Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1927-07-29

0AltA1 II was lOullQ Oub dilQ udllkcu.
Custer o q slump that 1t never re-
covered from In 1876 when mining ac-
~tivtties transferred some fifty miles north
to Deadwood Gulch Camp. The men
picked up their blankets and tents one
day and the town was desolate the next
In moving, troublesome conditions be-
came worse instead Of better, for few To-
~calities ever have rivaled Deadwood Gulch
In reputation for tumultuous living and
sudden death.
Along with the other adventurous
spirits who drifted to Deadwood In search
Of "a change Of luck came James Butler
Hickok, otherwise known as Wild Bill.
Hickok has acquired the reputation Of
being one OF the Vests most fearless
killers, and stories in circulation give the
total who met a sudden end at his
hands from 10 to 80. horn in Troy
Grove, Ill, he obtained most Of his fame
for shootings In Missouri and Kansas,
after serving as a Union scout and spy
in the Civil war. Abilene and Fort Hays
knew him As a dauntless marshal, guar
anteed to rid any town OF gunner, either
through fright or via the cemetery. No
other, 1t is said, ever has been his equal
as q marksman, particularly with re-
~volvers.
Married, Goes to His Death
Wild Bill, in 1874. heard Of the gold
strike In h Black Hills, and the follow
ing year made up his mind to go there
either to stake q claim or merely for the
excitement attendant upon such a place
He had been appearing in a show with
Buffalo Bill Cody and Texas Jack Ono
hondro and was fed up with the gentle
life" But before he got to the Black
Hills, Wild Bill broke long years OF
bachelordom n married Mrs. Agnes
Lake, a circus performer, in Cheyenne,
Two weeks later h impetuous bride
groom then 80, had said farewell to his
wife and was of for new adventures at
DeadwoOd.
According to some historians with o
flair for fiction, as Wild Bill rode into
the Black Hills on the Deadwood stage
in June OF 1875, five road agents held up
the coach. Wild Bill. on the drivers
seat, met the command Of Hands upi"
by bringing both of his revolvers into
play, killing -four of the desperadoes. The
fifth he brought to earth by hurting al
empty gun In his face. And IT. must not
be assumed from this that Wild Bill had
wasted any ammunition-the story tellers
point u that he had neglected to reload
his w 6-guns after shooting eight times
at some squirrels before the hold-up was
staged. h Is a typical piece Of Wild
Bill literature n arithmetic. Eight
from twelve leaves four. but five men bit
the dust!
Actually, Wild Bill came to Deadwood
on horseback, accompanied by a pal,
Colorado Charlie Utter. 1t Is said that
he staked out several claims and spent
most OF his time g~ambling-his favorite
occupation, when not experimenting with
lead n gunpowder. The only recorded
occurrence Of tempestuous nature con-
nected with Wild Bnl's short stay In the
Black Hills had to do with his chastise-
ment OF six tough gun fighters from
Montana ThAc0 man vyovn 0nYtntYc nf
Bills reputation and threatened to get
him. He was told Of the threat, buckled
on his guns and went to the saloon
where they were congregated.
Il understand that you cheap. would
be gun fighters from Montana have been
making remarks about me-" said Mr..
Hickok, standing in q belligerent atti-
tude. Il want you to understand unless
they are stopped there will shortly be a
number Of cheap funerals in Deadwood. 4"
The injurious remarks. 1t is recorded,
stopped then and there.
Shot from Behind
Wild Bill had been in Deadwood only
two months when he was killed. On
august 2 he was playing poker In a sa-
loon, seated with his back to q door
something he never had done before. One
Jack Mccall came into the barroom,
walked behind Wild Bill and shot him
In h head. It was said that Mccall
was picked as the assassin by a crowd OF
bad men who had heard that Wild Bill
was to be given the post OF marshal with
orders to clean them out. Mccall was
cleared Of blame by q hit-or-miss triel
In Doadwood and later vent TO Laramie.
Wyo., where he wa arrested. He was
brought before an authorized Justice in
YAnkton. q. d., convicted Of Wild BIl's
murder and hanged shortly thereafter.