Butch Cassidy

Reviews / Votes

Professional treasure hunter and author Jameson (Lost Treasures of American History) is dismissive of the 'poor chronicling and unsubstantiated research' by outlaw history hobbyists. Outlaw history is not ranked high in academia, he notes, so Jameson sets out to separate fact from fiction. He traces Cassidy from his Utah boyhood to his criminal activities with the Wild Bunch and the Sundance Kid, noting erroneous perceptions generated by the popular 1969 film, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Concluding chapters examine conflicting accounts of Cassidy's 'enigmatic and controversial' final years. Was Butch Cassidy killed in a shootout in Bolivia in 1908, as tradition has it? Or did he return to the U.S. alive to visit family and friends? Some think Cassidy returned with the identity of William T. Phillips-'Could it be only a coincidence that Phillips looked amazingly like Cassidy?' and appeared from nowhere around the time Cassidy allegedly died? Phillips died in 1937, leaving behind 'The Bandit Invincible,' a manuscript filled with little known facts about Cassidy. Many readers will find themselves transfixed by Jameson's probing discussion of this intriguing mystery, which he calls 'a historical conundrum.' Publishers Weekly By most accounts, Butch Cassidy (born Robert LeRoy Parker) was an affable, charming rogue who rustled cattle and robbed banks and trains with a smile. Perhaps that explains why many refuse to accept his ignominious end-shot to pieces by Bolivian troops in a grubby mining town. Jameson, an award-winning author and contributor to the History Channel, is determined to cast doubt on that unsavory demise. Much of this compact work is a useful and conventional biography of Cassidy. Jameson describes his young life as the oldest child of devout Mormon parents, growing up poor in Utah. He seems to have drifted slowly into a life of crime as he moved from various ranching jobs across Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming. Jameson describes his partnership with the Sundance Kid as a mating of opposites who shared and enjoyed each other's restless spirits. Booklist ... [M]eticulously researched, and the author's love of the subject matter comes through clearly. Reading Butch Cassidy: Beyond the Grave is like reading a really good mystery. Deseret News