DARK HISTORY: THE DEAD MAN’S HAND

Ninetoes was playing poker in the Dakota Territory and witnessed a murder for this week’s Dark History

Hey there, history lovers! It is your old pal, Ninetoes, coming to you from Ninetoes HQ. Today, I am looking at the origins of the Dead Man’s Hand. I have coffee in my system and my thinking cap on, so let’s get to it!

To understand the Dead Man’s Hand, we need to look at the man holding it, legendary gunman and law enforcement officer through the west, James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok. Yes, THAT Wild Bill.

Hickok had a career as a lawman and a scout. His law career began in 1858, in Monticello, Kansas, where he worked as a peace officer. He was a scout for General George A. Custer’s 7th Cavalry during the Indian Wars. He also served as a guide and a deputy U.S. Marshal in the Great Plains.

In 1873, Wild Bill Hickok was invited by Buffalo Bill Cody and Texas Jack Omohundro to join their troupe, Buffalo Bill’s Scouts of the Plains. Hickok accepted the invitation and traveled with them for a few months. It appears that Wild Bill was not a fan of the spotlight, and as it turns out, the bright lights affected his vision.

Wild Bill’s vision problems began in 1871. According to Charles Snyder, the Lucien Howe Librarian of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, “Granular Conjunctivitis, ophthalmia, trachoma, call it what you will, was common on the Western Frontier. Jesse James suffered from it.” In 1876, he sought treatment from a doctor in Kansas City, Missouri. No definitive diagnosis was given, but the doctor suspected secondary syphilis and glaucoma.

On March 5, 1876, Hickok married Agnes Thatcher Lake, proprietor of Lake’s Hippo-Olympiad Circus. A few months later, he left his new bride to find his fortune in the gold fields of South Dakota. By July 1876, Hickok found himself in Deadwood, in the Dakota Territory.

On August 1, 1876, Hickok was playing poker in Nuttal, and Mann’s Saloon No. 10. A seat opened up, and a man named Jack McCall sat down to play. Things did not go well for McCall during the game. He incurred heavy losses. Hickok encouraged him to quit, and even went as far as to give him money for breakfast. McCall took the money, but left insulted.

Hickok was back the next day to play poker. When he played, he sat with his back to the wall so he could see the entrance, but that seat was taken. He asked the man in the seat to change with him twice, but the man refused. The game was Five Card Stud. Jack McCall entered the saloon, walked up behind Hickok, shouted “Take that!”, and shot him in the back of the head with a Colt Single Action Army .45 caliber pistol.

Hickok’s hand was two pair: black aces and black eights. Since then, it has become known as The Deadman’s Hand.

Darren “Ninetoes” Perdue is a book and media reviewer. When he is not reading, he is watching true crime shows, cooking for his family, or working on a plan for universal domination. If you see him on his porch, say hi. He does not bite…much.

PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing. Thank you for understanding.