|
September 19, 1900 -
First National Bank of Winnemucca Robbery
In the weeks preceding the robbery of the First National Bank in
Winnemucca, Nevada, three men made camp at the C.S. Ranch owned by George
D. Bliss about fourteen miles east of Winnemucca. Legend has it that these
three men were the Sundance Kid, Harvey Logan and
Will Carver.
Using the camp as a base, the outlaws made daily rides into town to
gain familiarity with the geography, case the bank, and plan their escape.
Witnesses say a fourth man, said to be Butch Cassidy although historians
do not place him at the robbery, joined the during their frequent trips into town.
Minutes after twelve noon on September 19, 1900,
three men entered the First National Bank of Winnemucca. Five men were already inside;
head cashier and co-owner George S.
Nixon, his assistant D.V.
McBride, bookkeeper Malvin Hill, bank stenographer Calhoun and one
customer W.S. Johnson.
The outlaws wasted no time taking control of the situation, ordering
everyone to raise their hands and directed Nixon to open the vault. Nixon
started to explain that the vault was on a time lock, however a few
well-worded threats to his life persuaded him to drop the ruse and open
the vault.
After they finished gathering the money, the outlaws led the bank
employees and Mr. Johnson into a fenced yard behind the bank. While one of
the robbers held the captives at bay, the other two jumped the fence and
mounted their horses. Once situated the remaining robber hopped the fence
and the trio began their escape.
With the robbers gone, Nixon grabbed his gun and
ran outside to fire shots in alarm. Johnson seized the opportunity as
well, running outside and grabbing a gun from a passerby. Taking careful
aim, Johnson locked on to the nearest escaping outlaw and squeezed the
trigger. Unfortunately for Johnson, the weapon was unloaded.
Deputy Sheriff George Rose attempted to pursue the
bank robber by commandeering a train, but was unable to catch them.
Dejected, the sheriff went back to town and formed a posse. Meanwhile, a
Western Union operator had telegraphed Golconda, the next town on the
presumed escape route, and advised authorities of the situation. The Golconda
town constable, a man by the name of Colwell, gathered his own posse and
left in pursuit of the outlaws. Due to a mix-up in directions, Colwell and
company intercepted the Rose posse rather than the outlaws, who made a
clean escape with $32,640.00 of the bank's money.
Initially the Wild Bunch weren’t suspects in the robbery. A number of
local men, including a man named Perkins and with two of his friends,
Melville Fuller and Willie Wier, were suspected of the crime along with Francis Silve. All four men were brought before Nixon who was unable to
identify them as the robbers. For a time Nixon himself was suspected of
the participating in the crime, but the theory was soon dropped. The
Pinkertons showed Nixon a photograph of Butch Cassidy (presumably his
Wyoming mug shot), but again Nixon was unable to positively identify. In
time, the Pinkertons were able to get a copy of the infamous “Fort Worth
Five” photograph and present it to Nixon. This time he identified the
Sundance Kid, Harvey Logan and
Will Carver as the culprits, but still
could not identify Cassidy.
The
Pinkertons dispatched Charles Siringo to track the outlaws, a trail he
followed into Utah. While there he frequented Cassidy’s old haunts,
including his hometown of Circleville.
While
it is accepted history that members of the Wild Bunch participated in the
robbery at Winnemucca, Butch Cassidy has all but been ruled out as a
suspect. Many believe Cassidy was a participant in the August 29, 1900
train robbery in Tipton, Wyoming some 600 miles away. The relatively short
amount of time between the two robberies, along with the inability of
Nixon to positively identify Cassidy, leaves the possibility of his
participation in both events unlikely. Unlikely doesn’t mean impossible,
and many people still believe Butch Cassidy played a role in Winnemucca.
There
are two scenarios that could place Butch Cassidy in Winnemucca during the
time of the robbery. Like many of the Wild Bunch heists, there is no
concrete evidence that Cassidy was involved in the Tipton train robbery.
This is not to say that Cassidy did not participate in the robbery, he most
likely did, but it is interesting to note that while there is no evidence
he participated in Winnemucca, the same can be said for Tipton. If he was not
involved in the Wyoming train robbery, Cassidy could have easily been in
the Winnemucca area in time to assist in the robbery.
The
second scenario is a little farfetched, but not entirely impossible. While
as likely as Osama Bin Laden flying coach to the United States, there is
the possibility that Cassidy caught a train to Winnemucca. Riding the
railways that provided his income would have allowed for Cassidy to arrive
in Winnemucca
in plenty of time to lend a hand. However for obvious reasons, this was
extremely unlikely.
Supporting
these scenarios is the testimonies of two witnesses, both children at the
time, who place Cassidy near Winnemucca near the time of the robbery.
Nine-year-old Lee Case claimed to have seen three, sometimes four men in
the days leading up to the robbery. Case said the outlaws were kind to him
and asked lots of questions about the bank and the town in general.
One
of the more famous testaments to Cassidy’s generosity and fondness for
children involve the second witness, I.V. “Vic” Button. Button, ten
years old at the time of the robbery, was the son of the superintendent of
the C.S. Ranch F.J. Button. As Button tells it, he was admiring
Cassidy’s white horse when Cassidy told him, “You like that horse?
Someday it will be yours.” Shortly after the robbery, Button was
presented with the horse from a ranch hand who was told to deliver it
personally by Cassidy. There are several photographs of Button with the
horse, it’s up to you to decide how he came about it.
Did
Butch Cassidy take part in the Winnemucca robbery? We may never know for
certain.
Back
|
