[MUSIC] ♪
♪ >> Tom: AND WELCOME BACK.
JAMES BUTLER HICKOK, OF COURSE
HE'S FEATURED PERMANENTLY IN
THE HISTORY OF SPRINGFIELD.
WE WILL GET A LITTLE DEEPER
INTO IT.
MAYBE GIVE YOU SOME FACTS AND
MAYBE THINGS HE DID NOT KNOW AS
WELL ABOUT THIS MAN AND I HAVE
GOT THE GUY WHO KNOWS IT ALL
WHEN IT COMES TO THIS.
THAT IS JOHN SELLERS.
GETTING CARRIED AWAY!
Tom: HISTORY MUSEUM ON THE
SQUARE.
JAMES BUTLER HICKOK.
WILL KNOW HIM AS WILD BILL
HICKOK.
WHERE DO WE GET THAT FROM JAMES
BUTLER?
ONE OF THE STORIES THAT HE
HAD VERY PRONOUNCED -- KIDS AT
A YOUNG AGE CALL HIM DUCKBILL.
AS HE GOT MORE, TOMORROW GOOD
SHOT, HE HAD MORE EASILY
AGITATED, THEY CHANGE IT TO
WILD BILL.
THAT IS THE STORY.
Tom: A NICE STORY.
AND IF YOU LOOK AT SOME OF THE
PICTURES OF HIM WHEN HE WAS
YOUNGER I MEAN, IT IS A LITTLE.
Tom: IF YOU KNOW HIS HISTORY
YOU DID NOT CALL HIM BILL OR
DUCKBILL.
NO.
Tom: TALK ABOUT HIS HISTORY
HERE IN SPRINGFIELD.
HE FIRST CAME HERE IN 1863.
TO WORK WITH THE MARSHAL.
THE CITY OF SPRINGFIELD WAS
UNDER MARTIAL LAW.
HE WAS WHAT THEY CALLED THE
DETECTIVE WHICH MEANS A
PATROLMAN.
ENFORCING THE LAW BECAUSE THE
MILITARY WAS THE LAW.
Tom: AND -- WAS HERE AT THE
SAME TIME.
HE WAS LONG GONE.
BUT MARTIAL LAW WAS DECLARED
HERE AND IT WAS MARSHALL ARE
ABOUT 18 MONTHS SO HE WAS HERE
FOR THAT PERIOD OF TIME AND HE
LEFT HERE AND WENT TO ANOTHER
PART OF THE CIVIL WAR AND
WORKED IN KIND OF LIKE A MULE
SKINNER.
A LOT OF CIVILIAN JOBS.
THEN AFTER THE WAR HE CAME BACK
HERE.
AT THE VERY END OF THE WAR.
AS A LOT OF PEOPLE DID SO THAT
WAS ONE OF THE BIG INFLUXES IN
SPRINGFIELD POPULATION IT WAS
RIGHT AFTER THE CIVIL WAR.
A LOT OF PEOPLE CAME HERE AS
REFUGEES DURING THE WAR, STAYED
ON AND A LOT OF PEOPLE HAD LEFT
DURING THE WAR BUT CAME BACK.
Tom: WAS THIS A CROSSROADS?
THIS WAS A CROSSROADS FOR
EVERYBODY.
THERE WAS A LOT OF PEOPLE HERE,
MOST OF THEM CIVIL WAR VETERANS
AND SO ON.
I MEAN THIS WAS A VERY EDGE OF
THE WEST.
THIS WAS WHERE ROUGHNECKS
MOVED.
THERE WAS A LOT OF GAMBLING,
DRINKING AND SO ON.
Tom: BOTH OF THOSE CULTURES
COMING TOGETHER.
AND SO HICKOK WAS ONE OF
THOSE YOUNG PEOPLE AND THERE
WAS ANOTHER YOUNG MAN NAMED
DAVIS TODD WHO HAD A VERY
SIMILAR BACKGROUND EXCEPT ON
THE OTHER SIDE.
WHILE HICKOK HAD BEEN AN
ABOLITIONIST AND FOUGHT FOR THE
UNION, TAUGHT -- THEY WERE VERY
SIMILAR IN THEIR APPROACH TO
LIFE.
THEY GAMBLED QUITE A BIT
TOGETHER.
SUPPOSEDLY FOR A PERIOD OF TIME
BUT THEN HAD A FALLING OUT OVER
SOME ISSUES.
ULTIMATELY, THE BIG PROBLEM WAS
OVER A GAMBLING DEBT WERE
HICKOK OWED HIM MONEY HE SAID
IT WAS $35 AND HICKOK SAID IT
WAS 25.
AFTER KIND OF THE HEATED
DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT, TUT TOOK
HICKOK 'S WATCH LIKE THE ONE
HERE IN THE CASE AND TOOK IT AS
COLLATERAL AND SETTLE GIVE THIS
BACK TO YOU WHEN YOU PAY.
Tom: ALL RIGHT.
HICKOK THREATENED YOU AND
SAID DON'T EVER LET ME SEE YOU
WEARING THE WATCH.
NOW THESE TWO YOUNG HOTHEADS
ONE THING LED TO ANOTHER.
AND SO HICKOK GOT WORD THAT TUT
WAS GOING TO WALK ONTO THE
SQUARE WEARING THE WATCH.
SO HE WALKED IN FROM THE
NORTHWEST CORNER, HICKOK WALKED
IN FROM SOUTH STREET AND THEY
PULLED THEIR GUNS AND FIRED.
WITH THAT PULLING OF THE
WEAPONS, IT BECAME THE VERY
FIRST GUNFIGHT IN THE OLD WEST.
Tom: I WAS GOING TO ASK THAT
BECAUSE I MEAN, THIS IS AN
ACTUAL, FACTUAL GUNFIGHT.
THIS IS NOT ANY KIND OF MADE UP
--
NO, NOT TWO GUYS GOING BACK
TAKING 10 PACES AND SHOOTING.
Tom: PART OF THE SHOULD WE
TALKED ABOUT A LITTLE EARLIER,
HICKOK MUST HAVE BEEN ONE DEAD
EYE TO MAKE THAT SHOT.
IS BY 85 YARDS.
AND TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT, TO
BE ABLE TO SHOOT ALMOST THE
LENGTH OF A FOOTBALL FIELD WITH
A 36 CALIBER PISTOL IS PRETTY
AMAZING.
I WOULD BE LUCKY TO HIT THE
SQUARE LET ALONE HIT A PERSON.
Tom: OF COURSE, WILD BILL,
-- THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DUEL,
TUT.
HE'S BURIED IN MAPLE PARK.
ACTUALLY HE WAS MOVED THERE.
HE WAS ORIGINALLY IN THE OLD
CEMETERY.
THE SON OF DAVIS TUT'S FATHER
WAS VERY WELL-TO-DO AFTER THE
WAR AND VERY SUCCESSFUL HERE IN
SPRINGFIELD.
HE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST
AFRICAN-AMERICANS TO HAVE A
PLOT IN MAPLE PARK.
AND HE MOVED THE BODY FROM THE
OLD CITY CEMETERY TO MAPLE
PARK.
Tom: AMAZING!
YOU CAN FIND MARKERS RIGHT ON
THE SQUARE THAT TELL YOU ABOUT
THIS.
AND OF COURSE, YOU CAN VISIT
THE HISTORY MUSEUM ON THE
SQUARE AND LEARN A LOT MORE.
YOU THINK YOU KNOW ALL ABOUT
WILD BILL HICKOK?
THERE IS A LOT MORE OUT THERE.