Wild Bill buried with his Sharps?

[Long Branch Louie]

Was reading an article about strange things folks have been buried with. The article said that Wild Bill Hickock was buried with his Sharps rifle. Anybody know if that's true or just "journalistic liberties" with facts???

[Dusty Hill, sass # 49256]

The way that I understand it (I admitt this is not verified) is that he was buried with one of those little 4 barreled Sharps pistols. And it was not known at the time of his burial. Later his body was exumed and move to another location. And thats when the pistol was found.

[Hill Beachy, SASS #5327]

Well the reports are partially correct; he was buried with a firearm.

 

There used to be a 4-barrel Sharps derringer that was on display in the Adams Museum in Deadwood, which was claimed to have been removed from the coffin. But there is no period reference to this pistol, so the provenance has not been verified. And the pistol was stolen from the museum many years ago, so we may never know for sure.

 

There was also a 1939 newspaper account that claimed a Sharps rifle had been buried with him, but one of those present at the burial, and at the opening of the casket during the 1879 re-burial, stated that it was in fact a Springfield carbine which had been retrofitted with a Kentucky Rifle style buttstock.

 

Photos of this latter rifle indicate that it was an Allin Conversion (aka "needle gun") in .50-70 caliber. I am told that it now resides in a private collection. One of our own has seen and handled it; perhaps he will chime in here with further details.

[Apache Hawk 60642]

Well the reports are partially correct; he was buried with a firearm.

 

There used to be a 4-barrel Sharps derringer that was on display in the Adams Museum in Deadwood, which was claimed to have been removed from the coffin. But there is no period reference to this pistol, so the provenance has not been verified. And the pistol was stolen from the museum many years ago, so we may never know for sure.

 

There was also a 1939 newspaper account that claimed a Sharps rifle had been buried with him, but one of those present at the burial, and at the opening of the casket during the 1879 re-burial, stated that it was in fact a Springfield carbine which had been retrofitted with a Kentucky Rifle style buttstock.

 

Photos of this latter rifle indicate that it was an Allin Conversion (aka "needle gun") in .50-70 caliber. I am told that it now resides in a private collection. One of our own has seen and handled it; perhaps he will chime in here with further details.

 

 

I was gonna say, " I don't know an I aint bout ta dig him up to find out !"

 

 

Don't tank I will now ! LOL

 

 

 

[Tame Bill #30699 Life]

The carbine buried with Hickok and removed from the coffin in 1879, when he was moved to Mount Moriah Cemetery, is an Springfield / Allin conversion. I believe it was a 50-70, but it has been almost 10 years since I handled it. This rifle currently resides in a private collection in near Austin, Texas. The owner purchased it from the family who displayed it for many years at the Adams Museum.