Tom Shepard
El Monte, California
Dave Tutt and Wild Bill were, according to many accounts, 75 yards apart; however, Hickok expert Joseph Rosa, in Wild Bill Hickok: The Man and the Myth, says they were 50 yards apart. Either one is still a heck of a pistol shot.
Evidence indicates that Tutt was standing sideways, duelist-style, which makes Hickok’s shot even more remarkable, proving once again the old adage, “Speed is fine . . . accuracy is final.” See “Classic Gunfights” in the August 2000 True West for coverage of the Hickok-Tutt shoot-out.
Marshall Trimble is Arizona’s official historian. His books include Law of the Gun and Never Give A Heifer A Bum Steer.
If you have a question, write:
Ask the Marshall PO Box 8008, Cave Creek, AZ 85327.
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