Two of the deputies were gunned down almost immediately, as well as Jeff Power, who was standing outside.
But at dawn the next day, a shoot-out started that left four men dead and led to one of the biggest manhunts in Arizona’s history. It’s hard to tell who started shooting first. They were wanted in connection with the suspicious death of Jeff’s daughter, Ola May. Two were for John and Tom for draft dodging, and two were for Jeff Power and a worker, Tom Sisson. On February 9, 1918, a posse consisting of Sheriff Robert Frank McBride and three deputies was heading to the cabin to serve four warrants. There, Jeff Power and his sons John and Tom were enjoying a modest living as ranchers and miners. While the rest of the world was shaken by World War I, the Galiuro Mountains in Arizona were still part of the wild and violent frontier. It’s weird to think that someone who started life in the Old West lived long enough to catch the disco era. To put that in perspective, the last person involved in the shoot-out died in 1976. This is one of the last true Western gunfights, taking place in 1918. Weirdly enough, Loving would meet his end in another famed shoot-out dubbed the Trinidad Gunfight, killed by gambler John Allen-who would also be acquitted in the same fashion. Loving was arrested but was released later, claiming self-defense. Richardson was hit three times, while Loving was only grazed by one bullet. The two of them spoke quietly to each other until, finally, both got up and started firing.Īccording to witnesses, five or six shots were fired. Richardson got up and sat opposite Loving. He settled into a game of poker until Loving walked in, doing the same at another table. Then things finally came to a head on April 5, 1879, when Richardson entered the saloon looking for Loving, who wasn’t there. In March 1879, they got into a fistfight. At first, this only caused minor tension between the two with them hurling taunts at each other. Richardson had issues with another patron, Frank Loving, after he supposedly hit on Loving’s wife. One of those characters was Levi Richardson, a pretty famous gunman in his day. At the height of its popularity, many notable figures made their way to the Long Branch Saloon, including legendary gunslingers Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. There was a time when Dodge City, Kansas was one of the most prominent places in the West, and the Long Branch Saloon was the most notorious place in town. He eventually was acquitted by pleading self-defense. However, here’s the part you don’t see in movies-afterward, he was charged with murder. Bill won and became the famed gunslinger we know today. So after a few rounds of failed negotiations and constant taunts from Tutt, the two met outside for a duel.
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To publicly humiliate him, Tutt stole Hickok’s gold watch as “collateral.” Bill couldn’t allow this because, as a professional gambler, he couldn’t develop a reputation of not paying his debts. Hickok claimed it was only $25 and refused to pay the extra $10. Annoyed, Tutt reminded Hickok of a past debt of $35.
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In response, Tutt would often loan money to other players and coach them on how to beat Bill, but Bill would keep beating them all the same. These two were once friends but had a falling-out, so now Hickok refused to play with Tutt. The duel took place on Jin Springfield, Missouri between Wild Bill and rival gambler David Tutt. In fact, this particular shoot-out popularized the concept and made a hero out of Wild Bill Hickok. However, that’s not to say that these duels never happened.
Most gunfights involved multiple gunslingers shooting every which way.
This wasn’t actually a common occurrence in the Old West, though. Westerns have popularized the concept of the duel-a one-on-one contest to see who’s the quickest draw. Sure, our view of the Wild West is heavily romanticized by Hollywood, but it also created real legends that are as popular today as they were a century ago. The Old West is an iconic setting, one that worked as a backdrop for some of the most epic gunfights in history.
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