Butch Cassidy Dies...for the first time

When J.M. and George Whitmore refused to accept Joe Walker’s claim of being a long-lost relative, it set off a feud that would last for years. To get even with the Whitmore’s, Walker took to rustling their livestock.

In May 1898, Walker raided the Whitmore’s ranch and made off with some cattle. Little did he realize that Bud Whitmore and ranch foreman Billy McGuire were hot on his trail. When Walker realized he was being followed, he got the jump on the two men and beat McGuire senseless.

Whitmore and McGuire returned to the ranch and notified authorities of the theft. A posse was formed consisting of J.M. and George Whitmore, McGuire, Carbon County Sheriff C.W. Allred, Pete Anderson, J.W. Warf, Jack Genfry, Jim Ingerfield and Jack Watson.

In the meantime, Walker released the cattle and reunited with friends camping near Florence Creek.

On May 12, 1898, the posse came across the camp and the sleeping bandit. The four campers woke to the sounds of the posse shouting for them to surrender. Hoping to stave off a gunfight, the posse claimed they were a hundred men strong. Their plan almost worked.

Two of the campers immediately raised their hands and surrendered. The other two, including Walker, drew their guns and began firing. Quickly running out of ammunition, the outlaws were forced to make a run for it and were shot down as they tried to escape.

The two outlaws who surrendered were apprehended; their dead compatriots gave the posse quite a surprise. It seems the posse had not only brought down Joe Walker, but the leader of the Wild Bunch himself, Butch Cassidy. No doubt excited by their score, the posse made fast tracks to Thompson Springs.

A telegram sent from Thompson Springs to Utah governor Heber Manning Wells by J.R. Bush reads as follows:

“Came up with outlaws five this morning. Killed Joe Walker and Cassiday, captured Lay and one man. Have prisoners and dead men here. Send message to my house please. Sheriff Allred and posse did nobly. J.R. Bush”

The next day the headline rang off the pages of the Salt Lake City Tribune proclaiming, “Butch is Dead.”

Shultz and Thompson (Pearl Baker names these two as Mizzoo Shultz and Sang Thompson), the two men who were captured, identified the third man as John Herring or Herron. The June 10, 1898 edition of the Davis County Clipper reported the man’s name as Bill Johnson. Shultz and Thompson were later released when no evidence was produced connecting them the Whitmore theft.

An inquest was held to determine the identity of the second outlaw. Based on the testimony of Sheriff Allred and Emery County Sheriff Ebeneezer Tuttle, the body was determined to be that of Cassidy. Burial proceedings were set for both men.

Despite Allred and Tuttle’s confirmation of the body’s identity, several people came forward expressing doubts. Former Gunnison County Sheriff Cyrus “Doc” Shores and Sheriff John Ward of Evanston, Utah were called in for a second opinion.

While waiting for Shores and Ward, the bodies were scheduled for burial. The very much alive Butch Cassidy saw this as a unique opportunity to attend his own funeral. Enlisting the help of his friend Jim Sprouse, Cassidy hid in the back of a wagon while slowly riding past his own funeral. It’s been said that Cassidy was touched by the number of women crying over his death.

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