August 1st: Wild Bill Hickok Win’s a Fatal Game of Poker

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August 1st: Wild Bill Hickok Win’s a Fatal Game of Poker
August 1st: Wild Bill Hickok Win’s a Fatal Game of Poker

Wild Bill Hickok was playing a game of poker in a saloon in the legendary Deadwood, while a man named Jack McCall looked on.  Soon McCall began playing and kept playing until he was flat broke.  Hickok was a nice guy and returned enough money to McCall for food.  McCall accepted the money, but still felt insulted and exacted revenge. The next evening, McCall literally stumbled in on another poker game Hickok was playing in.  Unfortunately, he was playing with his back to the door and McCall drunkenly shot him in the back of the head.

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Here is a photo of one of Hickok’s revolvers that was sold to pay for his burial expenses, on display at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West.

Read the detailed story of Jack McCall – the Cowardly Killer of Wild Bill Hickok at the Legends of America website, then follow it up with the full first-hand account of Captain Jack Crawford, a friend of Hickok’s, in the online collection of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, located in Cody, Wyoming.

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Another revolver owned by Hickok was on display at the Autry National Center of the American West, in Los Angeles, in their Pistols: Dazzling Firearms Exhibit in 2007.

Bonhams Auctioneers listed a Smith & Wesson No. 2 revolver carried by Hickok the day he was killed in their Antique Arms & Armor and Modern Sporting Guns auction, held November 18, 2013.  The gun was estimated to sell at between $300,000 and $500,000 and came with extensive documentation.  The bidding began at $150,000 and rose to $220,000, but failed to sell.

What happened?  Unfortunately, you never know with auctions.  This item was of high value and drew national attention in a specialty auction, but that reserve price failed to produce a winning bidder.  It was the highlight of the auction, but didn’t actually sell itself.