Tag: Utah

William Carver, also known as William “News” Carver (September 12, 1868 – April 2, 1901) was an American outlaw and member of Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch, a notorious gang in the American Old West during the late 19th century. Born in Coryell County, Texas, Carver initially worked as a cowboy in Texas and Oklahoma. After his wife, Viana E. Byler, died of fever shortly after their marriage, he drifted into a life of crime, joining the Wild Bunch around 1897.

Carver earned the nickname “News” due to his enjoyment of reading about the gang’s exploits in newspapers. He participated in several high-profile robberies, including the August 29, 1900, Union Pacific Express train heist near Rock Creek, Wyoming, where the gang stole $50,000. Known for his skills as a cowboy and marksman, Carver was a key member of the gang, often working alongside outlaws like Butch Cassidy and Ben Kilpatrick.

In 1901, while traveling with his companion Laura Bullion, another Wild Bunch member, Carver was ambushed and killed by Sheriff E. S. Briant and his posse in Sonora, Texas, on April 2, 1901. His death marked a significant blow to the Wild Bunch, which was already under pressure from law enforcement.

Early Life and Background

William Richard Carver, known as “News” Carver, was born on September 12, 1868, in Coryell County, Texas. Raised in the rugged post-Civil War South, Carver grew up in a world of cattle drives and frontier hardship. Little is documented about his early years, but he developed skills as a cowboy, working on ranches in Texas and Oklahoma. His life took a tragic turn when his young wife, Viana E. Byler, died of fever shortly after their marriage in the early 1890s. This loss marked a turning point, pushing Carver toward a transient lifestyle and, eventually, a life of crime.

By the mid-1890s, Carver’s skills as a horseman and marksman, coupled with his restless spirit, drew him into the orbit of the Wild Bunch, a notorious gang of outlaws led by Butch Cassidy and Harvey Logan (Kid Curry). Carver’s nickname, “News,” stemmed from his habit of eagerly reading newspaper accounts of the gang’s exploits, reveling in their growing infamy.

Joining the Wild Bunch

By 1897, Carver had fully integrated into the Wild Bunch, a loosely organized group of outlaws known for robbing banks, trains, and express companies across the American West. The gang, including figures like Ben Kilpatrick (“The Tall Texan”) and Laura Bullion, Carver’s later companion, operated out of remote hideouts like the Hole-in-the-Wall in Wyoming and Brown’s Park in Utah. Carver’s cowboy background made him a valuable asset, particularly in navigating the rough terrain of the West and handling the logistics of train and bank heists.

Time in Utah

Utah played a significant role in Carver’s outlaw career, as it was a key operational base for the Wild Bunch. The state’s rugged landscapes, particularly Brown’s Park in northeastern Utah near the Colorado and Wyoming borders, provided a natural fortress for the gang. Brown’s Park, a remote valley along the Green River, was a haven for outlaws, offering seclusion and access to escape routes across state lines. Carver and the Wild Bunch used this area as a staging ground for planning heists and evading law enforcement.

Activities in Utah

While specific records of Carver’s day-to-day activities in Utah are sparse, his time in the state was tied to the Wild Bunch’s broader operations. The gang frequented Brown’s Park in the late 1890s, using it to rest, recruit, and plan. Carver, known for his easygoing demeanor and sharpshooting skills, likely contributed to the group’s activities in the region, which included rustling cattle and preparing for major robberies. The Wild Bunch’s presence in Utah was part of a broader pattern of exploiting the state’s sparse population and law enforcement challenges to their advantage.

One notable event linked to the Wild Bunch during Carver’s tenure was the planning of train robberies, some of which were staged in or near Utah. For example, the gang’s 1899 robbery of the Union Pacific Express near Rock Creek, Wyoming, close to Utah’s border, likely involved preparations in Brown’s Park. Carver’s role in such heists would have included scouting, handling horses, or serving as a lookout, given his cowboy expertise.

Utah’s outlaw-friendly environment also attracted other criminals, and Carver likely interacted with local ranchers, some of whom were complicit in hiding or supplying the gang. The state’s Mormon communities, while generally law-abiding, were sometimes sympathetic to outlaws as a form of resistance against federal authorities, creating a complex social dynamic that the Wild Bunch exploited.

The Wild Bunch in Utah’s Outlaw Culture

Utah’s role in the Wild Bunch’s activities extended beyond Brown’s Park. The gang occasionally passed through towns like Vernal and Moab, where they could blend in with transient workers or cowboys. Carver, with his unassuming appearance and cowboy background, could move through these areas without drawing undue attention. However, by the late 1890s, the Wild Bunch’s increasing notoriety, fueled by newspaper coverage that Carver enjoyed, made anonymity harder to maintain.

The 1900 Union Pacific Heist and Beyond

Carver’s most infamous exploit with the Wild Bunch was the August 29, 1900, robbery of the Union Pacific Express train near Rock Creek, Wyoming, just across the Utah border. The gang, including Carver, Butch Cassidy, and Ben Kilpatrick, dynamited the train’s safe and escaped with approximately $50,000 (equivalent to over $1.5 million today). While the heist itself occurred in Wyoming, the gang likely retreated to Utah’s Brown’s Park to divide the loot and evade the pursuing Pinkerton detectives and posses. Carver’s role in the robbery, though not detailed in primary sources, likely leveraged his sharpshooting and horsemanship skills to ensure the gang’s escape.

After the Rock Creek heist, the Wild Bunch faced mounting pressure from law enforcement. Carver, now a wanted man, continued to operate with the gang but also spent time with Laura Bullion, a fellow Wild Bunch member and his romantic partner. The couple’s movements in 1900–1901 took them across the West, including periods in Utah, where they likely sought refuge in familiar hideouts.

Death and Legacy

Carver’s outlaw career ended abruptly in 1901. On April 2, while traveling with Laura Bullion in Sonora, Texas, he was ambushed and killed by Sheriff E. S. Briant and his posse. His death at age 32 marked the decline of the Wild Bunch, as relentless pursuit by law enforcement scattered its members. Bullion was later arrested with banknotes from the gang’s robberies, further disrupting their operations.

In Utah, Carver’s legacy is tied to the broader mythos of the Wild Bunch. Brown’s Park remains a historical site associated with the gang, and stories of their exploits linger in local folklore. Carver himself, while not as famous as Butch Cassidy or the Sundance Kid, was a key figure in the gang’s operations, embodying the transient, thrill-seeking spirit of the Old West’s final days.

Conclusion

William “News” Carver’s life was a brief but vivid chapter in the history of the American West. His time in Utah, centered around the outlaw haven of Brown’s Park, reflects the Wild Bunch’s strategic use of the state’s geography and social dynamics to sustain their criminal enterprises. From his early days as a Texas cowboy to his death as a wanted man, Carver’s story captures the fleeting, lawless romance of the frontier, immortalized in the newspaper clippings he so enjoyed reading.

Robert LeRoy Parker, born April 13, 1866, in Beaver, Utah Territory, was better known as Butch Cassidy, the infamous American outlaw, train robber, and leader of the Wild Bunch gang. Raised in a Mormon pioneer family near Circleville, Utah, he adopted the alias “Butch Cassidy” to distance himself from his family’s name after taking up a life of crime. His early mentor, rustler Mike Cassidy, influenced his path, and he earned the nickname “Butch” while working briefly as a butcher in Wyoming.

Cassidy became notorious in the late 1880s and 1890s for leading the Wild Bunch, a gang responsible for a string of daring bank and train robberies across the western United States, including the 1897 Castle Gate payroll heist in Utah and the 1899 Wilcox train robbery in Wyoming. Known for his charisma, meticulous planning, and non-violent approach—avoiding killing during robberies—he gained a “Robin Hood” reputation, often sharing stolen money with local communities. He operated out of hideouts like Robbers Roost in Utah and Hole-in-the-Wall in Wyoming.

Early Life and Background

Robert LeRoy Parker, later known as Butch Cassidy, was born on April 13, 1866, in Beaver, Utah Territory, to Mormon pioneer parents, Maximillian Parker and Ann Campbell Gillies. As the eldest of thirteen children, Robert grew up in a devout family of English immigrants who had converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the United Kingdom. His parents arrived in Utah in the 1850s, with Maximillian crossing the plains in 1856 at age twelve and Ann immigrating in 1859 at fourteen. They married in 1865, settling on a ranch near Circleville, Utah, by 1879, when Robert was thirteen.

The Parker family’s homestead, a modest two-room cabin south of Circleville, was where Robert, known as Roy to family and friends, spent his formative teenage years. Despite his religious upbringing, young Roy showed early signs of restlessness and a disinterest in church attendance. Working on local ranches to support his large family, he encountered Mike Cassidy, a cowhand and small-time cattle rustler, at Jim Marshall’s ranch twelve miles south of Circleville. Mike became a mentor, teaching Roy horsemanship and marksmanship, skills that would later define his outlaw career. To distance himself from his family’s reputable name, Roy adopted the surname Cassidy, likely in honor of his mentor, and later earned the nickname “Butch” from a stint as a butcher’s apprentice in Rock Springs, Wyoming.

Early Brushes with the Law

Roy’s first recorded run-in with the law occurred around 1880, at a young age, when he entered a closed clothing shop in another town, took a pair of jeans and a pie, and left an IOU promising to pay later. Though he intended to settle the debt, the shopkeeper pressed charges. Roy was acquitted at trial, but the incident marked the beginning of his friction with authority. By 1884, at age eighteen, Roy left Circleville, disillusioned by his family’s loss of land in a property rights dispute and seeking greater opportunities. He drifted to Telluride, Colorado, working as a mule-skinner in silver mines and possibly delivering stolen horses, a path that led him toward a life of crime.

The Outlaw Trail and the Wild Bunch

In 1889, at age twenty-three, Roy—now Butch Cassidy—committed his first major crime: the robbery of the San Miguel Valley Bank in Telluride, Colorado, alongside Matt Warner and two McCarty brothers. The group stole approximately $21,000 (equivalent to about $735,000 in 2024), fleeing to Robbers Roost, a remote hideout in southeastern Utah’s rugged canyon country. This marked Butch’s entry into the Outlaw Trail, a loosely connected network of hideouts stretching from Mexico to Montana, including Robbers Roost, Hole-in-the-Wall in Wyoming, and Browns Park near the Utah-Colorado-Wyoming border.

By the mid-1890s, Butch had formed the Wild Bunch, a loosely organized gang of outlaws that included Harry Longabaugh (the Sundance Kid), Elzy Lay, Harvey Logan (Kid Curry), Ben Kilpatrick (the Tall Texan), and others. Known for their charisma and meticulous planning, the Wild Bunch executed a series of daring bank and train robberies across the western United States. In Utah, Butch and his gang became local legends, often hiding out in Robbers Roost and Browns Park, where sympathetic ranchers provided shelter and supplies. Butch’s reputation as a “Robin Hood of the West” grew from stories of him sharing stolen money with the poor, a strategy that ensured community support and protection.

A notable Utah exploit occurred on April 21, 1897, when Butch, the Sundance Kid, and Elzy Lay robbed the Pleasant Valley Coal Company payroll in Castle Gate, Utah. Posing as bystanders, they stole $7,000 in silver coins in broad daylight without firing a shot, escaping to Robbers Roost. This heist, one of the largest payroll robberies in the Old West, cemented their notoriety. Another significant robbery took place on August 13, 1896, when Butch and Elzy Lay hit the Bank of Montpelier in Idaho, reportedly to raise funds to bail out Matt Warner. They escaped with loot, evading a posse led by Sheriff Jefferson Davis.

Butch’s time in Utah was not solely about crime. He cultivated a reputation for charm and non-violence, paying for meals and horses and avoiding killing during robberies. In Browns Park, he and the Wild Bunch were known for their generosity, even hosting a lavish Thanksgiving dinner in the mid-1890s at the Davenport ranch, complete with roast turkey and pumpkin pie, served to thirty-five locals. Such acts endeared him to communities resentful of wealthy cattle barons.

Legal Troubles and Imprisonment

In 1894, Butch was arrested in Wyoming for horse theft, a charge stemming from his rustling activities. He served two years in the Wyoming State Penitentiary in Laramie, from 1894 to 1896. His time in prison did little to deter him; upon release, he resumed his criminal career with renewed vigor, organizing the Wild Bunch for their most prolific period. However, the increasing presence of law enforcement and the Pinkerton Detective Agency, hired by railroad companies, made evading capture more difficult.

Life in Utah’s Outlaw Havens

Utah’s rugged terrain provided ideal hideouts for Butch and the Wild Bunch. Robbers Roost, located between the Colorado, Green, and Dirty Devil Rivers, was a labyrinth of canyons where outlaws could disappear. Browns Park, a remote enclave along the Green River, offered another safe haven, where ranchers like the Carlisle family provided jobs and cover. Butch’s ability to blend into these communities, coupled with his genial demeanor, allowed him to operate with relative impunity for years. His romantic involvement with Ann Bassett, a Browns Park rancher’s daughter, further tied him to the region, with some speculating she was Etta Place, the Sundance Kid’s companion.

Escape to South America

By 1901, the Wild Bunch was unraveling under pressure from relentless manhunts. With bounties on their heads and Pinkerton detectives closing in, Butch, the Sundance Kid, and Etta Place fled to New York City, then sailed to Buenos Aires, Argentina, on February 20, 1901. Posing as James Ryan, Butch settled with his companions in a four-room log cabin on a 15,000-acre ranch near Cholila, Chubut. They attempted a legitimate life, raising 300 cattle, 1,500 sheep, and 28 horses, as noted in a 1902 letter Butch wrote to Elzy Lay’s mother-in-law. However, by 1906, they returned to banditry, robbing banks and trains across South America.

The Mystery of Butch Cassidy’s Fate

The traditional narrative holds that Butch and Sundance died in a shootout with the Bolivian Army on November 7, 1908, near San Vicente, Bolivia. After robbing a mine payroll, they were cornered in a boarding house, where a firefight ended with two gunshots, presumed to be suicides. However, the exact circumstances remain uncertain, fueling speculation that Butch survived. Family members, including his sister Lula Parker Betenson, claimed he returned to Circleville in 1925, visiting family and sharing stories of his exploits. Others, including residents of Utah and Wyoming, reported sightings of Butch in the 1930s, living under aliases like William T. Phillips, a Spokane engineer who wrote an unpublished manuscript, The Bandit Invincible, believed by some to be Butch’s autobiography.

Historian Larry Pointer, in In Search of Butch Cassidy, argues that Butch faked his death in Bolivia, underwent facial surgery in Paris, and lived quietly in Washington until 1937. A 1930s account from a Utah doctor, Francis Smith, claimed Butch showed him a repaired bullet wound, supporting the survival theory. However, other historians, like Charles Kelly, found it odd that Butch never visited his father, Maximillian, who died in 1938, if he were alive. DNA tests in 2008 on remains exhumed in Bolivia failed to confirm Butch’s identity, leaving the mystery unresolved.

Legacy in Utah

Butch Cassidy’s legend looms large in Utah, where his boyhood home in Circleville remains a historical site, restored and open to visitors. The Cassidy Trail in Red Canyon and the Robbers Roost region in Capitol Reef National Park attract adventurers seeking traces of his life, including rumors of buried treasure from the Castle Gate robbery. His story, romanticized in the 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford, has cemented his status as a folk hero. In Utah, he is celebrated as a charismatic outlaw who challenged powerful institutions, embodying the rebellious spirit of the Old West.

Butch’s reputation as a “gentleman criminal” stems from his non-violent approach and generosity. Stories of him aiding poor families, like the Thanksgiving feast in Browns Park, and his refusal to harm victims during robberies, earned him admiration. His connection to Utah’s rugged landscapes and communities, from Circleville to Robbers Roost, makes him a central figure in the state’s cultural and folklore heritage. Whether he died in Bolivia or lived on in obscurity, Butch Cassidy’s legacy as Utah’s “Robin Hood of the West” endures.