Butch and Sundance: Elzy Gets Sent Up and the Wild West Is Getting Tamed.
Howdy folks and greetings from the Great Plains of North Texas!
We're in the middle of a series about two of America's most famous and successful outlaws, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. In yesterday's post the railroads had hired the Pinkerton Detective Agency to hunt down the Wild Bunch and there's also put a bounty on their heads for $3,000 Dead or Alive.
So the pressure and heat were increasing. Butch stayed at the ranch he'd been working at in New Mexico, apparently minding his own business and keeping his nose clean. lol..except for planning famous train robberies!
The Pinkertons show up
One day the owner of the ranch was approached by a Pinkerton agent who showed him photos and asked if he knew any of the men in the photos. He recognized Butch and the agent informed him that he had just identified the leader of the notorious Wild Bunch. The rancher was shocked and wondered if his place had become a refuge for other gang members.
The next day he approached Butch and told him about the visit from the Pinkerton agent. Butch was calm but knew that he had to move on, it wouldn't be long before an army of law enforcement showed up at the ranch. His good friend Elzy Lay had been working at the ranch with him all this time but had moved out and moved on before the Pinkerton agent showed up.
Big trouble for Elzy
Elzy, Harvey Logan, News Carver and another well known outlaw named Sam Ketchum had robbed a train but the posse caught up with them and a gun battle ensued. Ketchum and Elzy were wounded and the Sheriff was killed. After they were arrested Ketchum died from his wounds.
Harvey Logan and News Carver were able to escape.
News and Harvey were regular gang members, they're the ones standing in back, News on the left, Harvey on the right. Harvey was the most dangerous of the bunch.
Elzy was charged with murder even though there was no evidence that he was the one who fired the shot that killed the Sheriff. Nevertheless he was found guilty at the trial and sentenced to life in prison. Evidently as the only member of the Wild Bunch who'd been caught and tried, they wanted to send a message.
Here's Elzy in prison, probably taken during an interview:
Butch was said to be highly distraught about this, Elzy was his best friend. Elzy wasn't too thrilled neither. Especially when his wife Maude divorced him. Can't blame her though. She probably thought his outlaw days were behind him because he'd been working steady at that ranch for a couple of years.
The year was 1900
The 20th Century was the dawn of a new age of technological marvels. Electricity, the telephone, motorized vehicles, roadway networks, AC motors, the Kodak camera... railroads connecting more cities and reaching into every region of the country.
Law enforcement used the telegraph and telephone communication systems, wanted posters were produced on high speed printing presses and distributed everywhere in a short time frame.
The railroads hired their own gangs of gunfighters with high-powered rifles. The express cars holding the safes were fortified and armored. They had special high-speed trains outfitted with box cars with horses to use in the chase.
Bottom line: Outlaws were no longer facing a local posse they had to outpace, they were now facing a SYSTEM which was connected from shore to shore. And in Butch's case, his gang was no longer facing a local Sheriff with a group of farmers and shop keepers in a hastily thrown together posse.
They were now facing Pinkertons...men who were professional trackers using the latest technology with unlimited resources. Outlaws who could rob and stay out of the reach of the law were about as scarce as hen's teeth.
The Wild West was definitely being tamed. The question is, how was Butch going to handle it?
Thanks for reading folks, God bless you all!
-jonboy Texas
the gentleman redneck
PS- Something you will NEVER hear a redneck say:
I'll take Shakespeare for 1000, Alex.
So modernization and technology kind of screwed the outlaws in the end. It was smart taking their own horse on the trains so they could follow any outlaws that attacked them. The first time this happened someone must have been caught out and shocked at the speedy response.
Exactly sir cryptoandcoffee! It had to freak them out and a hard way to learn! It took many years of being robbed but the railroads finally got smart!
Yes sir. The 20th Century was not good for the individual type outlaws. The best bandits of the 20th Century were industrialists and bankers. They stole and plundered and killed on a scale that the solos couldn't match.
Even with the Pinkertons (who had exactly 0 restraints on themselves) the boys had a couple of small advantages. They knew a couple of really desolate place very well and could get in and out directly where others had to find their way. And they were motivated to stay out of jail.
Both of my Grandfathers were very young in 1900, in fact, one Grandmother hadn't been born yet. But the rise of law and order in the west allowed both of them to pursue their lives in the far west without much fear.
I'm still really liking your series. Masterfully told.
Howdy sir bigtom13! "The best bandits of the 20th Century were industrialists and bankers." lol..ain't THAT the truth. They owned politicians and eliminated enemies and competition at will, got legislation passed that favored them and on and on, so true!
So by the year 1900 your Grandparents were able to live in the West with not much fear of survival. That's interesting, what area, Arizona close to where you are?
Thank you sir for the kind words, there's so much information to go through but I don't want it to be boring so I try to hit the high points and major events.
By 1900 I think both of them were in the Portland, Or. area. My Dad's dad was newly immigrated from Russia and was in school there. He completed grade 3 before he went to work. Learned pretty passable English. By 1906 he had homesteaded a place near where his future in laws homesteaded in Eastern Wa.
My Mom's Dad was going to school for sure-got his HS diploma then did 4 years in the Navy before starting his 'real life'. He was a fireman (shoveled coal) on the original Iowa as it went around the world with the "Great White Wave". Had to be a pretty miserable job. He went to work for JC Penney when he got out of the Navy, met and married my Grandmother while working at The Dalles, Or. My Mom's oldest sister was born in Athena, Or. The next one was born in LaGrande Or and my mother was born in Pendelton before the family moved to Davenport Wa to stay.
Wow sir bigtom you sure got your family history down, that's an amazing legacy too!
Thanks for using eSteem!
Your post has been voted as a part of eSteem encouragement program. Keep up the good work! Install Android, iOS Mobile app or Windows, Mac, Linux Surfer app, if you haven't already!
Learn more: https://esteem.app
Join our discord: https://discord.gg/8eHupPq
Howdy esteemapp! Thanks so much for the upvote and for the excellent platform!
Morning janton, oops go too jail for life and your wife is out of there. A clever woman? I suppose it was tough for a woman to survive on her own .
Howdy angiemitchell! Yes, I think she was sick and tired of his outlaw ways. He actually has something miraculous happen to him and he gets pardoned but I will tell that story at the end of my series. Women had very few ways to earn a living back then.
Things did change quickly and dramatically. Not a good time to be a horseback riding outlaw!
haha! exactly Melinda! Many historians refer to Butch and Sundance as "the last outlaws" because of the modern developments and infrastructure which made their old cowboy style obsolete.
How are you today and tonight? I was so shocked when I saw the league results, that was not supposed to happen. I need to find out when the league shut off time on Saturday night is for us because the only thing I can figure happened is that I didn't wait long enough last night, I hit it hard last night thinking I was starting a new week.
Asher said in the comments that the cutoff time is about an hour before he makes the EL post. So yep, all your hard work on Saturday got included in last week's numbers.
I guess after Butch and Sundance it was Al Capone and Bonnie and Clyde, huh?
oh no! do we know when he makes his post? It's not the same time every week is it?
Now I feel bad. I wanted you or her to win but I'm sure it would mean alot to her.
shoot, I know brittandjosie wanted to win it at least once. well, I'll have to step way back again but then I'm not the only one, this week I know a couple of people would have won if they were up at their tops recently.
yes as far as the outlaws, I did think of Al Capone and Bonnie and Clyde!
My grandfather on my dad's side has long passed over but he was born in 1900. The time he was born it was really wild. lol
Enjoyed your post as usual @janton.
Howdy tonight rebeccabe! wow 1900! That was indeed a wild time, the old west was ending and civilization was exploding! haha, have you posted recently?
yes sir @janton..
also posted my first dpoll tonight .. lol
Things are getting tough for the boys, that's for sure. Sounds like banks might be a lot easier than trains at this point!
Sorry, I have to hold off on voting for a bit. I still haven't recovered from Feathered Friday, and now I have Mountain Monday coming, and I'm down at 80%. Looks like I might have to follow your lead and lease some steem!
howdy back sir keith! yeah mine is down to 74%...it's crazy and it shouldn't be that way but spending alot on leasing is the only way to do any kind of volume as far as talking to people and I want to be able to give everyone at least one lousy cent! lol.
but yes, don't worry about voting, like you said the other day..the only way to really earn is with vote bots. Unless you keep getting curied or attract a whale.
Oh, the banks, thanks for reminding me, I forgot to mention that the banks were finally getting security conscious. I'll mention that in the next post.
Two contests really drains things but it helps get your name out there too!
Hi, @janton!
You just got a 8.67% upvote from SteemPlus!
To get higher upvotes, earn more SteemPlus Points (SPP). On your Steemit wallet, check your SPP balance and click on "How to earn SPP?" to find out all the ways to earn.
If you're not using SteemPlus yet, please check our last posts in here to see the many ways in which SteemPlus can improve your Steem experience on Steemit and Busy.
Howdy steem-plus and thank you for the upvote. I appreciate your great program.
Alright, Janton, I’m all caught up now. I considered putting an image together of the little pissing dude you see on the backs of car windows, typically pissing on “Ford” or “Chevy” or something—this one. ‘Almost’ considered making one that has him pissing on “pinkerton” but decided against it because, well, because it’s monday and I’d rather your readers wait until mid-week’ish to judge me. 👍🏿
Then I thought: ‘hmm... that’s pretty weak, dandays.’ 🤔
Ahh..
screwitpiss on’em!ahahaha! Spoken like a true Costa Rican! Whatever that means, You're probably redefining what that means. lol. And hopefully the Pinkertons are all legit and legal and lawful now. They hire out security guards and small time stuff like that right? Or at least that's my impression.
I need someone like you in charge of my graphics and images for my posts. Wouldn't be so dry then. lol.
What's the situation there, still working on the residency stuff? Are there any snaffus? Are the Tucans still there every morning? Plus, they make noises but what are those noises? I guess if I research that they will have videos of them making their calls?
Uh huh, uh huh. You’ll have to read and find out. You’ll see what I mean. 😉
You’ll probably wait until day 8. Ha!! God bless you, Janton.
oh you just put out a post? ok then I'll be over there today!
Oh you just put out
A post? ok then I'll be
Over there today!
- janton
I'm a bot. I detect haiku.
Well, I haven’t put one out today.. yet! 😉 My #fff, you’ll see. Man, I’ve never been visited by haiku bot! Pura Vida did once. How frikkin cool is that bot, though, really?! Janton, I’ve asked you before.. who are you? Witness votes, now you have all of those full timers chasing you and now this— the Haiku bot?
Who are you workin for?!
haha! well that haiku bot used to drive everyone crazy but I didn't mind it. After the hardfork it went away for a little while but then came back. I'm not sure what it's purpose is but I don't mind it. I've never tried to compose haiku poetry have you?
I've seen it over and over so that must mean I have the style of comments that come out like Haiku.
As far as full timers chasing me, uh, not really as I have nothing to offer anyone, I'm not one of the gifted influencers here who have such amazing skills in design, business, financial expertise, on and on. so there isn't much advantage to get close to me. No mystery there as to why no one has tried. lol.
The bots started after the League results came out and he may have saw how pitiful my account was even though I'm doing tons of engaging and thought man, this poor guy could use some help since he's leasing alot of sp just to vote for everyone else!
Maybe that's what he saw.
as far a who am I working for...lol...I'm just trying to be led by God.
The bigger punishment was that they shaved his mustache!
haha! howdy today blacklux! I agree, that looks very bizarre, doesn't look like a cowboy anymore at all!
Jantooooooooooooooooooooooooooon! How does the ocdb thing works?
who wants to know? Generally I only divulge such secrets to those who share a love of cake and cookies but you have clearly jumped ship away from those so I don't know if you can be trusted. lol.
Well, you probably know it's a vote buying bot. It returns an amazing 150% though, how they do it I have no idea.
They used to find people and vote for them and then those people would be in their system and be "whitelisted."
But now they use a system where you have to nominate someone and they put you in that way. Here is the page where they list the Whitelisted members who are cleared to buy votes: https://thegoodwhales.io/
Unfortunately you aren't in there yet and also unfortunately they are restructuring or doing something with their program so at this moment they aren't taking new nominations. However, I will submit your blog as soon as they start taking nominations again.
It builds rep scores faster than anything, that's how people are zooming up in their rep scores. Many leaders are spending 60 steem each day with ocdb! I did it for a week or so(but not with 60 steem) then ran out of steem. lol. Now I just do it when I have a little.
Oh!!! Thanks for answering! I will appreciate if you help me get in. i wanna grow my sp to give better vote to my adopted kiddos.