The Nome daily nugget., 1935-01-19

"how many later player holding V N that sinister combination, in some "A lighted cheerful room, must have felt IN T a prickling of his scalp as if an icy M breeze famed his hands, some
 dark. cold presence, suddenly In the room, stood mocking at his shoulder"
 For more than half a century that sinister combination has been known as the Dead Mans Hand" It was the hand of cards which the famous Wild Bill Hickok was holding when he was assassnated in Deadwood, s. D. on August 2, 1876. and that event is . landmark in the history of the American frontier.
 His death marked not only the loss of a brave and gentle man, but also the passing of . great epic" writes recent biographer of this celebrated frontiersman. "Wild Bill, the greatest scout of the Plains, the cool and fear less marshal of border bad towns the marvel ous marksman, the terror of desperadoes and bad men was gone. And with him was gone the most vital need for a man of his type The days of wild free frontier life were numbered. Already courts and schools and libraries and factories were so near by that one more eager forward move would put them and the rich life they brought into the place of saloon and gamblinghall and dance-resort. Wild Bill, and the period in which he lived, both had played their part"
 The man who wrote those words was the late William Elsey Connelley secretary of the Kan sas State Historical society. When he died in 1880 he left behind him the manuscript of an unpublished biography of Hickok, based upon AZ years of research. During that time he had an unusual opportunity to obtain, evaluate and interpret authentic material relating to the life and character of Hickok. Associated with him in his work was his daughter, Mrs. Edith Con- nelley Gift, and upon his death It fell to her lot to edit her fathers manuscript and round out the story which he was writing The result was the book wild Bill and His Era-The Life and Adventures of James Butler Hickok," Cs- sued last year by the Press of the Pioneers, a New York publishing firm, directed by Rufus Rockwell Wilson, which Is doing an invaluable work in preserving a variety of pioneer hsto- rical records) and In the opinion of those best able to judge the result this latest biography Is "a sane, convincing portrature of Wild Bill as he was"
 Like many another Wild West hero, Wild Bill Hickok has been the central figure in many tall tale which was either entirely fictitious in the first place or had only slight basis of fact but which, by constant repetition, has come to be regarded as fact. Therefore, one of the values of Connelleys book Is that 1t dispels many of these legends and myths which have clustered around the name of Wild Bill and substitutes for them statements which can be accepted with the confidence that they represent the truth about him nearly as 1t is possible to learn the
 
 varied career as Hickok had
 Among these legends is the story of how James Butler Hickok came to be known as Wild Bill" and there have been as many variations this theme as there have been most of the other events in his life. According to Connelley, the true story Is this: Tn 1861 Hickok. already wide ly noted as skilful government scout and guide was placed in charge of a wagon train which, escorted by 12 guards, was transporting army supplies from Fort Leavenworth to Seda- lia, Mo. En route a party of 50 guerrillas at tackled the train not far from Independence Mo, and the guards, outnumbered four to one made no attempt to defend the train but re- treated at once.
 Hckok, as master of the train, was riding on horseback ahead of 1t. When the guerrillas called upon him to surrender, he replied: "Come and take mel" and spurred his horse toward Independence Tn the running fight which fol lowed he killed several of his pursuers but escaped without scratch. Reporting the loss of the train to the Union troops there, he was told that they could not help him, but that he would have to go on to Kansas City and report the loss to the commander at that place.
 While in Independence he went into a saloon owned by a friend of his and learned that the bartender was besieged in nearby house by mob of teamsters and other rowtlies because he had wounded of their number during fight. Hickok immediately drew two pistols and offered to fight the entire party but his challenge was not taken up Then he ordered the crowd to dlsperse saying: If you do not. there will be more dead men around here than the town can bury" whereupon the ruffians departed hastily
 The citizens of the town gathered in the town square after they had left to express their appre citation to the man who had delivered them from their brief reign of terror and during the meet ing a woman cried out: Good for you, Wild Bill" Who she was and why she called him "Wild Bill" instead of "Wd Jm," Hickok never knew He went on to Kansas City, secured the aid of detachment of soldiers and, returning to the scene of the attack the wagon train recaptured the uninjured wagons and some of the mules. When he arrived at Sedalla he found that the story of his encounter in Independence had preceded him and everywhere he was hailed as '"Wild Bill" name which stuck to him to the day of his death.
 A great many of the legends that have grown up around the name off Wild Bill have had to do with his almost uncanny skill with the six shooter, but Connelleys patient research has're suited in the confirmation of most of these sto ries, even those which seem nearly unbelievable, rather than in dispelling the legend.
 Like so many other stories about Wild Bill