Wild Bill Hickok Research Paper

Most people and newspaper reporters claimed that Sheriff James Butler Hickok, more commonly known as Wild Bill Hickok, tamed two of the most lawless cities in the Western United States, Albine and Hays City. However, this statement is inaccurate. In fact, Wild Bill Hickok was fired from the position of sheriff only three months after being hired in Albine. There are no records of him doing anything in Hays City. People and newspaper reporters in the 1800’s in the American West exaggerated the life and actions of James Butler Hickok and made his life into a tall tale. The legend started when James Butler Hickok was reported to be the cause of the death of three men in the McCandless Massacre. The legend grew after multiple newspapers reports
Progressively Wild Bill Hickok’s eyesight became worse, so he decided to become a traveling gambler instead of being in Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show. A few years later on March 5, 1876, Wild Bill Hickok married Agnes Thatcher Lake. After only a couple months of marriage, Wild Bill Hickok left Agnes to “seek his fortune in the goldfields of South Dakota”( Wild Bill Hickok). While in South Dakota, Wild Bill Hickok became a regular poker player. Just like many other poker players, he had won the game many times and he made many enemies. One of Wild Bill Hickok’s enemies, Jack McCall, who eventually killed Wild Bill Hickok on August 2, 1876. Wild Bill Hickok was killed while playing poker and the hand that he was holding consisted of two black aces and two black eights, better known as “Dead Man’s Hand”. The first time that Jack McCall was tried for murdering Wild Bill Hickok, he claimed that Wild Bill Hickok had killed his brother. It was discovered years later that Jack didn’t a brother. Jack had bragged for years about killing Wild Bill Hickok and he was arrested and hanged for his crime. Just like many of the other gunfights that Wild Bill Hickok was a part of, his death reached the newspapers and it too became a