August 2, 1876
Wild Bill Hickok walks from his camp on
the edge of Deadwood to Lewis, Nuttall and Mann’s No. 10 Saloon.
Entering around noon, he encounters about a half-dozen men. Three men
are playing draw poker. Wild Bill recognizes Missouri River steamboat
captain William R. Massie and Charlie Henry Rich, a card dealer Wild
Bill knows from his days in Cheyenne, Wyoming Territory. Wild Bill joins
their game.
Wild Bill sits in the only available
seat, near the rear entrance of the saloon, facing the front door. He
usually sits along the west wall, but Rich is occupying that seat. Wild
Bill prefers that seat’s view of the entire room, including good views
of the front and back doors, and asks Rich for his “regular” seat, but
the gambler refuses to move.
Wild Bill, uncomfortable with the fact
that his back is exposed to the open bar and rear door, once again asks
Rich to trade places. This time, the other players chide Wild Bill,
telling him he has nothing to worry about this early in the day. Wild
Bill takes the empty seat.
The four men have been playing draw poker
for almost three hours when Jack McCall (also known as Bill Sutherland)
walks through the front door, heads over to the bar, pauses, moves down
the bar and stops momentarily at the scales sitting on the end of the
bar.
Wild Bill throws down his hand in disgust and says, “The old duffer, he broke me on that hand.”
McCall steps forward, takes out a pistol and points it at the back of Wild Bill’s head, pulling the trigger at the same instant.
The bullet exits Wild Bill’s right cheek
near the bottom of his nose. His head moves slightly forward, and he is
still for a moment. Then he falls sideways off his stool onto the floor.
He dies instantly.
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