In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

256 Early in March, 1900, Assistant Superintendent Frank Murray, of the Denver office of Pinkerton’s National Detective Agency, came to Alma to investigate reports that currency obtained in the Wilcox robbery was being passed in the locality . Some of the stolen bills had been placed on deposit at the bank in Silver City by the storekeeper at Alma.1 Murray began his search for information on the Wilcox robbers by looking for cowboy friends of theirs who had changed traceable bills on their behalf or would admit to having spent stolen money. Foremost among these undetected collaborators was Jim Lowe, bartender of the saloon annexe to the Coats and Rowe store. Lowe and Red Weaver were just back from Solomonville, which they had visited “about the time the races were being run.” Murray became quite friendly with Lowe while he pursued his inquiries. Charles A. Siringo, the “cowboy detective” who followed Murray to Alma more than a year later, believed that the assistant superintendent never suspected Lowe of being Cassidy.2 William French contradicts Siringo, and, in this instance, is the more credible. He wrote that the Pinkerton man, whose name he misremembered as“Byrne”or“Burns,” came to see him one morning, stated why he was there, and explained that some of the Wilcox suspects were now at the WS. He wanted to interview Johnny Ward. French took this as a reference to Big Johnny Ward, whose criminality he already suspected. But, since he was not on the premises and Little Johnny Ward was, French sent for Little Johnny and was astonished to hear him admit to having spent such bills in the store and to see him pull more of them from his pocket. Ward had got them from Clay McGonagill, in payment for a couple of horses, just before McGonagill’s departure with an alleged brother called Neale.3 Murray also showed a photograph of one man sitting and two or three others standing, all of them clad in “in the usual cowboy outfit.”When French identified the seated figure as Jim Lowe, but denied knowing any other name for him, Murray informed him that the subject was known to the authorities as Butch Cassidy. French thought that one of the men shown as standing in the photograph might by + 18 ∂ AN ANNIVERSARY FOR GEORGE SCARBOROUGH An Anniversary for George Scarborough 257 Capehart, but he was unsure: the picture “had been taken some years before, and Tom was many years younger than Jim [Lowe].”4 French’s principal concern was that he “stood a good chance of losing the outfit [he] was so proud of.” But, for the moment at least, he was to be spared this misfortune . Murray had seen and recognized Cassidy in Alma that morning, but had no intention of trying to arrest him; to attempt such an act in that neighborhood, he “would need a regiment of cavalry.” The detective then took his leave, saying he would have to start looking for McGonagill. When French saw Cassidy, later in the day, the outlaw “only grinned” as French described Murray’s visit. Butch told French that he and Capehart “had already spotted ” Murray; “they suspicioned who he was” when he returned to the village after his talk with French, and drank with him “to make sure.” Cassidy let French know that he would have to leave the area “before very long,” as he expected his friends to send for him; but “he liked the country very much” and would stay for the time being.5 Cassidy and Capehart warned their friends, at least five of whom brought their sabbatical rapidly to a close. Several of them vowed to kill Murray before they had to leave and he could do so. Doubtless they had just heard of the killing of Loney Logan, near Kansas City, Missouri, and arrest of Bob Lee at Cripple Creek, Colorado, both on February 28. The prominent role taken by Pinkerton operatives in the two cases had been well reported.6 Whether from humanity or in the interests of discretion, Cassidy helped Murray to get out overnight with a whole skin. The story of Butch’s intervention comes from Siringo, and is not belied by his statement that Murray later insisted that Siringo was mistaken about Lowe being Cassidy, or by French’s failure to mention the incident. If, as Siringo says, Murray acknowledged that he owed his life to Lowe, it is possible that his rejection of Siringo’s...

Share