the legend of the mccanles "gang" seems to be traceable to a single incident between a young hickok (not yet known as "wild bill") and a rancher named david colbert mccanles at rock creek station, a stagecoach and pony express station in southern nebraska, near present-day fairbury. mccanles, a former sheriff of watauga county, north carolina, was known as a local bully and had earlier had an argument with hickok over the latter "stealing" his mistress, sarah (kate) shull.