Trail of Madness — Michael Knost

History tells us Jack McCall, going by alias Bill Sutherland at the time, killed James Butler Wild Bill Hickok on August 2, 1876 at Nuttal andMann's Saloon No. 10 in Deadwood, Dakota Territory.Myth and legend surround so much when it comes to the killing. Forinstance, we get the term Dead Man's Hand being aces and eights as that iswhat is speculated Hickok held when he died. However, most historianswill tell you that's nothing more than speculation. Oh, and that HickokDeath Chair hanging above the door of the Saloon #10 in deadwood today?It's hard to believe the original chair Hickok was killed in would havesurvived the fires of 1879, 1894, 1948, 1951, 1959, and 1987.So there are a great number of myths, lies, and marketing deceptionssurrounding this historic event. And although we know McCall pulled thetrigger, what we don't know is why he did it. It was noted that McCall wascross-eyed and his nose had been broken by being struck with a six-shooter, so is it possible McCall may have suffered brain trauma with hallucinationsand paranoia or did he actually encounter what he found down that Trail ofDarkness? That, my dear reader, is for you to decide.