Butch Cassidy (10 page)

In time, and as a result of his outlaw activities, Harry Longabaugh—the Sundance Kid—somehow gained a reputation as the fastest gun in the West. Mostly, he was known as an ill-tempered, hard-drinking man who was often difficult to get along with.

As with many outlaws, public perception of Longabaugh and the actual truth may have been far apart. In all likelihood, Longabaugh, a rather complex man, possessed equal parts daring, charm, sense of adventure, and sense of style. It is clear he did not possess much of a sense of humor as did Cassidy.

Scholars have often wondered why Cassidy and Longabaugh, being opposites in so many ways, paired off as partners. The answer is simple and not nearly as complicated as the personalities of these two men. They were both very proficient and quite accomplished at what they did for a living. They could each depend on the other to carry out his responsibilities. In the outlaw world, little else is needed.

Eight

Growth of an Outlaw Reputation

Prior to being sentenced to the Wyoming State Penitentiary, Butch Cassidy was regarded as little more than a small-time outlaw, a horse thief. During this time, horse thieves were common, and Cassidy’s conviction did little or nothing to distinguish him from others who were engaged in this illegal practice. Furthermore, save for those living in a relatively isolated geographic area, few people at this time had ever heard of the Wild Bunch.

This was all about to change.

During the next several years, Butch Cassidy, Elzy Lay, and the rest of the gang perpetrated a number of daring railroad and bank robberies, events that were to forever solidify their reputation as outlaws. As the gang’s activities increased, the mere mention of the Wild Bunch struck fear into the hearts of bankers, railroad executives, and owners of large cattle empires.

As the reputation of the Wild Bunch grew, almost every train and bank robbery in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and other states, as well as many, if not most, of the horse and cattle thefts that occurred, was attributed to Cassidy’s gang whether they were involved or not. Their reputation grew.

Although Cassidy might have been convinced his outlaw activities were a form of retribution or personal vendetta against the authority represented by banks, railroads, and the law, he surrounded himself with dyed-in-the-wool bad men who robbed and killed for no motivation other than personal gain and meanness.

In between the holdups and rustlings perpetrated by the Wild Bunch, according to Lula Parker Betenson and others, Cassidy, Lay, and outlaw Harvey Logan occasionally lived and worked on a ranch just north of Alma, New Mexico. They were going by the aliases Jim Lowe, William McGinnis, and Tom Capehart respectively. The owner of the ranch, a man named Captain William French, who was not aware of the true identities of his new cowhands, noted that his losses due to rustling came to a halt at the time the three were hired. In fact, his herd actually increased. French further commented on the competence and impressive livestock-handling abilities of the three men, and remarked that all three were extremely well behaved and courteous. French had no reason to suspect the new hands he had employed were outlaws or were, in part, using the ranch as a hideout while they planned train robberies. Cassidy was well liked by French and was made assistant foreman shortly after being hired.

Harvey Logan, the dark-complexioned companion of Butch Cassidy, was sometimes referred to as the “Tiger of the Wild Bunch” as well as the “Assassin of the Wild Bunch.” It is believed Logan was born in Iowa, raised in Missouri, and came west to eventually rise as one of the leaders of the gang. Considered to be fearless, deliberate, and a born killer by many, Logan was once reputed to have ridden two hundred miles just to kill a man who informed on him.

Meanwhile, as the three outlaws pursued their cowhand duties, they made plans to rob a train. While Cassidy promised Wyoming governor W. A. Richards that he wouldn’t rob banks or rustle cattle in Wyoming, he had never said anything about trains.

Though accounts and researchers differ, most agree that Cassidy masterminded what has since been referred to as the Wilcox train robbery. Some researchers have maintained that Cassidy was not even present at the robbery, but they have never provided sufficient evidence in support of that claim. The presence of the Sundance Kid has likewise been questioned. The Pinkerton National Detective Agency believed the robbery was masterminded by Harvey Logan but likewise never provided any details to substantiate their position.

The general consensus is that Cassidy and the Wild Bunch stopped the westbound Union Pacific Overland Limited Number 1 at 2:09 a.m. on June 2, 1899, near Wilcox, Wyoming, by standing on the tracks and swinging a red lantern, a commonly used technique to alert train engineers there was an emergency ahead. Though often debated, most agree that, in addition to Cassidy, gang members present during the Wilcox robbery were George “Flatnose” Currie and Harvey Logan. Other Wild Bunchers at the scene likely included Will Carver, Ben Kilpatrick, Elzy Lay, Harry Longabaugh, and Harvey Logan’s brother, Lonnie.

Once the train came to a halt, two men believed to be Cassidy and Logan, both wearing masks, commanded engineer W. R. Jones and a fireman named Dietrick at gunpoint to proceed across a bridge a short distance away. When Jones refused, Logan slashed him viciously across the face with a knife. Convinced it would be fruitless to argue with the strangers, the engineer did as he was told. A few moments after the entire train crossed the bridge, the structure, which had been charged with dynamite, exploded but failed to collapse into the ravine below.

Members of the gang then uncoupled the passenger coaches from the express and mail cars and ordered Jones to move the train another two miles up the track where he was to stop. At that point, four additional outlaws appeared and, brandishing rifles and pistols, stood guard over the train.

Cassidy and at least two other robbers approached the express car and beat on the door, ordering the messenger inside to open it. The messenger, Ernest Charles Woodcock, refused and left the door bolted. The masked men placed a charge of dynamite at the bottom of the heavy door and retreated a respectable distance. The subsequent explosion blew the large iron door several yards from the tracks and caused significant damage to the express car. Miraculously, messenger Woodcock, though injured, survived the explosion—he suffered several cuts and a possible concussion. As Woodcock was carried from the car, one of the outlaws wanted to shoot him, but Cassidy interfered, stating that the courageous messenger deserved to live.

The outlaws quickly revived the bleeding and groggy messenger and ordered him to open the safe. In spite of his weakened condition, Woodcock continued to refuse the outlaws. The bandits then attached another charge of dynamite to the safe and blew away the thick steel door. In the process, they also demolished most of the express car.

The fact that Woodcock and the engineer Jones were harmed was unusual for one of Cassidy’s robberies. Cassidy was never known to have stolen money or valuables from passengers and never intentionally harmed anyone other than corporations, railroads, and large ranching enterprises. In some cases, Cassidy was known to admonish gang members who attempted to rob or endanger innocent bystanders.

When the door to the safe was exploded, the money inside was blown into the air, forcing the bandits to chase it in the direction it was carried by the wind, scooping currency out of the air and from the ground. After stuffing the bills into their saddlebags and walking to where their horses were hidden in a nearby grove of trees, the bandits mounted up and rode away, making off with just over $30,000.

The outlaws split up, with half of them going in one direction and the other half taking another. A short time following the robbery, a heavy rain fell and washed away their tracks. According to Union Pacific detective F. M. Hans, the robbers traveled over 1,500 miles during their escape, all the while being pursued by three to four hundred men. “Time and again they have been surrounded by ten times their number,” wrote Hans, “yet by the display of their desperate nerve and knowledge of woodcraft have managed each time to get away” (in Richard Patterson’s
Butch Cassidy: A Biography
).

After learning of the Wilcox train robbery, Union Pacific officials went into action. From Cheyenne, they dispatched a special train, which carried what amounted to a small, heavily armed private army of enforcers and trackers including several Pinkerton agents. Additionally, one of the largest posses ever formed in the United States was assembled—over one hundred men provided with sturdy horses, firearms, and even bloodhounds.

Though the train robbers scattered, one pursuing group tracked Longabaugh, Logan, and several other outlaws and caught up with them at a remote cabin near Casper Creek at Horse Ranch. The posse, led by Converse County sheriff Josiah Hazen, consisted of several other prominent lawmen including Moab sheriff John Tyler and his deputy Sam Jenkins, as well as Natrona County sheriff Oscar Heistad. During a subsequent gun battle, Hazen was shot in the stomach, presumably by Harvey Logan. Hazen died later after being transported to Douglas. During the weeks that followed, the vengeance-minded Logan turned the tables on the posse members—he allegedly hunted down and killed Tyler and Jenkins.

Eventually, the outlaws met at the Burnaugh Ranch northeast of Lander to split the train robbery loot. Though his presence at the Wilcox train robbery is often debated, Butch Cassidy is known to have been at the Burnaugh Ranch for the division of the booty. In fact, he received a significant share of it, lending credence to the belief he participated in the holdup.

Rumor persists that Cassidy buried a large portion of his share near South Pass, intending to return for it later. The location of his cache was exactly in the center of a rectangle formed by four large trees; on one of the trees, the outlaw nailed a horseshoe. A fire subsequently burned over this area, obliterating almost all of the trees, and when Cassidy returned he was never able to find any of the loot.

Today, Wilcox is only a memory. Now considered a ghost town, there is hardly any evidence it ever existed save for a small sign near the railroad tracks, located approximately fifteen miles southeast of Medicine Bow in the southeastern part of Wyoming.

When it was learned that rewards totaling $118,000 were being offered for Butch Cassidy and the members of his gang, hordes of bounty hunters and lawmen became interested and began trailing the train robbers. The rewards also attracted the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, which was hired by the Union Pacific Railroad. The Pinkertons quickly assigned operatives Charles A. Siringo and O. W. Sayles to the chase. Sayles is sometimes identified as W. O. Sayler, but it is very likely that both names were aliases. The two Pinkerton men spent considerable time and energy in fruitless attempts to corral the Wild Bunch. Siringo, originally from Texas, was a nationally renowned manhunter, mostly as a result of his own boasting and self-generated publicity. Though Siringo worked hard building a reputation for himself, the detective was in fact quite good at his profession and he experienced a number of significant successes as a detective. None of his accomplishments, however, had anything to do with his pursuit of Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch.

Ace tracker and noted outlaw hunter Joe LeFors also became involved, coming close to the outlaws on several occasions but never making an actual capture.

The constant and relentless pursuit from Siringo, LeFors, and other lawmen was beginning to harry and concern the outlaws. The trackers were relentless, and the outlaws were forced to live on the run for long periods of time, barely finding time to stop long enough to feed themselves and their weary mounts. It was getting hot for Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch.

On July 11, 1899, another Union Pacific train was stopped and robbed near Folsom, New Mexico. It remains unclear whether Butch Cassidy was involved in this holdup, but it is a certainty that Elzy Lay was one of the bandits. A posse was quickly formed and went after the outlaws. In a short time, the train robbers were overtaken and a gunfight ensued, during which Huerfano County (Colorado) sheriff Edward Farr was killed. Henry Love, a posse member, was badly wounded and died later.

One of the outlaws, a man identified as William McGinnis, was wounded twice. Despite his pain and loss of blood, he escaped and was relentlessly pursued by other posses. He was eventually captured and placed in custody on August 16, near Carlsbad, New Mexico. Eventually, Elzy Lay, still using the alias William McGinnis, was found guilty of his part in the killing of Farr and sentenced to a life term in prison. While he was serving his time, Lay was instrumental in diffusing a riot and in the process saved the lives of the warden’s wife and daughter. As a result of his heroic action, he was granted a full pardon and released on January 10, 1906. While Lay was in prison, his wife, Maude Davis, divorced him. In 1909, he married Mary Calvert. Lay remained in Wyoming for a while, working on ranches and engaging in oil exploration with his new father-in-law. Oddly, and unexplainably, Lay disappeared for a time, surfacing in California where he was employed by an irrigation company. For a while he also worked as a professional gambler in Tijuana, Mexico.

Following the Folsom train robbery, Pinkerton detective Frank Murray picked up Cassidy’s trail and discovered he had been working at French’s ranch in New Mexico under the name Jim Lowe. Unknown to Murray, Cassidy, a.k.a. Lowe, was also tending bar in Alma. Some researchers have written that Cassidy may have owned the bar. Murray had never seen Cassidy and apparently did not consider he would actually encounter him in the tiny community of Alma. One afternoon, Murray entered the bar and began asking the bartender questions about the Wild Bunch and Butch Cassidy. Cassidy, tending bar at the time, listened patiently to the detective’s questions but professed ignorance relative to the gang’s whereabouts. He even provided a free drink to the man who was hunting him.