Post by kidandloufan on Jun 27, 2009 14:32:51 GMT -5
July 17, 1870
"Wild Bill" Hickok kills a soldier
A drunken brawl turns deadly when "Wild Bill" Hickok shoots two
soldiers in self-defense, mortally wounding one of them.
William Hickok had earned his reputation as a gunslinger a decade
earlier after shooting three men in a gunfight in Nebraska. He
parlayed his standing as a sure-shooting gunman into a haphazard
career in law enforcement. In 1869, he was elected interim sheriff of
Ellis County, Kansas. Hays City, the county seat, was a rough-and-
tumble frontier town, and the citizens hoped Hickok could bring order
to the chaos. Unfortunately, after Hickok had killed two men in the
line of duty after just five weeks, they concluded that he was too
wild for their tastes and they elected his deputy to replace him in
November.
Unemployed, Hickok passed his time gambling, drinking, and
occasionally working as a hunting guide. He quickly became bored and
was considering taking work at the nearby Fort Hays as an army scout.
On this day in 1870, Hickok had been drinking hard at Drum's Saloon
in Hays City. Five soldiers from the 7th Cavalry stationed at Fort
Hays were also at the bar. They were drunk and began to exchange
words with the notoriously prickly "Wild Bill." A brawl broke out,
and the soldiers threw Hickok to the floor. One trooper tried to
shoot Hickok, but the gun misfired. Hickok quickly pulled his own
pistols and opened fire. He wounded one private in the knee and
wrist, and another in the torso. The three remaining soldiers backed
off, and Hickok exited the saloon and immediately left town
A clear case of self-defense, Hickok was cleared of any wrongdoing.
Yet, one of the soldiers, Private John Kile, later died of his wound
and Hickok's chances of becoming an army scout evaporated. He spent
the next six years working in law enforcement, gambling, and
appearing in Wild West shows. He was murdered in a Deadwood, South
Dakota, saloon in 1876.
"Wild Bill" Hickok kills a soldier
A drunken brawl turns deadly when "Wild Bill" Hickok shoots two
soldiers in self-defense, mortally wounding one of them.
William Hickok had earned his reputation as a gunslinger a decade
earlier after shooting three men in a gunfight in Nebraska. He
parlayed his standing as a sure-shooting gunman into a haphazard
career in law enforcement. In 1869, he was elected interim sheriff of
Ellis County, Kansas. Hays City, the county seat, was a rough-and-
tumble frontier town, and the citizens hoped Hickok could bring order
to the chaos. Unfortunately, after Hickok had killed two men in the
line of duty after just five weeks, they concluded that he was too
wild for their tastes and they elected his deputy to replace him in
November.
Unemployed, Hickok passed his time gambling, drinking, and
occasionally working as a hunting guide. He quickly became bored and
was considering taking work at the nearby Fort Hays as an army scout.
On this day in 1870, Hickok had been drinking hard at Drum's Saloon
in Hays City. Five soldiers from the 7th Cavalry stationed at Fort
Hays were also at the bar. They were drunk and began to exchange
words with the notoriously prickly "Wild Bill." A brawl broke out,
and the soldiers threw Hickok to the floor. One trooper tried to
shoot Hickok, but the gun misfired. Hickok quickly pulled his own
pistols and opened fire. He wounded one private in the knee and
wrist, and another in the torso. The three remaining soldiers backed
off, and Hickok exited the saloon and immediately left town
A clear case of self-defense, Hickok was cleared of any wrongdoing.
Yet, one of the soldiers, Private John Kile, later died of his wound
and Hickok's chances of becoming an army scout evaporated. He spent
the next six years working in law enforcement, gambling, and
appearing in Wild West shows. He was murdered in a Deadwood, South
Dakota, saloon in 1876.