Matt Warner (p.4)

The McCarty brothers followed Warner to the 7U and soon preparations were made to rob the Benjamin E. Snipes & Co. payroll in Roslyn, Washington. For Warner this meant breaking his promise to Rose to go straight again, but the lure of a $100,000 payday – the amount the outlaws believed to be heading to Roslyn – was too great to pass up. The robbery itself went off without a hitch, but due to a mix-up in their information, the outlaws netted far less than their $100,000 payday. During the escape the outlaws were forced to split up with Warner taking another dip in a river, this time the Columbia.

After escaping the posses from Roslyn, Warner returned to the 7U ranch. Two weeks later his daughter Hayda was born. Now a family man, Warner again promises to give up the outlaw life and sends Rose’s sister Sarah home. This turns out to be a huge mistake as Sarah, seeking the reward money from the Roslyn robbery, goes to the police and gives up her brother-in-law. Less than a week later, Warner was arrested.

Held in Ellensburg, Washington, Warner was soon joined by George McCarty who, according to Warner, was not involved in the Roslyn robbery. The two men were tried and acquitted, despite a botched escape attempt that left a civilian wounded by Warner. Returning to the 7U Ranch only to find it abandoned and ransacked, Warner left for the Diamond Mountain ranch where he had lived years ago. Discovering his old ranch vacated, Warner set about stocking it with horses and turning it into a viable operation once again.

After sending his address to Rose through her father, Warner was soon reunited with his wife and daughter in Diamond Mountain. Butch Cassidy and Elzy Lay were frequent visitors to the ranch at this period and all seemed well until it was discovered that Rose developed cancer in her leg.

Warner accompanied Rose to Vernal, Utah to seek treatment. When he wasn’t tending to his wife, he could be found at the saloon of his old friend Charley Crouse. It was at Crouse’s saloon that Warner met E.B. Coleman, an encounter that would lead to a series of events resulting in the deaths of two men.

Warner was arrested for murder and, along with accomplice Bill Wall, sentenced to five years in the Utah State Penitentiary. Warner entered prison on September 21, 1896 and was released January 21, 1900 after serving three years and four months. While Warner was in prison, Rose Warner gave birth to their son, Rex, before succumbing to cancer. Rex later died at the age of sixteen.

Upon walking out of the penitentiary, Warner was arrested for the murder of Dave Milton. It seems his original trial centered on just one of the two men who perished during the Coleman Affair. Infuriated at what he saw as a great injustice, Warner made plans to return to the outlaw life. His plans were dashed thanks to Uintah District Attorney Samuel A. King and Warden Dow of the Utah State Penitentiary who successfully petitioned Utah Governor Heber Manning Wells for Warner’s freedom. In exchange for this favor, Wells enlisted Warner to track down Butch Cassidy with an offer of going straight. This offer was soon called off when members of the Wild Bunch participated in the Tipton, Wyoming train robbery.

Warner also claims to have gone to Santa Fe and arranged the release of Elzy Lay. Warner had cooked up a scam whereby Lay would be released if he gave up the location of a mine rich in asphaltum. The warden of the prison and New Mexico governor Miguel Antonio Otero went for the deal and Lay was released.

With prison behind him, Warner lived life on the straight and narrow, ironically becoming a deputy sheriff in Utah, even making a failed run to become sheriff in 1912. Matt Warner died December 21, 1938 in Price, Utah.