Butch Cassidy

by W. C. Jameson

  Robert Parker contemplated the invitation to go to America, weighing the advantages and disadvantages. He knew if he heeded the call to the mission, he would sorely miss England, his relatives, and friends, but his commitment to the church was strong and growing.

  Meanwhile, Robert’s job at the textile mill in the nearby town of Preston provided ample support for his family. For a time, young Maximillian, still a mere boy, was put to work in the mill. Unlike his father, Maxi, as he was called, hated the work. The drudgery and tedium of the repetitious tasks was not at all to his liking. One day, to the embarrassment of his father, Maxi simply walked away from the job. Though punished severely by the elder Parker, young Maxi refused to return to the mill.

  By this time, Robert Parker was an elder in the Mormon church and the head of a small mission in Preston. After lengthy deliberation and prayer, he ultimately decided the best thing for him and his growing family was to heed the call from Brigham Young and go to America. His skills as a weaver would be invaluable, and he was convinced the move would provide opportunities for his children they would not have in England.

  Robert sold his home, his furniture, and his small herd of cattle to raise the price of boat fare to America. On March 22, 1856, the entire Parker family boarded a ship, the Enoch Train, for the United States. With the Parkers were approximately 530 other Mormon immigrants, all ultimately bound for the region of the Great Salt Lake in Utah. The passage took five weeks. The ship finally arrived in Boston on April 30. Maxi was twelve years of age when he first stepped onto the shores of his new country. Following a trip to New York City, the group of Mormons boarded a train for Iowa City, Iowa, arriving May 12.

  At Iowa City, the immigrants became part of a group historians have since labeled the Handcart Pioneers. Here, they spent approximately one month in preparation for the long trip across the plains and mountains. Generally, wagon trains had been the normal mode of transporting groups of people to California and points in between. For reasons not entirely clear, leader Brigham Young was convinced simple handcarts would be faster and easier than wagons. These large, two-wheeled wagons were fitted with a pair of long poles that extended forward. A Saint would position himself or herself between the poles, strap on a harness similar to one designed for a mule, lift, and pull. Young reasoned that few of the Saints had enough money to purchase teams of oxen or mules. He also assumed and claimed they knew little about how to handle such animals. Furthermore, Young did not want the members of his flock spending their savings on what he considered expensive wagons and stock. He told them they needed to carry their savings with them to their destination.

  A large number of the handcarts were hastily constructed with green, unseasoned wood and poorly fashioned for such a long and rugged journey. As the lumber dried out in the arid environments of the West, many wagons broke apart, forcing migrants to abandon precious belongings along the trail and take only what they could carry on their backs.

  The first group of Handcart Pioneers, some 274 strong, departed Iowa City on June 9. The second group, called the MacArthur Company, left two days later and included 221 Mormons, among them the Parker family. While Robert pulled and young Maxi pushed the cart, the rest of the family walked alongside. In that manner they covered hundreds of miles across unfamiliar terrain.

  Late on the afternoon of July 1, the Parker family experienced disaster. As the adults of the MacArthur Company set up camp for the night and prepared dinner, the children scattered throughout the adjacent countryside to play. A sudden thundershower, however, sent them hurrying back to camp. As the Parker children gathered near the family cart in the pouring rain, Ann Parker noticed that Arthur, the fourth child, was missing. None of the other children remembered seeing him and a search was undertaken, one that extended well into the night and most of the following day. In spite of the missing child, the leader of the company, Elder MacArthur, ordered the party to pack up and continue their journey.

  After packing his wagon, Robert Parker sent his family along with the others and remained alone to continue the search for his son. Just before parting, Ann handed her husband a red shawl, telling him that if he found the child he was to wave it so she would know he was all right.

  For two more days, the Handcart Pioneers trudged westward. Ann Parker constantly scanned the trail behind them searching for sign of her husband and son. At night she prayed and cried, fearing the two had been captured or killed by Indians.

  On the evening of July 5 after camp was made and dinner served, Ann Parker walked to a low knoll where she knelt and prayed. When she had finished and rose to return to camp, she detected something moving in the distance far to the east. Though it was dusk and the light was dim, she recognized her husband’s gait. As she squinted into the distance, she saw another figure, this one smaller and wrapped in a red shawl, walking alongside Robert. It was Arthur. Her prayers had been answered.

  On July 15, another handcart company departed Iowa City for the valley of the Great Salt Lake. In this company was the Gillies family, originally from Scotland but most recently from England—Robert and Jane and their four children Moroni, Daniel, Christina, and Annie. Like the Parkers, the Gillies family converted to the Mormon faith while residing in England. As with the MacArthur Company that departed over a month earlier, this one faced similar tedium and the dangers of the long journey, including drought, Indians, and the deterioration of the poorly constructed handcarts. The company in which the Gillies traveled also ran low on food, and eventually each member was rationed less than one-half pound of flour per day.

  The MacArthur party of English, Danish, and Swedish converts crossed the Missouri River during late August 1856. Men, women, and children alike had long since tired of walking and pulling their belongings in the handcarts. They were also tiring of the fare; biscuits or corn bread and salt pork comprised almost every meal. As the hopes of the travelers flagged, Elder MacArthur tried to keep their spirits up, telling them the promised land of the valley of the Great Salt Lake was not far away.

  The party with which the Parkers traveled was still a long way from their goal when it was struck by October snowstorms along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. By the time they reached South Pass in Wyoming, blizzard-like conditions accompanied by temperatures well below zero and deep, nearly impassable snow drifts severely hampered travel and were responsible for a number of deaths. Of the approximately three thousand members of the church who undertook the 1,300-mile journey from Iowa City to the valley of the Great Salt Lake, at least 250 perished along the way.

  Robert and Ann Parker, along with their children, survived the terrible weather and continued their journey, walking and pulling their cart to Utah along with the surviving Mormon faithful. Eager to help, young Maximillian, still only twelve years old, did more than his share. On September 26, 1856, following over one hundred days of toil, they finally arrived at the valley of the Great Salt Lake. Seven members of the MacArthur Company died along the trail.

  An oft-told tale relative to the Parker journey overland to Salt Lake City has the elder Parker dying. In The Outlaw Trail: A History of Butch Cassidy and His Wild Bunch, originally published in 1938, Charles Kelly wrote, “Being one of the strongest men in the party, he was given a position well in the lead, where he helped break trail through deep snowdrifts.” Kelly goes on to relate that the “strenuous exertions on behalf of his starving and freezing family finally sapped his strength, and one bitter cold morning he was found dead in his blankets, almost within sight of the warm valley of the Green River.”

  Kelly’s yarn is characteristic of what many people think they know about Butch Cassidy’s origins. This tale, while certainly a dramatic and somewhat romantic one, lacks anything to do with the truth. Poorly researched publications such as Kelly’s have continued to generate misunderstanding relative to the lives and times of American outlaws in general and Butch Cassidy in particular.

  A few weeks after completing their journey to Salt Lake C
ity, the Parkers moved to a new settlement called American Fork, located approximately twenty-five miles to the south. Here, Robert Parker taught school for a time. Since there was a need for weavers, the church eventually encouraged him to move to the town of Beaver, some 175 miles south-southwest of Salt Lake City, where he went to work in a woolen mill, putting his weaving skills to good use. For a time, according to some researchers, young Maxi worked in the mill but, as in England, despised the tedium. As before, he ran away.

  Since winter was well under way in southern Utah and the Parkers had no time to construct a suitable cabin, they moved into a dugout. Life for the family that winter was miserable as the thatched, dirt roof leaked and rainwater and snowmelt poured into the pitiful dwelling. Many times, water collected on the floor and turned it into mud.

  Some time later, the Gillies family, having successfully completed the long journey to Salt Lake City, was also assigned to Beaver. The church determined that Robert Gillies’s skills as a carpenter and cabinetmaker were sorely needed in that region.

  When he grew older, young Maximillian was later appointed by the Mormon church to help guide additional wagon trains from St. Louis, Missouri, to the valley of the Great Salt Lake. He also worked for a time as a mailman. It has also been written that he served for a time in what has since come to be called the Black Hawk War, a series of skirmishes between Mormons and a loose confederation of Utes, Paiutes, and some Navajos led by Chief Black Hawk.

  Being residents of the same small town, it was inevitable that Maxi Parker would meet Annie Gillies. Though her real name was Annie, Maxi called her Ann. Ann was described as “a pretty, charming lass,” and she and young Maxi soon became friends and playmates.

  In 1865, when Robert and Ann Parker were sent by the church to help operate a new cotton mill constructed in Washington, Utah, Maxi stayed behind. According to his daughter Lula Parker Betenson, Maxi “had eyes only for Annie and wasn’t about to take chances on losing her.” The two were married on July 12, 1865. The first of thirteen children, Robert LeRoy Parker, destined to become the most famous member of the family, was born on April 13, 1866, according to Parker family documents.

  Robert and Ann Parker traveled the eighty miles from their home in Washington, Utah, to be present at the birth of their grandchild. Also present were the maternal grandparents, Robert and Jane Sinclair Gillies. The elder Parker held the baby Robert in his arms as the newborn was blessed and given his name.

  During his tenure as a mailman, Maxi often crossed Circle Valley, a broad, flat plain surrounded by mountains and through which ran the Sevier River. He was convinced the fertile land was quite suitable for growing crops and raising cattle. Importantly for Maxi, it looked like a fine place to raise a family.

  Maxi eventually purchased 160 acres in the valley from a man named James. The property was located some three miles south of Circleville, a small settlement near the confluence of Cottonwood Creek and the Sevier River, consisting of little more than a few Mormon residences and a schoolhouse. As soon as he was able, Parker moved his wife and six children into a two-room log cabin constructed near the base of a hill. The year was 1879, and young Robert was thirteen years old.

  One room of the cabin served as kitchen and living area, and the entire Parker family slept in the other, their beds being little more than pallets made from ticking stuffed with straw and corn husks. The floor was also covered with straw that, in turn, was topped with cloths and homemade rag carpets. Over time, a separate kitchen and two bedrooms were added.

  During the first year on the property, Maxi cleared the land, dug canals, and planted crops. His first agricultural effort yielded wheat, and despite high winds and other weather problems, he managed a harvest.

  The family endured freezing winters, severe droughts, and occasional floods. During the harsh winter of 1879–1880, they lost all but two of their cows, a disaster from which it took years to recover. But recover they did, and during the process Maxi managed to homestead additional property, adding more land to the family’s holdings.

  To help make ends meet, Maxi went to work cutting mine timbers at Frisco, a small mining town located just west of Beaver. He also hauled wood for charcoal near St. George, about one hundred miles from Circle Valley. In time, the Parker family grew to fourteen children.

  During this period, squatters were becoming a growing problem in that part of Utah. It was only a matter of time until Parker was forced to deal with them. Another family of Mormons had settled onto a portion of the new Parker homestead and began tilling the land and grazing livestock. Because little in the way of formal law enforcement existed in the region, and because Maxi was committed to following the rules established by the Mormon church, he reported the trespass to the local bishop and requested the squatters be required to leave. In a surprising decision, the bishop judged the newcomers more deserving of the land than Parker and awarded it to them.

  Parker had spent years, along with a great deal of energy and money, building this portion of his ranch only to have it taken away from him by the church authorities. Though Ann Parker was a devoted member of the faith, Maxi was lax about attending services. He also smoked cigarettes, which violated the rules of the Mormon church. Parker was convinced taking his land away from him was the church’s way of punishing him for his perceived transgressions. Angered by the unfair judgment, Maximillian Parker had little to do with the Mormon church thereafter.

  In spite of the setback, Parker remained a hardworking rancher and a good husband and father. As soon as he was old enough, young Robert began accompanying his father and helping with the chores.

  Robert Parker reveled in the time he spent with his father and in many ways patterned himself after Maxi. From his father, young Parker learned much about loyalty, a trait that characterized him in later years. He also learned about the value and virtue of hard work and completing a task. In time, he also came to share many more of his father’s attitudes, particularly those relating to the Mormon church.

  Robert also adored his mother and his siblings. He constantly saw to their welfare, entertained them, took them for horseback rides, found pets for them, and generally worked to be a contributing member of the large family.

  According to one researcher, young Robert Parker remained loyal to the Mormon church, even continuing to tithe the required 10 percent throughout his life. Most, however, do not share this contention. According to Robert’s sister, Lula Parker Betenson, the young boy stopped attending church services and, like his father, harbored contempt for the Mormon church as well as a disdain for religious hypocrites in general for the rest of his life.

  Robert LeRoy Parker, a smiling and happy son of Utah, was a third-generation Mormon and a member of a somewhat prominent family. This same lad who loved his family so much and was the pride of relatives and peers would grow up to become Butch Cassidy, noted rustler, train robber, and bank robber and one of America’s most famous outlaws.

  Two

  Youth

  Little is known about or even particularly noteworthy of Robert LeRoy Parker’s early youth save for his strong attachment to his family, a singular difficulty with the law, and a chance encounter with a man who was to influence him for the rest of his life.

  As young Robert grew up in the close-knit and hardworking Parker family, he reveled in the association with his father and enjoyed working side by side with him on the ranch. At an early age, Robert developed a fascination with horses that eventually led to the development of remarkable skills as they related to breaking, training, and riding. Even as an early teenager, young Parker manifested this talent.

  As the oldest child, Robert LeRoy Parker had a well-developed sense of responsibility and a special fondness and affection for his siblings. He often played with his brothers and sisters, and sometimes entertained them by performing tunes on the harmonica. In addition to his own family, other area youngsters enjoyed young Parker and often sought him out. With his own family, as well as with ch
ildren of neighboring ranchers, Parker was easygoing and patient.

  As he grew into his teenage years, the towheaded youth exhibited the deep-set blue eyes and square jaw of his mother. From his father, he inherited a sense of humor, determination, and dependability.

  Robert LeRoy Parker was a mere thirteen years of age when he experienced his first encounter with the law. Unfortunately for him, it turned out to be a negative one. At the time, he was working for a rancher named Pat Ryan not far from the town of Milford, located approximately forty miles northwest of Circleville. The Parker family had debts to pay, and in addition to farming and ranching, Maxi had taken on additional work cutting railroad ties and hauling timber. To help with the family expenses, young Robert decided to contribute, and he eventually secured a job on the Ryan Ranch. Ryan quickly grew impressed with the boy. Robert proved early he was capable of doing a man’s work, and he was dependable and intelligent.

  One payday, Robert decided he needed a new pair of overalls, so he rode into Milford to make the purchase. On arriving at the mercantile store, he was mildly annoyed to find it closed. Having already made the long journey into town and, not wanting to wait around for the owner to return, Parker gained entrance, selected a pair of overalls, and left a note promising to return another day with payment for the pants.

  This act, conducted with all the best intentions, was unacceptable to the store owner who immediately reported it as a theft. Two days later, lawmen arrested Parker. After the details were sorted out and it was eventually determined no serious crime had been committed, the youth was released.

  The incident left several important impressions on the boy. For the most part, he was concerned that the allegation of theft was embarrassing for his family, and he regretted the shame it may have cast upon them. Additionally, even though he was young and inexperienced in such things, Parker remained appalled at what he considered a bullying miscarriage of justice and appeared from that point on to harbor certain contempt for the law. Because he was brought up by his family to be honest and forthcoming, he presumed in his youthful naïveté that everyone else was also, that others would understand and appreciate such things in their fellow man. The boy’s lack of worldly experience was in part responsible for his cultivation of this embryonic idealism. This was soon to change.