He Rode with Butch and Sundance: The Story of Harvey "Kid Curry" Logan

27. Back in the West

278 CHAPTER 27 Back in theWest A westbound Great Nor thern train was stopped by three men near Malta, Montana, onAugust 28, 1903.The bandits were frustrated in their holdup attempt when guards on the train prevented them from boarding the engine. Giving it up as a bad job, the y rode away toward the Bear Paw Mountains. The railroad said it was the work of the Curry gang, and the outlaw leader had been repor ted seen in Malta earlier in the week.1 Another robbery attempt on the Great Northern took place on September 2 in Great Falls, in which the bandits rode the train into the city limits.2 It is difficult to believe that Curry would have attempted a train robbery so soon after his escape.Wild Bunch members were known to take several weeks and even months to plan their robberies. The need for money would not have overridden his innate caution.Also, the modus operandi of the holdups did not f it Curry’s style. In f act, northern Montana may not have been his f irst destination after eluding the Pinkertons and federal officers in the mountains of Nor th Carolina. The detective agency would most likely have sent agents to w atch Jim Thornhill and other friends of Curry’s. An incident that took place in the Holein -the-Wall area may establish that Curry was in Wyoming some time in the latter half of Jul y or very early August 1903. Alfred J. Mokler relates, “A few months afterwards [after his Knoxville escape] Logan was seen near Kaycee, in Wyoming, by a man w ho knew him well. He was on foot and w as with another man.”3 Some writers believe Curry’s companion was an old friend named Charlie Howland, alias Stevens, whose father, W. H. Howland, had owned the 4H Ranch near Buffalo.4 The latter was actually W. H. Holland who was managing the ranch at this time. The rancher did have a son named Charles Turner Holland, but he was killed in a winter horse riding accident when only eleven years old.5 Back in the West 279 From Kaycee the two men walked to the Hole- in-the-Wall country, hoping to obtain horses. It so happened that Rober t Tisdale and John May were staying the night at the K enneth McDonald ranch. During the night May’s horse, saddle, and six- shooter and one of McDonald’s horses and a saddle were stolen. Deputy Sheriff Leonard Beard was noti- fied at Kaycee, and with another officer, Alva Young, took up the trail of the horse thieves. The trail led them “up the RedValley to Buffalo creek, and from there they followed the trail to Walt Putney’s [Punteney] ranch, on Bridger creek, about forty miles southwest.”6 Walt had taken part in the Belle F ourche bank robbery failure, but was now raising cattle near Lost Cabin. Vigilance was kept in the ranch house for any officers of the la w. “When the offi cers came in sight of the Putney ranch,” Mokler states, “they saw two men riding over a hill to the west.” The lawmen rode after them, w hich was something Curry liked to discourage. Dismounting, he w alked back from the top of the hill and began firing at the officers. A gun battle ensued in which Curry was The old Kenneth McDonald ranch cookhouse toda y in Hole-in-the-Wall, Wyoming . Kid Curry stole horses from here after escaping from Kno xville. (Author’s Collection) 280 Chapter 27 wounded, and had to be helped on his horse b y his companion. Despite Curry’s wound, the two men were able to escape into the hills. Natrona County Sheriff Frank K. Webb joined Beard in trailing the two thieves.7 According to Picard f amily history, the outla ws rode up Bridger Creek to Dave Picard’s 2B ranch on L ysite Mountain. The men were gone from the ranch, and the women were tending to their children who had whooping cough. The family was acquainted with certain members of the Wild Bunch, but not necessarily by their real names. When Curry had visited their ranch in y ears past, he went by the name of Ed Ho ward . For the present, the w omen dressed his wound and hid him in...