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Butch Cassidy Research Paper

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Butch Cassidy and his members of the Wild Bunch left a remarkable chapter in the history of old American West. Interestingly, Butch was no mean robber, but someone full of charm. The story of the group was made more interesting with the addition of Butch’s constant partner-in-crime, Sundance Kid.
Originally named Robert LeRoy, Butch changed his name after working with Mike Cassidy, an infamous cattle and horse rustler. The name “Butch” was taken from Robert’s brief stint as a butcher in town. He joined Mike in raiding cattle in Colorado and Utah. It was also Mike who taught the young Butch on how to shoot dead center within fifty paces. During this time, Mike was the leader of a small band of rustlers and robbers. However, he suddenly disappeared …show more content…

It was believed that he always spared the lives of their robbery victims. In 1889, Butch had his first taste of major robbery in a bank at San Miguel Valley in Colorado. There, the group took off more than $20,000. In 1890, Butch already had a ranch of his own, in Wyoming. There, he continued his work as a cattle and horse raider. Around 1894, he was imprisoned for his wrong-doings and spent two years in jail.
Butch was released in 1896 and he continued the life of a criminal. It was at this point that he established the Wild Bunch- a group famed for their successful and longest stint in bank and train robberies. Upon forming the group, Butch made sure that the members are taught of how to conduct successful robberies based on the mistakes that he and his previous groups committed which led to death or imprisonment.
Butch does not believe in merely going to a town and randomly robbing a bank. It has been the group’s practice to first scout the town and check the current condition of the local sheriff, if a local vigilante group, and most importantly if the bank does have a substantial amount of money. All of these aspects were assessed prior to conducting the heist. The group’s success can be attributed to how Butch used strategic thinking in performing their infamous heists. Butch always made sure that they never hurt people and if they were ever chased, to just shoot the horses. The name came about …show more content…

On August 1896, the Wild Bunch robbed a bank in Montpelier Idaho took off with $7000. The succeeding heists included banks and trains in New Mexico, Wyoming, Nevada, and South Dakota. The group’s biggest heist was that of the new Union Pacific Train which took place on June 1899 in Wilcox, Wyoming. They made off around $30,000. It was followed by another train robbery in Folsom, New Mexico where it was reported that they took $70,000 with them. Butch was not part of that robbery and gang members died or were captured.
On August 1900, Butch, Sundance, Carver and Logan robbed another of the Union Pacific trains in Tipton, Wyoming. Shortly after, they had their next bank heist at the First National Bank of Winnemucca in Nevada. The group made off $32,640. The next year was also lucrative when they raided the Great Northern Train in Montana and got $65000.
By the early part of 1901, Butch convinced Sundance Kid to go somewhere safer as they have already gained notoriety in the Old West. He, Sundance and Etta Place, Sundance’s girlfriend, moved to New York and further towards Bolivia. Butch and Sundance worked as miners while continuing their errant ways. Soon, Etta left the two and returned to America, while the duo made their way to South

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