* The classic one-on-one "cowboy-quick-draw duel" occurred as early as 1865, Hickok vs. Tutt. ...
The entire Hickock vs. Tutt story is based upon a second-or-third-hand story told to a Harper's Bizarre writer named George Nichols, by a well-known fabulist, who called himself "Captain Honesty" (real name was Richard Bently Owen). Whether the fault of Owens or Nichols, Hickock's name became "Hitchcock" in the published article ... apparently details like getting the name right were as unimportant as the facts themselves.
Owen's story, as told later, changed several times. In one version the men counted off 50-paces in classic old-world dueling style, turned and fired. In another version the men saw each other on a crowded street and opened fire at 50 yards. The "crowd" sometimes became only the two men themselves on a lonely dust-blown street. In some versions, it was a fight over a watch lost in a poker game, other times over a woman.
The Harper's story was one of the first which cemented the idea of the "cowboy duel" in the minds of the reading public.
Hickock was tried for murder, but the only
4 people (no "crowd" present) who were a witness to the event (not one of them "Captain Honesty") testified that Tutt began shooting at Hickock without warning, missed and then Hickock returned fire ... from cover according to one witness.
Even that is debatable, as the witnesses were not considered the most reliable sorts.
I cannot find a single, verifiable report of a "cowboy quick-draw" duel occurring even once once in the old west.
I appreciate the fact that this is a cherished notion, and I am taking on the role of the guy telling everyone that "there is no Santa Claus". If someone can point me to actual evidence from reliable sources stating otherwise, I'd be happy to see it.
Does it ever happen? Perhaps. It just appears to be in the Bigfoot/Unicorn realm. This is no excuse for poor basic skills, or being "just plain slow".