Making Davis Tutt Famous

Smoke

Smoke

US Veteran
Joined
Aug 11, 2013
Messages
6,252
Reaction score
9,368
Location
Colorado
On July 21 1865 (160 years ago today)
Screenshot_20250721_140545_Samsung Internet.jpg
JB Hicock made Davis Tutt famous in Springfield Missouri. Over a gambling debt.
Screenshot_20250721_134457_Samsung Internet.jpg
The specific gun Wild Bill used has been lost to history but he was known to carry a S&W Number 2 Army Revolver at the time.
Screenshot_20250721_144602_Samsung Internet.jpg
I thought Smith and Wesson fans would find that interesting.
 
Register to hide this ad
rogo123 said:
History says he used an 1851 Colt Navy .36 at 75 yards to kill Tutt.
Click to expand...
Care to cite a 1865 source?

I've been unable to find an eyewitness account that states what kind of gun he was carrying.

FWIW I just went and read the court transcripts no specific handgun was mentioned.

I've read a couple that say it was a .44 caliber Walker Colt.

Quite a few saying. 36 calibers Navy.

I've seen one that said there's no record but that Hicock was known to carry the S&W No.2.

But I haven't found a single source that says that eyewitnesses say he was carrying a 36 caliber Colt Navy
 
Last edited:
And a few months ago you reported that Wild Bill shot him at 75 yards with a 9mm. OK, it couldn't have been a nine because they didn't exist yet. By your own statements it's quite a few reports for a 36 cal. Navy Colt. Then a couple for a 44 Walker Colt and one for a Smith #2. So where are the odds?

For 16 years one of my assignments was PIO. Public information Officer. I kept a note taped to my typewriter called, "The Reporters Motto"
"Never let the facts get in the way of a good story"

Going back 160 years was the start of the Dime Novels, in particular shoot em' up Westerns.

It is reported that the gunfight took place on the town square, also that it was 75 yards wide or long. How much more interesting is the story to just say the shoot out was at 75 yards. That adds significantly to the Wild Bill legend. Which increases readership.

Personally with my thousands of dealings with the press I tend to look through the hyperbole and question the written record in newspapers. Remember the history of tomorrow is written today in the newspapers or even more questionable, the internet.

No I don't believe he killed Mr. Tutt with one shot at 75 yards. As to what gun? While I favor the Navy Colt theory I also know that many well known pistolero's had a side gig selling "their pistol" to unknowing rubes for considerable profit. These weapons then go down in questionable family history as the day great grand pa got Paladin's gun while visiting a San Francisco whorehouse.
 
As Hickock rose to fame with Navy Sixes later on, many assume it was an 1851. I've also heard it was a .44, and even more specifically an 1860. Nothing I've read ever had any solid information. As for the S&W .32, that was the gun he was found to have been carrying the night he was murdered.
 
Sgt. Buzzard said:
And a few months ago you reported that Wild Bill shot him at 75 yards with a 9mm. OK, it couldn't have been a nine because they didn't exist yet.
Click to expand...
I mean a 36 caliber wood, in fact be 9 mm in diameter or pretty close is that not correct?

Sgt. Buzzard said:
By your own statements it's quite a few reports for a 36 cal. Navy Colt. Then a couple for a 44 Walker Colt and one for a Smith #2. So where are the odds?
Click to expand...
I think quite a few historians have reported that it was a .36 caliber would be more accurate. Because, again, I can't find any official documentation that says this is what he was carrying. I can't find a single first count and account that says this is what he was carrying.
Sgt. Buzzard said:
For 16 years one of my assignments was PIO. Public information Officer. I kept a note taped to my typewriter called, "The Reporters Motto"
"Never let the facts get in the way of a good story"

Going back 160 years was the start of the Dime Novels, in particular shoot em' up Westerns.

It is reported that the gunfight took place on the town square, also that it was 75 yards wide or long. How much more interesting is the story to just say the shoot out was at 75 yards. That adds significantly to the Wild Bill legend. Which increases readership.

Personally with my thousands of dealings with the press I tend to look through the hyperbole and question the written record in newspapers. Remember the history of tomorrow is written today in the newspapers or even more questionable, the internet.
Click to expand...
And?
Sgt. Buzzard said:
No I don't believe he killed Mr. Tutt with one shot at 75 yards. As to what gun? While I favor the Navy Colt theory
Click to expand...
I'm happy for you.
Sgt. Buzzard said:
I also know that many well known pistolero's had a side gig selling "their pistol" to unknowing rubes for considerable profit.
Click to expand...
The only person that's really known for doing that was Bat Masterson and technically he wasn't lying because he would go buy the guns at a pawn shop and then carry them for a little bit and then sell them to some tourist as "his gun".

Was he lying?
 
Smoke said:
I mean a 36 caliber wood, in fact be 9 mm in diameter or pretty close is that not correct?


I think quite a few historians have reported that it was a .36 caliber would be more accurate. Because, again, I can't find any official documentation that says this is what he was carrying. I can't find a single first count and account that says this is what he was carrying.

And?

I'm happy for you.

The only person that's really known for doing that was Bat Masterson and technically he wasn't lying because he would go buy the guns at a pawn shop and then carry them for a little bit and then sell them to some tourist as "his gun".

Was he lying?
Click to expand...
The 1851 Navy Colt shot a .375-.380 diameter Ball or Bullet considerably larger than 9mm (.355).
 
StrawHat said:
Zerelda James also bought and sold numerous handguns claiming they belonged to her son, Jesse.

A little research will turn up more information.

Kevin
Click to expand...
Did I say Bartholomew Masterson was the only one that was doing it or the only one that was really known for doing that?
 
I've read a couple that say it was a .44 caliber Walker Colt
Click to expand...

I don't know about the originals, but back when I had young eyes, my Armi San Marco Walker replica would cut little 3 shot cloverleafs at 45-50 steps. The weight, sight radius, and the tiny rear sight make it one of the more accurate handguns I own. I have no doubt an expert shot could reliably make head shots at 75 yards. It's entirely possible.

Of course, it's also entirely possible that Wild Bill slung off a hurried shot while diving behind the nearest horse trough, and just happened to hit Ol' Davis square between the eyes!:)
 
Last edited:
Smoke said:
I mean a 36 caliber wood, in fact be 9 mm in diameter or pretty close is that not correct?


I think quite a few historians have reported that it was a .36 caliber would be more accurate. Because, again, I can't find any official documentation that says this is what he was carrying. I can't find a single first count and account that says this is what he was carrying.

And?

I'm happy for you.

The only person that's really known for doing that was Bat Masterson and technically he wasn't lying because he would go buy the guns at a pawn shop and then carry them for a little bit and then sell them to some tourist as "his gun".

Was he lying?
Click to expand...

A Colt .36 Navy was what he was well known for carrying , two in a sash . The .36 is actually a .37 caliber as all I have ever owned took a .375 projectile. That is quite a bit bigger than the 9mm at .355-.356 . Also , would is not spelled "wood" .
 
Leslie Sapp said:
Of course, it's also entirely possible that Wild Bill slung off a hurried shot while diving behind the nearest horse trough, and just happened to hit Ol' Davis square between the eyes!:)
Click to expand...
Nobody really knew who Wild Bill was at that point.

The whole thing started because Tutt had beaten Hickok at cards and Hickok couldn't cover his losses.

Based on my reading of the subject Wild Bill didn't really have a great reputation in Springfield at the time. So why would all the witnesses and all the witnesses that testified at the inquest lie about it to make Hicock look like a hero?
 
Just for the record, and to keep it short and sweet, Bill O'Neal's "Encyclopedia of Western Gunfighters" does not mention Hickok's guns, and the newest book on the subject, Bryan Burrough's,The Gunfighters, does not mention them, either. I also have a copy of Triggernometry which I cannot locate, but in Age of the Gunfighters by Joseph Rosa, we find the following on page 174:

"Some writers have claimed that he shot Tutt with a .44 Colt Dragoon.... Others alleged that the pistol was a .32 caliber Smith & Wesson No. 2 Army Revolver. The actual weapon was a .36 caliber Colt's Navy pistol."

He goes on to point out that a picture from the time shows Wild Bill with a brace of such pistols, which does tend to prove the point, or at least make it certainly appear to prove the point.

(c) 1995 University of Oklahoma Press

1753218999247.jpeg




(c) 1983 University of Oklahoma Press
1753218329107.webp

(c) 2025 Penguin Random House

1753218283598.jpeg

I have many hobbies. This is one of them. If I start discussing any of the details above with respect to Tutt and Hickock, or Hickock's history, I'll be at it all day. :cool:
 
Last edited:
ISCS Yoda said:
Just for the record, and to keep it short and sweet, Bill O'Neal's "Encyclopedia of Western Gunfighters" does not mention Hickok's guns, and the newest book on the subject, Bryan Burrough's,The Gunfighters, does not mention them, either. I also have a copy of Triggernometry which I cannot locate, but in Age of the Gunfighters by Joseph Rosa, we find the following on page 174:

"Some writers have claimed that he shot Tutt with a .44 Colt Dragoon.... Others alleged that the pistol was a .32 caliber Smith & Wesson No. 2 Army Revolver. The actual weapon was a .36 caliber Colt's Navy pistol."

He goes on to point out that a picture from the time shows Wild Bill with a brace of such pistols, which does tend to prove the point, or at least make it certainly appear to prove the point.

(c) 1995 University of Oklahoma Press

View attachment 778463




(c) 1983 University of Oklahoma Press
View attachment 778462

(c) 2025 Penguin Random House

View attachment 778461

I have many hobbies. This is one of them. If I start discussing any of the details above with respect to Tutt and Hickock, or Hickock's history, I'll be at it all day. :cool:
Click to expand...
As long as the details are verifiable, go ahead, I have all day to read. I have read some on the subject, but it doesn't sound like I have read as much as you.
 
ISCS Yoda said:
Just for the record, and to keep it short and sweet, Bill O'Neal's "Encyclopedia of Western Gunfighters" does not mention Hickok's guns, and the newest book on the subject, Bryan Burrough's,The Gunfighters, does not mention them, either. I also have a copy of Triggernometry which I cannot locate, but in Age of the Gunfighters by Joseph Rosa, we find the following on page 174:

"Some writers have claimed that he shot Tutt with a .44 Colt Dragoon.... Others alleged that the pistol was a .32 caliber Smith & Wesson No. 2 Army Revolver. The actual weapon was a .36 caliber Colt's Navy pistol."

He goes on to point out that a picture from the time shows Wild Bill with a brace of such pistols, which does tend to prove the point, or at least make it certainly appear to prove the point.

(c) 1995 University of Oklahoma Press

View attachment 778463




(c) 1983 University of Oklahoma Press
View attachment 778462

(c) 2025 Penguin Random House

View attachment 778461

I have many hobbies. This is one of them. If I start discussing any of the details above with respect to Tutt and Hickock, or Hickock's history, I'll be at it all day. :cool:
Click to expand...
My wife doesn't even know you but she's not going to like you when I tell her about all the new books I need to buy.
 
I want to be clear that I never claimed or tried to claim I know the answer. What I'm saying is I don't know and I can't seem to find anyone who can state authoritatively that they do.

The three contenders seem to be the .36 caliber Navy, The .44 Caliber Walker Colt and The Number 2 Army.

Here's an interesting video

 
My only black powder experience was with an off brand Italian 1860 replica sold thru Cabelas back in the early 90s really cheap. It would shoot a foot low at seven yards, so I was somewhat skeptical of the 75 yards distance of the fight. Then, speaking with others I realized that BP revolvers could be more accurate than in my experiences. I recall some magazine effort to shoot a quality Colt replica out to 75-100 yards and it could score hits at those distances.

One thing that has to be taken into account is that while there were apparently many witnesses, there seems to have been only one official account written up. I don't recall Springfield, MO reporting any records, especially detailed records of the incident. The official account was picked up by someone and spread nation-wide.

Hickock was a Civil War veteran. He supposedly served as a scout and spy. He wouldn't have been unfamiliar with the capabilities of his revolvers. It goes to say that with the popularity of the 1851 Navy on both sides, Hickock likely would have carried a pair. Hickock also went on to do a lot of scouting for the Army in the years to follow and purportedly had other handguns. My question has always been that since it never appeared that he had a permanent place to lay his head so where did he stash everything when he traveled? After his murder, they found that S&W .32 on him. The Navies were collected and sold off to cover his burial. The ones they say were his might really be them, nor not. Provenance wasn't a big thing in 1876 frontier America.

75 yards from a BP revolver is an exceptional shot. A 75 foot head shot from a modern centerfire today is something that most who claim to shoot and carry is exceptional, especially when most are challenged to shoot accurately at the seven yards they claim they practice.
 
I live within five miles of the square in Springfield and have read a lot of books written about Wild Bill. I just counted and I currently own eight. I'm not an expert and certainly not a historian, but I don't remember reading any contemporary account of what revolver Wild Bill used in the fight with Davis Tutt. You all have motivated me to reread the accounts in the books I have.
The most recent book I've read was "the Wanderer" by Craig Crease published in 2024. I greatly enjoyed this book because the author looks at each of the legends of Wild Bill and offers evidence and his opinion on whether the legend is true or only a story. In the Wanderer Mr. Crease writes "It is believed that Hickok shot with an 1851 Navy Colt 36 Caliber cap and ball pistol." I think that if Mr. Crease had a witness account to back up that belief he would have quoted it at that time.
 

Attachments

  • JB Hickok.jpg
    JB Hickok.jpg
    120.3 KB · Views: 1
Eddie Southgate said:
A Colt .36 Navy was what he was well known for carrying , two in a sash . The .36 is actually a .37 caliber as all I have ever owned took a .375 projectile. That is quite a bit bigger than the 9mm at .355-.356 . Also , would is not spelled "wood" .
Click to expand...
I've heard the same, but not sure where. Not sure where I saw the photo but recall seeing him with a brace of Colt Navy's being carried in a sash, sort of cross draw style. I also seem to recall he preferred the Navy Colt's because they were lighter and easier to handle. All of this is from some faint memory, so..... duh!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

RM Vivas
HD/O's as a collecting goal
Replies
17
Views
1K
raljr1
R
ddeanjohnson
  • Locked
WITHDRAWN --WTS- GUN BOOKS -- MAKE AN OFFER
2
Replies
45
Views
10K
ddeanjohnson
ddeanjohnson
RM Vivas
NYPD - M&P #S812894 - How I Research The NYPD Guns
Replies
22
Views
2K
dobegrant
dobegrant
DARE
.357 Magnum REG #657 Provenance
Replies
9
Views
2K
gc45
gc45
M
My S&W Number 2 Tipper
Replies
7
Views
797
Exmilcop
Exmilcop

Latest posts

Back
Top