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Biographical Notes
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Robert LeRoy Parker alias Butch Cassidy
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Immediately after the Castle Gate robbery, Butch, Elzy and the rest of the gang reassembled in Horseshoe Canyon, but that summer decided to return to Brown's Park. Cassidy and friends quickly attained a local reputation for being wild when partying in nearby towns. They were referred to as the "wild bunch from Brown's Park." Other gangs operating in the area were labeled the Hole-in-the-wall Gang, Robber's Roost Gang, and Powder Springs Gang. On June 28, 1896, Longabaugh, Logan, Currie, and Tom O'Day robbed the Butte County Bank in Belle Fourche, South Dakota. There is no evidence that Cassidy was directly involved, but he may have helped plan the robbery. Rustling continued throughout the region and Brown's Park's reputation as a safe haven for outlaws grew. In March 1898, the governors of Wyoming, Colorado and Utah announced that a concerted effort would be made to breakup the outlaw gangs that were terrorizing the tri-state area. On April 24, 1898, the United States declared war on Spain. Rumor has it that Cassidy and some of his friends briefly considered volunteering, but nothing came of it. In May 1898 Carbon County Sheriff C.W. Allred reported that he had killed Butch Cassidy, but the man killed turned out to be John Herring. Legend has it that Cassidy viewed Herring's body while it was on public view in Price, Utah. Later in 1898, Butch and Elzy went to work as ranch hands at the WS Ranch near Alma, New Mexico. Butch called himself Jim Lowe and Elzy adopted the alias of MacMcGinnis.
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On June 2, 1898, the Union Pacific's Overland Express was held up just outside of Wilcox, Wyoming. The Express car was robbed and the robbers escaped. It is not known for certain who was in on that robbery, but the Wild Bunch was credited by most observers. It would appear that Cassidy received part of the proceeds from the hold-up, but was probably not directly involved in the actual robbery. The Union Pacific believed that Harvey Logan was the leader of the robbery. The Wilcox hold-up introduced the "Wild Bunch" and its members to newspapers throughout the country. Butch and Elzy returned to the WS Ranch and went back to work as cowhands until June 1899 when Elzy left. In July a Colorado & Southern Railroad express car was robbed and a posse caught up with the robbers. A fire-fight ensued, a sheriff was killed, and Elzy was wounded and subsequently captured. In October Elzy was convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. The owner of the WS Ranch, William French, became aware that one of his employees was Butch Cassidy and suspected that several other members of the Wild Bunch were also working for him. When Butch decided to leave the WS early in 1900, he stole a neighbors horses and headed west. He was arrested in St. Johns, Arizona, by a suspicious sheriff and went to court on April 28, 1900. The trial was postponed and he was freed on bail. The charges appear to have eventually been dismissed. That summer Butch explored the possibility of amnesty with the governor of Utah, but was unsuccessful. That same summer a Union Pacific train was robbed near Tipton, Wyoming. Butch Cassidy, Harvey Logan, Harry Longabaugh, and two unidentified men were credited with the hold-up. On September 19, 1900, the First National Bank of Winnemucca was robbed and Cassidy was again suspected. Also suspected was the chief cashier of the bank, George S. Nixon. Some thought that he had been complicit in the robbery. (Nixon later mysteriously came into a large amount of money, opened his own bank, and eventually was elected to the United States Senate from Nevada.)
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After Winnemucca, Butch Cassidy, Harvey Logan, Harry Lonabaugh, Will Carver and Ben Kilpatrick went to Fort Worth, Texas. They spent several days celebrating in Fort Worth's famous tenderloin district - Hell's Half Acre. One of the saloons was owned by Mike Cassidy. Some believe that he was the same Mike Cassidy that gave Butch his first pistol and taught him to use it. During their visit the five men had a group photograph taken by John Swartz at his studio on Main Street. Somehow the photo was obtained by the authorities and used to identify the five men. It made them famous as "The Forth Worth Five." After Fort Worth, Cassidy and Longabaugh headed for San Antonio where they are thought to have been joined by the mysterious Etta Place. Some believe that Etta was Cassidy's lover before she turned to Longabaugh and may have been with them in one of their hideouts during an earlier period. Little is known about her origins and much is speculated, but by the fall of 1900 Etta was clearly a good friend of Butch Cassidy and the lover of Harry Longabaugh, The Sundance Kid. The three decided that things were getting too hot for them in the United States and they would go to Argentina. Harry and Etta decided to take in the sights before leaving for South America. They visited New Orleans, Pennsylvania, and Niagra Falls before going on to New York where Butch joined them. In February 1901 they boarded the SS Herminius for Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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On July 3, 1901, the Great Northern Railroad's Coast Flyer was robbed near Wagner, Montana. The Wild Bunch was identified as the culprits and Harvey Logan was thought to be the ring leader. Various reports had Lonabaugh at the scene along with several other known members of the Wild Bunch. Whoever was involved they made a clean getaway. The Pinkertons believed that Butch was involved in the Wagner robbery and that he joined Harry and Etta in Argentina at a later date, but it was never proven. On April 2, 1902, Butch, using the alias James Ryan, and Harry using the alias Harry A. Place, purchased 25,000 acres of land in Chubut Territory in southern Argentina, for the stated purpose of establishing a livestock ranch. Early in 1903 the Pinkertons learned that Butch, Harry, and Etta were in Argentina, but many others thought that they were still active outlaws in the United States. Harry and Etta did make several short trips to the states, but Butch appears to have remained at their ranch. On February 14, 1905, the Banco de Tarapaca in Rio Gallegos in the southernmost part of Argentina was robbed by two gringos. Although there was never any evidence that Butch and Harry were involved in the bank hold-up they were suspected by the authorities. On May 9, 1905. Butch, Harry, and Etta, left their ranch and crossed into Chile. On December 19,1905, the bank in Villa Mercedes, Argentina, was robbed. This time several persons identified Butch, Harry, and Etta as having been the robbers. Harvey Logan was also suspected of being involved. The robbers escaped.
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In 1906 Harry and Butch were both in Bolivia. Etta is believed to have returned to the United States for medical reasons. Butch and Harry went to work for the Concordia Tin Mines in Tres Cruces, Bolivia. Butch called himself Santiago Maxwell and Harry called himself Enrique Brown. Their true identities were eventually discovered and they left the Concordia. A short time later a stagecoach was robbed near Eucalyptus, Peru, by two North Americans. They were suspected of the crime. A bit later the paymaster of a construction company was held up and again they were suspected. On November 4, 1908, the payroll of the Aramayo, Francke y Compana Mining Company was stolen south of Quechisla, Bolivia. Again Butch and Harry were suspected. This time, however, the Bolivian military managed to catch up with the two men who committed the robbery when, a couple of days later, they stopped for the evening in a very small Bolivian village - San Vicente. An intense fire fight erupted and both men were killed and later identified as Butch Cassidy and Harry Longabaugh. Most historians believe that Butch and Harry died that day and are buried in San Vicente, but others have serious doubts. In subsequent years a number of sightings of Butch Cassidy were reported and a few people believe that he was still alive in the early 1930s. The Pinkerton Detective Agency, who probably knew them as well or better than anyone else, never closed their file on either Butch Cassidy or Harry Longabaugh.
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