It is unclear exactly what measures Stough (or Ward) took in attempting to accomplish this aim, but amnesty was not forthcoming. Disappointed and angry, the Wild Bunch returned to their outlaw ways. In spite of Governor Richards’s refusal to consider the outlaws’ request, Cassidy still maintained hope that someday he would be allowed to go straight.
Consumed by his desire to change his life, and keenly feeling the increasing pressure of pursuing lawmen, in 1900 Cassidy sought and received an appointment with another old friend and Matt Warner’s former lawyer, Orlando W. Powers. Powers was now a judge in Salt Lake City. When he arrived for his meeting with Powers, Cassidy was thirty-four years old, and his blond hair was streaked with grey. The lines on his face suggested hard living and stress. He was dressed in overalls and a denim jacket, and held a well-used hat in his calloused hands. After exchanging small talk for a while, Cassidy told Powers he was growing weary of running and hiding, that he wanted to put his outlaw life behind him and seek gainful employment. He inquired about the possibility of standing trial for his crimes and receiving an acquittal. Powers told Cassidy there was very little chance for such a thing because there were too many presidents and other officials of banks and railroads who wanted to see him behind bars; they would likely bring intense political pressure to see that done.
Cassidy then asked the judge point blank if there was any way he could be pardoned for his crimes and not go to prison. Powers informed Cassidy that he could be pardoned only if he was convicted. At that point, Cassidy had not been convicted of anything in Utah. He was currently wanted for questioning about his role in the Castle Gate holdup, but according to the judge, sufficient evidence leading to a conviction was lacking. Besides, Powers told Cassidy, even if he were pardoned in Utah, he could still be extradited to other states where he was wanted for crimes.
Convinced Cassidy wanted to go straight, Powers told the outlaw he would give his plea some consideration. He also informed Cassidy that he would meet with Utah governor Heber M. Wells and make a request for amnesty. At the same time, Cassidy went to visit another friend, Juab County sheriff Parley P. Christensen, who agreed to arrange a meeting between the outlaw and Wells. During the subsequent meeting, Wells suggested amnesty was a possibility unless murder was involved—under law, a murderer could not be granted amnesty. Cassidy assured him he had never killed anyone, so the governor promised to look into the matter while Cassidy remained in Salt Lake City.
During a second meeting approximately one week later, Governor Wells told Cassidy he was informed by his attorney general that he was wanted for murder in Wyoming and, because of that warrant, he would be unable to provide amnesty. Furthermore, continued Wells, while he might have some influence in Utah, his rulings would carry absolutely no weight whatsoever in other states where the outlaw was wanted, which included Colorado, Idaho, and Wyoming.
Cassidy was clearly disappointed, but Powers soon invited him to a second meeting to consider other arrangements. Powers suggested he would personally approach the railroad officials and try to get them to drop all charges if Cassidy would agree never to rob any more trains. The judge stunned Cassidy by asking him how he felt about negotiating for an honest job as a railroad guard working for the Union Pacific. Cassidy agreed to the conditions, and Powers said he would arrange a meeting at the earliest possible date.
A few days later, Powers met with Union Pacific officials who expressed surprise, relief, and enthusiasm at the offer. They not only agreed not to prosecute Cassidy if the outlaw would promise never to rob another train but also agreed with Powers’s proposition to offer him a job as an express guard.
Powers explained to Cassidy that the railroads would much rather have a former outlaw on their payroll than have Cassidy stealing from them. Furthermore, once other would-be train robbers learned Cassidy was guarding a train, they would not be as likely to rob it. Powers told Cassidy that the railroad officials were interested in discussing the situation with him.
Through Judge Powers, arrangements were made for Cassidy to meet with representatives of the railroads during late 1899 or early 1900 at Lost Soldier’s Pass, a stagecoach station near the foothills of Green Mountain, a hard day’s ride north of Rawlins. Cassidy arrived at the selected location early and waited for the representatives of the railroad to show up. At his request, they would be accompanied by his friend and attorney Douglas A. Preston.
For the better part of a day Cassidy waited for the railroad officials to arrive, but they never did. Disappointed and angry, Cassidy penciled a note that said,
Damn you Preston you have double crossed me. I waited all day but you did not show up. Tell the U.P. to go to hell and you can go with them.
Cassidy placed the note under a small rock where it was certain to be found. Convinced he had been deceived by the railroad company, he rode away.
Unknown to Cassidy, the Union Pacific men and Preston had been delayed by a storm and arrived at the appointed site one day late. They found the note.
Preston tried to find Cassidy to straighten out the misunderstanding but was never able to locate the outlaw. He summoned Cassidy’s friend Matt Warner and asked him to try to find his companion, explain the circumstances, and perhaps convince him to agree to another meeting with the railroad officials.
Though he tried, Warner was unsuccessful in locating Cassidy. In the meantime, railroad officials were convinced Cassidy was somehow involved in the deaths of the two Utah sheriffs killed by Harvey Logan and withdrew their offer to excuse and employ the outlaw. Furthermore, they said, another train had been held up, and the robbery had all the earmarks of a job conducted by Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch.
It is believed by some that Cassidy held up the Union Pacific train near Tipton, located between Rawlins and Rock Springs in southern Wyoming, because he was angered at being stood up by the railroad representatives.
Had Warner located Butch Cassidy and helped arrange another meeting with railroad officials, history would most certainly have taken a different turn, and the life and times of this famous outlaw would undoubtedly be quite different from what it is today.
As with many Butch Cassidy and Wild Bunch episodes, researchers disagree as to what transpired on the evening of August 29, 1900, during what has been called the Tipton train robbery, and exactly which gang members were involved. There is some consensus that it consisted of Cassidy, Ben Kilpatrick, Harvey Logan, Harry Longabaugh, William Cruzan, and perhaps a woman, Laura Bullion, Logan’s girlfriend. The modus operandi was similar to previous Wild Bunch train robberies, and it was reported the outlaws got away with approximately $55,000 and a large quantity of jewelry.
Some suggest one of the gang members, probably Harvey Logan, was aboard the train as a passenger. Others, writer John Burroughs foremost among them, suggest that at the previous stop he “darted out of the shadows beside the water tank, grasped the handrail at the rear of the tender, and swung aboard.” After tying a bandanna around his face, he climbed into the engine compartment and, at gunpoint, ordered engineer Henry Wallenstine to stop the train at a prescribed location about one mile ahead. Other accounts claim the train stopped to investigate a fire on or beside the tracks, but this is highly unlikely. When the train came to a halt, conductor E. K. Kerrigan was then instructed to uncouple the mail and express cars from the passenger cars.
Much to the surprise of Cassidy and his companions, the messenger in charge of the express car was Ernest Charles Woodcock, the same one who resisted the outlaws’ efforts during the Wilcox robbery over one year earlier.
After Cassidy told Woodcock to open the door before it was blown off, the stubborn, and apparently very loyal, employee once again refused. Not wanting to harm the gutsy Woodcock, Cassidy asked conductor Kerrigan to try to convince the messenger to open the door before he got hurt. Kerrigan spoke with Woodcock for several minutes, beseeching him to let the outlaws in, but he continued to refuse, stating that he would shoot the first man to enter the car.
Cassidy could not bring himself to blow out the door and subject Woodcock to harm again. He asked Kerrigan to try once more, and following several minutes of negotiation, the messenger finally slid the door open, allowing the robbers to enter. Before he allowed access, however, Woodcock took pains to hide two large packages of money, which the outlaws never found.
Cassidy attached an extremely large charge of dynamite to the big steel safe inside the car. The subsequent explosion not only blew the door of the safe open but also completely demolished the baggage car as well as the car coupled next to it.
Within an hour after stopping the Union Pacific train, Cassidy and his gang departed without harming a single person. The Union Pacific issued a news release stating that the robbers only got away with $54. Woodcock, however, was quoted as saying the take amounted to about $55,000. It may be that the railroad company wanted real and potential thieves to believe that the trains were not carrying much money in order to discourage would-be bandits.
Following this robbery, the Union Pacific’s private army, along with several posses, was once again on the trail of the outlaws. Ace tracker Joe LeFors came close to overtaking the outlaws, but the Wild Bunch, using relays of fresh horses stationed along the way, always managed to outdistance and elude him.
LeFors was considered by many to be the most competent tracker involved in the chase of the Wild Bunch. So quickly did he join the pursuit that, by late afternoon of the day following the robbery, he and members of his posse had ridden to within several hundred yards of the fleeing outlaws. Once again, the successful escape of the train robbers was due in large part to the several changes of fresh relay mounts along the escape route.
Within a few days, each member of the gang carried a $10,000 reward. On his wanted poster, Cassidy was described as five feet ten inches in height, one inch taller than when he was admitted to prison six years earlier.
Cassidy, as well as several other members of the Wild Bunch, was reputed to have buried some of the Tipton train robbery loot near their hideout at Diamond Mountain in Brown’s Park.
The Tipton train robbery provided even more reason for railroad officials to do everything in their power to chase down the perpetrators and bring them to justice. In the wake of the train holdup, even more posses were now in the field searching for Butch Cassidy, Harvey Logan, and other members of the Wild Bunch.
The outlaws, particularly Cassidy, were aware that law enforcement authorities were growing closer, ever tightening their network of pursuit around them. While some of the outlaws reveled in the chase, Cassidy knew it could not go on forever—the railroads had too much money and manpower and would never give up until every member of the gang was captured or killed.
Now, more than ever, Cassidy gave thought to finding something else to do. It is also likely that, since there appeared to be no chance for amnesty or pardon, he considered leaving the United States and settling in some foreign country where nobody knew him and where he could obtain a fresh start. All he wanted to do now was get far away and begin life anew.
Ten
Winnemucca Bank Holdup
Only days after the Tipton train robbery, Butch Cassidy, Harry Longabaugh, and another outlaw named Will “Colonel” Carver arrived at a campsite on the Humboldt River some fourteen miles from Winnemucca, Nevada. Their appearance caused no concern for they were not known here, and furthermore, dozens of other cowhands were arriving in the area from surrounding locations in hope of finding work on the annual roundup on the nearby CS Ranch.
Carver was from Texas. Prior to being associated with the Wild Bunch, he had ridden with “Black Jack” Ketchum and is believed to have participated in several robberies. Carver tended to be quiet and unassuming, preferring solitude to company, and was content to take orders and follow.
While camping near the river with his companions, Cassidy made friends with ten-year-old Vic Button, son of the CS Ranch foreman. From young Button, Cassidy learned about a potential escape route through Lost Soldier’s Pass and into Clover Valley. Button also unknowingly provided the outlaw with important information about the nearby town of Winnemucca.
Vic Button was fascinated by the white horse ridden by Cassidy, and Butch often allowed the youngster to feed and water it. From time to time, Button would bring CS horses out to the campsite to race Cassidy’s white, but none of them could beat the animal. Cassidy grew quite fond of young Button and told him that someday he would give him the white horse.
Instead of applying for jobs at the CS Ranch, Cassidy, Longabaugh, and Carver, dressed as ordinary working cowhands, rode into Winnemucca nearly every day for ten days to observe the comings and goings at the bank. They even learned the names of the bank’s employees and the hours of operation. The three men, using information obtained from Button, also scouted the lay of the land and several routes into and out of the town. The outlaws were friendly to everyone they encountered but tried to remain inconspicuous. While most published accounts claim only three men were involved in the Winnemucca bank holdup, at least one eyewitness stated there were four. The fourth bandit, if he existed at all, is completely unknown to researchers.
On Wednesday, September 19, 1900, Cassidy, Longabaugh, and Will Carver took a roundabout route into town, in some cases cutting across pastures and severing barbed-wire fences. On the outskirts of Winnemucca, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid rode in, leaving Carver on the trail a short distance behind. Carver was to enter the bank a few minutes after his accomplices. Cassidy and Longabaugh tied their mounts in the alley behind F. C. Robbins Merchandise store, not far from the First National Bank of Winnemucca.
At approximately noon, Cassidy and Longabaugh casually walked to the bank and entered through the front door. A few minutes later as they were pretending to fill out some forms, Carver entered and tried to remain inconspicuous near a rear wall. Unfortunately, on the way to the bank Carver was sprayed by a skunk—within seconds after entering the establishment, patrons and employees, as well as Cassidy and Longabaugh, regarded him with understandable disgust.
Presently, Carver took a seat. In his arms he carried a rolled blanket that concealed a rifle. In the event of trouble, Carver was to bring forth the rifle and cover his companions.
Suddenly, Cassidy yelled for everyone to raise their hands. Longabaugh, holding two Colt .45s, forced cashier D. V. McBride, bookkeeper Malvin Hill, a stenographer named Calhoun, and a customer named W. S. Johnson against a wall. Cassidy walked to an office in the rear of the building, kicked in the door, pointed a gun at banker George S. Nixon, and ordered him to open the vault. As he did, Cassidy, according to a later interview with Nixon, held the barrel of his pistol to the banker’s head and “a murderous-looking knife” against his throat. Cassidy and Carver began stuffing bags of coins into canvas ore sacks they brought with them. While this was going on, Longabaugh emptied a cashier’s drawer and stuffed another sack full of gold coins.
The robbery went off without a hitch. When the outlaws gathered up all the money they could find, they forced the four bank employees and the customer out the back door and into the yard behind the building. While two of the bandits held guns on them, the third ran to the back of the Robbins store, retrieved the horses, and returned. After securing the heavy sacks to their saddles, the three men mounted up and spurred their horses out of the alley and down Third Street. They fled with a total of $32,640. As the robbers rode out of the alley, Nixon and the customer dashed into the bank and retrieved some firearms.
When the bank robbers turned onto Second Street, one of the money sacks came loose and gold coins spilled out onto the street. As Cassidy dismounted and began picking up the coins, Nixon and Johnson, now armed, ran out of the front door of the bank and began firing at him. They were quickly joined by several citizens who also shot at the fleeing bandits. Longabaugh and Carver returned fire, wounding one of the townsfolk.
The bandits rode east out of town, taking the Golconda Road that paralleled the railroad tracks. Interes
tingly, several of the townspeople set out in pursuit of the outlaws on foot and on bicycles. When Deputy Sheriff George Rose determined the escape route from his vantage point high atop the town windmill, he climbed down and ran to the nearby Southern Pacific Railroad station. Rose noted that the outlaws fled along a road that paralleled the railroad tracks, so when he reached the station, he ordered the engineer to fire up the locomotive and give chase to the bank robbers.
Before long, the locomotive was pulling close enough to the outlaws that Rose, leaning out of the cab, began taking aim and firing his pistol at them. Though the tracks paralleled the road, over one hundred yards separated them, a rather long distance for accurate pistol shooting.
The bandits fired back, and luckily one of them managed to shoot a hole in an engine pipe, causing steam to escape around the locomotive and obscuring the view of the bandits.
As the long-distance gun battle was taking place between the outlaws and Rose, a hastily assembled posse rode out of Winnemucca in pursuit.
Cassidy, Longabaugh, and Carver had stationed relay horses earlier at intervals along the escape route and as a result made good time against the pursuing posse. About eight miles from Winnemucca, the robbers stopped at the Sloan Ranch to change mounts. Ironically, one of the bandits switched his saddle to a horse belonging to the banker, George S. Nixon, who boarded his animal there.
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