Davis Tutt

Davis Kasey Tutt (1836 – July 21, 1865) was an American Old West gambler and former soldier, best remembered for being killed during the Wild Bill Hickok – Davis Tutt shootout of 1865, which launched Wild Bill Hickok to fame as a gunfighter.[1]

Davis Tutt
Davis Tutt in 1860s
Born
Davis Kasey Tutt

1836
Yellville, Arkansas
DiedJuly 21, 1865(1865-07-21) (aged 28–29)
Springfield, Missouri
Cause of deathGunfight in Wild Bill Hickok – Davis Tutt shootout
OccupationGambler and soldier
Parents
  • Hansford Tutt (father)
  • Nancy Anne Rose (mother)

Tutt was born in Yellville, Arkansas, son of Hansford Tutt, a member of a politically influential family in Marion County, Arkansas, and his first wife. When he was a boy, Tutt's family became involved in the Tutt-Everett War, during which his father and other family members were killed.

Enlisting in 1862 in Company A, 27th Arkansas Infantry Regiment, Davis Tutt fought for the Confederate States of America in the Trans-Mississippi Theater during the American Civil War. At its end, he decided to go west, stopping first in Springfield, Missouri.

It was there that he met Wild Bill Hickok. Despite serving on opposite sides during the war, they became friends and often gambled together. Tutt even loaned Hickok money on occasion. Historians have debated the amount, but Hickok himself stated he owed Tutt $25. The fall out between Tutt and Hickok was due to Hickok's failure to repay the money he owed, worsened by Tutt embarrassingly taking Hickok's watch as collateral. Hickok allowed Tutt to take it, but warned him to never wear it in public. To do so would be humiliating to Hickok. Unfortunately, not doing so would suggest that Tutt was afraid of Hickok. A gunfight was almost the inevitable result.

History has forgotten Tutt, but the gunfight on the square in Springfield made Hickok famous. Hickok approached the square and called out Tutt. Tutt responded and the two men faced each other fearlessly. Each fired one shot. Tutt missed, but Hickok's shot was fatal. The gunfight has since become one of the best known of the Old West, has been copied many times since by Hollywood.

References
  1. Lubet, Steven (2001). "Slap Leather! Legal Culture, Wild Bill Hickok, and the Gunslinger Myth". UCLA Law Review. UCLA Law. 48 (6). Archived from the original on February 13, 2007. Retrieved November 6, 2003.
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