Original subtitles

[ INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS ]

HEY, HUSH UP, Y'ALL! YOU ABOUT TO SEE SOMETHIN'.

Man: MY NAME'S HICKOK -- JAMES BUTLER HICKOK,

BUT MOST FOLKS CALL ME "WILD BILL."

[ GUNSHOTS ]

[ CHEERING ] MIGHTY FINE SHOOTIN'.

AND THIS IS MY REAL STORY AS IT'S NEVER BEEN TOLD.

OF ALL THE GUNFIGHTERS IN THE WEST,

YOU PUT 'EM ALL TOGETHER...

HICKOK ACTUALLY WALKED THE WALK.

HE IS INCREDIBLY CONFIDENT.

YOU BOYS WANT THIS FIGHT, YOU KNOW WHERE I AM!

AND HE HAS A CERTAIN...NERVE.

YOU START SOMETHIN', McCANLES...

THERE'S GONNA BE ONE LESS SONBITCH AT THE END.

THERE'S ALWAYS SOMEONE LOOKING TO MAKE A REPUTATION

ON THE DEAD BODY OF SOMEONE LIKE BILL HICKOK.

MY FAME MAKES ME A TARGET.

[ GUNSHOTS ]

I'M A LEGEND IN MY OWN TIME...

AND A MYTH OF MY OWN MAKING.

ARE YOU SATISFIED?

I WON THE MOST FAMOUS DUEL IN THE WEST...

THIS IS THE GODFATHER OF EVERY GUNFIGHT NOW YOU SEE

IN THE MOVIES. THIS WAS IT. [ GUNSHOT ]

AND PUT A TINY MINING CAMP CALLED DEADWOOD ON THE MAP.

BUT NO MAN'S LUCK LASTS FOREVER.

SOONER OR LATER, THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS.

-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

SKILL ONLY COUNTS FOR SO MUCH WHEN YOU'RE A GUNSLINGER.

[ GUNSHOTS ] YOU CAN BE FAST...

ACCURATE, CONFIDENT...

[ INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS ]

AND SOME NE'ER-DO-WELL

CAN STILL GET LUCKY AND LAY YOU OUT.

IF YOU PLY THE TRADE,

YOU STILL KNOW AT SOME POINT THE HOUSE WILL WIN.

WILD BILL IS THE FIRST OF WHAT THEY CALLED THE PISTOLEERS

WHO BECAME FAMOUS,

AND HE WAS A LEGEND IN HIS OWN TIME.

HE WAS A HOUSEHOLD NAME ACT--

LITERALLY, THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY.

I'VE BEEN A LOT OF THINGS IN MY LIFE --

TEAMSTER, TRAPPER,

SCOUT, SHERIFF.

HELL, I WAS EVEN AN ACTOR.

TURN THAT BLAMED THING OFF!

[ GLASS SHATTERS, AUDIENCE GASPS ]

BUT SOME SAW ME AS A DRUNKEN REVELER

WITH A PAIR OF HAIR-TRIGGER COLTS...

[ GUNSHOT ]

A COLD-BLOODED KILLER.

ARE YOU SATISFIED?!

HICKOK WAS FAMOUS BECAUSE OF THE NEWSPAPER STORIES.

EVERYONE INCLUDED HIM AS PART OF THEIR STORY.

HENRY MORTON STANLEY, THE FAMOUS AFRICAN EXPLORER,

WROTE ABOUT HICKOK.

GENERAL CUSTER WROTE ABOUT HICKOK.

SO HE'S APPEARING EVERYWHERE.

EVERYONE KNOWS THE STORIES,

BUT FEW WOULD NOW REMEMBER WHERE THEY BEGAN.

[ GUNSHOT ]

I'M THE MAN. I'M HICKOK. J.B. HICKOK,

THOUGH SOME FOLKS DO CALL ME "WILD BILL."

IN 1865, A FEW MONTHS AFTER LEE'S SURRENDER,

I TOOK A DRINK WITH A MAN NAMED GEORGE NICHOLS...

...C-K.

...WHO WANTED TO TALK TO A REAL HERO OF THE FRONTIER.

MUCH TO MY SURPRISE,

NICHOLS RECORDED OUR CONVERSATION

FOR AN ARTICLE IN A PUBLICATION CALLED "HARPER'S MAGAZINE."

LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, COLONEL NICHOLS.

WHEN IT COMES TO KILLIN' MEN, I NEVER MUCH THOUGHT ABOUT IT.

AT A TIME LIKE THAT,

IT'S EITHER YOU OR THE OTHER FELLER,

AND IN SUCH TIMES, YOU DON'T THINK.

AND AFTER IT'S OVER...

[ GUNSHOT ]

WHAT'S THE USE?

Boggs: IN THIS TIME PERIOD, YOU'VE GOT NEWSPAPER ACCOUNTS,

YOU'VE GOT THE TELEGRAPH THAT CAN SEND NEWS FAST,

AND YOU'VE GOT ALL OF A SUDDEN THESE DIME NOVELS

THAT ARE BECOMIN' VERY POPULAR, AND THEY'RE LOOKING FOR HEROES,

AND THEY'RE GONNA GLAMORIZE A LOT OF WHAT THEY'RE DOING.

HOW MANY MEN WOULD YOU SAY YOU'VE KILLED?

I RECKON I'D HAVE TO PUT THAT FIGURE UPWARDS OF A HUNDRED.

OBVIOUSLY, HE WAS THINKING,

"WELL, NO ONE CARES AND NO ONE'S GONNA BELIEVE THIS,

SO LET'S MAKE A GOOD STORY," AND HE DID THAT.

OF ALL MY STORIES,

THE ONE THAT EXCITED NICHOLS' IMAGINATION MOST

WAS THE ONE WHERE THE MOST MEN DIED.

I WAS DRIVING TEAMS FOR THE PONY EXPRESS

AND WAS SET OUT ON THE ROCK CREEK STATION,

NEAR THE RANCH OF ONE DAVID McCANLES.

DAVID McCANLES WAS THE WORST KIND OF BULLY.

HE WAS A BIG MAN WITH A MEAN MOUTH,

MADE EVEN MEANER WITH THE APPLICATION OF SPIRITS,

WHICH HE LIKED TO DO LIBERALLY.

I HEAR HE'S A MARRIED MAN, BUT HE HAD A WOMAN STASHED

ACROSS THE CREEK IN THAT RANCH OF HIS.

WELL, SHE AND I MANAGED TO SPEND A LITTLE TIME TOGETHER.

BILL, HERE'S YOUR COFFEE.

THANK YOU, MISS WELLMAN.

IT WAS MEANT TO BE A PLEASANT VISIT,

BUT McCANLES HAD A KNACK FOR UNWELCOME INTERRUPTIONS.

DAVE McCANLES WAS THE SHERIFF THERE,

AND HE'S ALSO A BULLY, AND HE'S NOT ENTIRELY HONEST.

I HAD BESTED McCANLES AT SHOOTIN' AND WRESTLIN',

BUT OUR CHIEF DISPUTE

WAS OVER THE AFFECTIONS OF THE LADY WE BOTH ADMIRED.

HE SWORE HE WOULD HAVE HIS REVENGE SOMETIME.

WELL, WHEN McCANLES HEARD I WAS AROUND ABOUT THOSE PARTS,

HE AND 10 OF HIS MEN CAME AFTER ME...

WITH DEADLY INTENTIONS.

THIS AIN'T OVER YET, HICKOK. [ POUNDING ON WINDOW ]

Hickok: I'VE BEEN IN A LOT OF SCRAPES.

I CAN TELL YOU,

THAT WAS ONE OF THE FEW TIMES I SAID MY PRAYERS.

Nichols: YOU MUST'VE BEEN PRETTY SCARED.

I WAS COOL AND COLLECTED

AS IF I WAS GOING TO A CHURCH SOCIAL.

I REMEMBER, RIGHT AT THAT MOMENT,

EVERYTHING JUST GOT CLEAR AND SHARP.

IN THIS SITUATION WHERE THE REST OF US

WOULD BE TOTALLY UNNERVED,

BILL HAS EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE REACTION.

HE BEGINS TO THINK VERY CLEARLY.

THE MOST IMPORTANT INGREDIENT WAS NERVES.

IF YOU COULD REMAIN CALM UNDER FIRE,

THAT WAS THE MAN WHO WOULD KILL YA.

Hickok: I COULD SEE WHAT I NEEDED TO DO...

[ FOOT THUDS ]

Hickok: AND I DID IT.

YOU BOYS WANT THIS FIGHT, YOU KNOW WHERE I AM!

[ CLICK ]

I HAD BUT 6 SHOTS LEFT AND 10 MEN TO KILL.

THE ODDS WERE LONG, BUT MY CHOICES WERE FEW.

COME ON, LET'S GET HIM! GET HIM!

AND J.B. HICKOK...

DOES NOT SURRENDER. [ GUNSHOT ]

[ GUNSHOTS ]

IN FEBRUARY 1867,

A "HARPER'S MAGAZINE" ARTICLE MADE ME FAMOUS

BY TELLING THE INCREDIBLE AND SLIGHTLY EMBELLISHED TALE

OF MY RUN-IN WITH MY OLD NEMESIS, DAVID McCANLES,

AND HIS 10 HENCHMEN.

TOLD YOU THIS AIN'T OVER YET, HICKOK!

THEY HAD ME OUTGUNNED,

BUT YOU CANNOT OUTMAN JAMES BUTLER HICKOK.

I DON'T LIKE TALKIN' ABOUT THE McCANLES AFFAIR.

I DREAM ABOUT IT FROM TIME TO TIME...

WAKE UP IN A COLD SWEAT.

Bisel: HE EXPECTS TO DIE.

HE DOES NOT EXPECT TO COME OUT OF IT,

AND HE WAS NOT AFRAID TO DIE.

AND THAT'S ONE OF THE CHARACTERISTICS

THAT HE POSSESSES.

IT'S NOT THAT HE HAS A DEATH WISH

THAT'S SO OFTEN BEEN A --

ASSOCIATED WITH GUNSLINGERS LIKE DOC HOLLIDAY.

BUT HE IS NOT AFRAID OF IT.

I THINK HE USED THE WORD "DEATH'S HUG"

WOULD VISIT HIM THAT DAY. THAT'S WHAT HE FULLY EXPECTED.

I CUT THE HEAD OFF THE SNAKE...

AND THEN CAME THE BODY. [ ALL SHOUTING AT ONCE ]

[ GUNSHOTS ]

THE McCANLES MASSACRE QUICKLY BECAME KNOWN

AS THE GREATEST ONE-MAN GUNFIGHT IN HISTORY.

THE DAVE McCANLES AFFAIR

BECAME ONE OF THE MOST WIDELY REPORTED

AND EXAGGERATED FIGHTS IN THE WEST.

HICKOK MAY HAVE KILLED McCANLES. WE'RE NOT SURE.

BUT WHEN THEY INTERVIEWED HICKOK ABOUT THIS,

HE MADE IT 10 MEN.

[ GRUNTING ]

THERE WERE VERSIONS OF THE McCANLES FIGHT

THAT WERE JUST AMAZING IN RETROSPECT.

NOW WHY DON'T YOU USE THE HAMMER DOWN ON THAT PIECE, BOY?

I'M GONNA GIVE YOU A CHOICE.

YOU STAY HERE WITH YOUR FRIENDS. YOU CAN TURN AROUND AND GO.

BUT TRUTH BE TOLD,

IT DID NOT HAPPEN EXACTLY AS DESCRIBED

IN "HARPER'S MAGAZINE." [ BULLET CASINGS CLATTER ]

I DON'T RECOLLECT 10 MEN BEING THERE.

NOT EVEN FIVE.

BUT McCANLES WAS THERE,

AND A MAN NEVER LIVED TO DESERVE KILLIN' MORE THAN HE.

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED WAS

McCANLES WAS OWED MONEY BY THE FIRM WILD BILL WORKED FOR.

[ POUNDING ON DOOR ]

WHAT DO YOU WANT, McCANLES?

MY MONEY.

McCANLES WAS DEMANDING MONEY,

AND KIND OF ABUSING THE LADY OF THE HOUSE VERBALLY.

I KNOW YOU'RE NOT AS STUPID AS YOUR HUSBAND IS, MISS WELLMAN.

AND HICKOK WAS STANDING INSIDE,

AND HE KIND OF STEPPED INTO VIEW.

I DON'T BELIEVE THE LADY INVITED YOU IN, McCANLES.

THIS IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, HICKOK.

McCANLES, YOU START SOMETHING,

THERE'LL BE ONE LESS SONBITCH AT THE END.

McCANLES ASKED FOR A DRINK OF WATER,

POSSIBLY TO DEFUSE THE SITUATION,

AND WHEN THE WOMAN WENT TO GET IT,

HICKOK STEPPED FURTHER BACK INTO THE ROOM.

APPARENTLY, McCANLES MAKES SOME MOVE.

DID HE GO FOR A GUN? DID HE JUST WAVE HIS HAND?

HE DID SOMETHING THAT CAUSED HICKOK TO FEEL MENACED.

WHAT DO YOU SAY I FINISH IT?

HEY, HEY, OKAY. DON'T SHOOT.

AND HICKOK SHOT HIM THROUGH THE HEART.

[ GUNSHOT ]

McCANLES' 12-YEAR-OLD SON WOULD LATER CLAIM HIS FATHER

WASN'T EVEN CARRYIN' A WEAPON.

BUT I MAINTAIN THAT HE CAME ARMED

AND HAD EVERY INTENTION OF SPILLIN' MY BLOOD.

THE McCANLES AFFAIR WAS THE FIRST CHAPTER

IN THE LEGEND OF WILD BILL.

AND TRUE TO THE FACTS OR NOT,

IT BEGAN MY REPUTATION AS A GUNMAN.

AND THAT STORY IN "HARPER'S"

ALSO TOLD OF A RUN-IN I HAD IN SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI,

THAT BECAME A STAPLE OF THE WILD WEST.

TWO MEN STEPPIN' INTO THE STREET

FOR A SHOWDOWN AT HIGH NOON.

HE HAD A, UH, FALLING OUT WITH A FELLOW GAMBLER --

PART-TIME FRIEND NAMED DAVIS TUTT.

[ CHIPS CLINKING ]

DAVIS TUTT AND I KNEW EACH OTHER BEFORE THE WAR,

AND I'VE KEPT SOME COMPANY WITH HIS SISTER.

WELL, ME BEING A YANKEE AND TUTT A SON OF THE SOUTH,

HE TOOK A SET AGAINST ME.

DAVIS, YOU LOOK A LITTLE LOW.

TAKE THAT $25 I OWE YOU. [ CHIPS CLINK ]

IT'S $35 YOU OWE ME.

$25, AND YOU KNOW THAT FOR A FACT, TUTT.

THE LOCALS, HAVING FOUGHT IN THE CONFEDERATE ARMY

OR HAVING HAD PEOPLE WHO DID,

DID NOT WELCOME MOST OF THE YANKEES.

SO HE'S KIND OF IN FOREIGN TERRITORY.

TUTT AND HICKOK WERE OLD FRIENDS,

BUT THAT FRIENDSHIP HAD GONE SOUR,

SOME SAID BECAUSE OF A WOMAN.

HE REALLY LOVED THE LADIES. HE LOVED THE LADIES A LOT.

SOME CASES, THAT LED TO, UH, DEADLY ENCOUNTERS.

YOU STILL OWE ME 10 MORE DOLLARS.

MAYBE I'LL TAKE THIS WATCH HERE FOR COLLATERAL.

I BELIEVE THE END WAS ALREADY WRITTEN.

WHAT DO YOU THINK, MISS?

YOU THINK THIS WATCH WOULD LOOK GOOD ON ME?

IT'LL LOOK JUST FINE.

BEST NOT WEAR THAT WATCH ANYWHERE I CAN SEE IT, TUTT.

OH, YEAH?

WHAT YOU GON' DO ABOUT IT? [ CHIPS CLINK ]

WORD TO THE WISE IS SUFFICIENT, TUTT.

BILL PUT OUT THE WORD,

HE'D BETTER NOT SHOW UP WEARING THAT WATCH.

WELL, THE NEXT DAY, HICKOK IS ON THE TOWN SQUARE,

AND HERE COMES TUTT WEARING THE WATCH.

THIS IS AN ATTACK ON BILL'S HONOR.

AND IT'S 1865. THIS WAS A BIG DEAL.

Hickok: DAVIS TUTT!

YOU'RE INTENDING TO TAKE MY WATCH FOR A STROLL,

DEAD MAN HAD BETTER BE ABLE TO WALK!

THE WEST IS A PLACE FUELED BY WHISKEY

AND A CODE OF HONOR,

SO ANY INSULT TO YOU WAS JUSTIFICATION FOR ACTION.

IT WASN'T HIGH NOON.

MORE LIKE LATE AFTERNOON.

BUT IT WAS HIGH TIME I PUT TUTT IN HIS PLACE.

THIS IS THE GODFATHER,

THE GRANDFATHER OF EVERY GUNFIGHT

NOW YOU SEE ON TV OR IN THE MOVIES.

THIS WAS IT.

Bell: THEY WENT OUT ON THE PLAZA, TURNED SIDEWAYS,

BECAUSE WHEN YOU'RE GONNA DUEL, YOU WANT TO PRESENT

LESS OF YOUR BODY, NOT MORE.

[ GUN COCKS ]

THEY ARE 75 YARDS AWAY WHEN THEY START SHOOTING.

Bisel: BOTH GUNS GO OFF ALMOST SIMULTANEOUSLY.

Bell: TUTT FIRES AND MISSES. HICKOK FIRES.

Hutton: AND, MY OPINION, MADE A MIRACULOUS SHOT.

AT 75 YARDS, HE PUT A BULLET RIGHT THROUGH TUTT'S HEART.

I'M KILLED, BOYS!

WELL, NOW, WE GOT ONE MAN DEAD, AND I AIN'T SHOT BUT ONCE.

GOT 11 PILLS LEFT, ANYBODY WANTS TO BE TAKEN.

IT'LL CURE ALL YOUR EARTHLY ILLS!

ARE YOU SATISFIED?!

LOVE THE QUOTE, "ARE YOU SATISFIED?"

YOU CAN'T MAKE THAT UP. IT'S JUST TOO GOOD.

I BELIEVE HE WAS DIRECTING IT TO EVERYONE.

PEOPLE WANTED A FIGHT. TUTT WANTED A FIGHT.

AND HE WAS REALLY SAYING, "NOW, ARE YOU SATISFIED?"

HE WAS ACQUITTED.

IT WAS JUSTIFIABLE.

AND THAT BECAME ONE OF THE KEY COMPONENTS OF HIS LEGEND.

HOW COULD YOU HAVE HAD SO MANY QUARRELS?

LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, COLONEL NICHOLS.

I NEVER KILLED A MAN...

THAT DIDN'T NEED KILLIN'.

WHEN THAT "HARPER'S" ARTICLE GOT PUBLISHED IN 1867,

THOSE STORIES OF MY RUN-INS WITH SCOUNDRELS

LIKE McCANLES AND TUTT SEEMED TO STRIKE A CHORD WITH FOLKS

AND TURNED ME INTO A NATIONAL HERO.

SUDDENLY, I COULD NOT GO ANYWHERE

WITHOUT BEING RECOGNIZED.

ALL OF THE MOVIE TROPES,

SOMEBODY HAS A REPUTATION AND THEY WANNA SHOOT THEM DOWN,

IT ALL COMES FROM HICKOK.

HE WAS JUST BIGGER THAN LIFE.

WILD BILL!

YEAH, I'M TALKING TO YOU.

EVERYBODY LOOKED UP TO HIM, AND OF COURSE,

HE DIDN'T DO HIMSELF ANY FAVORS

BY HAVING TWO PISTOLS WITH THE BUTTS OUT IN THE FRONT

AND HAVING A BIG, WIDE SOMBRERO.

HE WAS REALLY LIVING THE LIFE,

AND THAT CAUGHT UP TO HIM WHEN EVERYBODY AND THEIR UNCLE

WANTED TO TAKE HIM DOWN.

[ GUNSHOTS ]

EVERYONE WHO KNOWS WILD BILL HICKOK

ALSO KNOWS THAT I ALWAYS START MY DAY

WITH SOME SHOOTIN'.

GOT TO MAKE SURE THAT

MY COLT NAVY .36 CALIBER PISTOLS AND MY AIM

ARE READY FOR WHATEVER SURPRISES THE DAY MIGHT HOLD.

[ SPITS ]

EVERY DAY, HE EMPTIED HIS REVOLVERS

AT TARGET PRACTICE.

HE WOULD RELOAD HIS PISTOL EVERY MORNING

ACCORDING TO THE HUMIDITY OF WHERE HE WAS AT.

HE DIDN'T WANT ONE OF THOSE CHAMBERS TO MISFIRE.

WHEN AN ASSOCIATE ASKED HIM WHY HE INSISTED ON DOING IT HIMSELF,

HE SAID, "WHEN I PULL... I MUST BE SURE."

[ INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS ]

HEY, HUSH UP, Y'ALL! YOU ABOUT TO SEE SOMETHIN'.

[ GUNSHOTS ]

WHOO-HOO! [ CHEERING ]

MIGHTY FINE SHOOTIN', MIGHTY FINE SHOOTIN'.

MIGHTY FINE. WAS GOOD.

YEE-HAW!

Man: I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THAT.

[ APPLAUSE CONTINUES ]

HICKOK DIDN'T, FOR THE MOST PART,

WEAR HIS GUNS IN HOLSTERS.

BUT HAD A SASH AROUND HIS WAIST

AND HAD HIS PISTOL STUCK IN THE SASH.

HE WOULD DO A CROSS DRAW AND PULL THE PISTOLS OUT.

THAT'S ACTUALLY VERY SMART WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT,

BECAUSE IT MEANS YOU CAN GET EITHER PISTOL WITH EITHER HAND.

A MAN MUST BE VIGILANT AND UNERRINGLY ACCURATE

TO SURVIVE ON THE LAWLESS FRONTIER,

ESPECIALLY A MAN AS WIDELY RECOGNIZED AS MYSELF.

AND AS THERE IS NO MAN IN THESE PARTS SO WELL KNOWN,

SAVE PERHAPS GENERAL GRANT,

THIS IS A PARTICULAR CONCERN TO ME.

THE CONTINUOUS ALLURE THAT HIS PRESENCE, UH, CREATED

FOR OTHERS WHO WANTED TO MAKE THEIR REPUTATION WAS

JUST SOMETHIN' THAT HE BORE LIKE A CROSS.

HE HAD SUCH REPUTATION

AS A TOUGH MAN, AS A FIGHTER, THAT HE BECAME

A DEPUTY U.S. MARSHAL.

IN 1869, I SIGNED ON TO LAY DOWN THE LAW

IN A ROUGHNECK RAILROAD TOWN -- HAYS CITY, KANSAS.

SO MANY MEN WHO HAD BEEN OUTLAWS BECAME LAWMEN

BECAUSE THE LAW WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS...

THEY NEEDED A TOUGH MAN TO ENFORCE IT --

SOMEBODY, UH, WHO IS READY TO USE HIS GUNS.

[ CRICKETS CHIRPING ]

[ GUNSHOTS ]

I'M GONNA SHOOT UP EVERY BASTARD IN THIS TOWN!

ONE NIGHT IN HAYS CITY,

A NE'ER-DO-WELL NAMED BILL MULVEY GOT LIQUORED UP

AND STARTED SHOOTIN' UP THE PLACE,

SO I GAVE HIM A LETHAL DOSE OF HIS OWN MEDICINE.

BILL MULVEY!

BILL MULVEY!

Ross: MULVEY GETS THE DROP ON HICKOK.

WELL, HICKOK DOESN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO,

SO HE LOOKS PAST MULVEY AND GOES...

HEY THERE! DO NOT SHOOT HIM IN THE BACK. HE IS DRAWN.

Ross: MULVEY TURNS TO SEE WHO HE'S TALKING TO.

[ GUNSHOT ] HICKOK KILLS HIM.

THAT'S WHAT I LIKE TO CALL SWIFT JUSTICE.

NOW WHERE WERE WE?

IT'S BLACK AND WHITE. EVERYTHING IS SIMPLE.

YOU'RE WITH HIM OR YOU'RE AGAINST HIM.

PEOPLE IN HAYS WERE CERTAINLY SAFER

BECAUSE HE WAS THE MARSHAL, BUT PEOPLE WERE NOT HAPPY

WITH THE WAY HE CONDUCTED HIMSELF MANY TIMES.

WEAKER MEN, IT SEEMS, HAVE A DIFFERENT PHILOSOPHY.

I LOST THE NEXT ELECTION FOR TOWN MARSHAL

BUT HUNG AROUND DRINKING AND PLAYING AT CARDS.

THEN AFTER A SET-TO WITH SOME DRUNKEN LOCALS...

I DECIDED TO GET WHILE THE GETTIN' WAS GOOD.

[ BIRDS CHIRPING ]

NOW, IF HAYS CITY WAS A BAD OLD RAILROAD TOWN,

ABILENE, AT THE FAR END OF THE CHISHOLM CATTLE TRAIL,

WAS 10 TIMES WORSE.

FOR MONTHS AT A STRETCH,

IT WAS FILLED WITH DRUNKEN COWBOYS

WHO POURED IN BY THE THOUSANDS.

Boggs: A LOT OF THESE YOUNG COWBOYS

HAVE JUST SPENT THREE MONTHS ON A CATTLE DRIVE.

THEY'RE DIRTY, THEY'RE TIRED,

THEY'RE ALSO YOUNG BOYS FULL OF WHISKEY,

LOADED WITH TESTOSTERONE

AND WITH GUNS.

THE CIVIL WAR'S JUST ENDED.

YOU'VE GOT TEXANS COMIN' UP TO A YANKEE STATE.

YOU PUT TEXANS IN WITH KANSANS,

YOU PUT SOUTHERNERS IN WITH YANKEES,

IT'S GONNA CAUSE A LOT OF FIREWORKS.

WHEN ABILENE'S MARSHAL GOT MURDERED,

A FRIEND SUGGESTED I TAKE THE JOB.

SEEING AS I WAS MOSTLY BROKE, I SIGNED ON IN SPRING OF '71.

IT WOULDN'T BE LONG BEFORE THE TOWN WAS FILLED UP AGAIN

WITH ROWDY COWPUNCHERS.

I KNEW I'D HAVE MY HANDS FULL.

HICKOK'S JOB WAS TO STOP THEM OR KEEP THEM IN CHECK.

WELL, THAT WAS A TOUGH JOB.

REMEMBER, HE'S A UNION MAN AND THESE SOUTHERNERS,

FOR THE MOST PART, HAD BEEN IN THE CONFEDERATE ARMY.

HE NEVERTHELESS WANTED TO PRESENT A FIGURE

THAT WOULD HOLD THEM AT BAY AND PREVENT THEM

FROM GETTING INTO TROUBLE.

[ INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS ]

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HICKOK

AND SOMEONE LIKE WYATT EARP LATER IS THAT

WHEN HE WAS CONFRONTED,

HICKOK ALMOST ALWAYS RESORTED IMMEDIATELY

TO HIS PISTOLS, AND HE ALWAYS SHOT TO KILL.

ALL IN ALL, THIS APPROACH SERVED ME WELL.

I NEVER KILLED A MAN THAT DIDN'T NEED KILLIN'

UNTIL ONE NIGHT,

WHEN, BY ACCIDENT...

[ GUNSHOT ]

I PUT A GOOD MAN IN HIS GRAVE.

THIS WAS A DEVASTATING MOMENT IN HICKOK'S LIFE.

[ GUNSHOTS ]

[ GUNSHOT IN DISTANCE ]

BEIN' KNOWN AS THE TOUGHEST MAN IN THE WEST

ALLOWED FOR PLENTY OF EASY LIVIN'.

I BEGAN TO ENJOY THE FINER THINGS IN LIFE,

BY WHICH I MEAN GAMBLIN', WHISKEY,

AND THE COMPANY OF WOMEN.

THERE YOU GO.

THE THING THAT ALWAYS AMAZED ME MOST ABOUT BILL HICKOK

WAS HERE'S A GUY THAT LIVED HIS LIFE IN VIOLENCE,

BUT HE HAD THIS TREMENDOUS SENSE OF HUMOR AND HE LOVED,

LOVED TO PLAY PRACTICAL JOKES.

THERE SHE IS.

WELL, HELLO, BILL. HOW ARE YOU GENTLEMEN DOIN'?

ONE OF HIS STORIES HE WOULD TELL

WAS ABOUT THE TIME HE WAS ON THE PRAIRIE BY HIMSELF.

AND HE WAS ATTACKED BY A HUNDRED INDIANS.

AND HE PULLED OUT HIS SIX SHOOTER AND FIRED SIX TIMES

AND KILLED SIX INDIANS. [ SIX GUNSHOTS ]

HE PULLED OUT HIS OTHER SIX SHOOTER AND FIRED SIX TIMES,

KILLED SIX MORE INDIANS.

HE PULLED OUT HIS RIFLE,

FIRED SIX TIMES AND KILLED SIX MORE INDIANS.

[ SIX GUNSHOTS ]

AND THEN HE WOULD END THE STORY.

AND, OF COURSE, THEN THEY GO,

"WELL, WELL, BILL, WHAT HAPPENED?"

AND HICKOK WOULD LOOK AT THEM

AND GO, "WELL, THEY KILLED ME, OF COURSE."

[ LAUGHTER ]

IN THE SUMMER OF 1871,

I, JAMES BUTLER HICKOK, HAD A NEW JOB

TO LAY DOWN THE LAW

IN ABILENE, KANSAS,

ONE OF THE TOUGHEST COW TOWNS IN THE WEST.

ONCE THEY GOT PAID OFF,

THOSE COWBOYS HAD MONEY

A-BURNIN' HOLES IN THEIR POCKETS

AND CAME TO TOWN LOOKING FOR ALL KINDS OF TROUBLE.

[ LAUGHTER ]

AND IT WAS MY JOB TO STAND IN THEIR WAY.

THEY JUST NEEDED TO RELEASE SOME ENERGY

AND FIND A GOOD TIME.

AND WHEN YOU GET PEOPLE DRINKING,

YOU GET PEOPLE OUT OF CONTROL.

AND EVERYBODY WAS ARMED.

THE LAWMEN THAT CAME LATER REALIZED THAT,

"WOW, THESE COWBOYS ARE ACTUALLY

"OUR BREAD AND BUTTER FOR THE COMMUNITIES.

THE LAST THING WE WANT TO DO IS KILL THEM."

BUT HICKOK WAS A KILLER.

FROM THE START, I KNEW THERE'D BE

MEN IN TOWN WHO WISHED ME HARM --

MEN WHO'D LIKE NOTHING BETTER

THAN TO BE KNOWN AS THE MAN WHO KILLED WILD BILL.

AS A FAMOUS UNION MAN

WITH A BIG REPUTATION, OF COURSE, THAT ALONE

WOULD ENGENDER A LOT OF HOSTILITY

ON THE PART OF THE TEXAS COWBOYS COMIN' UP THE TRAIL TO ABILENE.

WILD BILL WILL GO ALL OUT TO PROTECT HIMSELF, TO THE POINT,

UH, MAYBE IT'S PARANOIA.

HE WON'T KEEP HIS BACK TO THE WINDOW OR TO THE DOOR.

LEGEND EVEN SAYS THAT WHEN HE WAS GETTING A SHAVE,

HE WOULD HAVE A SHOTGUN IN HIS LAP,

JUST IN CASE ANYBODY GOT ANY IDEAS.

I DON'T THINK YOU CAN CALL IT PARANOID

IF THEY'RE REALLY OUT TO GET YOU.

HE REALLY DOES HAVE ENEMIES.

Man: WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO?

AND PHIL COE WAS ONE OF 'EM.

WE'D HAD A COUPLE RUN-INS

OVER A GAME HE WAS RUNNIN' THAT I JUST KNEW WAS CROOKED.

HE WAS A BIG MAN WHO LIKED HIS DRINK,

AND HE HAD THE CRAZIEST EYES I HAD EVER SEEN.

THEY SAY PHIL COE WOULD OFTEN LOCK HIMSELF INTO HIS HOTEL ROOM

OR CABIN AND JUST PLAY THE VIOLIN FOR DAYS ON END.

***

YOU CAN MAYBE DECIDE THAT HE WAS EITHER

A BIT OF A PSYCHOPATH OR HE JUST LOVED MUSIC.

PHIL COE COMES TO ABILENE WITH A GRUDGE AGAINST HICKOK

BECAUSE HE'S GOT THE REPUTATION AS A GUNMAN,

HE'S GOT THE REPUTATION AS A YANKEE.

THAT'S THE BIG PROBLEM WITH PHIL COE,

AND HICKOK IS -- ONE'S A YANKEE, ONE'S A REBEL.

[ INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS, LAUGHTER ]

HEY, PHIL, COME HERE. [ LAUGHS ]

[ LAUGHS ]

PHIL COE AND -- AND HICKOK ARE

COURTING THE SAME WOMAN AT SOME POINT,

SO ANY ANIMOSITIES THEY HAD

WERE ONLY FUELED BY THAT FIRE.

[ INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS ]

JESSIE HAZEL WAS HER NAME,

AND NO MAN WHO SET EYES UPON HER WOULD SOON FORGET.

PETE! PETE!

LET'S DO IT AGAIN. BRING THE BOTTLE.

BILL ALWAYS SEEMED TO FIND HIMSELF

IN THE MOST DIFFICULT SITUATIONS

WHEN THERE WAS A WOMAN INVOLVED.

IT WAS CLEAR ABILENE WAS NOT BIG ENOUGH FOR BOTH ME AND COE,

AND ONE NIGHT, AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT,

THAT PROBLEM RESOLVED ITSELF.

WHOO-HOO! YEE-HAW! [ GUNSHOTS ]

PHIL COE HAD COME OUT OF THE ALAMO SALOON.

[ WHOOPING ]

HE WAS SHOOTING INTO THE AIR, HURRAHING THE TOWN.

WHOO-HOO! [ WHOOPING CONTINUES ]

THANKS TO ME, ABILENE HAD PASSED AN ORDINANCE

AGAINST CARRYING FIREARMS WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS.

ALL RIGHT, WHICH ONE OF YOU DAMN FOOLS IS DOIN' THE SHOOTIN'?!

COE AND THE REST OF HIS DRUNKEN FELLERS WERE BREAKIN' THAT LAW,

AND I INTENDED TO ENFORCE IT.

IS THAT YOU, PHIL COE?!

POPPIN' OFF A STRAY DOG, BILL.

WELL, I SUGGEST YOU ALL GET YOUR RULES OF CAMP

BEFORE SOMEBODY GETS HURT.

HICKOK TOLD COE TO GIVE HIM HIS GUNS,

AND, OF COURSE, COE REFUSED.

PHIL COE SUDDENLY TURNED AND FIRED.

BEING A POOR MARKSMAN, HE MISSED,

AND THEN HICKOK SHOT COE.

[ GUNSHOTS ]

WILD BILL KNEW THAT COE WANTED HIM DEAD,

SO WILD BILL SAW HIS OPPORTUNITY

TO RID HIMSELF OF A PERMANENT NEMESIS

AND DID SO.

BUT TO MY EVERLASTING SHAME,

PHIL COE WAS NOT THE ONLY MAN

I DISPATCHED TO HIS MAKER THAT NIGHT.

HE HEARS THE FOOTSTEPS COMING UP BEHIND HIM.

HE TURNS AND FIRES...

Man: BILL! [ GUNSHOTS ]

AND KILLS HIS BEST FRIEND, MIKE WILLIAMS.

BILL, I THINK YOU SHOT MIKE.

PHIL! OH, MY GOD, PHIL!

PHIL? PHIL? PHIL?

NO, NO, NO...

WILLIAMS WAS HIS DEPUTY AND A REALLY GOOD FRIEND,

WHICH MAKES IT ALL THE MORE TRAGIC.

HE PICKS UP THE DEAD BODY,

PUTS HIM ON THE POOL TABLE IN THE ALAMO SALOON

AND CLEARS OUT ALL THE SALOONS IN TOWN

AND NEVER AGAIN IS A LAWMAN.

IT'S DEVASTATING TO HIM.

[ SNIFFLES ]

THERE'S NO DOUBT THAT THAT'S

THE MOST TRAGIC MOMENT OF HIS LIFE.

HICKOK PAID FOR WILLIAMS' FUNERAL,

AND FROM THAT DAY UNTIL THE DAY HE DIED,

WILD BILL NEVER AGAIN POINTED A GUN AT ANOTHER HUMAN BEING.

IT WAS, UH, THE LAST MAN HE EVER SHOT.

I USED TO BE THOUGHT OF AS A HERO,

BUT AFTER THAT AFFAIR,

I WAS MALIGNED AS THE TERROR OF THE WEST

AND A NOTORIOUS DESPERADO.

ABILENE DECIDED MY SERVICES WERE NO LONGER NEEDED.

GAVE ME A POCKET WATCH AND BID ME FAREWELL.

AND I'VE NEVER WORN A BADGE AGAIN.

THE CITY FATHERS FELT THAT ONCE HE LEFT,

THERE WAS THAT MUCH LESS CHANCE

OF THERE BEING ANY MORE VIOLENCE

BECAUSE HE WAS A MAGNET FOR IT.

THE TIME HAD COME FOR HIM TO LEAVE.

OF COURSE, WHEN YOU HAVE LOST THE RESPECT OF OTHERS

AND YOUR SELF-RESPECT AS WELL,

THERE'S ONLY ONE THING LEFT TO DO --

GET INTO SHOW BUSINESS.

[ APPLAUSE ]

THANK YOU, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.

A BIG WILD WEST WELCOME TO OUR FRIENDS IN NEW YORK CITY.

IN 1873, HICKOK IS PERSUADED TO JOIN A THEATRICAL TROUPE,

STARRING BUFFALO BILL CODY, HIS FRIEND,

AND PLAY HIMSELF ONSTAGE.

YOU KNOW WHO WE HAVE HERE TONIGHT?

THE GREAT AND LEGENDARY WILD BILL HICKOK.

[ APPLAUSE ]

YEAH, YEAH.

CODY SEES THAT THE WEST IS GOING INTO MYTHOLOGY.

CODY BECOMES THE MYTH MAKER -- MAYBE THE GREATEST ONE.

THE GREATEST HERO --

I AM THE MAN!

I AM HICKOK -- JAMES BUTLER HICKOK,

THOUGH SOME FOLKS DO CALL ME "WILD BILL."

THERE'S MONEY TO BE MADE IN THIS WESTERN HERO BUSINESS.

TO HAVE THE REAL WILD BILL HICKOK IN THE CAST

WAS A MAJOR DRAW.

AND I AM HERE TO SAVE THE DAY,

FOR I AM THE GREATEST SHOT IN THE WEST.

THEY WOULD DO PLAY SHOOTING

AND PLAY ACTING AND PLAY KILLING.

THEY WERE THESE WILD MELODRAMAS.

AND IN OUR DRAMA TONIGHT, ENTITLED "SCOUTS OF THE PLAINS,"

YOU WILL SEE DEFENSELESS, AUTHENTIC FRONTIER MAIDENS.

YOU WILL SEE SAVAGE ATTACKS BY AUTHENTIC SAVAGE INDIANS.

AAH! [ CLATTER ]

WHAT WILL BECOME OF HER? [ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING ]

SOMETIMES THEY WOULDN'T KNOW THEIR LINES,

BUT THE PUBLIC LOVED IT.

COME ON, BOYS! SAVE THIS DEFENSELESS MAIDEN.

SHOW 'EM WHAT YOU'VE GOT.

HICKOK WAS NOT THE NATURAL SHOWMAN THAT CODY WAS.

HE HATED SHOW BUSINESS AND, UH,

IT WAS BAD SHOW BUSINESS, REALLY.

ON ONE OCCASION, UH, THEY WERE

SITTIN' AROUND A FAKE CAMPFIRE ONSTAGE

AND SUPPOSEDLY PASSING AROUND A BOTTLE OF WHISKEY

WHICH WAS ACTUALLY ICED TEA.

[ SPITS ]

[ LAUGHTER ] COLD TEA DON'T COUNT.

EITHER I GET SOME REAL WHISKEY,

OR THERE'LL BE NO STORIES! [ CLATTER ]

I WAS DEAD SERIOUS, BUT BUFFALO BILL WAS NO FOOL.

[ APPLAUSE ] THE CROWD ATE IT UP,

SO HE HAD ME SPITTIN' OUT MY TEA EVERY SINGLE NIGHT.

AS SOON AS WE CAN FIND SOME WHISKEY HERE IN NEW YORK CITY...

[ LAUGHTER ] WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.

[ APPLAUSE ]

BUT I MADE SURE I GOT MY WHISKEY.

HE DRANK HEAVILY.

HE USED TO PLAY PRANKS ALL THE TIME.

HE THOUGHT IT WAS HILARIOUS TO, UH, FIRE HIS BLANK PISTOLS

AGAINST THE LEGS OF THE EXTRAS WHO WERE PLAYING DEAD INDIANS

AND MAKE THEM JUMP UP AND RUN AROUND.

NOW, YOU WAIT A MINUTE, COWBOY.

YOU KNOW THERE'S NO FIREARMS ALLOWED IN MY TOWN.

TURN THAT BLAMED THING OFF!

[ GLASS SHATTERS, AUDIENCE GASPS ]

WHAT'S THE MATTER, SON?

YOU NEVER HEAR A GUN FIRED BEFORE?

WHERE YOU GOIN', YOU DAMN FOOL? GET BACK HERE.

[ Lowered voice ] PLAY SOMETHING.

JUST PLAY SOMETHING.

[ PIANO PLAYING FLOURISH ]

THAT GUN WAS NOT LOADED WITH BLANKS,

AND THAT GIVES YOU SOME KIND OF INSIGHT INTO WILD BILL.

HE'S PROTECTING HIMSELF, EVEN WHEN HE'S ONSTAGE.

AS YOU CAN SEE, I AM STILL ALIVE.

NO TEXAN HAS OR EVER WILL CORRAL J.B. HICKOK.

IN 1873, EVEN AS I ENTERED CODY'S DOG AND PONY SHOW,

THE SORRY WORD WAS BEIN' SPREAD

THAT I HAD BEEN DISPATCHED BY A GANG OF TEXAS RUFFIANS.

NEEDLESS TO SAY, THAT RUMOR PUT ME IN A VERY ILL HUMOR.

GET OUT OF MY CHAIR.

BEAT IT, CHIEF.

WELL, YOU MUST'VE OFFENDED

SOMEONE AT SOME POINT, MR. HICKOK.

I'VE NEVER INSULTED A MAN NOR A WOMAN IN MY LIFE,

NOR WILL I BE INSULTED,

NOR ALLOW A MAN TO PUT HIS HANDS UPON ME.

IT PAINED ME TO HAVE MY REPUTATION LAMPOONED

BY THE SAME PAPERS

THAT HAD ONCE CALLED ME AN AMERICAN HERO.

HE WAS MISERABLE, JUST MISERABLE.

WHENEVER WE BECOME A CARICATURE VERSION OF OURSELVES, IT'S SAD.

HE DIDN'T FEEL COMFORTABLE PLAYING AT BEING WHAT HE WAS.

HE HAD TO GO BACK WEST AND BE WHAT HE WAS.

I KNEW MY DESTINY LAY NOT ON AN EASTERN STAGE

BUT ON THE WESTERN FRONTIER,

WHERE ONCE I HAD BEEN A GREAT MAN...

[ HORSE WHINNIES ]

AND WHERE, WITH A BIT OF LUCK, I COULD BECOME ONE AGAIN.

[ GUNSHOTS ]

LET GO OF ME, YOU SON OF BITCHES!

AFTER I QUIT BILL CODY'S TRAVELIN' SIDESHOW,

I HEADED BACK OUT WEST,

WHERE MY FORTUNES KEPT GOIN' SOUTH.

I WAS CONSIDERED TOO TRIGGER-HAPPY FOR THE LAW,

TOO VOLATILE FOR BUSINESS.

SO, I DRIFTED, DRINKIN', GAMBLIN',

AND GETTIN' BY ON MY NAME,

ON A FRONTIER THAT WAS CHANGIN' FASTER THAN I EVER WOULD.

[ BELL CLANGS, WHISTLE BLOWS ]

Milch: THERE WAS AN ENORMOUS SADNESS ABOUT HIM,

WHICH WAS ALLOYED WITH HIS GREATNESS,

AND IT'S WHAT MADE HIM A MYTHIC FIGURE.

[ WHINNIES ]

IN JUNE OF '76, I SET OUT FOR THE BLACK HILLS

IN DAKOTA TERRITORY AND A GOLD STRIKE THAT I

HOPED WOULD CHANGE MY LUCK.

ON THIS WAGON TRAIN THAT HICKOK TOOK IN,

HE MET FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME CALAMITY JANE.

HE HAD ONLY KNOWN HER ABOUT TWO WEEKS WHEN HE WAS KILLED,

AND CALAMITY JANE LATER CLAIMS THAT THEY WERE MARRIED.

IT'S INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT AFTER ALL THE MOVIES

ABOUT WILD BILL AND CALAMITY JANE,

THAT THEY REALLY HARDLY KNEW EACH OTHER.

ON JULY 12th, OUR WAGONS PULLED INTO A NEW MINING CAMP

THAT HAD SPRUNG UP AS SOON AS THE FIRST VEIN WAS STRUCK --

DEADWOOD GULCH.

WHOA! [ HORSE WHINNIES ]

DEADWOOD WAS ONLY A FEW MONTHS OLD,

BUT THE POPULATION HAD ALREADY SWELLED

TO OVER 5,000 SOULS, MOST OF WHOM KNEW THE NAME

AND THE REPUTATION OF WILD BILL HICKOK.

THERE'S A LOT OF GOLD THERE, AND THAT'S GONNA DRAW IN

ANYBODY WHO WANTS TO MAKE A PROFIT...

MINERS, BUT ALSO THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE OFF MINERS --

GAMBLERS, SALOON OWNERS, PROSTITUTES, CON ARTISTS.

AND THIS IS WHAT YOU'VE GOT IN DEADWOOD, SOUTH DAKOTA, IN 1876.

Gomber: DEADWOOD WAS A LAWLESS, ILLEGAL, WILD TOWN.

[ YELLING ]

IT WAS, UH, LITERALLY ILLEGAL IN THAT IT WAS ON INDIAN LAND

AND ACTUALLY RATHER WELL-PORTRAYED

IN THE SHOW OF THE SAME NAME.

LADIES...

I HOPE YOU PLAN TO STAY UP LATE. OKAY.

[ GIGGLES ]

[ SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY ]

HICKOK DOESN'T PAN MUCH GOLD. HE'S NOT GOOD AT STAKING CLAIMS.

HE SPENDS HIS TIME AS HE ALWAYS HAD -- GAMBLING IN THE SALOONS.

AND THAT, OF COURSE, PROVES TO BE A FATAL ERROR.

[ INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS ] TAKE A SEAT, BILL.

WHAT ARE WE PLAYIN', BOYS?

FIVE CARD DRAW.

DEAL ME IN.

CONTRARY TO THE MOVIES,

HE WASN'T SITTING WITH HIS BACK TO THE DOOR.

IN THIS CASE, HE WAS SITTING FACING THE FRONT DOOR,

BUT HE DID HAVE HIS BACK TO THE BACK DOOR.

ALL RIGHT. ARE WE GONNA SPEND SOME MONEY THIS EVENING, HUH?

[ LAUGHS ]

THEY'RE GONNA SPEND SOME MONEY, TYRA.

I'M NOT GONNA SPEND A DIME. [ LAUGHS ]

SOME PEOPLE THINK THAT BILL MIGHT HAVE HAD

A LITTLE HINT OF CLAIRVOYANCE...

...THAT HE'D HAD A PREMONITION OF HIS DEATH.

SOME ADVICE I GAVE TO BUFFALO BILL ONCE...

WHEN YOU'RE PLAYING AGAINST A STACKED DECK...

MAKE SURE YOU GOT A HAND TO BEAT THEIRS.

[ INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS ]

Hickok: I ALSO TOLD HIM TO WATCH HISSELF...

BECAUSE SOONER OR LATER...

THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS.

TAKE THAT, DAMN YOU!

[ WOMAN SCREAMS ]

McCALL SIMPLY PUT A PISTOL TO THE BACK OF HIS HEAD,

SENT BILL INTO ETERNITY AND INTO LEGEND.

THE NEWS QUICKLY SPREAD THAT BILL HICKOK WAS DEAD.

Bisel: IT WAS INCONCEIVABLE TO PEOPLE THAT HE COULD BE GONE.

THE DEATH OF WILD BILL HICKOK, OF COURSE,

IS STEEPED IN LEGEND,

AS EVERYTHING CONNECTED WITH HIM IS.

SOME PEOPLE SAY THAT JACK McCALL

WAS MOTIVATED TO KILL HICKOK OVER THE POKER GAME.

SOME WRITERS HAVE SUGGESTED THAT

THE, SORT OF, DEADWOOD UNDERWORLD

WANTED TO GET RID OF HIM,

AND THEY HIRED JACK McCALL TO KILL HIM.

WELL, JACK McCALL IS BASICALLY JOHN HINCKLEY,

LEE HARVEY OSWALD,

ALL -- ALL THE LONERS, THE -- THE PEOPLE WHO,

BY SHOOTING SOMEONE, CAN MAKE A BIG NAME FOR THEMSELVES.

1876 WAS A WATERSHED YEAR FOR THE WEST.

CUSTER IS KILLED IN JUNE, HICKOK IS KILLED IN AUGUST,

AND JESSE JAMES' GANG IS SHOT TO PIECES IN NORTHFIELD.

THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF THE END.

THIS IS WHERE IT'S REALLY COMING DOWN HARD.

BUT I LIKE THE IDEA THAT HICKOK,

RATHER THAN GOING FOR THE MONEY AND THE SHOWMANSHIP,

HE GOES BACK WEST TO DIE THERE.

AND, OF COURSE, JACK McCALL FULFILLS THE ROLE OF THE JUDAS,

KILLING HIM.

WILD BILL'S IMPACT

ON OUR PERCEPTION OF THE OLD WEST

IS REALLY IMMEASURABLE.

HE WAS A LEGEND IN HIS OWN TIME.

WELL, NOW, WE GOT ONE MAN DEAD, AND I AIN'T SHOT BUT ONCE.

YOU KNOW, THERE'S AN EXPRESSION --

HE WAS ONE OF NATURE'S NOBLEMEN.

I NEVER KILLED A MAN THAT DIDN'T NEED KILLIN'.

THERE WAS A STATURE TO HIM THAT WAS UNMISTAKABLE,

AND IT AROUSED A LOT OF ENVY IN A LOT OF PEOPLE.

[ GUNSHOTS ]

TO ME, HICKOK WAS A DECENT, UPRIGHT GUY

WHO WAS DOIN' THE BEST HE COULD ON THE FRONTIER,

AND THAT WAS PRETTY GOOD,

AND CERTAINLY DIDN'T DESERVE WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM.

THE LEGEND KEPT GOING EVEN AS HE PERISHED,

BECAUSE IN HIS HANDS WERE A PAIR OF ACES AND 8s,

WHICH FOREVERMORE WOULD BE KNOWN...

AS THE DEAD MAN'S HAND.