The Seated Dollar Poem by John F. McCullagh

(Murder of Wild Bill Hitchcock,08/02/76)

He tossed it down upon the bar,
careless of its worth and weight.
To ease his thirst required Whiskey
Then he’d find a woman for a “date”.

Saddle weary and in pain
From the Long and Dusty trail
Bill had rode hard to reach Cheyenne
to rest his boot on this bar rail.

His fate that day did not include
A decent bath or indecent touch-
The Men he gambled with grew angry
His fast gun hand –not fast enough

Someone grabbed that silver dollar
Not bothering to check the date.
The body, whitened with death’s pallor, .
the dead man’s hand; the Aces and Eights.

The seasons turned and turned again
Whole generations turned to dust
The pilfered dollar was collected
Inherited, passed on in Trust.

I lay it gently on the velvet
Careful of its worth and weight
my seated Dollar set requires
a specimen of this grade and date
.