Wild Bill Hickok: Legendary Lawman of the Wild West

**Sanitized Transcript:**

As a marshal, Wild Bill Hickok took a hands-off approach. He spent most of his day gambling in the saloon, and his deputies knew where to find him if they needed him. Even though he policed some of the most lawless towns in the West, this technique worked more often than not. Even back then, his name and reputation were enough to make other gunslingers think twice about causing trouble in the town where Wild Bill was the law. Much of the legend and mystique surrounding Hickok was created by magazines, particularly Harper’s Monthly, but there was a time when Hickok might genuinely have been the most dangerous gunman in the Old West. His list of victims included many violent men (and one bear, but we’ll get to that in a minute). The tales about him may have been exaggerated, yet the real stories about Wild Bill Hickok were still full of mayhem, murder, and adventure.

**Early Years**

He was born James Butler Hickok on May 27, 1837, in a little town called Homer, Illinois, which has since been renamed Troy Grove. He came from a large family with four brothers and two sisters, and his parents were William Alonzo Hickok and Polly Butler. If young James had a sense of justice and bravery, they were likely instilled in him by his father, who was a staunch abolitionist and worked with the Underground Railroad to smuggle slaves out of the South. In later stories, Wild Bill claimed that sometimes he would accompany his father on smuggling runs and had his fair share of close calls with the law.

On May 5, 1852, William Hickok died, although it is unclear if it was related to his abolitionist activities. James and his three older brothers now had to take care of the farm and the family. From his early teens, Hickok proved himself quite proficient with guns. As a teenager, he would often go hunting to provide food for the family. James found his first job as a drover on the Illinois and Michigan Canal, but soon enough he headed westward to look for better opportunities. This would be a recurring theme in Hickok’s life, as he never seemed able to settle down in one place for long.

According to some versions of the story, Hickok left because he had to, not because he wanted to, after getting into a fight with another drover named Charles Hudson. Hudson was a bully who often targeted the younger James with his practical jokes. One day, Hickok had had enough, and the two began wrestling, ending up in the canal. When James emerged, his opponent was still in the water and did not appear to be breathing. Fearing that he had killed him, Hickok ran away from the scene and fled the state, although he later discovered that Hudson had survived their encounter. It didn’t matter, anyway, as he soon found something more to his liking.

Hickok ended up in Kansas during the brief seven-year period between 1854 and 1861 when it had been incorporated as a territory but had not yet become a state. This period is generally known as Bleeding Kansas because it was marked by violent confrontations between pro-slavery and anti-slavery groups. Unsurprisingly, Hickok was on the anti-slavery side. He joined a militia led by future Union General Jim Lane, known as the Free State Army, but better known as the “Jayhawkers.” Allegedly, during this time, James saved the life of a boy named William Cody, who would grow up to be Buffalo Bill.

Hickok’s reputation as a gunfighter slowly began to build. He served as constable for Monticello Township for a while before accepting a position with the Russell, Majors, and Waddell Freight Company, best known as the parent company for the Pony Express mail service. It was at this time that the legend of Wild Bill Hickok almost ended before it got started when he was mauled by a bear. Some versions of the story say that the stagecoach ran into a cinnamon bear blocking the road. Hickok got out and shot it but failed to kill the animal, and a fight ensued. Another, less courageous telling asserts that Hickok’s party was sleeping in the wild, and the bear simply stumbled onto their camp and attacked him. Both stories ended the same way—Hickok managed to kill the bear with his knife, but not before it did some serious damage. Bill had to recuperate for months and was then sent to Rock Creek Station.

**The McCanles Massacre**

We arrive at perhaps the most controversial episode from Wild Bill’s life, one that could potentially change the perception of Hickok from gunfighter to cold-blooded murderer. Rock Creek Station was a station for the Pony Express and regular stagecoaches in the southeastern part of the Nebraska Territory. It was built on land that used to be owned by a man named David McCanles, who sold his property to the freight company in installments. According to the popular version of the story, McCanles was also an outlaw who led his own gang responsible for robberies, cattle rustling, and even murder.

At one point, the company was struggling financially and failed to pay an installment on time. On July 12, 1861, McCanles and two henchmen went to the station to get the money he was owed. There, he found the station manager, Horace Wellman, and his two employees, including Hickok, who worked there as a stock tender. Also present was McCanles’ 12-year-old son, Monroe. The exact circumstances of the confrontation are unclear. Some say that McCanles became verbally abusive towards the station employees or that he forced his way inside to look for money. Others say that McCanles and his men were unarmed and that Wellman came out with a shotgun or that Hickok opened fire without provocation.

Regardless, the meeting turned into a confrontation that escalated into a gunfight. Soon enough, McCanles had been shot dead, and both his men were fatally injured. Nobody on the other side sustained serious injuries. It is unclear who shot whom. Hickok usually gets the credit for killing McCanles, although some versions say Wellman did. Both men, along with Brink, were charged with three murders but were acquitted on the basis of self-defense and defense of company property. Interestingly, Monroe McCanles always maintained that his father and his two men were unarmed and were gunned down in cold blood, but he was not allowed to testify at the trial due to his age.

After the episode at Rock Creek Station concluded, Hickok enlisted in the Union Army during the Civil War. He first served as a teamster and wagon master. Later, he joined General Jim Lane, who was now in command of the Kansas Brigade. At this point, Hickok also reunited with Buffalo Bill Cody, who was working as a scout. Hickok wore many hats during the war, serving as a scout, spy, and sharpshooter, and distinguished himself at the Battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas. This might be when Hickok got his “Wild Bill” moniker.

Many historians have wondered when and why James Butler Hickok became known as “Wild Bill.” Multiple sources agree that he obtained the moniker during the war for his daring, but reckless ways, but the exact origins are up for debate. Also uncertain is why he would be called Bill in the first place since his name was James. According to documents of that era, he went by the name William Haycocks for a time, which could explain it. Another possibility is that “Bill” wasn’t originally short for William but rather referred to the beak of a bird. Before he was known as Wild Bill, he was sometimes called Duck Bill due to his long, sharp nose and protruding upper lip. Hickok hated this nickname and grew out his mustache to cover his lip, possibly leading him to start going by William just to have another reason to be called Bill.

**The Gunfight that Defined the Wild West**

The event that turned James Butler Hickok into Wild Bill Hickok, legend of the Wild West, occurred soon after he arrived in Springfield, Missouri, following the Civil War. If you have ever seen a quick-draw duel between two men in a western movie, it is because of what happened here, as they certainly were not common in the real West. Hickok quickly developed an antagonistic relationship with another gambler named Davis Tutt, a former Confederate soldier. According to some acquaintances, the two men may have been friends at first, despite serving on opposite sides of the Civil War.

Whatever dispute arose between them is unclear (some say it may have been a woman), but it caused plenty of bad blood between the two gamblers. Some sources mention that Hickok refused to play cards at the same table as Tutt, leading Tutt to start loaning money to other gamblers and giving them tips on how to beat Wild Bill. Things weren’t going in Tutt’s favor on the afternoon of July 20, 1865. In fact, Hickok had won around $200 of his money. To try and put him off his game, Tutt began taunting Hickok, reminding him that he owed him $40 from a horse trade.

According to witnesses, Wild Bill agreed and settled his debt right then and there, but this wasn’t enough for Tutt. He then claimed that Hickok owed him another $35 from a different transaction. Hickok disputed this claim, mentioning that, according to his notes, he only owed $25, which he offered to pay. At that point, Tutt was backed into a corner. It is unclear if he wanted to provoke Wild Bill into a gunfight or simply humiliate him. Whatever his intentions, he pushed too far.

The next morning, the two men met, and according to witness testimony, neither seemed eager for a fight. They argued for a while and eventually went for a drink together. For a bit, it looked like the matter might be settled amicably, but their meeting ended with Tutt storming off angrily. That afternoon, Tutt could be seen in front of the Springfield courthouse with Hickok’s watch. Word eventually reached Wild Bill, who knew that the matter had to end one way or another.

At around 6 p.m., he walked out into the town square and called out Tutt. Everybody else rushed off to the sides, leaving only the two gunslingers standing in the middle of the street. Just like in the movies, Hickok and Tutt exchanged a few words, hesitated for a bit, and then pulled out their guns and fired at almost the exact same time. We cannot say who shot first. Some witnesses claimed Tutt shot as fast as possible while Hickok took the time to steady his aim. If this is true, it paid off for Hickok because Tutt missed, while he hit him between the ribs, causing Tutt to collapse and die.

The shot itself was incredibly impressive, which is partially why it caused a sensation. The two men were allegedly standing 75 yards apart, at a time when the average revolver began losing accuracy after 25 yards. The gunfight became the stuff of legends, turning Wild Bill Hickok into an icon of the Old West, but this did not happen overnight. In fact, it wasn’t until early 1867 that an article in Harper’s New Monthly Magazine about the shootout propelled Hickok to national fame. The article was written by George Ward Nichols, who deserves as much credit for creating the legend of Wild Bill as Hickok himself.

The article was sensationalistic and more concerned with telling a compelling story than the truth. It contained several inaccuracies, including naming the gunfighter Hitchcock instead of Hickok, but it got the job done. Nichols also sensationalized the previous shootout with David McCanles to the point where Wild Bill fought off a gang of a dozen men single-handedly, armed only with a rifle and a Bowie knife. One part of the duel that you won’t often see in the movies is the aftermath. Hickok had just gunned down a man in front of the entire town, so he was arrested and charged with murder. The charge was later downgraded to manslaughter, and Bill managed to post bail. His trial took place at the start of August, and after hearing from 22 eyewitnesses, the jury acquitted him.

This verdict was not popular with everyone, and the jury was accused by multiple publications of conceding to the unwritten frontier law of a “fair fight” instead of the government laws, which would have clearly found Hickok guilty.

**Marshal Hickok**

Now that the business with Tutt was dealt with, Hickok thought about going into law enforcement. He first ran for city marshal in Springfield but lost the election. In 1867, he took a brief hiatus from his policing ambitions and joined the Indian Wars, serving as a scout again. Here, he worked under General George Custer, who would gain infamy for his defeat at the Battle of Little Bighorn a decade later. Hickok made a deep impression on the general, who described him as “one of the most perfect types of physical manhood I ever saw… His skill in the use of the rifle and pistol was unerring… His influence among the frontiersmen was unbounded; his word was law.”

General Custer reported that Wild Bill had two large ivory-handled revolvers that he always carried with him and that, at the time, Hickok was responsible for at least six killings in shootouts and many other injuries, yet he had always escaped untouched. In 1869, Wild Bill became the city marshal of Hays, Kansas. At the same time, he was also serving as sheriff of Ellis County after being elected to finish the remaining term of the previous sheriff who quit. It didn’t take long before Hickok began setting down the law in his own way. He killed two men in his first month as sheriff. The first was a troublemaker who got drunk and began shooting out random windows in town, and the other was a man who got into a bar fight. Both men drew on Hickok, and both men lost.

Another violent encounter happened in 1870 when two drunk cavalry troopers attacked the marshal, prompting him to return fire. One of the men had his knee shattered while the other died of his injuries the next day. It seemed that the people of Ellis County weren’t very happy with Hickok’s tactics, and he lost the next election. The gunfighter moved on and became marshal in Abilene, Kansas, a city with a much wilder reputation. In fact, the previous marshal, a notable gunman named Tom “Bear River” Smith, had not only been killed while serving a warrant but also decapitated. This was a city more suited to Hickok’s trigger-happy disposition.

Soon after becoming marshal, he was involved in a saloon shootout where two men were killed. Afterwards, the local newspaper published an article defending the marshal, making it clear that attempts to kill police officers or create disturbances must result in loss of life on the part of violators of the law. During this time, Wild Bill had an encounter with John Wesley Hardin. Hardin wasn’t as famous as some other contemporary outlaws like Jesse James or Billy the Kid, but he had a higher kill count. He claimed to have gunned down over 40 men, although other sources credited him with “only” 27 kills.

He wasn’t as prolific when he visited Abilene, although he was still an outlaw. We’re not sure exactly how the event unfolded as we don’t have Hickok’s side of the story, and Hardin gave differing accounts over the years. What we do know is that Hardin killed the man sleeping in the hotel room next to his for snoring too loudly. When Wild Bill came to confront him, one of two things probably took place (at least, according to Hardin). He either got the drop on the marshal, disarmed him, and left town, or the more likely version—he jumped out the window dressed only in his undershirt, hid in a haystack, stole a horse, and rode away.

We never got a gunfight between Wild Bill and Hardin, but we did get one between Hickok and Phil Coe, the owner of the Bull’s Head Saloon in town. We’re not sure of the source of the animosity between them, but it escalated to violence, and Coe drew on Hickok during a street brawl. Hickok shot and killed Coe, but then he made a grave mistake. Wild Bill noticed some sudden movement and, out of pure instinct, shot and killed the man heading towards him. However, that man was Mike Williams, one of his friends and deputies.

**The Dead Man’s Hand**

Unsurprisingly, Hickok was dismissed as marshal for his lethal blunder, and to our knowledge, he never killed a man again. Besides his guilt for Williams’ death, he was dealing with another big problem—he was losing his vision. Some say he had glaucoma, others ophthalmia, but he would have probably gone blind if he had lived longer. His gunfighting days were over. Wild Bill’s last few years were unbefitting of a man once regarded as one of the greatest legends of the Old West. He was arrested for vagrancy several times. He married an older widow whom he left after just a few months. For a while, he joined Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show but found that he hated performing on stage and only lasted a couple of months before being let go.

In 1876, Wild Bill joined a man named Charlie Utter and went prospecting for gold in Deadwood, South Dakota. On August 2, he was shot in the back of the head while playing poker by a drunken gambler named Jack McCall. According to legend, he was holding a pair of black aces and eights, which has since become known as the “dead man’s hand.”