INSCRIBED/COPY NUMBERED #109 by AUTHOR. BRO-DART COVER. V/G/V/G+ DJ, LIKE NEW BOOK. 1977 University of Oklahoma Press hardcover, Larry Pointer (Rodeo Eight Memorable Moments in Riding, Wrestling, and Roping). Who was Butch Cassidy? He was born Robert LeRoy Parker in 1866 in Utah. And, as everyone knows, after years of operating with a sometime gang of outlaws known as the Wild Bunch, he and the Sundance Kid escaped to South America, only to die in a 1908 shootout with a Bolivian cavalry troop. - Amazon
Larry Pointer presents evidence that Butch Cassidy was not killed in Bolivia, but rather returned to the United States and lived out his life in the Seattle area under the assumed name William Phillips. He has me convinced.
I had already heard stories from my brother-in-law about one of his ancestors who had received a visit from Butch Cassidy at a ranch house in Southern Utah, sometime after Butch had been reported dead. This book shows it was possible.
I found this book fascinating. Born Robert LeRoy Parker of Mormon parents. He became a cowhand as well as an outlaw. When things got too hot, he went to Argentina to ranch. This author claims and offers supporting evidence that Sun Dance Kid was killed there when they started robbing mining payroll trains, but that Butch Cassidy escaped. He lived until about 1937 in Spokane, WA as William T. Phillips.
A frustrating book as the conclusions are still speculation. It is also difficult to keep track of all the outlaws in the book as they are mentioned when they intersect with Cassidy’s story, but their characters are not developed and there are few references to help you remember who is who. Still, if you follow Butch Cassidy at all, there is plenty of interesting theories here to keep the mystery alive.
Larry Pointer makes a compelling case that not only did Butch Cassidy not die in a Bolivian shoot out, but, made it back to the United States and lived a very long and successful life in Washington state. This is an extremely well researched book. It was written at a time (originally published in 1977)when eye witnesses still graced this earth and it is very interesting being a witness to their recall.