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Wild Bill Blackerby
They call me Wild Bill.
I wear a brace of converted '51 Navies in a plainsman style -
butt forward. I've always
been interested in the old west but didn't have the opportunity to shoot while
growing up. It wasn't until 2000 (my 40th year) that I came across a
magazine called Guns of the Old West, I was fascinated that there was this whole
cowboy action shooting thing goin' on and immediately signed up with SASS before
even owning a gun. The rest is legend, one that continues to be written
daily.
I have to
say that it still surprises me how much I git asked "Is that your real hair?" -
it sure is ladies, natural curly and blonde.
Ida Mae Holliday
Ida Mae finally
decided in the fall of 02 she wanted to shoot, Saguaro Jack was kind
enuff to let her try out a Birdhead Ruger at the last shoot in Newton - she's
been hooked since. I bought
her Piney's shotgun for x-mas of 2002 and in April 2003 she bought herself a pair
of 'purdy' Stainless Vaquero Birdheads in .38. Adding the '94 Marlin I won
at the NE Regional she began proving herself out on the range and in
matches. She consistently places as one of the top Ladies Traditional
shooter in New England. She also has proven herself fast with that
shotgun, winning many state & regional speed contests in the northeast.
She took Holy Terror's class in 2007, got a Marlin in .38 for xmas and in July
2008 became the NH State Ladies Champion. Took a lot of practice and I've got a first class gamey wife on my
hands but I couldn't love it more - or be more proud
of her.
Why Wild Bill Blackerby?
Why Wild Bill Blackerby? Many, many years ago a guy at work - seeing my long hair and western clothing - called me 'Custer', I looked at him and said 'Nope, Wild Bill' and it stuck. I had been a western 'buff' since I was small and figured I was more Wild Bill than anything else. My great grandfather was John Wesley Blackerby (1870 - 1969), this always made me chuckle because of Hardin. He was born in KY, ended up in Omaha, NE where he was a farmer. It is known that he never liked cars and would either walk or ride his horse everywhere - he wouldn't even accept a ride in one. When I decided to join SASS in 2000 I knew it was gonna be Wild Bill something - I thought of JW and decided to make it Blackerby in honor of him. I've had it pronounced as every type of 'berry' and find it funny when one of my pards corrects it before even I can. There are some that call me Wild Bill Goldilocks - I almost thought of changing it to that, but figure JW would not be happy with me if I did.
and Ida Mae Holliday?
While doing a little genealogy work on the Blackerby line I found John Wesley had been married previously in Texas before he met my Great Grandmother in Nebraska. One of their sons, Dewey, married a woman named Lorena Mae Holliday - and yes she is related to Doc. As I was explaining how I came to use Blackerby to a pard at a match I mentioned the Doc connection but called my Great Aunt "Ida Mae Holliday" by mistake. My wife thought that would be a great alias and so took the name.
Duelists do it with one hand...
Driftwood has always commented on my shooting stance - he thinks it's very 1800's - it's just the way I do it, never thought much about it - felt natural. One thing about shooting duelist, it allows me to easily shoot out windows and better yet hold objects for photo ops, try that holding your pistol with both hands...
Gunfighter?
SASS rules won't allow me to shoot Gunfighter with my pistols at butt-forward, a rule I sorta understand but would still like to so go away. Once in a while though I do get to sneak it in a match, it's the way Bill would have wanted it.
My Revolvers
In 2003 I bought a pair of 1872 Open Tops
from Iron Pony, they had just come out and I thought they were as close to
Hickok's Navies as I was going to get without dealing with cap & ball.
I had them fitted with ivory grips from
Buffalo Brothers and named (and had engraved) them "Lefty" & "Righty" so I
knew which one to yell at for missing.
With a belt from Trailrider
Products and holsters by San Pedro Saddlery they were my main pistols for
many years (and still pretty much are).
In 2005 I asked
Happy Trails (Master Gunsmith) to convert
a pair of 1851 Navies to cartridge for me. It turned into quite the
project for him (R&D's are NOT drop ins) but they are truly my 'dream' pistols
and are used in all of the main matches I shoot. In 2008 I decided to
replace my holsters with a pair from
Liberty Leather
which is a reproduction of one Hickok was rumored to own (although it might have
really been his brother Lorenzo's and can be seen in Rosa' book
WBH:Gunfighter pg. 29.). Also I had a pair of
Tru-Ivory grips installed, they now
resemble the pistols/holster on loan to the Buffalo Bill Center allegedly owned
by Hickok.
BTW - these pistols are named (and also engraved) "Hope" & "Pray" (thanx to
Niagara Den for the idea).
Black Powder
I still remember watching Owl Hoot shooting gunfighter with black powder at my first big match in Candia. I knew that day I would move to what some term "the Dark Side". Of course shootin' with Driftwood, Iron Pony & Grizz Henry all this time only made the pull stronger. I planned to do it gradually and started in April '04 in Pelham with my rifle but by May I was a full smokin' Frontier Cartridge Duelist and never looked back. Nothing can replace the roar, fire and smoke of shootin' full loaded Goex or take away that grin that Piney sez I get on my face. Of course you get used to "Where the hell did the targets go?!?!?" and just try and remember where they were.
The Wild Bill twirl - or how I put my pistols away
This technique was taught to me by Iron Pony, who once also wore
his pistols butt forward like I do.
It takes a lot of practice, you let the front of the pistol drop and catch the
butt with your thumb - twist it around and place it back in your holster.
I have demonstrated everywhere from local to regional matches that it is a safe
way to handle a pistol and was proud to be a part of it being allowed at the
North Carolina State matches after being banned as unsafe.
Besides it looks really cool...a big improvement compared to...
My first shoot - July of 2001
I started shootin' in the winter of 2000, my first pistol was a Uberti '75 Remington. I spent the winter learning how to hit something with it and then on July 8, 2001 I went to my first CAS at the Country Pond F & G in Newton, NH. All I had was the Remi and an old SxS shotgun a pard had given me. I wasn't sure I ready to actually shoot but when I met Piney he pretty much pulled me into it. I borrowed a rifle from Jake Mountain, and eventually a shotgun, and had more fun than I could remember. I also learned quite a bit about safety and choice of guns. I wore my gun butt forward like Hickock but never learned the safe manner to draw it, the shotgun I was using was 100+ years old and had laminated steel barrels (not good for smokeless loads), LaBouche was my biggest teacher that day. Everyone was patient, friendly and helpful to me - teaching me the things I never had the chance to learn practicing on my own. Little did I know that day that many of the fine people I shot with would become my close pards in the year to come. The shotgun has been retired to above the mantle in our living room - even shooting black powder loads now I think she's deserved to rest.
Wild Bill - long haired rider of wooden horses
Many people comment on the photos of me on the horses, Rusty Marlin thinks I love being on them a little too much... I've ridden wooden horses every where - from Pemi, NH to Manville, RI - and I keep looking for the slot to drop my dime. In '03 while at Gettysburg with Driftwood we decided to try a real one, we rode out thru the field of Pickett's Charge. Of course I got the biggest, dumbest one of the stable but I do look good on him. Since then if I'm in the area I make sure to visit Norman and go out for a ride. The owner can't believe I actually request Norman but we had a great understanding - the spurs & shotgun are out in my truck. In 2005 I had to replace Black Nell with Blue Belle, my Honda 1100 Shadow Spirit - she's my favorite horse to ride on a nice day thru the hills of NH.
Wild Bill Hickok - the other Wild Bill...
James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok was born in Troy Grove, Ill. on May 27, 1837. When he was 18 years old he left his family's farm in Illinois and wandered westward winding up in Nebraska Territory where he had his first shoot-out with the McCanles gang, in which three of them were killed. He was a Union scout during the Civil War, and achieved fame as a marshal and gunfighter in the cow towns of Abilene & Hays City, Kansas from 1866 to 1871. He gained national fame after Harper's Weekly devoted it's lead article in the February, 1867 issue to him. On March 5, 1876 Wild Bill married Agnes Lake Thacher but in July found himself in Deadwood, Dakota Territory in search of his fortune. On Aug. 2, 1876, Wild Bill was shot from behind and killed while playing poker in Saloon #10 by a cowardly rat. Legend has it that he died with a poker hand consisting of a pair of aces and a pair of eights -- known thereafter as the "dead man's hand." "The old duffer -- he broke me on the hand" were the last words Hickok spoke in reference to fellow gambler Captain Massie (who carried the ball that killed Hickok in his wrist until his death).
Facts About Wild Bill Hickok (courtesy of Joseph G. Rosa/Wild West Magazine):
Origin
of 'Wild Bill'
It was not a writer who dubbed James Butler Hickok 'Wild Bill' but rather his
contemporaries during the Civil War. From his arrival in Kansas in 1856, James
became known as William for an indeterminate reason, this is reflected in some
official government and civil documents. At Rock Creek, NE in 1861 he was
known as 'Dutch Bill' and no one today knows why but by 1864 he has become 'Wild
Bill'.
Fight
with a Bear
J.W. Buel, whose Heroes of the Plains (also the name of the show Hickok toured
in with Buffalo Bill) came out in 1882 was probably the first to
state that Hickok fought a grizzly bear in the Raton Pass in 1859 and was sent
to Rock Creek to recover. There was no bear fight, he was in perfect
health when he arrived in Rock Creek.
Black
Nell, his Marvelous Horse
Black Nell was the invention of Colonel Nichols, who publicized her in his
famous Feb. 1867 Harper's article. In 1865 local tax returns indicate
Hickok owned two horses, neither shown as a black mare. Hickok reportedly
was embarrassed by the horse yarn. (In honor of the story I named my
first motorcycle Black Nell and she had vanity plates which state such...)
Chief
of Scouts for Custer
Although Lt. Col. Custer was generous in his praise of Hickok as a scout &
guide he was never made chief of scouts. Ironically Hickok would get in a
fight with members of the 7th Calvary while in Hays City July of 1870.
Fate lent a hand when the pistol pressed to his ear misfired, Hickok was able to
escape shooting two of the assailants.
Shootout
in the Street
Wild Bill was the basis for every classic western showdown in the street you've
ever seen. On July 20, 1865 Hickok lost playing cards to his friend Dave
Tutt in Springfield, MO. Dave took Hickok's Waltham watch pending
payment. The next day after a few arguments over the actual amount owed
Dave appeared in the public square @ 6 PM wearing Hickok's watch. Seventy
five yards apart Hickok told Dave to stop, instead he pulled his pistol.
Wild Bill did the same, both men fired simultaneously at each other. Tutt
was turned sideward (dueling fashion) and Wild Bill's ball entered his right
side, pierced his heart and exited thru the left. He died on the spot,
Hickok was arrested and put on trial for manslaughter. He was found not
guilt by self-defense by a jury.
Faced
Down by John Wesley Hardin
According to Hardin, in his book published after his death, he worked the 'road
agent's spin' on Hickok while in Abilene getting the drop on the Marshal.
There is no contemporary evidence to back this up, it is believed Hardin added
the story to boost his own fading ego.
Marriage
to Calamity Jane
There is no truth to the story that Hickok ever married his acquaintance known
as Calamity Jane, and they certainly did not have a daughter. The claim
was based on a 'diary' or series of letters supposedly written by Jane to her
'daughter' but this has been exposed as fraud. (A book and movie was
written about this called Buffalo Girls by Larry McMurty of 'Lonesome Dove'
fame) He did however marry a circus performer named Agnes Lake less than
five months before going to Deadwood.
The
Dead Man's Hand
It is a part of legend that the hand of poker Hickok held when assassinated in
the back of the head by Jack McCall in the No. 10 Saloon in Deadwood on Aug. 2,
1876 was forever afterward known as the "Dead Man's Hand".
Curiously, none of the contemporary reports mention the cards he held. It
was not until the 1920's that Ellis T. "Doc" Peirce told writer Frank
J. Wilstach that "Bill's hand read 'aces and eights' - two
pair." However in 1915 Harry Young, the bartender who gave Hickok
some checks moments before he was killed, said that Hickok's cards were
"four sevens and a King". Seeing the cards were scattered
all over after the excitement of the shooting no one knows for sure what Wild
Bill's last hand was.
From the marker placed on James Butler Hickok's grave by Colorado Charlie Utter:
Wild Bill
J. B. Hickok killed by the assassin Jack McCall in Deadwood, Black Hills, August
2d, 1876.
Pard, we will meet again in the happy hunting ground to part no more.
Good bye, Colorado Charlie, C. H. Utter.
To read the truth of Wild
Bill I heartily recommend the following books:
They Called Him Wild Bill - Joseph G. Rosa
The West of Wild Bill Hickok - Joseph G. Rosa
Wild Bill Hickok: Gunfighter - Joseph G. Rosa
Wild Bill Hickok: Deadwood City - End of Trail - Thadd Turner
Done...
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