Butch Cassidy's first criminal offense was minor. Around 1880 he journeyed to a clothier shop in another town but found it closed. He broke into the shop and stole a pair of jeans and some pie, leaving an
IOU promising to pay on his next visit. The clothier pressed charges, but Cassidy was
acquitted by a jury. He continued to work on ranches until 1884, when he moved to
Telluride,
Colorado, ostensibly to seek work, but perhaps to deliver
stolen horses to buyers. Cassidy led a cowboy's life in Wyoming Territory and
Montana Territory before returning to Telluride in 1887, where he met
Matt Warner, the owner of a
racehorse. Cassidy and Warner raced the horse at various events, dividing the winnings between them.
1889–1895 Cassidy's first
bank robbery took place on June 24, 1889, when he, Warner, and two of the McCarty brothers robbed the San Miguel Valley Bank in
Telluride. Businessman
L. L. Nunn had taken a
controlling interest in the bank the previous year. The robbers stole around $21,000 (), after which they fled to the
Robbers Roost, a remote hideout in the southeastern corner of Utah Territory. In 1890, Cassidy purchased a ranch on the outskirts of
Dubois,
Wyoming. This location was across the state from the notorious
Hole-in-the-Wall, a natural geological formation, and a popular hideout for
outlaw gangs, including Cassidy's, during the era. Cassidy's ranching was possibly a façade for clandestine activities, perhaps with Hole-in-the-Wall outlaws, as he was never financially successful at ranching. Cassidy's ranch used the "unmistakable
brand" of "Reverse-E, Box, E". He became involved briefly with Bassett's older sister
Josie before returning to Ann.
Formation of the Wild Bunch Cassidy associated with a wide circle of criminals, most notably his closest friend
William Ellsworth "Elzy" Lay,
Harvey "Kid Curry" Logan,
Ben "The Tall Texan" Kilpatrick,
Harry Tracy,
Will "News" Carver,
Laura Bullion and
George "Flat Nose" Curry, who collectively became the so-called "
Wild Bunch". The gang assembled sometime after Cassidy's release from prison in 1896 and took its name from the
Doolin–Dalton gang, also known as the "Wild Bunch". On August 13, 1896, Cassidy, Lay, Logan and Bob Meeks robbed the bank at
Montpelier,
Idaho, escaping with roughly $7,000. Cassidy recruited
Harry Alonzo Longabaugh, also known as the "Sundance Kid", into the gang soon after. Bassett, Lay and Lay's girlfriend Maude Davis all joined Cassidy at Robbers Roost in early 1897. The four hid there until early April, when Lay and Cassidy sent the women home so that the men could plan their next robbery. They ambushed a small group of men carrying the payroll of the Pleasant Valley Coal Company in the mining town of
Castle Gate, Utah, on April 22, 1897, stealing a sack of silver coins, with which they fled back to the Robbers Roost. On June 2, 1899, the gang robbed a
Union Pacific Overland Flyer passenger train near
Wilcox, Wyoming, a robbery that earned them a great deal of notoriety and resulted in a massive
manhunt. Many notable lawmen took part in the hunt but did not find them. Kid Curry and George Curry had a shootout with lawmen following the train robbery, killing Sheriff Joe Hazen.
Tom Horn, a
killer-for-hire employed by the
Pinkerton National Detective Agency, was told by explosives expert Bill Speck about the Hazen shooting. Pinkerton detective
Charlie Siringo was then assigned the task of capturing the outlaws. He became friends with Elfie Landusky, who was using the last name Curry after becoming pregnant by Kid Curry's brother Lonny Logan, and Siringo intended to locate the gang through her. On July 11, 1899, Lay and others were involved in a
Colorado and Southern Railroad train robbery near
Folsom, New Mexico, which Cassidy might have planned and personally directed. A shootout ensued with local law enforcement, during which Lay killed Sheriff Edward Farr and Henry Love; Lay was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment at the
New Mexico State Penitentiary. The Wild Bunch typically separated following a robbery and fled in different directions, later reuniting at a predetermined location such as the Hole-in-the-Wall, Robbers Roost, or
Fannie Porter's brothel in
San Antonio.
1899 plea for amnesty Cassidy approached
Utah Governor Heber Wells to negotiate an
amnesty. Wells advised him to ask the Union Pacific Railroad to drop their criminal complaints against him, and Union Pacific chairman
E. H. Harriman attempted to meet with Cassidy through Warner. On August 29, 1900, Cassidy, Longabaugh, and others robbed Union Pacific train No. 3 near Tipton, Wyoming, breaking Cassidy's earlier promise to the governor of Wyoming and ending any chance for amnesty.
1900–01 On February 28, 1900, lawmen attempted to arrest Lonny Logan at his aunt's home. Lonny was killed in the shootout that followed, and his cousin Bob Lee was arrested for rustling and sent to prison in Wyoming. On March 28, George Curry and News Carver were pursued by a posse from
St. Johns, Apache County, Arizona, after using currency they had stolen in the Wilcox train robbery. The posse engaged them in a shootout, during which Deputies Andrew Gibbons and Frank LeSueur were killed, while Carver and Curry escaped. On April 17, George Curry was killed in a shootout with
Grand County, Utah, Sheriff John Tyler and Deputy Sam Jenkins. On May 26, Kid Curry rode into
Moab, Utah, and killed both Tyler and Jenkins in another shootout in retaliation for the deaths of George and Lonny. In December, Cassidy posed alongside Longabaugh, Logan, Carver, and Ben Kilpatrick in
Fort Worth, Texas, for the now-famous "Fort Worth Five" photograph. The Pinkerton Agency obtained a copy of the photograph and began to use it for wanted posters. On July 3, 1901, Kid Curry and a group of men robbed a
Great Northern train near
Wagner, Montana, stealing more than $60,000 in cash (). The gang split up, but a posse led by Sheriff Elijah Briant caught up with News Carver and killed him. Kilpatrick was captured in
St. Louis on November 5 at Josie Blakey's resort on Chestnut Street. In his pocket, they found a key to a room at The Laclede Hotel. The next morning, they found Laura Bullion in the lobby, checking out with her luggage. In her
valise was $8500 in unsigned banknotes from the Great Northern robbery. Curry killed
Knoxville policemen William Dinwiddle and Robert Saylor in another shootout on December 13, then escaped. He returned to Montana, pursued by Pinkertons and other law enforcement officers, where he shot and killed rancher James Winters in retaliation for killing his brother Johnny years before. == Escape to South America ==