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In Search of Butch Cassidy
Who was Butch Cassidy? He was born Robert LeRoy Parker in 1866 in Utah. And, as everyone knows, after years of operating with a sometime gang of outlaws known as the Wild Bunch, he and the Sundance Kid escaped to South America, only to die in a 1908 shootout with a Bolivian cavalry troop.
But did he die? Some say that he didn’t die in Bolivia, but returned to live out a quiet life in Spokane, Washington where he died peacefully in 1937. In interviews with the author, scores of his friends and relatives and their descendants in Wyoming, Utah, and Washington concurred, claiming that Butch Cassidy had returned from Bolivia and lived out the remainder of his life in Spokane under the alias William T. Phillips.
In 1934 William T. Phillips wrote an unpublished manuscript, an (auto) biography of Butch Cassidy, “The Bandit Invincible, the Story of Butch Cassidy.” Larry Pointer, marshalling an overwhelming amount of evidence, is convinced that William T. Phillips and Butch Cassidy were the same man. The details of his life, though not ending spectacularly in a Bolivian shootout, are more fascinating than the until-now accepted version of the outlaw’s life.
There was a shootout with the Bolivian cavalry, but, according to Butch (Phillips), he was able to escape under the cover of darkness, sadly leaving behind his longtime friend, the Sundance Kid, dead.
Then came Paris, a minor bit of facelifting, Michigan, marriage, Arizona, Mexico with perhaps a tour as a sharpshooter for Pancho Villa, Alaska, and at last the life of a businessman in Spokane. In between there were some quiet return trips to visit old friends and haunts in Wyoming and Utah.
The author, with the invaluable help of Cassidy’s autobiography, has pieced together the full and final story of a remarkable outlaw—from his Utah Mormon origins, through his escapades of banditry and his escape to South America, to his self-rehabilitation as William T. Phillips, a productive and respected member of society.
But did he die? Some say that he didn’t die in Bolivia, but returned to live out a quiet life in Spokane, Washington where he died peacefully in 1937. In interviews with the author, scores of his friends and relatives and their descendants in Wyoming, Utah, and Washington concurred, claiming that Butch Cassidy had returned from Bolivia and lived out the remainder of his life in Spokane under the alias William T. Phillips.
In 1934 William T. Phillips wrote an unpublished manuscript, an (auto) biography of Butch Cassidy, “The Bandit Invincible, the Story of Butch Cassidy.” Larry Pointer, marshalling an overwhelming amount of evidence, is convinced that William T. Phillips and Butch Cassidy were the same man. The details of his life, though not ending spectacularly in a Bolivian shootout, are more fascinating than the until-now accepted version of the outlaw’s life.
There was a shootout with the Bolivian cavalry, but, according to Butch (Phillips), he was able to escape under the cover of darkness, sadly leaving behind his longtime friend, the Sundance Kid, dead.
Then came Paris, a minor bit of facelifting, Michigan, marriage, Arizona, Mexico with perhaps a tour as a sharpshooter for Pancho Villa, Alaska, and at last the life of a businessman in Spokane. In between there were some quiet return trips to visit old friends and haunts in Wyoming and Utah.
The author, with the invaluable help of Cassidy’s autobiography, has pieced together the full and final story of a remarkable outlaw—from his Utah Mormon origins, through his escapades of banditry and his escape to South America, to his self-rehabilitation as William T. Phillips, a productive and respected member of society.
320 pages, Paperback
First published November 15, 1977
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 13, 2009
Larry Pointer presents evidence that Butch Cassidy was not killed in Bolivia, but rather returned to the United States and lived out his life in the Seattle area under the assumed name William Phillips. He has me convinced.
I had already heard stories from my brother-in-law about one of his ancestors who had received a visit from Butch Cassidy at a ranch house in Southern Utah, sometime after Butch had been reported dead. This book shows it was possible.
I had already heard stories from my brother-in-law about one of his ancestors who had received a visit from Butch Cassidy at a ranch house in Southern Utah, sometime after Butch had been reported dead. This book shows it was possible.
March 15, 2010
I found this book fascinating. Born Robert LeRoy Parker of Mormon parents. He became a cowhand as well as an outlaw. When things got too hot, he went to Argentina to ranch. This author claims and offers supporting evidence that Sun Dance Kid was killed there when they started robbing mining payroll trains, but that Butch Cassidy escaped. He lived until about 1937 in Spokane, WA as William T. Phillips.
October 1, 2009
I learned so much from this book! It was fun to read, and made me like Butch even more!
May 25, 2017
A frustrating book as the conclusions are still speculation. It is also difficult to keep track of all the outlaws in the book as they are mentioned when they intersect with Cassidy’s story, but their characters are not developed and there are few references to help you remember who is who. Still, if you follow Butch Cassidy at all, there is plenty of interesting theories here to keep the mystery alive.
December 7, 2020
Book isn't bad, but sources and information are totally accurate.
July 30, 2012
Larry Pointer makes a compelling case that not only did Butch Cassidy not die in a Bolivian shoot out, but, made it back to the United States and lived a very long and successful life in Washington state. This is an extremely well researched book. It was written at a time (originally published in 1977)when eye witnesses still graced this earth and it is very interesting being a witness to their recall.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews