Deadly Daring Deadwood Dick
time, but mostly being a stable hand, Ed Wheeler was cranking out the Deadwood Dick adventures. And by now, folks all over the country were reading them and were certain in their belief that Deadwood Dick was a real, flesh-and-blood, person. Finally, the years rolled by to 1927 and that year the only Indian massacre occurred when a drunken Sioux, driving a Model A Ford, ran over a white fellow.
Dick was pushing 70 years by then, but was still spry, when a Bert Bell approached him. Pointing out to Dick that since his name was already Dick, and that he'd lived in Deadwood most of his life, Bert wanted to know if Dick Clarke would like to be Deadwood Dick. As it happened, the town of Deadwood was fixing to inaugurate Deadwood's "Days of 76." Naturally it was to be a historical celebration and what would make it complete would be if they could present the real live genuine Deadwood Dick. The scheme was to dress Dick up in a fancy outfit of buckskins and send him back east to Washington to invite President Coolidge to Deadwood for the event. Well, heck, they even offered to pay Dick for his lost wages while he was gone and to square the whole setup with his boss. What else could Dick say but that he'd do it.
Dick Clarke, as Deadwood Dick, was the toast of Washington when he got there. Everybody wanted their picture taken with him and the newspapers started printing all the well-known "true" stories about his wild and wooly life in the west. The whole country was convince that here was the real spirit of the west. Funny things was, the one that was the most convinced was Dick, himself.
Back home in Deadwood, Dick began telling tales about himself and his numerous cronies of years gone by, such as Hickok, Calamity Jane--and even General Custer. Dick would tear-up real good at the mere mention of the demise of the mighty buffalo. But best of all, he was making money at it as folks started billing him as an attraction at shows and various celebrations.
When Dick passed on, in the early 1940s, it was no paupers grave for this stable hand. No, Deadwood Dick Clarke was laid to rest in grand style. When someone took it upon him self to count the bowed heads at Dick's funeral, there were more
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