On this day in , Hickok was playing cards with his back to the saloon door. At in the afternoon, a young gunslinger named Jack McCall walked into the saloon, approached Hickok from behind, and shot him in the back of the head.
Hickok died immediately. McCall tried to shoot others in the crowd, but amazingly, all of the remaining cartridges in his pistol were duds. McCall was later tried, convicted, and hanged. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Harding dies of a stroke at the age of Harding was returning from a presidential tour of Alaska and the West Coast, a journey some believed he had embarked on to escape the rumors circulating in Washington of corruption in his On August 2, , at about 2 a.
The emir of Kuwait, his family, and other government leaders On August 2, , Jackie Joyner-Kersee becomes the first woman ever to win two consecutive Olympic gold medals in the heptathlon. Born and raised in East St. The rapid and unexpected formation of a supercell, an extremely violent form of thunderstorm, led to the tragedy. Delta Flight left Fort Hickok persuaded McCall to step away from the table until he could cover his losses.
He even offered him money for breakfast. The following day Hickok went back to the saloon looking for another card game. Having made his fair share of enemies over the years, he always preferred to sit with his back to the wall and facing the door when playing cards so he could keep an eye on everyone who walked in.
Hickok asked Rich to switch, and Rich refused twice. Take that! Hickok died instantly at the card table. Apparently, nobody took note of his hole card. He was just 39 when McCall murdered him on Aug. McCall was tried for murder in Deadwood soon after his crime in front of an ad hoc jury. The fact that he shot Hickok was indisputable. It was enough for him to be released, and he promptly got out of town. In , a red sandstone bust of Hickok was carved and erected as a memorial.
In about a decade, souvenir seekers had chipped away the entire head, leaving just the shoulders. In a retired high school art teacher decided to re-create the original sandstone bust. Hickok continues to be one of the most recognizable personalities of the Wild West, a distinction bestowed upon him in life and death. Read Next: Fact vs. He wore top-boots, riding breeches, and dark blue flannel shirt, with scarlet set in front. A loose neck handkerchief left his fine firm throat free.
I do not all remember his features, but the frank, manly expression of his fearless eyes and his courteous manner gave one a feeling of confidence in his word and in his undaunted courage. Some Westerners may have been fooled by the fancy dress, but most understood the promise of the twin Colts. The man was deadly in a confrontation. He moved with cat-easy grace, had lightning reflexes, and shot with great accuracy using either hand.
Above all, he was absolutely cool and composed in pressure situations-fine attributes to have in Abilene, which may well have been the toughest town in the West.
So Abilene went after the man with the biggest reputation of all, J. He ruled Abilene from the card tables of the Alamo Saloon, telling his deputies to come and get him if he was needed.
Despite the many hard cases in the boisterous cow town, few challenged him. Did Hickok deserve his reputation? Yes and no. He became famous, maybe even more famous than the president, because Eastern publishers wanted to sell magazines to a public hungry for tales of the Wild West.
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. After Tutt missed, Hickok rested his gun on his left arm to steady it and then shot him. Regardless of who fired when, Hickok established himself as a cool, deadly gunfighter.
Nichols cared little for the truth, and in his exaggerations he found a willing accomplice in Hickok. When the story finally appeared in February , Hickok emerged as a superman. McCanles to use on their Pony Express route to California. Their company generally known as the Overland Stage Company was experiencing financial difficulties at the time, however, and could not pay McCanles the full amount promised.
On July 12, , McCanles, assisted by his cousin James Woods and James Gordon, tried to reclaim the station, but all three died under the guns of company employees Hickok, J. Brink and Horace Wellman. For many years it was believed that Hickok killed McCanles, but recent research suggests one of the others shot him. Hickok worked for the Union during the Civil War.
At various times he acted as a scout, a spy, a detective, a special policeman and a sharpshooter. Some people attribute the sobriquet to an early incident in Independence, Mo. Why did Hickok help Nichols embellish his accomplishments? Again, the answer is complex. First, Hickok tended to be rather boastful. He also found telling tales quite amusing, and may have even sensed that a big reputation might serve him well.
But some of the things Nichols wrote apparently did not please Hickok, as Joseph G. Reporters hounded him for the rest of his life, and he had to repeat the same stories over and over.
It soon became impossible to tell where truth ended and fiction began. Furthermore, the publicity set him up as a target for every gunslinger who wanted to establish his own reputation by killing the great Wild Bill Hickok.
He was born in Troy Grove, Ill. A branch of the family moved to America in Alonzo Hickok was born in Vermont in and married Polly Butler in The couple had five children besides James Butler, three boys and two girls. They opened a general store in Troy Grove, the Green Mountain House, which did well at first but failed during the financial panic of The family then turned to farming.
For many years Alonzo Hickok operated a station on the Underground Railroad, helping escaped slaves to freedom. His sons often assisted with this work, and it was during these times that young James began to develop the courage, cunning and resourcefulness that marked his later years.
James liked to be alone, and he liked guns. So, while the rest of the family worked the farm, he prowled the woods, honing his shooting skills by hunting wolves for bounty and providing a variety of fresh meat for the family.
Hickok left Troy Grove at 18 to begin life in the West. Then everything changed. In the spring of , Hickok helped guide General William T.
George Armstrong Custer. Of his courage there could be no question. His skill in the use of the rifle and the pistol was unerring. His deportment was entirely free from all bluster and bravado.
0コメント