Richard Bullock (20 August 1847 –7 February 1920) was a

Cornishman The Cornish people or Cornish ( kw, Kernowyon, ang, Cornƿīelisċ) are an ethnic group native to, or associated with Cornwall: and a recognised national minority in the United Kingdom, which can trace its roots to the ancient Britons w ...

who once sang in a Methodist choir and later became a legendary figure of the Wild West

Cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaquer ...

era. His quick-shooting deeds working on the

Deadwood Deadwood may refer to: Places Canada * Deadwood, Alberta * Deadwood, British Columbia * Deadwood River, a tributary of the Dease River in northern British Columbia United States * Deadwood, California (disambiguation), several communiti ...

stage gained him the nickname "

Deadwood Dick Deadwood Dick is a fictional character who appears in a series of stories, or dime novels, published between 1877 and 1897 by Edward Lytton Wheeler (1854/5–1885). The name became so widely known in its time that it was used to advantage by s ...

Biography

Early in life Bullock's family moved to nearby hamlet of

Retew Retew was a village near St Austell in Cornwall, England, UK, that was mostly demolished in the early 1960s when the nearby Wheal Remfrey china clay quarry and waste heaps were expanded. The village was small, containing 24 houses and a facto ...

where his father, Captain John Bullock, became the manager of a local clay-works. He and his brother shared many common traits: each very strong, ardent Free Methodists, and great sporting shooters—-a skill that brought him many trophies. In his mid-twenties, Bullock immigrated to

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. He began working in the Black Hills of South Dakota first as a miner, and then as a

bullion Bullion is non-ferrous metal that has been refined to a high standard of elemental purity. The term is ordinarily applied to bulk metal used in the production of coins and especially to precious metals such as gold and silver. It comes from t ...

guard for the

Homestake Mine Homestake Mine is the name for several mines in the United States: * Homestake Mine (Nevada), listed in the National Register of Historic Places * Homestake Mine (South Dakota) The Homestake Mine was a deep underground gold mine (8,000 feet or 2, ...

, which at that time was owned by Senator George Hearst, father of William Randolph Hearst. A bullion guard is somebody who protects gold shipments being transported by

stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...

. Around the age of 35, Bullock began to achieve fame. It is claimed that Bullock had a part in the death of Black Hills outlaw

Cornelius Donahue Cornelius Donahue alias "Lame Johnny" (c.1850 in Philadelphia – 1878), was an American cattle rustler, horse thief and outlaw from the Black Hills of South Dakota. His gang's most notorious robbery was probably $3,500 in currency, $500 in diamonds ...

(also known as "Lame Johnny"), although some sources dispute this. In later years Bullock was a

stockbroker A stockbroker is a regulated broker, broker-dealer, or registered investment adviser (in the United States) who may provide financial advisory and investment management services and execute transactions such as the purchase or sale of stocks an ...

in Lead, South Dakota. He died at Thorncroft Sanatorium,

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...

, on February 7, 1920 at the age of 72.

References

* The Western Morning News, February 11, 1997
Roger Kessell's webpage
1847 births 1921 deaths English stockbrokers American stockbrokers American people of Cornish descent English emigrants to the United States People from St Columb Major Free Methodist Church members Gunslingers of the American Old West People from American folklore People from Lead, South Dakota {{OldWest-bio-stub