Jack McCall
| Jack McCall | |
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| Born | 1852 or 1853 Jefferson County, Kentucky |
| Died | March 1, 1877 (aged 24) Yankton, Dakota Territory |
| Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
| Other names | Crooked Nose Jack; Broken Nose Jack |
| Known for | Murder of Wild Bill Hickok |
John "Jack" McCall (/məˈkɔːl/); (1852 or 1853 – March 1, 1877) (also known as "Crooked Nose" or "Broken Nose Jack"), was the murderer of Old West legend Wild Bill Hickok. McCall shot Hickok from behind as he played poker at Nuttal & Mann's Saloon in Deadwood, Dakota Territory on August 2, 1876. McCall was executed for the murder on March 1, 1877.
Many details of McCall's life are unknown. He was born in the early 1850s in Jefferson County, Kentucky. McCall was raised in Kentucky with three sisters, and eventually drifted west to become a buffalo hunter. By 1876, he was living in a gold mining camp outside Deadwood, under the alias of "Bill Sutherland."
McCall was drinking at the bar at Nuttal & Mann's saloon in Deadwood on August 1, 1876, when one of the players dropped out of a card game that included "Wild Bill" Hickok. The inebriated McCall quickly took his place. McCall proceeded to lose several hands, and was soon broke. Hickok offered McCall money to buy breakfast and advised him not to play again until he could cover his losses. Though McCall accepted the money, he reportedly felt insulted.
On August 2, a poker game was once again under way at the saloon, but this time Hickok had his back to the door, in contrast to his normal practice of sitting in a corner to protect his back. A resentful and drunken McCall shot Hickok in the back of the head with a single-action .45-caliber revolver, shouting "Damn you! Take that!" Hickok died instantly. McCall ran from the saloon and attempted to steal a horse to escape, but fell from the excited animal. McCall was soon found hiding in the back of a local butcher shop and apprehended.
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