Last of the Bandit Riders...Revisited

by Matt Warner, Joyce Warner, Steve Lacy

One of the classic biographies of a western outlaw, LAST OF THE BANDIT RIDERS has been reprinted in a large trade edition, with dozens of photographs, maps, newspaper accounts and letters added to the original text. The book features a letter written by Butch Cassidy and sent to Matt Warner along with three photographs in 1937, providing a convincing argument that Butch returned from South America and lived out his life in the United States.

Genres: History

186 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2000

Reviews

[Adam Rodgers · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most fascinating books I've ever read. I love stories about the Old West, and especially this one because the adventures in this book are straight from Matt Warner, who was an outlaw & partners with Butch Cassidy, among others. It was really fun to read about how they successfully (sometimes) robbed banks & trains & were able to outrun & outsmart the local lawmen. The end of the book provides some very good evidence that Butch Cassidy got in touch with Matt Warner's family decades after he was supposed to have been killed in South America.

[Reese · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is wonderful and I appreciate how direct it is in acknowledging what it is and what it lacks.

My grandfather was born and raised in Ferron, Utah, in 1930 and used to love spending time on "the Swell." He told us so many stories. This book awakened something deep within my soul and I yern to be out on that desert, though I am no cowboy and would likely die.

Being born and raised in Utah, the names and locations in this book are known to me, which made them feel familiar. The possibility that Buth Cassidy lived into the 1940s is thrilling.

[SoulGlobe · Rating 4 out of 5]

　　作者親身體驗的生平經歷足夠吸睛，可敘述上搭配其他傳記，會讓人不禁懷疑作者是否有年邁導致的片段遺忘，但仍然不失為強盜知識學習的管道之一！

[Carol Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marvelous True Tales of the Old West

I loved this book. It is full of photographs, letters, maps, documents, and exciting recollections of nostalgic times in the Old West. It reads like a collection of tall tales but they are confirmed true events in history.

"A man who has had an outlaw past is never safe, no matter how straight he goes afterwards. That's the price he pays. Something out of his past life may raise up against him and wreck his life any time."

Willard Erastus Christiansen, alias Matt Warner, was born on April 12, 1864 in Ephraim, Utah and gives us his personal account of living the outlaw life when horses were the major mode of transportation. He tells of:

~ his adventurous exploits from cattle rustling to robbing banks to train holdups and dynamiting safes with outlaw friends that include Butch Cassidy and Tom McCarty

~ near death brushes with the law

~ marriage and children and attempts to leave the outlaw life and how past wrong deeds follow a man, making it nearly impossible to lead an honest life

~ navigating a rapidly changing world that includes railroads and telegraphs; where money and lawyers can save your skin better than a jailbreak can

~ dealings with corrupt lawmen and honest lawmen and what it takes to reform a bandit

~ touching relationships inside and outside the law

~ what became of his outlaw friends and most particularly, that Butch Cassidy did not die in South America but returned to the USA and lived a long life

~ of keeping a vow to live an honest life and doing so for nearly 40 years as "one of the best Deputy Sheriffs, police officers, and Justices of the Peace Carbon County has ever known."

This is a rousing, extraordinary look at life on the wrong side of the law during the late 1800's that stretches from Utah to Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. It is a marvelous piece of our regional history.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I enjoyed learning about the different bandits of the Old West. What I found fascinating was the different places in which they hid from the law. Since I spend many Saturday's throughout the year on horseback, I have had the chance to visit several of the locations that were hideouts and it really gets you thinking about the history that your are revisiting.

[Katrina Merrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not into "cowboy" type stuff, but I hated to put this book down. It's a true story about Matt Warner and some of his hideouts are in places I've been. He hung out with Butch Cassidy too. A lake in Utah is named after Matt Warner where my husband fished regularly and he never even knew it was named after a person.
P.S. I read the original version, not the revisited one.