by Saran Essex
The Outlaw Legend Begins
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid have given up robbing banks and trains and are now ranch owners, and are waiting to hear from the Governor of Wyoming about a possible pardon. While in Buffalo, Wyoming, to buy supplies, they have an unfortunate encounter with Luther Greeley, an outlaw from a rival gang based at Hole-in-the-Wall, during which Sundance is badly wounded. Butch takes him to the nearby home of a friend to recover.
As a worried Butch watches over his injured partner, he thinks back to their first meeting and to the events that led up to their partnership. It all began in the town of Green River, Wyoming, and a chance meeting between them when they were young, then using their names Leroy and Lonzo. . . .
By the same author
Bitter Creek Ranch
The Outlaw Legend Begins
Saran Essex
ROBERT HALE
© Saran Essex 2018
First published in Great Britain 2018
ISBN 978-0-7198-2699-3
The Crowood Press
The Stable Block
Crowood Lane
Ramsbury
Marlborough
Wiltshire SN8 2HR
www.bhwesterns.com
Robert Hale is an imprint of The Crowood Press
The right of Saran Essex to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her
in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
All rights reserved. This e-book is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
For Floss, Sandy, Jason and Roxy
CHAPTER 1
Robert Leroy Parker, alias Butch Cassidy the outlaw, knew that the brown-haired, scar-faced man had recognized him. It was a pleasant afternoon in Buffalo, Wyoming, sunny and dry, and with a light mist over the mountains.
Luther Greeley had been crossing the street as Butch was strolling along the wooden sidewalk towards the livery stable to meet up with his partner, Harry Alonzo Longbaugh, alias the Sundance Kid. Greeley’s sullen, deep-set eyes had glowered straight into Butch’s own, but then the man had turned away, and walked on down the street without doing or saying anything – but Butch was certain that Greeley had recognized him. A couple of years earlier, Sundance had beaten Greeley to a draw and wounded him in the shoulder, and Greeley had sworn revenge on him.
Luther Greeley was an outlaw and a cruel man. He used to be a member of an outlaw gang that was based at the remote hideout of Hole-in-the-Wall, Wyoming, at the same time as Butch and Sundance and their gang also used the hideout. This outlaw gang was envious of Butch and Sundance’s success with their robberies, and of their fame, and had often tried to pick fights with them, especially Greeley; Greeley was also resentful of Sundance’s reputation of being fast with a gun, and had challenged him to the draw.
Butch knew that the venomous and black-hearted Greeley was not the kind of man to forget about the incident, and that he would gladly shoot both Butch and Sundance in the back without any qualms.
Butch and Sundance were in the town of Buffalo to buy supplies. The two men were outlaws and were wanted by the law, but they were also the owners of Bitter Creek Ranch in the Big Horn Mountain country of Wyoming, and for more than a year had not carried out any bank or train robberies. They were waiting to hear from their governor friend, Jacob Hurley, about a possible pardon being granted to them in Wyoming.
Their feelings regarding the pardon were mixed. They enjoyed ranching and were proud of their ranch, which had been left to them by a deceased friend, but the two of them knew that, deep down inside, they both possessed a bold and restless spirit, and that adventure and risk taking was what they loved best. Sooner or later, the need for adventure and danger would become too overwhelming for them to resist – but for the time being, they were law-abiding ranchers. Maybe they would get the pardon and settle down to an honest way of living – but it was a big ‘maybe’.
Butch had carried on walking up to the livery stable after his surprise encounter with Greeley, but he didn’t find Sundance waiting either inside or outside the stable. The partners had split up after buying the supplies they needed: Sundance had gone off to pay a visit to a lady friend of his who worked at a hotel in the town, while Butch had gone for a wander round the town and to speak to some of his friends. Butch and Sundance had friends in a lot of towns and places in the west and in other areas of the country, and in every kind of business.
Butch stared anxiously up the street. He wasn’t a man who panicked, but even so, he would be glad to get out of town, and away from Luther Greeley. He breathed easier when he caught sight of Sundance sauntering along the sidewalk towards him. It may not have been obvious to anyone else, but as Sundance walked nearer to Butch, he could tell just by looking at Butch’s stance that something was worrying his partner.
The two men had a unique bond of friendship. They were kindred spirits and could easily read each other’s thoughts. They had been through a lot of dangerous situations together, and they now thought of themselves as family, and would willingly sacrifice their lives for each other.
‘I just saw Luther Greeley!’ Butch said in an urgent tone to The Kid as Sundance reached him, ‘Let’s get out of here!’
Butch always tried to avoid trouble whenever possible. Like his partner, he had a completely fearless nature, but unlike Sundance, he did his best to avoid confrontations. Sundance wouldn’t start a fight, but if someone else wanted one, then he would happily oblige them.
Sundance glanced around the street to see if there was any sign of Greeley. All he saw were a few of the town folk going in and out of the varied stores and saloons on both sides of the dusty street, and horses tied to the hitching rails. He was frowning, however, as he followed Butch into the stable. His uncanny instincts were telling him that Greeley might be hiding somewhere and watching them.
Butch and Sundance led their horses out of the stable. Butch quickly jumped astride his mount and urged Sundance to follow. Sundance groaned to himself; he was in fact quite willing to face up to Luther Greeley, though he understood how Butch felt. He wouldn’t intentionally do anything to cause anxiety to his partner, and maybe Butch’s thinking was right: the town of Buffalo wasn’t a good place for a confrontation of any kind, especially if they wanted to get the pardon.
Sundance swung up into the saddle, but he still couldn’t shake off the feeling that Greeley might be watching them from some hidden vantage point. He took a quick look behind him before urging his horse to follow after Butch, who had started to ride away. The street, Sundance noticed as he glanced behind him, was now fairly deserted – just a couple of men walking along the wooden sidewalk – but Sundance purposely kept his horse back behind Butch: he wanted to be able to protect his partner if Greeley did suddenly spring out behind them and start firing.
Having caught Butch’s eye with his penetrating stare, Luther Greeley had pretended not to recognize him, and had carried on walking down the street – but unbeknown to Butch, he had dashed down a side alley and waited. He had hidden behind some barrels, and watched as Sundance strolled past the entrance to the alley on his way to the livery stable. He could have opened fire on Sundance at that moment, but he wanted to kill both of the outlaws, and he wanted to wait until they were together before springing out from the alley to surprise them and shoot the
m down.
A split second after Sundance had glanced behind him and, having seen no danger, had started to ride after Butch, Greeley sprang out of the alley. He stood about ten feet behind the departing outlaws, and with a malicious grin on his face, aimed his gun and fired twice. The bullets whizzed over their heads, and Sundance instantly swung his horse around to fire on Greeley.
Some curious and concerned townspeople, having heard the gunshots, emerged out of doorways on to the street. Among them was the town sheriff. Sundance’s keen eyes had quickly spotted the townspeople and the sheriff emerging into the street, and he did not shoot to kill or even to injure Greeley, as the last thing he wanted was an irate sheriff and posse giving chase after him and Butch. He therefore fired two rapid shots at Greeley’s feet.
The bullets kicked up dust and dirt. Greeley stepped back a pace and opened fire once more. His gun spat flame almost at the same instant as Sundance also fired his weapon again. Sundance’s bullet struck the ground near to Greeley’s feet, kicking up more dirt and dust that flew into Greeley’s face and eyes, causing the man to cough and rub his eyes. But Greeley’s bullet struck Sundance in the chest.
Sundance gasped with the shock and the sudden, intense burning pain. Blood started to gush out of his chest wound. When Butch heard his partner gasp he pulled up his mount and looked back at him in alarm.
‘Sundance!’ he cried out.
Sundance ignored the searing pain that was raging through his chest and yelled at Butch to keep riding, but Butch refused to do so: he wasn’t going anywhere without his partner. Sundance knew this, and he also knew that to keep Butch from possibly getting shot by Greeley, he would have to try and cover up the fact that he was maybe badly injured and losing a lot of blood.
He kept his arm in front of his chest as he rode up closer to Butch so that his partner would not see the blood, and he tried to avoid Butch’s eyes. He nodded to Butch to indicate that he was fine, and the two men spurred their horses into a fast gallop.
Greeley stopped coughing and rubbing his eyes to fire a shot after them. The town sheriff, holding his gun in his hand, came running up the street behind Greeley, and shouted at him to stop shooting and to drop his weapon. Greeley, foolishly, spun round on the lawman, ready to open fire – and the sheriff shot him through the heart.
Butch and Sundance had been riding for nearly five miles since leaving Buffalo, and increasingly Sundance, weak from loss of blood and in considerable pain, was unable to keep up the pace. He was dropping further and further behind Butch, and was so weak that he was almost falling from the saddle. Butch soon became aware that he couldn’t hear The Kid’s horse galloping hard behind him, and as he turned his own horse around, he saw the distress that his partner was in. Fear was tearing at his heart as he galloped up to Sundance. He reached over and caught hold of his partner before he fell from his horse.
‘Sundance!’ Butch breathed out in alarm when he saw the blood gushing from the hole in Sundance’s chest, and cursed himself for not realizing how badly hurt he was. He should have known that his partner would try to hide his injury so that they could get away from Greeley.
Holding on to Sundance, Butch knew there was no time to lose, that his partner’s wound needed urgent attention. Luckily there was a place about a mile to the east of their present location where he could take Sundance to have his wound taken care of, a small homestead belonging to Jerome Arnott and his wife and young son. Arnott was a friend of the two outlaws, and he had worked as a doctor’s assistant in the past.
They had to ride at a walking pace, and Butch had to hold Sundance in the saddle the whole time, so for Butch it seemed hours before they reached Arnott’s cabin. Outside the cabin door Butch called out for help, and fortunately Arnott heard him and came running out. The now unconscious Sundance was carried into the back bedroom where Arnott’s young son, Tommy, slept, and was placed on the boy’s bed. Tommy was ordered out of the room while Arnott and his wife, Ellen, examined Sundance’s wound.
It was found that the bullet had cracked a rib in The Kid’s chest, but had luckily missed vital organs, and had made its exit out through Sundance’s back. Arnott bathed the injury with hot water, then stitched it up, and bandaged Sundance’s chest.
As Butch watched Jerome tending to his partner, he felt immense waves of fear surging through him. He knew how badly hurt his friend was, and he could not face the possibility of losing him.
‘Will he be OK?’ Butch asked shakily, when Arnott had finished the bandaging.
Arnott’s eyes were grave as he looked at Butch. He had known the outlaws for a few years, and they had been good friends to him and his family. They had worked for Arnott on his homestead, and had asked for nothing in return.
‘I don’t know,’ Arnott answered quietly, ‘He’s lost a lot of blood, but he’s tough, and if he makes it through the night, then he might have a chance of pulling through.’
Butch lowered his head. Tears welled up in his eyes.
Arnott sat with Butch for a while keeping vigil beside the bed where Sundance lay barely breathing, and Butch told him about Luther Greeley shooting his partner, and that he was worried that Greeley might still be in Buffalo and that he would come looking for them. He did not know that Greeley had been shot and killed by the sheriff.
Arnott scratched his chin and said thoughtfully, ‘I’ll ride into Buffalo in the morning and speak to some of the townspeople, and see if I can find out if Greeley is still in the town.’
Butch said, ‘OK, but be careful’ – and so Arnott left the room.
Left alone with his wounded partner, Butch stared at him despairingly. The Kid’s face was deathly pale, his eyes firmly closed, and his chest rose and fell feebly. Butch spoke softly to him, imploring him to live. The Kid was tough, Butch knew this better than anyone, and he had seen him get through worse than this, but the terrible dread in his heart did not diminish, and tears began to spill from his eyes. He placed his head in his hands, and his shoulders shook as he silently wept.
Night drew on, and the bedroom became blanketed in darkness. Butch lifted his head and wiped his eyes on his sleeve. Arnott entered the room and lit the oil lamp, and told Butch that Tommy would be sleeping in his parents’ bedroom. He then checked on Sundance’s condition before looking closely at Butch. The outlaw looked shattered, and his eyes were red-rimmed.
Arnott squeezed Butch’s shoulder in a gesture of comfort, and before leaving the room, glanced across at Sundance and said: ‘Sundance is a fighter, he don’t let nothing beat him – try talking to him, it might help bring him round. . . .’ He closed the door, and through the dim, flickering glow of the oil lamp, Butch stared fearfully at The Kid, watching the weak rise and fall of his chest.
He spoke to Sundance several times, telling him in a trembling voice that he had to pull through. There was no response from The Kid, who lay as still as death and scarcely breathing. Tears welled up in Butch’s eyes again. He began to think back to the time when he and Sundance had first met.
Arnott’s words echoed in his mind: ‘. . . try talking to him . . . .’ – and as Butch stared at Sundance through tear-filled eyes, he decided he would do this, would try talking to his partner, and would narrate to him the story of how they had first met.
Speaking out loud in a shaky voice, Butch began to tell the story of how he had first met Sundance, and of all the events leading up to their eventual partnership. Their friendship, and then later their partnership, began when they met as two young men, then going by the names of Leroy and Lonzo, in a saloon in the town of Green River, Wyoming.
CHAPTER 2
It was mid-afternoon in the railroad town of Green River, Wyoming, and the two young men trotting their horses down the dusty street were Robert Leroy Parker and Emmett Layne. The town was named after the Green River which flowed nearby, and the two men knew the town quite well. They were riding through it on their way to work at the ranch of Caleb Baxter, a friend of theirs. Baxter’s ranch was located
in a remote valley known as Browns Hole, and Leroy and Emmett had worked for him several times in the past two years.
They trotted past a general store, then pulled their horses to a stop at the hitch rail of a saloon. They dismounted and tied them to the hitch rail, brushed down their dust-streaked clothes, and pushed through the batwing doors. The saloon was a small, nondescript place, and Leroy and Emmett had visited it a few times in the past. It wasn’t a particular favourite of theirs as the bartender and owner, Elias Mangold (who happened to be a friend of Caleb Baxter), was sometimes quite surly, but they had felt in need of a whiskey, and it was the first saloon along the street.
Robert Leroy Parker, who went by his second name of Leroy, was five feet eleven inches tall and twenty-two years old. He had a lean and wiry physique, light blond, wavy hair, and pleasant, attractive facial features. He had a bright charismatic smile, and vivid kingfisher-blue eyes. He had been raised in Circleville, Utah, and was the oldest of thirteen children. He was adventurous and friendly by nature.
Leroy’s friend and partner, Emmett Layne, was a year older than Leroy and about the same height. He had reddish-brown hair, and was of a slim build.
The two men had first met when Leroy was fifteen years old, and Emmett’s family had bought a homestead near to where Leroy’s family lived in Circleville. They had quickly become friends, and two years later, left their homes together to look for work. Their first job was at the ranch of a nearby neighbour, Dan Marshall, and while working at Marshall’s ranch, they had met a man named Mike Cassidy. Mike was in his late thirties, and he took a liking to Leroy and Emmett. He taught them a lot about ranching and shooting – and also about cattle rustling.
