Semi-weekly herald., 1909-08-09

he was playing cards in Deadwood
gambling house wild Bill was buried
In the original cemetery in the euleh.
His funeral was a public demonstra-
ton and tribute of honor 10 his mem
ory. Charles B. Utter, one of the
most prominent gamblers In the west
at that time, familiarly known as
Colorado Charlie" put up wooden
headboard ON which he painted. with
his own hands, the words:
WILD BILL, ]. B. HICKoK,
Foully murdered by Jack Mccall,
July 2. 1876.
We shall meet in the Happy Hunt
ing Ground, Pard.
When the old cemetery was aban-
doned Wild Bill's body was one of the
hrst 10 be removed, and an eastern
man named De Lancey. a Hunger" !"
who came here looking for climate
and was great admirer of the char
acter of Wild Bill, although he never
knew him, placed an expensive marble
shaft surmounted by a bust over the
grave. But that was almost entirely
chipped away for souvenirs by tourists,
and the present monument and statue
were afterward erected by public sub
scription.
No man had truer friends or more
devoted admirers. Wild Bill was no
saint, but he was honorable in all his
dealings, never felt the sense of fear,
never did a mean act, and had one
OF the kindest hearts and most gen.
erous dispositions of any desperate.
He had very attractive personality,
and at Abilene, Hayes City and other
frontier towns where he lived, and on
several occasions served as sheriff
and marshal. he was thorough respect.
ed by the reputable portion of the com.
munity and feared by the other class.
He secuted for Sheridan and Custer
and Mrs. Custer, in her charming book
of army life. Following the Guidon,
tells more of him than can be found
anywhere else In print.
George Ward Nichols of Cincinnati
who was member OF Sheridan's staff
during the Kansas Indian campaign
of 1868. discovered Wild Bill and first
made him famous. Robert Bonner of
the New York Ledger sent Ned Bunt-
line from New York to Kansas to
write up Buffalo Bill, who was then
looming up on the western rorizon
and shortly after the publication of his
hair-lifting achievements Nichols
wrote an article for Harper's Magazine
which added Wild Bill to the menuge
rie of frontier lions. Wild Bill was
not so good a business man as Buffalo
BIZ and lacked the sagacity to take
advantage of the opportunity, and for
that defect he remained on the from
tier. while his friend and comrade be
came a national character.
When Wild Bill came to Deadwood
in the summer of 1876 this town was
iii the control OF a gang OF grafters
and gamblers who were robbing every.
body, blackmailing the mining compa.
nies and "skinning" every tenderfoot
who came into the district All great
mining camps and frontier cities have
passed through a similar experience,
and Wild Bill tanned two or three of
them. The gang became alarmed by
a rumor that he was to be appointed
city marshal, and hired Jack Mccall.
worthless, drunken desperate, tc
shoot him in the back while he was
playing cards with a party of friends
in saloon called "The Chamber Of
Death" because SO many had died
there with their boots on.
Mccall was the tool of worse scoun.
drels, but, like the man who killed
Jesse James in Missouri he thought
the murder would make him a hero
and he put up the defense that he had
followed Hickok from Kansas in order
to hiil him in revenge for the murder
of his brother.
The reputable portion of the com.
iuunity were out In response to an In.
dian alarm at the time of the assassi.
nation, and the gamblers called a Jury
OF their own number who, having
heard McCalls defense, promptly
brought in aNverdict of not guilty. fur.
nished him with funds and provided
him with relay of horses to get away
before Hlckok's friends returned to
town; but Colorado Charlie" Cali.
fornia joe" who was a teamster on
the Custer expedition, and two or
three others trailed him to Laramie
where they caused his arrest. He was
taken to Yankton, tried for murder
and hanged on the day that Ruther.
tcrd d. Hayes was inaugurated presi.
dent of the United States. AT the trial
Mccall put up the same defense OF
Justification. He testified that Wild
Bill had killed his brother in cold
blood in Abilene. Kan, and that he
had sworn vendetta. He declared
that, his vow having been fulfilled. he
was willing and ready to die: but this
oiuff did not win the jury; and the
prosecuting officer produced witnesses