Today is the 135th anniversary of the death of Wild Bill Hickok. A stagecoach driver, sheriff, sharp shooter, scout, professional gambler and even a stage actor, Hickok was the epitome of the Old West. He disliked sitting with his back to the door. August 2nd 1876, when he walked into a saloon in Deadwood South Dakota, the only available seat at the poker table was facing away from the entrance. He asked other players to trade seats with him but was refused. At some point during the game, a buffalo hunter named John McCall entered the room and shot Hickok in the back of the head, killing him instantly. Wild Bill was holding a pair of aces and a pair of eights, known as a “dead man’s hand.” I’m familiar with the story because I hear it every time my husband takes me out to dinner and I leave him the seat facing away from the door.
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