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Charles Ernest Woodcock
| Name: Charles
Ernest Woodcock |
| Aliases: None |
| Date of Birth:
Unknown |
| Location of
Birth: Unknown |
| Occupation: Express
Messenger |
| Relationships:
Unknown |
| Affiliations: Union
Pacific Railroad |
| Date of Death:
Unknown |
| Cause of
Death: Unknown |
| Location of
Death: Unknown |
|
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Anyone who has seen the
1969 film Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid is sure to be familiar with
Charles E. Woodcock. Nervously portrayed by actor George Furth, stuttering
his famed line, “I work for Mr. E.H. Harriman of the Union Pacific
Railroad and he entrusted me with this money,” Woodcock stands out as
one of the many comedic highlights of the film.
While the real Woodcock
did have the misfortune of finding himself on the wrong end of a Wild
Bunch train robbery on two separate occasions, there is reason to believe
he was made of more grit than his fictional portrayal gives credit.
Legend has it that none
other than Butch Cassidy himself considered Woodcock the bravest man he
had ever met, aside from Harvey Logan. After being nearly blown to bits
after refusing to open the express car during his first encounter with the
Wild Bunch on June 2, 1899 near Wilcox,
Wyoming, Cassidy ordered Woodcock
to leave what remained of the express car unarmed. Woodcock agreed, but
Cassidy remained suspicious. Believing that any man who would voluntarily
withstand that much dynamite was a man with the nerve to shoot it out with
any number of men. Sure enough, when Woodcock came out of the car Cassidy
searched him and found a pistol. Logan wanted to kill him on the spot, and
Woodcock was expecting retribution but still didn’t even blink, earning
Cassidy’s respect in the process. Cassidy let him live.
Woodcock
crossed paths with the Wild Bunch again during the hold-up of the UPRR #3
near Tipton, Wyoming. This time Woodcock the outlaws were able to talk the
express messenger out of the car, sparing any need to detonate the loyal
employee of the Union Pacific Railroad again.
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