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A single mechanical failure changed the course of Western history on a hot July night in 1870. When Medal of Honor recipient Private John Kile pressed his Army Remington against Wild Bill Hickok's head and pulled the trigger, the hammer fell with a dull click instead of a fatal blast. That misfire in Paddy Welch's Saloon set off a desperate struggle that would leave Kiley dead, his companion wounded, and add another chapter to Hickok's growing legend.

Hays City in 1870 stood at a crossroads, transforming from a chaotic railroad terminus into a fledgling settlement while still harboring the volatile energy of the untamed frontier. Into this powder keg came three men whose collision course was perhaps inevitable: Wild Bill Hickok, no longer sheriff but still carrying his deadly reputation; Private John Kile, whose Medal of Honor couldn't outshine his troubled past marked by desertion and discipline problems; and Private Jeremiah "Jerry" Lonergan, renowned for his formidable fighting prowess.

Their confrontation erupted with stunning violence. Lonergan trapped Hickok in a powerful bear hug while Kile pressed his revolver to Hickok's head. When the gun misfired, Hickok managed to draw his own weapons despite being restrained, shooting Kiley fatally and wounding Lonergan before making a dramatic escape through a glass window. He fled to Boot Hill Cemetery with a Winchester rifle and 100 rounds of ammunition, leaving town the next day while authorities—both military and civilian—declined to press charges against him.

This authenticated incident, documented in military records yet largely overlooked in popular history, reveals the razor-thin margins between life and death on the frontier and how practical considerations often outweighed strict legal procedure. Join us as we uncover this forgotten chapter in Western history, where a single mechanical failure altered destinies and added another extraordinary tale to the Wild Bill Hickok legend.

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