Wild
Bill Hickok
Last
Letter to his Wife
One of the
beauties of a hand written letter is that they can live on long after the
writer is gone. Be the reason sentimental or historical, reading a hand written
letter from long ago packs an emotional response like nothing else.
James
Butler Hickok, also known as Wild Bill Hickok, was a skilled gunfighter and
lawman from the American old west. He was also a professional gambler between
his law-enforcement duties. On August 2, 1876, Hickok was playing poker at
Deadwood, in the Black Hills of Dakota Territory. He had a premonition Deadwood
would be his last camp, and expressed this belief to his friends who were
traveling with him at the time. Shortly before his death, he wrote a letter to
his new wife, which read: “Agnes Darling, if such should be we never meet
again, while firing my last shot, I will gently breathe the name of my wife —
Agnes — and with wishes even for my enemies I will make the plunge and try to
swim to the other shore.” J.B. Hickok Wild Bill
Interesting
Fact: Legend has it that before Hickok was shot he had lost all his money and
had to borrow $50 from the house to continue playing. When shot, he was holding
a pair of aces and a pair of eights, all black. The fifth card had been
discarded and its replacement had not yet been dealt. In poker, a two-pair of
aces and eights is known as the dead man’s hand.
Thank you. This information is inspiring and thought provoking.
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