There, he was shot in the back by Constable John Selman while rolling dice in the Acme Saloon. Selman's son had argued with Hardin earlier over a woman, and Selman was afraid for his life. One of the most flamboyant lawmen of his day, he worked in Hays City, and Abilene, Kansas. Calamity, loved by the city of Deadwood after she helped then during a severe plague, lies buried beside him in Deadwood. We know he was court-martialled at West Point, a cival war hero, and a leader in the Indian Wars.
Historians still research the mystery.