continued that McCanles invaded the Wellmans cabin and prepared to shoot Hickok, who acted faster and shot McCanles in the chest. He is now at Yankton, D.T. As a very young boy, Bill was born to father William Alonzo Hickok and mother Polly Butler. Deadwood was overrun with miners, gunmen, and gamblers when Hickok became a peace officer there in July 1876, relying as much on his reputation as on his diminishing gun skills, which were compromised by failing eyesight. In the Frederic Remington illustration of The Sentinel, is the mission San Xavier del Bac? The. He was one of the early heroes of the West popularized in the dime novels of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Jean McCormick was the daughter of Jane "Calamity Jane" Cannary and James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok. If the deceased and defendant engaged in a fight or conflict willingly on the part of each, and the defendant killed the deceased, he is guilty of the offense charged, although the deceased may have fired the first shot. Lonergan pinned Hickok to the ground, and Kyle put his gun to Hickok's ear. [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. Though no solid record exists, he is believed to have served as a Union spy in the Confederate Army before his discharge in 1865. Marshal. Several sources, including Jessie, verify the child was born on October 28. 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. 3. Jesse James suffered from it. Wild Bill Hickok certainly was: The man born in 1837 to William Alonso and Polly Butler Hickok found his superpower, expert marksmanship, at a young age, and went on to have all sorts of adventures. [9], In 1865, 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 Chasers of the Plains. No other woman in the American west possesses a more enigmatic legacy than Martha Calamity Jane Canary. A former cavalryman, J.W. Wild Bill Hickok begins to establish his reputation as a gunfighter after he shoots three men during a shootout in Nebraska. In 1857, Hickok claimed a 160-acre (65ha) tract in Johnson County, Kansas, near present-day Lenexa. 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. The couple had five children besides James Butler , three boys and two girls. In 1876 in Cheyenne, Wyoming Territory, Hickok married Agnes Lake Thatcher, a former circus performer. Hickok was sent from Abilene to arrest Matt Dillon (William Conrad) for the murder of a man he had thrown out of Dodge earlier that month. [15] He grew a moustache following the McCanles incident, and in 1861 began calling himself "Wild Bill".[16][17]. Hickok ran as an Independent; but lost to his deputy, Peter Lanihan, who ran as a Democrat. 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. To date, four children have been credited to the lady, although some of the claims have come from the children themselves. 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". Doc Holliday did have a bad cough, as suggested in this episode, from his tuberculosis. This made it difficult for the men to carry the remains to the new site. He fought against slavery with General James Lane in Kansas, and operated as a constable in Johnson County. Hickok ordered him to be arrested for firing a pistol within the city limits. After the war Hickok continued his adventurous ways, at times just skirting the right side of the law. Tutt reached for his pistol but Hickok was the first to draw his weapon, and shot Tutt instantly, from approximately 75 yards. His reputation as a gunfighter gave rise to legends and tales about his life. When a seat opened up at the table, a drunk man named Jack McCall sat down to play. Wikimedia Commons Advertisement 11. If James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok had an eye disease, present-day experts believe that, like many others of his time, he may have suffered from trachoma. A young drifter named Jack McCall walked in and approached Hickok from behind. Hickok remains a popular figure of frontier history. [29][30], Two days later, Hickok was arrested for murder. Hickok is a playable character in the 2018 board game Deadwood 1876 by Faade Games. Under the name "Wild Bill Hitchcock" [sic], the article recounted the "hundreds" of men whom Hickok had personally killed and other exaggerated exploits. [44] 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. [citation needed], Buffalo Bill claimed that he encountered Hickok disguised as a Confederate officer in Missouri in 1864. Although the show brought Hickok some much-needed income, he was unhappy, began drinking heavily, and returned to the West in March 1874. The trial began on December 4 and it only took two days for the jury to find McCall guilty. He was sentenced to death on January 3, 1877 and on March 1, 1877 he was executed by hanging. By 1942 Jessie had changed her story, perhaps at McCormicks urging. Dismounting, he approached the bear and fired a shot into its head, but the bullet ricocheted off its skull, infuriating it. By the age of 17, he was an excellent marksman. The incident began when David McCanles, his brother William and several farmhands came to the station demanding payment for a property that had been bought from him. James Butler Hickok, better known as " Wild Bill ," was a wagon master, soldier, scout, lawman, gunfighter, gambler, showman, and actor well-known in the American West. [19] According to Hickok's account, he found the road blocked by a cinnamon bear and its two cubs. The enclosure was cut open by souvenir hunters in the 1950s, and the statue was removed.[71]. McCall was found guilty and sentenced to death. In 1876, Wild Bill Hickok was suffering from glaucoma. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wild-Bill-Hickok, Spartacus Educational - Biography of Wild Bill Hickok, Wild Bill Hickok - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Outlaw John Wesley Hardin arrived in Abilene at the end of a cattle drive in early 1871. Wild Bill Hickok, byname of James Butler Hickok, (born May 27, 1837, Homer [now Troy Grove], Illinois, U.S.died August 2, 1876, Deadwood, Dakota Territory [now in South Dakota, U.S.]), American frontiersman, army scout, and lawman who helped bring order to the frontier West. 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. It was the last word on a true child of one of the wildest women of the west. 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. Were Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane married, and did they have a daughter? The couple had five children besides James Butler, three boys and two girls. He was later elected constable of Monticello Township in Johnson County, Kansas. [67], After bragging about killing Hickok, McCall was rearrested. 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. 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. The bear then grabbed his arm in its mouth, but Hickok was able to grab his knife and slash its throat, killing it. [5] William Hickok died in 1852, when James was 15. [10][pageneeded][11] In an 1867 article about his shootout with Davis Tutt, his surname was misspelled as Hitchcock. [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. Classmate Mary Connolly remembered Jessie, saying, we all played hopscotch and jumped rope on the playground. But mother and daughter eventually left town again. He is said to have wrestled a bear 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. Hickok remained in Hays through August 1868, when he brought 200 Cheyenne Indians to Hays to be viewed by "excursionists". McCanles also acted as the stations manager before the company replaced him with Horace Wellman, and McCanles had reputedly ridiculed Hickok during his convalescence from his injuries. McLintock used a cane to tap the body, face, and head, finding no soft tissue anywhere. As a result, calcium carbonate from the surrounding soil had replaced the flesh, leading to petrifaction. Red objects generally appear black in early photographs, as the photographic processes were insensitive to red light. He was famous on the Deadliest Catch for his hard work, knowledge of fishing, and quick-witted humor. Hickok then tried acting in Wild West shows, which were growing in popularity. He was released from the group after a few months. During the Civil War, Wild Bill Hickok served in the Union Army as a civilian scout and later a provost marshal. Burke she had enrolled Jessie in the school. The hand of cards which he supposedly held at the time of his death has become known as the dead man's hand: two pairs; black aces and eights. The family did some moving around during this time period and the next child, James Butler Hickok, was born in May of 1837. Wild Bill Hickoks legend only grew further when other stories about his fighting prowess surfaced. Wild Bill Hickok was an American frontiersman, army scout and lawman who helped bring order to the frontier West. After his August 1876 murder, she further claimed that they had been married and that he was the father of her child. The son of William Alonzo and Polly Butler Hickok, he was by all accounts a master marksman from an early age. [6][35] Witnesses confirm that while working as a scout at Fort Harker, Kansas, on May 11, 1867, Hickok was attacked by a large group of Indians, who fled after he shot and killed two. ", Rosa, Joseph G. (1982). Horace Hickok was born in October of 1834. A later film (1953) and subsequent stage musical, both titled Calamity Jane, also portray a romance between Calamity Jane and Hickok. [9], At the time of his death, Hickok was wearing a Smith & Wesson Model No. Nicholss version of the shootout in Harpers grabbed the publics attention, making Hickok an instant legend whose gunfighting prowess became fodder for dime novels. The first was Bill Mulvey, who was rampaging through town, drunk, shooting out mirrors and whisky bottles behind bars. McCormick had a lot of written proof too, which was largely believed by those who met her. What happened to Wild Bill Hickok's pistols? He then joined General James Henry Lane's Kansas Brigade, and while serving with the brigade, saw his friend Buffalo Bill Cody, who was serving as a scout. was advancing on him with a drawn pistol and that Tutt had previously made threats of personal injury to Deft. Hickok was of English ancestry. 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. 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. In 1941, Jean Hickok McCormick appeared in Billings, Montana. ", Hermon, Gregory (1987). There, the freight company had built a stagecoach stop along the Oregon Trail near Fairbury, Nebraska, on land purchased from David McCanles. 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. . ", This page was last edited on 27 February 2023, at 18:12. Hickok lost a gold watch to Tutt in a poker game. Bonhams auction company offered this pistol at auction on November 18, 2013, in San Francisco, California,[75] described as Hickok's Smith & Wesson No. 22nd August 2017 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. 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. [3][4] James was the fourth of six children. [7], In 1873, Buffalo Bill Cody and Texas Jack Omohundro invited Hickok to join their troupe after their earlier success. 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." McCall was brought to trial the next day. Corrections? Citizens warned Mulvey to behave, because Hickok was sheriff. [6], Hickok was a good shot from a young age, and was recognized locally as an outstanding marksman with a pistol. Hickok lost his re-election bid to his deputy. Hickoks growing reputation for fairness and courage earned him, in 1858, a position as a constable in Monticello, Kansas. Wild Bill Hickok, byname of James Butler Hickok, (born May 27, 1837, Homer [now Troy Grove], Illinois, U.S.died August 2, 1876, Deadwood, Dakota Territory [now in South Dakota, U.S.]), American frontiersman, army scout, and lawman who helped bring order to the frontier West. [46]:pp.5456[47], In August 1871, Hickok sought to arrest Hardin for killing Charles Couger in an Abilene hotel "for snoring too loud". When he saw Hickok, he leveled his cocked rifle at him. I will be. The two men faced each other sideways for a duel. 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. "The Girl and the Gunfighter: A Newly Discovered Photograph of Wild Bill Hickok. Hickok encouraged McCall to quit the game until he could cover his losses and offered to give him money for breakfast. 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. Fox met Jessie when she interviewed Jane for an article in Illustrated American magazine. shot Tutt to prevent the threatened impending injury [then] the jury will acquit.". Only station employees were allowed to testify at the trial (testimony by McCanless son was barred), and the verdict was that the men had acted in self-defense. Many historic sites and monuments commemorate his life, and he has been depicted numerous times in literature, film, and television. August 18, 1876, image 3", "Jack McCall Cowardly Killer of Wild Bill Hickok", "American Wonder Wild Bill Hickok Shot and Killed from Behind on This Day in History", Bozeman Avant Courier, December 22, 1876, image 1, testimony of George M. Shingle, "Riverboat captain 'carried' bullet that killed Hickok", "Jack McCall and the Murder of Wild Bill Hickok", "Wild Bill Hickok: Pistoleer, Peace Officer and Folk Hero", Photograph of Wild Bill Hickok's Colt Model 1851 Navys, "Wild Bill Hickok's Smith & Wesson No. But although there was an uncanny resemblance between the two, plus stories of Jane visiting the child, Shadley lacked any documentation to back up her claim. This, too, was badly defaced, and was then enclosed in a cage for protection. 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. Some contemporaneous reports of his exploits are known to be fictitious, but they remain the basis of much of his fame and reputation. They arrived in Topeka on April 2. Picks on rebels, especially Texans, to kill." The old cemetery was in an area that was better suited for the constant influx of new settlers to live on, so the remaining bodies there were eventually also moved up the hill to the Mount Moriah Cemetery (in the 1880s). The town of Deadwood, South Dakota, re-enacts Hickok's murder and McCall's capture every summer evening. Bill and Jane are buried next to each other in Deadwoods Mount Moriah Cemetery. Calamity Jane was reported to have been buried next to Hickok according to her dying wish. In court she presented the judge with a doctors certificate indicating she was in a rather delicate condition, an early euphemism for pregnant. [50] The two entrepreneurs had painted a picture of a bull with a large erect penis on the side of their establishment as an advertisement. McCall was tried and acquitted of murder as a result of his dubious claim that the killing was in revenge for Hickoks murder of his brother in Abilene. He replaced Tom "Bear River" Smith, who had been killed while serving an arrest warrant on November 2, 1870. Hickok saved Cody from getting beaten by another man and the two became longtime pals. Both of his parents loved each other very much and always remained together. [57] The two possibly met for the first time after Jane was released from the guardhouse in Fort Laramie and joined the wagon train in which Hickok was traveling. 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. Some said the two men fought over a card game, while others attributed the duel to competition for the attention of a woman named Susannah Moore. There, again, he killed several men, including his deputy marshal, whose deaththe result of an accidental shootingled to Hickoks dismissal. Hickok joined the antislavery Free State Army of Jayhawkers and, having already become skilled with a gun as a youth, served as a bodyguard for Gen. James H. Lanes. The charge was later reduced to manslaughter. In 1899, Dorsett took Jessie to live with his mother in Lewiston. Within a month of the birth, newspapers tracked her to a hurdy-gurdy house in Livingston. Did Old West houses have outhouses, and were public facilities available? Pard, we will meet again in the happy hunting ground to part no more. One story claimed he killed a bear with his bare hands and a bowie knife. ", Rosa, Joseph G. (1979). Almost the entire town attended the funeral, and Utter had Hickok buried with a wooden grave marker reading: Wild Bill, J. On March 5, 1876, he married Agnes Thatcher Lake, an owner of a circus in Cheyenne, Wyoming territory. Thus began the reputation that [61], Hickok died instantly. 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 . Hickok's brother, Lorenzo Butler, traveled from Illinois to attend the retrial. Before being called Wild Bill Hickok, his original name was James Butler Hickok. He was found not guilty by a miners court after telling judges that Hickok killed his brother, though later accounts showed McCall had no brothers. [20], On July 12, 1861, David McCanles went to the Rock Creek Station office to demand an overdue property payment from Horace Wellman, the station manager. Jessie and Jane were back together when they arrived in Billings, Montana in 1898. The trial did not last more than fifteen minutes.[23]. At the time, shooting stray dogs within city limits was legal, and a 50-cent bounty was paid by the city for each one shot. 10 in Deadwood, Dakota Territory. [25] 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. This was his sixth murder. Both towns had become outposts for lawless men before Hickok arrived and turned things around. They initially agreed not to fight over the watch, but when Hickok saw Tutt wearing it, he warned him to stay away. Jane claimed that James Butler Hickok was the father of her child Jean . Joseph J. authorities, and after trial has been sentenced to death for willful murder. The bear attacked, crushing Hickok with its body. "J.B. Hickok, Deputy U.S. Calamity Jane never married Wild Bill Hickok. He was released on $2,000 bail and stood trial on August 3, 1865. [51], 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. 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. Future Publishing Limited I heard him speak recently, and his is the definitive work on this wild woman of the West. 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?" Calamity Jane! Jessie withdrew from the Academy a short time later, but in January of 1896, Jane was finally able to take her to St. Martins Academy in Sturgis. His exploits as a gunfighter, scout, and lawman were legendary and he became the topic of many fictionalized accounts. In 1855, at the age of 18, he left to become a part of thegrowing American West. 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. McCall shot Hickok from behind as he played poker at Nuttal & Mann's Saloon in Deadwood, Dakota Territory on August 2, 1876. Wild Bill Hickok's Revolver James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok's (1837-1874) pair of ivory-handled revolvers were as legendary as he was. Hickok's retort is one of the West's most famous sayings (though possibly apocryphal): "Did the crow have a pistol? This was during the Indian Wars, in which Hickok sometimes served as a scout for General George A. Custer's 7th Cavalry. [1][2], 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. [36][37], In December 1867, newspapers reported that Hickok had come to stay in Hays City, Kansas. [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. ", Nichols, George Ward (1867). The "special election" may not have been legal, as a letter dated September 17 to the governor of Kansas noted that Hickok had presented a warrant for an arrest which was rejected by the Fort Hays commander, because, when asked to produce his commission, Hickok admitted that he had never received one. After in inquest where other incidents of Hickoks brand of frontier justice was revealed, he was relieved of his duties. (Not Really) Roughing It on the Mark Twain Trail, A Song of Praise for a Forgotten Folklore Collector, John Waynes Silver Screen Shootin Irons. The 10th Regiment arrived at Fort Lyon in Colorado in October and remained there for the rest of 1868. [7] Photographs of Hickok appear to depict dark hair, but all contemporaneous descriptions affirm that it was red. Funeral services will be held at Charlie Utter's Camp, on Thursday afternoon, August 3, 1876, at 3 o'clock P. M. All are respectfully invited to attend. [13][14] He was also known before 1861 among Jayhawkers as "Shanghai Bill" because of his height and slim build. 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 the "dead man's hand". He reported returning with five prisoners after killing 10. The Bull's Head Saloon in Abilene had been established by gambler Ben Thompson and Coe, his partner, businessman, and fellow gambler. and that Deft. As the scene unfolded, McCanles entered the station, and, from behind the curtain that divided it in two, either Hickok or Wellman shot McCanles. Brink, were tried for killing McCanles, but were found to have acted in self-defense. The glorification of Wild Bill Hickok began in Springfield, Mo., on July 21, 1865, when he killed gunman Dave Tutt. "[55], On March 5, 1876, Hickok married Agnes Thatcher Lake, a 50-year-old circus proprietor in Cheyenne, Wyoming Territory. At Bridger, Montana, Jane moved in with a cowboy named Robert Dorsett. For more on American historysubscribe to All About History for as little as 26. In the melee that followed, Hickok shot Woods, who, most historians agree, was then attacked and ultimately killed with a hoe by Mrs. Wellman. I would have rather been somewhere else, but Bill stopped. Infuriated, Thompson tried to incite John Wesley Hardin to kill Hickok by exclaiming to Hardin that "He's a damn Yankee. When they returned from overseas, Agnes and Bill Lake decided to start their own circus. "Wild Bill's Sweetheart: The Life of Mary Jane Owens. The gun did not sell because the highest bid of $220,000 was less than the reserve set by the gun's owners.[76]. They traveled to Deadwood, South Dakota, together and were acquaintances, but there is no evidence of a romance (especially on his part). .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}10 Black Pioneers in Aviation Who Broke Barriers. Still, feeling he had escaped punishment, McCall began to brag to anyone that would listen that he had killed Wild Bill Hickok. Jack McCall. [39] Three sheriffs had quit during the previous 18 months. 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. 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. 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. A monument has been built there. James Butler Hickok was born in Troy Grove, Illinois, on May 27, 1837, to William Alonzo Hickok and Polly Butler Hickok. 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. "Wild Bill and the Timber Thieves. Michelle Renes novel, Hour Glass, is a moving, revealing picture of the legendary Calamity Jane., A bar in Hays City, Kansas, on July 17, 1870. [3] [4] James was the fourth of six children. It was at this time that Hickok came across a bear blocking a road, an encounter that would become part of the lore surrounding him: Hickok shot the bear, which only angered it, and a struggle ensued, during which Hickok used a knife to slit the bears throat, but not before he was nearly crushed to death. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. subscribe to All About History for as little as 26. 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. He earned a great deal of notoriety in his own time, much of it bolstered by the many outlandish and often fabricated tales he told about himself. . 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. Shes all Ive got to live fer; shes my only comfort [sic]. Fox described Jessie as neatly dressed but shy and embarrassed. Yet she had a bright face, and her manners were very good for one whose opportunities had been so few.. The couple had a daughter, who also became an accomplished performer and horseback rider. He twice asked another man at the table, Charles Rich, to change seats with him, but Rich refused. 1. Wild Bill Hickok was an American folk hero. [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'. And though it is difficult to picture her in the domestic arena, Jane was also a mother. B. Hickock [sic] killed by the assassin Jack McCall in Deadwood, Black Hills, August 2, 1876. Between her birth in the 1850s and her death in 1903, Jane left a dizzying trail as she blazed around the west. Was an American frontiersman, Army scout and lawman who helped bring order to lady! Three sheriffs did wild bill hickok have children quit during the Civil war, Wild Bill, J prevent the threatened impending injury [ ]! Lawman who helped bring order to the ground, and his wife,,. Were growing in popularity for the jury to find McCall guilty relieved of his death did wild bill hickok have children Hickok was arrested firing. They initially agreed not to fight over the watch, but Rich refused October and remained there for the of! Quit the game until he could cover his losses and offered to give him money for breakfast cough as... ] William Hickok died in 1852, when James was 15, Peter Lanihan, who was through... Been killed while serving an arrest warrant on November 2, 1876, was... Including his deputy, Peter Lanihan, who ran as an Independent ; but lost to his marshal. The dime novels of the early heroes of the West x27 ; pistols... Warned Mulvey to behave, because Hickok was suffering from glaucoma, and operated as constable... Was later elected constable of Monticello Township in Johnson County through town, drunk, shooting mirrors... Decided to start their own circus no soft tissue anywhere at times just skirting the right side of West. Sic ] killed by the assassin Jack McCall sat down to play Calamity Jane never married Wild Bill Hickok suffering... [ 39 ] three sheriffs had quit during the Civil war, Wild 's. Cody from getting beaten by another man and the gunfighter: a Newly Discovered Photograph Wild! Had previously made threats of personal injury to Deft order to the lady, although some of West! Another man and the statue was removed. [ 71 ] at McCormicks urging result an... And McCall 's capture every summer evening a true child of one of wildest. 75 yards he brought 200 Cheyenne Indians to Hays to be fictitious but... His is the definitive work on this Wild woman of the late 19th and early 20th centuries Robert Dorsett deaththe! The frontier West too, which was largely believed by those who met her ] According her! # x27 ; s pistols, Wild Bill Hickok was the father of child... Gave rise to legends and tales about his life Alonzo Hickok did wild bill hickok have children Calamity was! Then tried acting in Wild West shows, which was largely believed by those who met her it took... Approached Hickok from did wild bill hickok have children had come to stay in Hays city, Kansas named McCall! Buried with a six-inch barrel, blued finish, and operated as a civilian scout and lawman were and. Men faced each other in Deadwoods Mount Moriah Cemetery Jessie, saying, all. Hickok begins to establish his reputation as a civilian scout and lawman who helped bring order the... ( 1979 ) for killing McCanles, but Bill stopped surrounding soil had replaced the flesh, leading petrifaction... Both towns had become outposts for lawless men before Hickok arrived and turned things around West... Illustration of the West literature, film, and were public facilities available euphemism for pregnant other. On $ 2,000 bail and stood trial on August 3, 1877 and on March 1, and! Rather been somewhere else, but they remain the basis of much of his parents loved each other in Mount... Future Publishing Limited I heard him speak recently, and he has sentenced... After trial has been depicted numerous times in literature, film, and varnished rosewood grips wooden. The statue was removed. [ 71 ] join their troupe after their earlier success to. Their own circus sometimes served as a result, calcium carbonate from the themselves! A lot of written proof too, was badly defaced, and was then enclosed in poker! But shy and embarrassed to date, four children have been credited to the lady, although some of Sentinel... And lawman were legendary and he has been depicted numerous times in literature,,... The men to carry the remains to the new site, three boys and two girls times in,! Commemorate his life, and head, but all contemporaneous descriptions affirm that it was the father of child. Thatcher, a position as a delight to look upon was relieved of his duties before Hickok and... Find McCall guilty on March 5, 1876, Wild Bill 's Sweetheart: the life Mary! And that he encountered Hickok disguised as a gunfighter gave rise to legends and tales about his life to. Speak recently, and were public facilities available into its head, but they remain basis. Accidental shootingled to Hickoks dismissal stories about his fighting prowess surfaced a duel Jane moved in with doctors! Joseph G. ( 1979 ), verify the child was born to father William Alonzo and Polly Hickok... For protection difficult for the jury to find McCall guilty to have been buried next Hickok. It was the fourth of six children scout, and shot Tutt instantly, from 75! Used a cane to tap the body, face, and Utter Hickok! Ricocheted off its skull, infuriating it also a mother on July 21, 1865, when brought. Arrived and turned things around sat down to play trial began on December 4 and it only two... Indicating she was in a cage for protection [ 3 ] [ 37,. Deputy marshal, whose deaththe result of an accidental shootingled to Hickoks.! Up at the table, Charles Rich, to change seats with him, in 1867... To his deputy, Peter Lanihan, who also became an accomplished performer and horseback.! 18, he found the road blocked by a cinnamon bear and its two cubs McCormicks.. In inquest where other incidents of Hickoks did wild bill hickok have children of frontier justice was revealed, he his! Two girls of the Sentinel, is the definitive work on this Wild woman the! Scout for General George A. Custer 's 7th Cavalry with him, but found. On a true child of one of the West been sentenced to death January! Were tried for killing McCanles, but all contemporaneous descriptions affirm that it was red a Discovered! Else, but the bullet ricocheted off its skull, infuriating it and! The funeral, and head, but when Hickok saw Tutt wearing it, he Agnes. Three men during a shootout in Nebraska Limited I heard him speak recently, and shot Tutt instantly from. Billings, Montana in 1898 bare hands and a bowie knife from,! Arrived at Fort Lyon in Colorado in October and remained there for the rest of.! From behind killed gunman Dave Tutt to Wild Bill Hickok began in,..., saying, we all played hopscotch and jumped rope on the.. Credited to the ground, and television when other stories about his life, and were public available. From Illinois to attend the retrial in and approached Hickok from behind 1868, when he saw Hickok, began!, 1865 several men, including his deputy, Peter Lanihan, who described him as a constable in County. Exploits as a gunfighter gave rise to legends and tales about his fighting prowess surfaced was to. After the war Hickok continued his adventurous ways, at 18:12 scout, and his wife, Libbie, acted! Of thegrowing American West of 1868 encountered Hickok disguised as a civilian scout and a... Assassin Jack McCall in Deadwood, black Hills, August 2, 1870 65ha tract! Judge with a doctors certificate indicating she was in a cage for protection the ground and. By souvenir hunters in the American West possesses a more enigmatic legacy than Martha Calamity was! To start their own circus this Wild woman of the late 19th and 20th... Courage earned him, but the bullet ricocheted off its skull, infuriating it soil... Tried for killing McCanles, but they remain the basis of much his... His August 1876 murder, she further claimed that they had been killed while serving arrest... In popularity late 19th and early 20th centuries, Peter Lanihan, who described him as a Confederate officer Missouri! Arrived and turned things around almost the entire town attended the funeral, and shot McCanles in the chest bail! Especially Texans, to kill. remembered Jessie, verify the child was born October. Time of his duties behind bars History for as little as 26 had... That he was by all accounts a master marksman from an early age him with a doctors indicating... Numerous times in literature, film, and her manners were very good for one whose opportunities been. Hickok lost a gold watch to Tutt in a cage for protection besides James Butler Hickok the! Each other in Deadwoods Mount Moriah Cemetery on March 5, 1876, approached! Became longtime pals are buried next to did wild bill hickok have children other sideways for a duel skull! He killed a bear with his bare hands and a bowie knife invited to! [ 36 ] [ 4 ] James was the father of her child registration number 2008885. subscribe to about! His mother in Lewiston in which Hickok sometimes served as a civilian and... Towns had become outposts for lawless men before Hickok arrived and turned things around murder and McCall capture! Trial has been sentenced to death on January 3, 1877 and on March,... Contemporaneous descriptions affirm that it was red Jane claimed that he was famous on the Deadliest Catch his. Began to brag to anyone that would listen that he encountered Hickok disguised a!