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true, but the motive may have been anger over his losses the day before or even a hit paid for by another party. McCall was originally found not guilty in a hasty miners’ trial but was later arrested and retried and found guilty of murder. He hung for the crime in the spring of 1877.
CONDITION: Fair. The revolver displays mottled gray patina and extensive moderate pitting along the steel components but retains mostly distinct engraving. The barrel address is mostly obscured. Some small repairs have been made, likely including the wedge and some of the screws. The brass has attractive natural aged patina that is dark in the recesses making the engraving stand out. The grips are very fine and have attractive natural grain and tones, some verdigris staining on the right panel, minor age cracks, and light overall wear. Mechanically fine. This is an incredible opportunity to get your hands on one of the very few revolvers attributed to Old West gunfighter and folk hero Wild Bill. This revolver’s mate remains in the Cody Firearms Museum, and this may be your only chance to get your hands on this incredible Colt before it too is removed from the market.
Provenance: The Dr. Robert Azar Collection.
Estimate: 140,000 - 225,000
"Bill never did things by halves.
When he drew his pistols it was always to shoot, and it was a theory of his that every man did the same." -Chicago Tribune, August 25, 1876
The famous Wild West shows were just getting going in this period, and Hickok tried to start his own which quickly failed and then briefly joined Buffalo Bill Cody’s show in 1873. He quit by early 1874 before Cody’s show became an international sensation and returned to the West. He went to search for gold in the Black Hills of the Dakota Territory and arrived in the rough town of Deadwood where he became a lawman in July of 1876.
At the beginning of the next month, he was playing poker in a saloon in Deadwood with Jack McCall who reportedly racked up his losses and was encouraged to leave the game by Hickok who also offered him money
to buy breakfast. McCall accepted the aid but apparently felt insulted by Hickok. The following day, August 2, McCall returned and shot Hickok in the back of the head with a Single Action Army. When Hickok fell dead, he had a pair of black aces and a pair of black eights, now famously known as the “Dead Man’s Hand.” McCall claimed he acted in revenge for Hickok murdering his brother back in Abilene which may be at least partially
AS PICTURED AND DESCRIBED IN THE BOOK WILD BILL HICKOK: GUNFIGHTER BY ROSA