What became of Hickok’s weapons?
Rick Seward
Ord, Nebraska
James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok was allegedly carrying a .32 caliber Smith and Wesson No. 2 Army with a six-inch barrel when he was gunned down by Jack McCall in Deadwood, South Dakota, on August 2, 1876. Deadwood Sheriff Seth Bullock took the dead man’s possessions and gave the pistol to settle a debt Hickok owed to storekeeper Adolph Fishel.
On November 18, 2013, this pistol came up for auction in San Francisco, but the high bid of $220,000 didn’t meet the reserve price set by the owners.
Hickok owned several other guns, including a carbine that was supposedly buried with him. But I do not know what happened to them.
Marshall Trimble is Arizona’s official historian. His latest book is Wyatt Earp: Showdown at Tombstone.
If you have a question, write: Ask the Marshall, P.O. Box 8008, Cave Creek, AZ 85327 or e-mail him at marshall.trimble@scottsdalecc.edu