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Deadwood, the Wildest Town in the West
- University of South Carolina Press
- Chapter
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DEADWOOD, THE WILDEST TOWN IN THE WEST ners t was August of 1876and Seth Bullock, sheriff of Montana's Lewis and Clark County, was becoming restless. He and his friend Sol Star were part- ; in a hardware store, but it held little promise. "The place where the market for this stuff is really booming is the gold country," said Seth enthusiastically . "I hear folks are buying pots and pans and hammers and nails out there hand over fist." "You mean places like Deadwood, South Dakota?" said Sol. "That's right." "Haven't you heard the reputation of that town? It's famous for being the rowdiest, most lawless place in the West!" "And Deadwood is just where I would like to go." GHOSTS OF THE WILD WEST He was not to be discouraged, and a few weeks later he and a reluctant Sol set out for South Dakota with three wagonloads of merchandise. Dust rose above their wagons. When they reached Deadwood, it was a warm day and the sky hung over them like the interior of a round blue bowl. In the rooming house where they ~ o u l d be staying, Seth opened the small black trunk that held his personal possessions. He and Sol would be living in this boardinghouse for a while and eating their meals side by side with the other new arrivals. He withdrew the leather Bible his mother had given him and placed it on the bedside table next to the kerosene lamp. His father, George Bullock, had been a retired major in the British army and, some said, almost too strict a man. Both parents had instilled a strong faith and a sense of duty in Seth. An hour later he and Sol began putting up a tent, which would be their temporary store. There was much interest in their preparations, and they u7eresoon surrounded by a crowd of curious men. There were almost no women in the gold-rush towns of those days. Their wagons held everything the settlers and gold prospectors arriving in Deadwood almost daily needed to set up housekeeping. Pots and pans, kettles and boilers , chamber pots and washbowls sold as fast as Sol and Seth could unpack them from their wrappings. But as Sol had predicted, peace and quiet did not last long. On the afternoon of August 2, 1876, their second day in Deadwood, shots rang out. Seth forgot everything else. All the reactions of a lawman surged up within him. Noting the direction the sound of the gun [3.236.98.81] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 13:10 GMT) DEADWOOD came from, Seth began racing down the street toward Nuttall and Mann7ssaloon. He burst through the swinging doors to find the notorious Wild Bill Hickok, whom he had met only the night before, fallen back in his chair. There was a hushed silence in the saloon. A few minutes ago Wild Bill had been sitting quietly playing cards. Seth ran over to him, but Wild Bill was beyond help. Blood poured from a gaping wound at the back of his head. He had died instantly. It was not long before the men sitting at the bar recovered from the shock and pandemonium broke loose. Everyone knew Hickok. Colorful, reckless, he would become one of the legendary characters of the West. The saloon and soon the people of Deadwood were in an uproar over his unprovoked murder. McCall was strutting all over town bragging, "I killed Wild Bill, and I don't mind telling everybody. He killed my brother!" "What brother?" someone shouted. McCall's voice was shrill as he answered. "My brother back in Abilene, Kansas, that's who. Why Hickok shot him down like a dog. I'm glad I shot him. Wild Bill deserved to die." But it was soon discovered that McCall never had a brother. Sitting at the bar, growing more drunk by the minute, he had simply turned around, seen Hickok, walked over and shot him in cold blood. To the town's shock, an impromptu court declared McCall not guilty! Seth Bullock did not hesitate to express his outrage, and his manner elicited respect. GHOSTS OF THE WILD WEST Justice \vas to come later. McCall's trial was declared to have no legal basis in the Indian Territory of Deadwood . But we are getting ahead of our story. Only a few days had passed when Seth was walking down the street and met a tall imposing fellow. Seth...