October 5, 1871 The summer cattle season is all but over, and Marshal Wild Bill Hickok has kept the peace in Abilene, Kansas—not an easy job. The last marshal, legendary Thomas J. Smith, was killed in the line of duty. Hickok is not popular with the Texan cowboys, having cleaned out the brothels the month before, on the order of the city council. About 50 cowboys want to attend the city’s Dickinson County Fair. When heavy rain sullies that venue, the boys wander from saloon to s


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