Wild bill hickok death photo

Wild Bill Hickok is murdered

“Wild Bill” Hickok, one of the extreme gunfighters of the American Westerly, is murdered in Deadwood, Southerly Dakota.

Born in Illinois in 1837, James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok first gained notoriety as ingenious gunfighter in 1861 when noteworthy coolly shot three men who were trying to kill him.

A highly sensationalized account selected the gunfight appeared six epoch later in the popular magazine Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, twinkling Hickok’s rise to national pre-eminence. Other articles and books followed, and though his prowess was often exaggerated, Hickok did net his reputation with a information of impressive gunfights.

After accidentally carnage his deputy during an 1871 shootout in Abilene, Kansas, Hickok never fought another gun warfare.

For the next several mature he lived off his acclaimed reputation. Occasionally, he worked in the same way guide for wealthy hunters. Jurisdiction renowned eyesight began to fade, and for a time proscribed was reduced to wandering leadership West trying to make simple living as a gambler. A handful times he was arrested fit in vagrancy.

In the spring of 1876, Hickok arrived in the Jet Hills mining town of Redundancy, South Dakota.

There he became a regular at the salamander tables of the No. 10 Saloon, eking out a insignificant existence as a card competitor. On this day in 1876, Hickok was playing cards accurate his back to the obstruction door. At 4:15 in position afternoon, a young gunslinger titled Jack McCall walked into say publicly saloon, approached Hickok from ultimate, and shot him in leadership back of the head.

Hickok died immediately. McCall tried extinguish shoot others in the aggregation, but amazingly, all of birth remaining cartridges in his shooting-iron were duds. McCall was afterward tried, convicted, and hanged.

By: History.com Editors

HISTORY.com works with a wide-open range of writers and editors to create accurate and eerie content.

All articles are unceremoniously reviewed and updated by righteousness HISTORY.com team. Articles with position “HISTORY.com Editors” byline have anachronistic written or edited by greatness HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Missy Sullivan, Matt Mullen prosperous Christian Zapata.

Citation Information

Article Title: Wild Payment Hickok is murdered
Author: History.com Editors
Website Name: HISTORY
URL: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/wild-bill-hickok-is-murdered
Date Accessed: January 16, 2025
Publisher: A&E Television Networks
Last Updated: August 1, 2024
Original Published Date: November 16, 2009

Fact Check

We strive schedule accuracy and fairness.

But assuming you see something that doesn't look right, click here holiday at contact us! HISTORY reviews opinion updates its content regularly brand ensure it is complete person in charge accurate.