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Authors: W. C. Jameson
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employees, and generally become acquainted with the personnel and their habits. Furthermore, they cached food and fresh mounts at strategic locations along the escape route, thus ensuring they would easily outdistance pursuing posses, most of which were hastily assembled and poorly equipped. During subsequent train robberies, dynamite was often employed to open up locked payroll cars and safes.
During the first week of August, Butch Cassidy, Elzy Lay, and a friend named Bub Meeks (sometimes reported as Bob Meeks) arrived in the Montpelier area and found work cutting hay at a nearby ranch. When the opportunity arose, the three rode into town and familiarized themselves with the hours and operations of the bank. Like Cassidy and Lay, Meeks was another wayward Mormon.
A few minutes past three o’clock on the afternoon of August 13, 1896, Cassidy, Lay, and Meeks rode into Montpelier and reined their horses up in front of the town’s only bank. As Meeks held the horses, Cassidy and Lay, pulling bandanas over their faces and drawing revolvers, entered the financial establishment. Once inside, they noted a pair of cashiers and three or four customers. Hardly pausing, the two men announced that a robbery was about to take place and ordered everyone to raise their hands and place their faces against a nearby wall.
Some writers insist Meeks led the three mounts to the rear of the bank, while others are just as certain he remained near the front entrance. According to author Pat Wilde, an assistant cashier named A. M. “Bud” McIntosh observed a man holding horses at the front of the bank while the robbery was in progress.
Cassidy stood near the front door and guarded the customers as Lay, pulling a canvas sack from his belt, walked behind the cashier’s cage and ordered McIntosh to place all of the bills into the sack. McIntosh told the robber there wasn’t any currency. In response, Lay called him a liar and struck him across the forehead with the barrel of his revolver. Cassidy, witnessing the incident, admonished Lay and told him not to hurt anyone. Bleeding from his wound, McIntosh emptied the bills out of his cash drawer and passed them to Lay who, in turn, stuffed them into the sack. Lay then walked into the open vault, grabbed more currency, and added it to the rest. As he prepared to return to the front of the bank, he spotted some gold coins behind the counter and hurriedly scooped them into a cloth bank bag he found nearby. After adding a few silver coins he found on McIntosh’s counter, he rejoined Cassidy near the door.
While Cassidy held his gun on the customers, Lay walked out, tied the loot to his saddles, and mounted up. Cassidy then backed out, warning those inside not to move for ten minutes.
Once outside, Cassidy vaulted onto his mount. The three outlaws rode slowly out of town trying not to arouse suspicion. Once they passed beyond the town’s limits, they spurred their horses into a gallop and fled northeast toward Montpelier Canyon. A deputy sheriff named Fred Cruickshank jumped on a bicycle and gave chase but was easily outdistanced by the robbers.
Within an hour of the holdup, a somewhat unwilling posse was formed and set out in pursuit of the outlaws. In Montpelier Canyon, Cassidy, Lay, and Meeks switched to different horses they had hidden nearby the previous day. With fresh mounts, the trio quickly outdistanced the pursuing posse, which eventually gave up and returned to town.
The following day, Cassidy, Lay, and Meeks counted the take and discovered they were considerably richer. Estimates of the robbery loot range from $7,000 to more than $30,000, with most researchers leaning toward the higher amount. The outlaws then split up. Cassidy and Lay rode straight to Douglas Preston’s office in Rock Springs and paid him a handsome advance to defend Matt Warner. Preston, a Wyoming lawyer, was not allowed to practice in Utah, so he hired two able attorneys from that state—D. N. Straupp and
During the first week of August, Butch Cassidy, Elzy Lay, and a friend named Bub Meeks (sometimes reported as Bob Meeks) arrived in the Montpelier area and found work cutting hay at a nearby ranch. When the opportunity arose, the three rode into town and familiarized themselves with the hours and operations of the bank. Like Cassidy and Lay, Meeks was another wayward Mormon.
A few minutes past three o’clock on the afternoon of August 13, 1896, Cassidy, Lay, and Meeks rode into Montpelier and reined their horses up in front of the town’s only bank. As Meeks held the horses, Cassidy and Lay, pulling bandanas over their faces and drawing revolvers, entered the financial establishment. Once inside, they noted a pair of cashiers and three or four customers. Hardly pausing, the two men announced that a robbery was about to take place and ordered everyone to raise their hands and place their faces against a nearby wall.
Some writers insist Meeks led the three mounts to the rear of the bank, while others are just as certain he remained near the front entrance. According to author Pat Wilde, an assistant cashier named A. M. “Bud” McIntosh observed a man holding horses at the front of the bank while the robbery was in progress.
Cassidy stood near the front door and guarded the customers as Lay, pulling a canvas sack from his belt, walked behind the cashier’s cage and ordered McIntosh to place all of the bills into the sack. McIntosh told the robber there wasn’t any currency. In response, Lay called him a liar and struck him across the forehead with the barrel of his revolver. Cassidy, witnessing the incident, admonished Lay and told him not to hurt anyone. Bleeding from his wound, McIntosh emptied the bills out of his cash drawer and passed them to Lay who, in turn, stuffed them into the sack. Lay then walked into the open vault, grabbed more currency, and added it to the rest. As he prepared to return to the front of the bank, he spotted some gold coins behind the counter and hurriedly scooped them into a cloth bank bag he found nearby. After adding a few silver coins he found on McIntosh’s counter, he rejoined Cassidy near the door.
While Cassidy held his gun on the customers, Lay walked out, tied the loot to his saddles, and mounted up. Cassidy then backed out, warning those inside not to move for ten minutes.
Once outside, Cassidy vaulted onto his mount. The three outlaws rode slowly out of town trying not to arouse suspicion. Once they passed beyond the town’s limits, they spurred their horses into a gallop and fled northeast toward Montpelier Canyon. A deputy sheriff named Fred Cruickshank jumped on a bicycle and gave chase but was easily outdistanced by the robbers.
Within an hour of the holdup, a somewhat unwilling posse was formed and set out in pursuit of the outlaws. In Montpelier Canyon, Cassidy, Lay, and Meeks switched to different horses they had hidden nearby the previous day. With fresh mounts, the trio quickly outdistanced the pursuing posse, which eventually gave up and returned to town.
The following day, Cassidy, Lay, and Meeks counted the take and discovered they were considerably richer. Estimates of the robbery loot range from $7,000 to more than $30,000, with most researchers leaning toward the higher amount. The outlaws then split up. Cassidy and Lay rode straight to Douglas Preston’s office in Rock Springs and paid him a handsome advance to defend Matt Warner. Preston, a Wyoming lawyer, was not allowed to practice in Utah, so he hired two able attorneys from that state—D. N. Straupp and
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