Wild Bill Hickman

For other people with similar names, see Wild Bill (disambiguation) and William Hickman (disambiguation).

William Adams "Wild Bill" Hickman (April 16, 1815 – August 21, 1883) was an American frontiersman. He also served as a representative to the Utah Territorial Legislature.

Hickman was baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 1839 by John D. Lee. He later served as a personal bodyguard for Joseph Smith, Jr. and Brigham Young. Hickman was reputedly a member of the Danites.

In 1854, Hickman was elected to the Utah Territorial Legislature. He was an important figure in the Utah War. Hickman torched Fort Bridger and numerous supply trains of the Federal Army.

Hickman, a practicing polygamist, was excommunicated from the LDS Church in 1868 for reasons that are unclear.^[1] Shortly thereafter, nine of his ten wives left him.

Around Sept 1871, while under arrest for the murder of Richard Yates years earlier, Hickman wrote an autobiography in which he confessed to having committed numerous murders. Years later, his autobiography was given to J.H. Beadle, who published it under the sensational title Brigham's Destroying Angel. It's unclear how much of the account is factual and how much is exaggerated, but in his confessions Hickman implicated Brigham Young as being the one who ordered Yates' murder, as well as most of the other murders to which Hickman had confessed. Federal law enforcement authorities at the time gave Hickman enough credence to hold off charging him with any murders so that he could be a material witness in a case they were attempting to build against Young. During this time, Hickman was held at Fort Douglas, where he was guarded by the military, because federal authorities believed Hickman needed witness protection from a perceived threat by the Danites.

Nothing ever became of the case against Young. Hickman, who had struck a deal with federal law enforcement to testify against Young if he were ever to be brought to trial, was never convicted of the crimes to which he confessed, although he lived the remainder of his life as somewhat of a pariah.^{[citation needed]}

Online genealogical records of the LDS Church show he fathered 36 children.^{[citation needed]} Another source lists 39.^{[citation needed]} Hickman was the grandfather of Mormon metaphysical and inspirational author Annalee Skarin. He died in Wyoming in 1883.

Hickman was re-baptized by proxy into the LDS Church on May 5, 1934.^[2]

Notes

1. ^ Hilton 1988, p. 119–121.
2. ^ Hilton 1988, p. 137–138.

References

• Hilton, Hope A. (1988), "Wild Bill" Hickman and the Mormon Frontier, Signature Books, ISBN 0-941214-67-2, http://signaturebooks.com/2010/02/wild-bill-hickman-and-the-mormon-frontier/ 

External links

• Biography from University of Utah website
• Bill Hickman page on Hickman family website
• Bill Hickman: Brigham's Destroying Angel: Being the Life, Confession, and Startling Disclosures of the Notorious Bill Hickman, The Danite Chief of Utah, 1904 edition, ed. J.H. Beadle, Esq.
• LDS Ancestral File pedigree record with Annalee Skarin and William Hickman.

Persondata
Name	Hickman, William Adams
Alternative names
Short description	Mormon Danite
Date of birth	April 16, 1815
Place of birth
Date of death	August 21, 1883
Place of death