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The days of the old West are long gone, but
not forgotten, in the small towns of Nebraska.
GunSghters, outlaws and lawmen once vied for
supremacy in the wild Nebraska territory, and
several of them went on to become Old West
legends.
James Eisfkr "WSM Cg&cck
On August 2, 1876, a young gunfighter named
Jack McCall entered the No. 10 Saloon in Dead
wood, S.D. He sauntered up to the bar, said hello
to the bartender, and walked over to a table
where four men were playing poker. McCall
pulled his pistol and shot James Butler Hickock in
the back of the head, killing him instantly.
So ended the 39-year life of one of the West's
most famed gunfighters. "Wild Bill" Hickock
never got a chance to draw his poker hand; a pair
of aces, a pair of eights and a queen kicker. That
poker hand would be known from then on as the
"dead man's hand."
Hickock was credited with killing more than 80
men. Hickock was a colorful figure a peace
officer, gambler, Indian fighter. He wore silk
lined capes, shoulder-length hair and a stallion
tailed mustache in his later years.
Back in 1861, Hickock was just a young stock
tender at the Rock Creek station, an important
Oregon Trail and Pony Express stopover near the
present-day city of Fairbury.
The Rock Creek station consisted of two ranch
houses, one on either side of Rock Creek. A
stageline operated the station, and recently had
bought the buildings on the east side from David
C. McCanles. McCanlcs was unhappy because the
stage company wasn't making payments as
quickly as he wished. A burly man with a hot
temper, McCanles threatened the company's
agent, Horace Wellman, several times and
repeatedly bullied young Hickock.
On a hot day in July, McCanlcs and some of his
men stood on Wellman's doorstep. Wellman and
his wife, Hickockrand stable hand "Doc" Brink
were inside the house. McCanles yelled for Hick
ock and Wellman to come out and fight When
they failed to answer his challenge, he stepped
through the front door.
Hickock, hiding behind a curtain, fired a rifle
bullet through McCanles' heart The big man fell,
dead. Thinking McCanles had killed someone, his
men rushed inside the cabin. Hickock shot and
wounded three, and only a 12 year-old boy
escaped. The wounded men tried to run away,
but Hickock and his companions killed and
quickly buried them.
Three days later, Hickock, Weton and Brink
were arrested and taken to Beatrice where a
judge acquitted them. The only eyewitness on the
opposing side, the boy, was not allowed to testify
because of his age.
Soae say Hickock got his "Wild Bill" nidnaae
frca the lock Creek incident
Hie old Rock Creek station sltz, six miles east
cf FsJrbary, is now a state historical park. Far
tHly sperjered by Eaiilr.gton Northern nLlrcsd,
a krge visitor center cossesorates the station
szi the shooting fcddest
Hie Rock Creek incident is known to many
Fairbury residents, but the town shows no evi
dence cf the Hickock legend. Cheryl Seaehord,
executive secretary of Fairhury's Chamber cf
Commerce, said the tb'&n sponsored a psgeait
depicting the shooting a few years ago. Some
people in Fairbury talked about "playing up" the
Hickock affair. But a few cf McCandles' descend
ants still live in the area, and they weren't too
crazy about the idea, Seaehord said.
McCanles great-great-grandson, Bruce Mc
Candless, jr., is a spsce shuttle astronaut
McCandless was present at the dedication of the
visitor center.
Jisscs M. Riky, elks Doc K!letea
On Jan. 13, 1 877, a ycurg freight worker killed
a U.S. soldier in a saloon in Sidney, a small cow
town in western Nebraska. The young man, "Doc
Middleton," fled Sidney in the confusion following
the Shooting. Middleton would become one of
Nebraska's most colorful outlaws.
Mlddlcton's real name was James M. Riley. He
came to Nebraska to seek his fortune after spend
ing several years as a cattle driver and horse
stealer in his native Texas. Constantly in trouble
in Texas, Middleton didn't take long to find
himself in trouble again in Nebraska. The soldier
he shot had been jealous because a girl in the
saloon had shown Middleton a little attention.
The soldier and his comrades were giving Mid
. dieton a beating when fvliddleton shot the young
private.
Middleton dashed out of town and grabbed a
stage at the next stop north. Middleton roamed
northern Nebraska for many years. One of the
most famous horse-thieves in history, th.e crafty
outlaw pilfered many an Indian pony during his
career. Middleton was so famous that part of the
state was known as "Doc Middleton Country.' "
The region generally consisted of five present
day counties: Boyd, BrcmR, Holt, Keya Faha and
Rock.
Middleton and his png were successful busi
nessmen, stealing from the Sioux. Mideton sold
the stolen horses omy to people traveling east,
away from the Sioux, who would be sure to spot
their property and trace it to the outlaw.
Troubles with the law were few, since the
northwestern third of the state was largely
unsettled in the late 1870s. But eventually, the
tew caught up with Middletoa Tricked by lawman
W.H.H. llewei!yn, Midfeton rode into an amitish
in July, 1879 on the Niobrara Elver north of
Atkinson. Two gunmen succeeded in woaniiag
Middlston, kit he managed to get ss'sy, Lfedfya
and his men captured the ai!! horse thief a fes?
days later. Middleton received a Eve-year sent
ence in the Nebraska Stste Feritestbry. fie
served three sid a kill yesrs before he vzs
mi ip siiHMil tmm
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ling whiskey to the Icdisas, and getting into sa
Gccasional scrape. He even served as a deputy
sheriff in Gorcbn for a few years.
Middleton moved to Chadrcn in 1892, md
usually stayed out cf trouble. In 1893, he entered
the Chadroa to Chicago 1,000-Eile horse nee,
which received national publicity. The race
started from Chadrcn's Elaine Hotel engine 13,
with nine riders entered.
Each rider had two horses for the trip. Rite
would have to average 60 miles a day. A group of
backers from Chadron put up $1,009 in prize
money. "Buffalo Bill" William Cody offered an
additional $500 providing the race ended at
his ydd West Shaw, which was playing at the
Chicago World's Fair.
The riders were met by large crowds at each
checkpoint on their trip, through northern
Nebraska into Iowa and finally to Illinois. The
43-year-old Middleton was favored, but dropped
out of the race in Iowa because his horses were
unable to finish. But he took the train to Chicago
and was received royally by Cody.
Doc Middleton and his fellow contestants in
the Chadron-tfrChicago race wSl be remembered
in 1935. As part of the Chadron Centennial,
members of the Chadron Saddle Gob pki to
re-enact the famous ride. Byron "Rip" Raddiffe,
one of the race orjpnizers, said the re-enactment
won't be as grueling as the original race.
"We'll travel to Chicago in a caravan," Rad
diffe said. "The horses will be in trailers and
we'll have campers and mobile radio units."
The "ham" radios will be used to tdzy up-to-the
minute reports to the Chadfon radio station
and amateur radio bsifis, RaddMfe said.
Hie caravan will stop st every one of the
original race checkpoints on the miy bad from
Lnicago, EaacMe sail Trie riders will probably
unload their horses a few miles from esdi town
Middleton jaroe w terse gzdhi- Est he iss
aheays watching for aa cppcstaslty to Eake'sa" '
easy bsjek. He raa a sibca b Gcr&a fcr several
ytsis ia the hs 1EC3l Ke lived ia Gsrisa uh
ch. i Eiiclon kept b.iy by fj i
and ride in.
Er5
On the rJ-ht of Sept 18, 1877, railrcsd xger.t
George Earnhardt was resiisg, by hisself, in the
lonely Big Spring station cf the Union Pad:
Railroad. The central NeSska Altering stop was
usually quiet When Earnhardt heard the door
open, he thought r.ebg cf it He assumed one
of the section hinds had mmt ia to s,tch the
train, which was expected within minutes.
Bantelt heard a step rljht bis! to him, so
he locked up. Six masked mm me standing
there, and eadi had a pistol pointed at his head.
They made thrir iateatioss pHn. They had come
to rob No. 4, the Ifeiea PadSc egress.
After dissanfeg the tdegrspa i3trKnents,
the men forced Eu&hsrdt to hsg cat a red
sipsl, iadicalisg to the train eEgsesr that xzl
needed to be plied epi
.When the train rolled to a stop, s'R&bers
. spring bto tctba. Seen fee enieer, tesa
asd cosdiKtCf hid tecs roa. cp csder rzn
pfet 'The fcsndlts collected $&,C(X) ki
, ceis, m csA tzi fcer pli
dred C.2 tecLVs's fire 'and rode c!I
Search pirtia were crgsd iiiia beers.
The railroad offered $10,000 reward the next day
for the capture of the robbers and return ct the
money.
Posses secured the countryside. No one sus
pected sn mnccent-looli:g group of cowboys
camped near Ogallala cn the South Platte River.
But those "costays" were the train rcS bcrs.
One was Sam Bass, who at 25 had just robbed
his first train. He wodd rob many more before
his short life ended.
Bass was joined by four outlaws, indudingjisi
Berry, a tough character from Missouri. The men
had camped on the river for several days before
the sheeti ng and were now relaxing as if nothing
had happened Berry had even ridden into Ogal
Ma and volunteered to join one of the posses.
The robbers probably would have gotten away
with the Big Springs robbery if not for the
Sheriock-Holmesian skills of M.F. Leech, an Ogal
lala storekeeper. Iien Leech Inspected the
robbery site thoroughly, he spied a small piece of
red doth. He recognized it. He had sold six
handkerchiefs that matched its pattern just a few
days before to Jim Berry, whom he knew well.
Meech raced back to Ogailala. He went to the
campsite, but the robbers were gone. But Leech
found what he was looking for another piece
of handkerchief. He held the pieces up to each
other. Ihey matched.
Meedi traded the outlaws for several days
before he finally caught up to them. One nigt, he
got dose enough to their camp to hear what they
were saying. They were splitting up the booty and
planning to leave the state. Berry said he was
going to ride east to Missouri
Leech followed Berry and notified authorities
about the robbers.
OrJy Sam Bass and one other escaped Berry
was shot near his home ia Missouri.
The train robbery at Big Springs is the small
community's biggest claim to Old 'est fame. A
state historical marker stands near the railroad,
fadng U.S. Highway 138. The town s marker
commemorates a lone tree under which the out
laws are said to have split up the gdd
"Old timers say there was a big tree, the only
one at Big Springs, dawn the river," said Joe Van
Cura, president of the Big Springs Historical
Sodety. "They split the loot up there."
. The original tree had long since died when the
marker was built around another big tree ia Big
Springs, Van Cura said That tree also died, so
Van Cura restored the marker, which tdls cf the
exploits of Bass and his companions cn that night
107 years ago.
' Bass, Mldfctoa and I lickod were three cf
Nebraska's most es-lbrfel Old Vest advectiaeis,
bit there have been masy core. Bit Mstersca,
the famous Lncsa, pstof and gznbler.
coce rescued a frimd from a pcssltle fycdinj
.' ' And jssss Jasses, pcrfesjs iSa most fased cl
mtstem outSrsjs, is sdd to hsire rct!sd a bisk in
Ksxholdt, wousdsd at Peru' ni baz$& a farm
b" FrcrlHa. Scse ssy Lid fplJ ia the
" Ecriheaera rbn:ka hSs te?7.a as the Devi's
wM 1-ifiri 'ill