Cassidy, Butch, 1866-

Robert Leroy Parker (1866-1908), also known as Butch Cassidy, was an American train and bank robber during the late 1800s. He was notorious for being the leader of the “Wild Bunch”, a gang of criminal outlaws in the Old West. Parker’s life and death has been a main element in many “Wild West” films and literature to this day.

Parker was born on April 13, 1866 in Beaver, Utah territory. He was the eldest of thirteen children of Maximillian Parker and Ann Campbell Gillies, British immigrants who arrived to America as Mormon pioneers. Parker was raised on his parents' ranch near Circleville, Utah until he ran away from home as a teenager. He found work on several ranches and worked as an apprentice with a butcher in Rock Springs, Wyoming, receiving the nickname “Butch” from the word “Butcher”. He soon crossed paths with Mike Cassidy at his job on a dairy ranch. As he became both his friend and mentor, Parker decided to add Cassidy’s last name as his own in honor of him.

1880 marked Butch Cassidy’s first criminal offense: stealing a pair of jeans and a pie from a clothier's shop in another town. The clothier pressed charges, however Cassidy was acquitted by a jury and continued working in the ranches. Years later in 1889, Cassidy experienced his first bank robbery with his friend Matt Warner and two other men known as the McCarthy brothers, robbing approximately $21,000 from the San Miguel Valley Bank in Telluride, Colorado.

After his release from prison in 1896, Cassidy formed the “Wild Bunch”, a gang of criminals with which he was acquainted. In the gang were William Ellsworth "Elzy" Lay, Harvey "Kid Curry" Logan, Ben Kilpatrick, Harry Tracy, Will "News" Carver, Laura Bullion, George "Flat Nose" Curry, and Harry Alonzo Longabaugh, also known as "The Sundance Kid". Together, the gang committed multiple well-known crimes such as stealing from nearby banks, robbing a Union Pacific Overland Flyer passenger train, and the Colorado and Southern Railroad train robbery. Their actions resulted in a manhunt to capture the criminals, however many notable lawmen had difficulty tracking them down. After a robbery, the Wild Bunch would separate and later return to their usual hideout locations at the Hole-in-the-Wall, Robbers Roost, or Fannie Porter's brothel in San Antonio, Texas.

Due to the pressures of being chased by law enforcement agencies and their gang breaking apart, Cassidy and Longabaugh decided to flee to Buenos Aires, Argentina along with Longabaugh’s companion, Etta Place. After committing several bank robberies and relocating multiple times in order to hide from the law enforcement, Place returned to San Francisco while Cassidy and Lonabaugh worked under the Concordia Tin Mine. On November 3, 1908, a courier was attacked by two bandits that resembled Cassidy and Longabaugh. The bandits were reported to be seen by an owner of a lodging house on November 7, 1908. Shortly after the report, the area was soon surrounded by soldiers, the police chief, and the local mayor. The bandits opened fire, resulting in both of their bodies being found inside covered with bullet wounds. The authorities were unable to officially dentify them as Cassidy and Longabaugh as they buried the bodies at the small San Vicente cemetery.

Sources:

Nevada Banking History Collection, 1870-1976. MS-00257. Special Collections and Archives,University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada. Accessed June 17, 2020.

“Butch Cassidy.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, June 14, 2020. Accessed June 17, 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butch_Cassidy.