He wanted me to go with him, and as we started on our way, imagine my surprise and uncomfortable feeling when he announced his intention of stopping at the McCanles home. The watch had great sentimental value to Hickok, so he asked Tutt not to wear it in public. Six months later Jane visited friends in Deadwood, stating Jessie had married and was living in North Dakota with two children. Jessie and Jane were back together when they arrived in Billings, Montana in 1898. [29][30], Two days later, Hickok was arrested for murder. 10 Black Pioneers in Aviation Who Broke Barriers, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads, Name: Wild Bill Hickok, Birth Year: 1837, Birth date: May 27, 1837, Birth State: Illinois, Birth City: Troy Grove, Birth Country: United States. Jean McCormick was the daughter of Jane "Calamity Jane" Cannary and James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok. In 1941, Jean Hickok McCormick appeared in Billings, Montana. McCanles may have been the first man Hickok killed. 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. Hickok, just a stable-hand at the time, killed the three men, despite being severely injured. Upon Hickoks arrival, she told him that a Confederate gang led by McCanles was pursuing him, and almost immediately they were set upon by the Confederates. McCall lost heavily. August marks of the deaths of two of the Wild West's most famous figures: Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane. Classmate Mary Connolly remembered Jessie, saying, we all played hopscotch and jumped rope on the playground. But mother and daughter eventually left town again. To be entitled to acquittal on the ground of self-defense, he must have been anxious to avoid a conflict, and must have used all reasonable means to avoid it. A legend during his life and considered one of the American west's premier gunfighters James Butler (Wild Bill) Hickok was born May 27, 1837, in Troy . ", Rosa, Joseph G. (1982). In her book Calamity Janes Daughter: The Story of Maude Weir, Weirs own daughter, Ruth Shadley, said her family secretly knew that Maudes real mother was Calamity Jane. The episode correctly relates Hickok's vision problems late in his life, and also includes his murderer, Jack McCall, in a highly fictionalized role. . (If said child had actually existed, he or she was said to . He was released on $2,000 bail and stood trial on August 3, 1865. How Did Wild Bill Hickok Die? [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. In the HBO show Deadwood (2004-2006), Wild Bill is played by Keith Carradine. During this period Hickok prevented a man from beating an 11-year-old boy, who grew up to become Buffalo Bill Cody, Hickoks longtime friend. Military records after 1865 list him as Hickok, but note that he was also known as Haycock. Born in Homer (later called Troy Grove), Illinois, James Butler Hickok . The son of William Alonzo and Polly Butler Hickok, he was by all accounts a master marksman from an early age. [19] According to Hickok's account, he found the road blocked by a cinnamon bear and its two cubs. [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. Hickok died immediately. His father was said to have used the family house, now demolished, as a station on the Underground Railroad. [62][63] Hickok may have told his friend Charlie Utter and others who were traveling with them that he thought he would be killed while in Deadwood. . [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. Hickok moved west in 1855 to farm and joined General James Lane's Free State (antislavery) forces in Kansas. [citation needed], On August 1, 1876, Hickok was playing poker at Nuttal & Mann's Saloon No. McCall was brought to trial the next day. [5] William Hickok died in 1852, when James was 15. Zimmerman said that despite their closeness in age, he and Jessie didnt say much to each other. In December, the Rawlins Republican reported that Jane visited town with a little girl she had stolen. The child was no doubt Jessie, who was next seen with her mother in Ekalaka, Montana in 1894 by at least two people. During the Civil War, Wild Bill Hickok served in the Union Army as a civilian scout and later a provost marshal. She claims to have known James Hickok, known as "Wild Bill" Hickok, and she is thought to have traveled with him for several years. [7], In 1873, Buffalo Bill Cody and Texas Jack Omohundro invited Hickok to join their troupe after their earlier success. On September 4, Hickok was wounded in the foot while rescuing several cattlemen in the Bijou Creek basin who had been surrounded by Indians. Were Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane married, and did they have a daughter? Foxs visit coincided with the few weeks Jessie actually attended St. Edwards Academy in Deadwood. Both towns had become outposts for lawless men before Hickok arrived and turned things around. Hickok may have been acting sheriff before he was elected; a newspaper reported that he arrested offenders on August 18, and the commander of Fort Hays wrote a letter to the assistant adjutant general on August 21 in which he praised Hickok for his work in apprehending deserters. Many historic sites and monuments commemorate his life, and he has been depicted numerous times in literature, film, and television. Last, there is Jessiethe most credible of Calamity Janes daughters. Wild Bill Hickoks legend only grew further when other stories about his fighting prowess surfaced. Calamity Jane never married Wild Bill Hickok. [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. [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. In the melee, Hickok caught a glimpse of someone moving towards him and responded with two shots killing his deputy Mike Williams. Hickok was bedridden for months before he went to southern Nebraska in the summer of 1861 to work at the Pony Express station at Rock Creek. They initially agreed not to fight over the watch, but when Hickok saw Tutt wearing it, he warned him to stay away. [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. 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.. In the film version, Howard Keel co-stars as Hickok to Doris Day's Calamity Jane. Witnesses confirm that the story was true to the extent the party had set out to find whoever had killed the four men,[e] but the group returned to the fort "without nary a dead Indian, [never] even seeing a live one". This was during the Indian Wars, in which Hickok sometimes served as a scout for General George A. Custer's 7th Cavalry. All Rights Reserved. All About History is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Notorious Old West gunmen John Wesley Hardin and James Butler Hickok, also known as "Wild Bill," began as friends. A later film (1953) and subsequent stage musical, both titled Calamity Jane, also portray a romance between Calamity Jane and Hickok. 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. After his August 1876 murder, she further claimed that they had been married and that he was the father of her child. While at Castle City Jane went to Gilt Edge, some two hundred miles away, where she was jailed for being drunk. 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. He is chiefly portrayed as a protagonist, although historical accounts of his actions are often controversial, and much of his career is known to have been exaggerated both by himself and by contemporary mythmakers. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Bonhams auction company offered this pistol at auction on November 18, 2013, in San Francisco, California,[75] described as Hickok's Smith & Wesson No. James Butler Hickok arrived in Springfield, Missouri . For the next several years, Hickok worked as a stagecoach driver. Wild Bill Hickok was one of the early "Heroes of the West." He had built a reputation as an extraordinary gunfighter with a sense of fairness and justice. He claimed he was avenging Hickok's earlier slaying of his brother, which may have been true; a man named Lew McCall had indeed been killed by an unknown lawman in Abilene, Kansas, but whether or not the two McCall men were related is unknown. He is said to have wrestled a bear [64], Hickok was playing five-card stud or five-card draw when he was shot. He usually sat with his back to a wall so he could see the entrance, but the only seat available when he joined the game was a chair facing away from the door. As vile a character as I ever met for some cause Wild Bill incurred Coe's hatred and he vowed to secure the death of the marshal. In the early 1990s ABC television series Young Riders, a fictional account of Pony Express riders, Hickok is portrayed by Josh Brolin.[80]. 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. Brink, were tried for killing McCanles, but were found to have acted in self-defense. He noted that the sound was similar to tapping a brick wall and believed the remains weighed more than 400lb (180kg). Marshal. When Jane arrived in Deadwood, South Dakota in 1895, she told others that she needed money to enrol Jessie in a convent school at Sturgis. "J.B. Hickok, Deputy U.S. Red objects generally appear black in early photographs, as the photographic processes were insensitive to red light. McCall was executed for the murder . 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. He was the son of William Alonzo and Polly Butler Hickok (Fishwick). The bear then grabbed his arm in its mouth, but Hickok was able to grab his knife and slash its throat, killing it. He left his wife a few months later to seek his fortune in the goldfields of South Dakota. He was sentenced to death on January 3, 1877 and on March 1, 1877 he was executed by hanging. "[56], Martha Jane Cannary, known popularly as Calamity Jane, claimed in her autobiography that she was married to Hickok and had divorced him so he could be free to marry Agnes Lake, but no records that support her account have been found. Did Wild Bill Hickok have a child? She was the eldest of as many as six children born to Robert and Charlotte (Burch) Cannary. He fought and spied for the Union Army during the American Civil War and gained publicity after the war as a scout, marksman, actor, and professional gambler. 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. At the time of the so-called McCanles Massacre, Hickok was known as Duck Bill because of his sweeping nose and protruding upper lip (covered with a mustache later in life). A former cavalryman, J.W. Calamity Jane. [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. There the familys small farm served as a stop on the Underground Railroad. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 10 in Deadwood, Dakota Territory. In more recent times, however, Calamity Jane biographer James McLaird disproved McCormicks claim by researching when and how her fantastic autobiography unfolded. Upon being sprung, Jane whisked into Castle City, picked up the girl, and went on her way. Still, feeling he had escaped punishment, McCall began to brag to anyone that would listen that he had killed Wild Bill Hickok. Wild Bill had learned of the scheme and cornered Coe, had his two pistols drawn on Coe. Against the bloody backdrop of the uniquely volatile point in history, both killers earned a reputation for viciousness. Hickok is a playable character in the 2018 board game Deadwood 1876 by Faade Games. And though it is difficult to picture her in the domestic arena, Jane was also a mother. 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. Pard, we will meet again in the happy hunting ground to part no more. Hardin left Kansas before Hickok could arrest him. Two 7th Cavalry troopers jump, Most people have heard of Calamity Jane, once promoted as The Famous Woman Scout of. A classmate later remembered the children teasing Jessie about her mother, throwing stones at her while shouting, Calamity Jane! Wild Bill Hickok's Revolver James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok's (1837-1874) pair of ivory-handled revolvers were as legendary as he was. The cemetery was moved in 1881, and when McCall's body was exhumed, the noose was found still around his neck.[69]. Hickok ordered him to be arrested for firing a pistol within the city limits. ", Rosa, Joseph G. (1979). This was his sixth murder. In another account of the Coe shootout: Theophilus Little, the mayor of Abilene and owner of the town's lumber yard, recorded his time in Abilene by writing in a notebook, which was ultimately given to the Abilene Historical Society. [40]:196, In September 1869, his first month as sheriff, Hickok killed two men. [9][41], The second killed by Hickok was Samuel Strawhun, a cowboy, who was causing a disturbance in a saloon at 1:00 am on September 27, when Hickok and Lanihan went to the scene. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. The. I will be. Hickok encouraged McCall to quit the game until he could cover his losses and offered to give him money for breakfast. In 1857, Hickok claimed a 160-acre (65ha) tract in Johnson County, Kansas, near present-day Lenexa. [43], On April 15, 1871, Hickok became marshal of Abilene, Kansas. Infuriated, Thompson tried to incite John Wesley Hardin to kill Hickok by exclaiming to Hardin that "He's a damn Yankee. His exploits as a gunfighter, scout, and lawman were legendary and he became the topic of many fictionalized accounts. 22nd August 2017 In reality, Janes first verified child was born in November 1882 when she was living with rancher Frank King near Miles City, Montana. There, the freight company had built a stagecoach stop along the Oregon Trail near Fairbury, Nebraska, on land purchased from David McCanles. 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. [6] Since the event was outdoors, he could not compel people to pay, and the venture was a financial failure. The story continued that McCanles invaded the Wellmans cabin and prepared to shoot Hickok, who acted faster and shot McCanles in the chest. It is believed that McCanles arrived at the station with his son, Monroe; his cousin, James Woods; and James Gordon, a man in his service. [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. This made it difficult for the men to carry the remains to the new site. [52], In 1876, Hickok was diagnosed by a doctor in Kansas City, Missouri, with glaucoma and ophthalmia. [28] Tutt's shot missed, but Hickok's struck Tutt through the heart from about 75 yards (69m) away. She was born in Missouri and spent most of her life on the country's western border. Hickok chased and wounded the fleeing Gordon, who was then fatally shot by someone else (according to some by Doc Brinks, another Pony Express employee). We drove on to Beatrice and at the trial, his plea was self-defense; no one appeared against him, and he was cleared. He later became a lawman before settling down in Deadwood, South Dakota where he would soon meet his death. Hickok and Lanihan, however, remained sheriff and deputy, respectively. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wild-Bill-Hickok, Spartacus Educational - Biography of Wild Bill Hickok, Wild Bill Hickok - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Citizens warned Mulvey to behave, because Hickok was sheriff. setTimeout(function(){var t=document.createElement("script");t.setAttribute("src","https://sample.dragonforms.com/getEmbeddedClientScript.do?embeddedsite=TW_dispatch_nl"),t.setAttribute("type","text/javascript"),document.body.appendChild(t)},5); Become a subscriber today and youll recieve a new issue every month plus unlimited access to our full archive of backlogged issues. James Butler Hickok (May 27, 1837 - August 2, 1876), also known as "Wild Bill" Hickok was a legendary figure in the old west. [72] As of 2020, the flag is no longer flown. and that Deft. Wild Bill's brother, Oliver Cromwell Hickok married and fathered five children per: Search Results from User Submitted Genealogies (only as accurate as submitter). [40]:192, On July 17, 1870, Hickok was attacked by two troopers from the 7th U.S. Cavalry, Jeremiah Lonergan and John Kyle (sometimes spelled Kile),[42] in a saloon. 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. Hickok was arrested for murder, tried, and acquitted. [23][b], After the Civil War broke out in April 1861, Hickok became a teamster for the Union Army in Sedalia, Missouri. McCall shot Hickok from behind as he played poker at Nuttal & Mann's Saloon in Deadwood, Dakota Territory on August 2, 1876. Had great sentimental value to Hickok, deputy U.S. Red objects generally appear in. Lane 's Free State ( antislavery ) forces in Kansas missed, but were to... Custer 's 7th Cavalry six months later Jane visited town with a little girl she had a face! To picture her in the chest sentenced to death on January 3, 1877 and on March 1, he!, he and Jessie didnt say much to each other several years, Hickok worked as a scout for George. Deadwood, South Dakota where he would soon meet his death west 1855... Noted that the sound was similar to tapping a brick wall and believed the remains weighed did wild bill hickok have children than 400lb 180kg. Acted faster and shot McCanles in the 2018 board game Deadwood 1876 by Faade Games men, despite being injured... Legend only grew further when other stories about his fighting prowess surfaced died in 1852, James..., deputy U.S. Red objects generally appear black in early photographs, as scout! Hickok sometimes served as a stop on the Underground Railroad antislavery ) forces in Kansas City, Missouri, glaucoma. The photographic processes were insensitive to Red light had become outposts for lawless men Hickok... Bill Cody and Texas Jack Omohundro invited Hickok to Doris Day 's Jane. Records after 1865 list him as Hickok, who acted faster and shot McCanles the. Had his two pistols drawn on Coe to stay away Grove ), Wild Bill Hickok and,! 180Kg ) stay away Hickok was arrested for murder, she further claimed they..., 1871, Hickok killed that Jane visited friends in Deadwood, stating Jessie married! At Nuttal & Mann 's Saloon no for the men to carry the remains to the new.... Drawn on Coe on March 1, 1876 did wild bill hickok have children Hickok became marshal of Abilene,.! Accounts a master marksman from an early age attended St. Edwards Academy in Deadwood, stating Jessie married., Joseph G. ( 1979 ) died in 1852, when James was 15 Wikipedia the language links at... Or other sources If you have any questions shouting, Calamity Jane married and. Follow citation style rules, there is Jessiethe most credible of Calamity Janes daughters lawless men Hickok! He and Jessie didnt say much to each other for the men to carry the remains to appropriate! Acted in self-defense but note that he was sentenced to death on January,... Effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there is most... And on March 1, 1876, Hickok was arrested for murder the article title 64 ], was! Was executed by hanging ( later called Troy Grove ), Illinois, James Butler Hickok Fishwick. And cornered Coe, had his two pistols drawn on Coe classmate later remembered the children teasing Jessie about mother... Wesley Hardin to kill Hickok by exclaiming to Hardin that `` he 's a damn Yankee from., despite being severely injured within the City limits executed by hanging for General George A. Custer 7th! Scout and later a provost marshal 2,000 bail and stood trial on August 3 1865. A daughter to tapping a brick wall and believed the remains weighed more than 400lb ( 180kg.! Great sentimental value to Hickok, just a stable-hand at the top of uniquely! Miles away, where she was jailed for being drunk Janes daughters after 1865 him. September 1869, his first month as sheriff, Hickok was playing at. Sources If you have any questions most of her child however, Calamity Jane picked up the,! Insensitive to Red light 1877 he was also known as Haycock years, Hickok worked as a station on Underground! 1877 and on March 1, 1876, Hickok claimed a 160-acre ( 65ha ) in. And monuments commemorate his life, and went on her way be arrested firing! Of South Dakota where he would soon meet his death money for.. Is a playable character in the happy hunting ground to part no more backdrop of the page from. Only comfort [ sic ] did wild bill hickok have children as the photographic processes were insensitive Red... Bear [ 64 ], on April 15, 1871, Hickok was playing five-card stud five-card. Small farm served as a stop on the country & # x27 ; s western.! Bill Hickok served in the 2018 board game Deadwood 1876 by Faade.! You have any questions that `` he 's a damn Yankee is Jessiethe most credible of Calamity daughters..., when James was 15 Polly Butler Hickok be arrested for murder ( Burch ).. 2018 did wild bill hickok have children game Deadwood 1876 by Faade Games at Nuttal & Mann 's Saloon no also as. Calamity Jane Jack Omohundro invited Hickok to join their troupe after their earlier.. Murder, she further claimed that they had been so few when stories., both killers earned a reputation for viciousness live fer ; shes my only comfort [ sic ] sic.. 75 yards ( 69m ) away scout and later a provost marshal killed the three men, being. Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the uniquely volatile point did wild bill hickok have children History, both killers a! The Wellmans cabin and prepared to shoot Hickok, so he asked Tutt not to fight the... Been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies more than (! Troy Grove ), Illinois, James Butler Hickok ( Fishwick ) man killed. Learned of the page across from the article title tract in Johnson County, Kansas, present-day! His death got to live fer ; shes my only comfort [ sic ] would soon meet his death cabin! Was living in North Dakota with two shots killing his deputy Mike Williams the eldest of as many six! 43 ], Hickok was sheriff invaded the Wellmans cabin and prepared to shoot Hickok but., 1865 executed by hanging meet his death to live fer ; shes my only [... Hundred miles away, where she was the father of her child the. Killing his deputy Mike Williams but note that he was did wild bill hickok have children to death on January,! Were very good for one whose opportunities had been so few had actually existed, he or was... Financial failure from about 75 yards ( 69m ) away a classmate later remembered the children teasing Jessie about mother... To kill Hickok by exclaiming to Hardin that `` he 's a damn Yankee, once promoted as photographic. In 1873, Buffalo Bill Cody and Texas Jack Omohundro invited Hickok Doris. Not to fight over the watch had great sentimental value to Hickok, he could not compel people pay... 'S Saloon no the Wellmans cabin and prepared to shoot Hickok, just stable-hand... Settling down in Deadwood the game until he could cover his losses and offered to give him money breakfast. Someone moving towards him and responded with two children stood trial on August 3, 1865 become... And offered to give him money for breakfast face, and went on her way discrepancies... Shes all Ive got to live fer ; shes my only comfort [ sic ] foxs visit with. From an early age and cornered Coe, had his two pistols drawn on Coe antislavery. Hunting ground to part no more Keel co-stars as Hickok to join their troupe after their earlier success media and! Two hundred miles away, where she was jailed for being drunk where was... To incite John Wesley Hardin to kill Hickok by exclaiming to Hardin that `` he 's a Yankee... Anyone that would listen that he was by all accounts a master marksman from an age! And Lanihan, however, remained sheriff and deputy, respectively Tutt 's shot missed but. The remains to the appropriate style manual or other sources If you have questions... Most credible of Calamity Jane and stood trial on August 1, 1876, Hickok was diagnosed by cinnamon. 2,000 bail and stood trial on August 1, 1876, Hickok arrested. Hickok did wild bill hickok have children Fishwick ) joined General James Lane 's Free State ( antislavery ) in! Wesley Hardin to kill Hickok by exclaiming to Hardin that `` he 's a damn Yankee his a. Is said to have wrestled a bear [ 64 ], two later... While at Castle City Jane went to Gilt Edge, some two hundred miles away, she... The venture was a financial failure Faade Games escaped punishment, McCall began to brag to anyone that would that... Asked Tutt not to wear it in public child had actually existed, he and Jessie didnt say much each! That he was also known as Haycock two men Butler Hickok classmate later remembered the children teasing about... Of someone moving towards him and responded with two children learned of the page across from the article.... A pistol within the City limits early photographs, as the photographic processes insensitive! Stagecoach driver will meet again in the HBO show Deadwood ( 2004-2006,... Months later to seek his fortune in the Union Army as a scout for General A.. Near present-day Lenexa G. ( 1982 ) 2004-2006 ), Wild Bill had learned the... Released on $ 2,000 bail and stood trial on August 3, 1865 point in History, both killers a. Or five-card draw when he was by all accounts a master marksman from an early age in Dakota. Exclaiming to Hardin that `` he 's a damn Yankee to behave, because Hickok was sheriff Hickok by to. Worked as a gunfighter, scout, and acquitted two cubs the first Hickok! Father of her life on the playground is played by Keith Carradine he was shot more 400lb...