Oh, a man there lives on the Western plains,
with a ton of fight and an ounce of brains,
who herds the cows as he robs the trains
and goes by the name of cowboy.
He laughs at death and scoffs at life;
he feels unwell unless in some strife;
he fights with a pistol, a rifle, or knife,
this reckless, rollicking cowboy.
-The Cowboy
Howdy folks and greetings from the Great Plains of North Texas! We are in a series about two of America's most famous outlaws, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
I wanted to talk a little bit about the gang which Butch put together and ran and was definitely the leader of. He actually wanted to call it The Train Robbers Syndicate but that didn't go over tool well and wasn't very "catchy."
It didn't really matter what he wanted to call it because outside forces came up with the name..reporters, the Pinkertons, Sheriffs, bankers, no one knows exactly who coined the name first but it caught on fast and stuck.
Butch's fame attracts fellow outlaws
After the string of perfectly executed robberies which Butch designed, his fame among outlaws was great. He had everyone's attention and respect and many made their way to Robbers Roost or where ever he was in hiding to throw in with him.
Almost all of them were cowboys unfortunately. Gives cowboys a bad name but most of them started out as hardworking ranch hands.
Over the years the gang became a revolving door of bad guys, and women, but most were men, especially at first...depending on what type of specialty was needed for the next job.
Butch did conduct interviews and each person had to demonstrate his trustworthiness, loyalty, courage and his ability to use a gun.. if necessary. Harry Longabaugh or Sundance, had been in Brown's Park and had met Butch at the big Thanksgiving dinner at the Bassett ranch. At some point after Butch and Elzy pulled off the payroll robbery at Castle Gate Sundance joined the gang.
Strikingly similar
He basically became the second in command and a trusted associate. Of course their similarities were remarkable. They were both raised by Godly parents, especially their mothers, they both left home at an early age, they both worked as cowboys, they both were very gifted with horses, and they both avoided violence and did not like the thought of killing other people and worked to not have to be in the position to do so.
Oh, and they were both intelligent, thoughtful, avid readers, and Butch would use Sundance to bounce ideas off of him so they became closer as time went on. The organization was a casual and loosely knit one, which surprises researchers who usually find the main Boss as being a vicious dictator.
From what I can tell the Wild Bunch was a largely democratic organization with Butch and Sundance the solid, stable leaders. The rest came and went.
A reasonable CEO
Butch was not like that. He welcomed the input of others and took their opinions and ideas into consideration in his planning. But it appears that Sundance kind of became Butch's back up or enforcer because in the years leading up to his joining the Wild Bunch he must have been honing his skill with a six shooter because he had the respect of all the men and was known as being extremely lethal with his guns.
On this point Hollywood was close to getting it right because that's the part that Robert Redford as Sundance played to Paul Newman's Butch. Here's Mr. Cool and Mr. Cool in case you need your memory jogged, the movie was made 50 years ago afterall:
A couple of the gang had told a story about Sundance that I thought was funny. I guess he had a thing for Ralston Cereal and one day one of the other gang members was teasing him about it. Now, you gotta keep in mind that Sundance, although affable and kind, could also be moody and sullen and in a dangerously bad mood.
So it was on this day apparently because he took offense to being teased and put a bowl of that cereal down in front of the member who was teasing him and stood back from the table with his hands on his six shooters and invited the man to eat the cereal. The other gang member turned white, then ate the cereal and proclaimed that it was the best cereal he'd ever done tasted! lol.
In the next post I'll talk about some of the more regular members of the Wild Bunch, who included a few of the most cold blooded killers in the West.
Thanks for reading folks, God bless you all!
-jonboy Texas
the gentleman redneck
PS- ya know....you might just be a redneck if:
You use duct tape to repair your plastic "silverware!"
Ralston! Can you still buy that? I remember Ralston from when I was a kid! That is a great story.
howdy this evening Melinda! yes it's still made, I didn't even know that, has to be our oldest cereal here in the states.
Ha! I looked at the store where I do my online grocery orders and they have it, too. It is really inexpensive. I may have to order some to see if it meets with my childhood memories, and in honor of Sundance!
hahaha that's too funny Melinda, you'll think of Sundance every time you have Ralston cereal!
I think I need a nice hearty breakfast tomorrow!
oh my gosh Melinda! do you have to go anywhere?
No. I'll be staying in all week!
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Plastic silverware! Bwahahaha! And the best cereal I'm sure. Good info my man. Think I watched the show with Redford and Newman at some point in my youth. Pops was a big fan of westerns😎
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haha! Howdy today sir enginwitty! Well sir, your dad had very good taste in movies! That was a classic one there with those guys and the more I learn the more I find that much of the movie was very accurate. amazingly.
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Howdy steem-plus! thanks so much for the upvote and your excellent platform!
Howdy!
I've got duct tape holding up my truck window as we speak.
😂
hahaha! Solid redeck proof right there! I love it, rednecks can patch up and keep anything running! lol.
Hi janton, the movie was 50 years ago and I still remember watching it. Seems like yesterday - haha. It was a fun movie and obviously a good overview of the lighted hearted personality of Butch and Sundance.
ha! yes Ma'am, exactly and well put. So far there are not many things that the movie got wrong. They took some artistic license on things that we don't know like the love story between Butch and the school teacher. I don't think there was a school teacher, most of the women Butch hung out with were prostitutes.
Interesting story about the cereal, I guess I'd have eaten it too if Sundance insisted! I haven't heard of that brand, I guess they don't sell it here.
well being that it's Canada I can see why. lol.. I think that's the oldest selling cereal in the U.S....gotta be. It's good, I had to look it up to see if they are still selling it and they are, it's sorta like Oatmeal I think, a hot cereal. How are you doing today sir Keith? You been gone all day? What has been going on there this weekend, besides the wild parties...?
I think we get most of the same brands and products though. Would it be the same as this stuff?
Not much going on, just finished playing cards with Cathy and two little old ladies... it's a wild night! ;-)
haha! Sometimes I don't know how you can stand the excitement. lol. Ya know what? It's been so long since I had Ralston I don't even remember if it's oats or what it is exactly. But Melinda said she was going to pick some up and see if it tastes the same as when she was a little girl so we'll ask her! lol.
Is that joke about me? I still have that silver plate and it's from a dollar store, lol. I could buy a new one, but I am looking for something better and not so cheep, but also not too expensive.
Anyway, so they finally together, but I was hoping for something more dramatic, with more details. Oh well, I guess they are no records of that special moment when their eyes met for the first time, lol.
you got that right Miss Lena, these guys( and gals) were hiding out, avoiding the public and no one knows for sure when Sundance joined them. We do know that they met at the big Thanksgiving dinner at the Bassett ranch though and I think that was the first time they met. Both working as waiters, that is so weird! lol.
Yes! that is your joke, I don't even know if I remembered it exactly but I already got one response that really liked it! lol. so that was a good one.
Well I am glad that my joke is popular and it's true too. So guess I am little bit a redneck. By the way, my grandfather was Slovakian redneck , which I just realized by reading your jokes. Honestly, he would fit perfectly in Texas, lol.
Anyway, considering that Butch and Sundance were mostly hiding, there is quite a lot records about them. But I guess because they were so famous, lol.
Howdy Miss Lena! yes, you are definitely part redneck! yay! most good people are. lol. That's very interesting about your grandfather, too bad he didn't move to Texas then!
Regarding Butch and Sundance, yes they were so famous that many historians talked to tons of people that they knew or were relatives, to dig out information. Alot was known about their robberies but not much about their personal lives because they were in hiding, there were almost no cameras except in studios so that made it hard. plus they were in hiding. that made it really hard. lol.
I have definitely redneck traits, which helps me cope with limitations. I can make something almost out of nothing. You should see the setting when I do photoshoot lol. I have to take picture and send it to you. It's a redneck style for sure, lol.
Anyway, it would be very interesting to know more about the private life of Butch and Sundance. But it's clear they were easy going most of the time and I am sure they gentleman with their women. They sound almost like modern Robin Hood except they didn't give anything to poor. Which is to bad!
Howdy again Miss Lena! I think most of us have redneck traits, which is great because many redneck traits are great. I like the jokes because people from all over can relate to them at least some of the time or know someone who reminds them of the joke. Redneck is good! I'm a proud redneck. lol
Yes, regarding Butch and Sundance, if they would have given to the poor they would have been the most popular outlaws in history! But sadly there is zero indication that they gave to anyone but themselves and I'm sure their girlfriends.
Well, I am sure they are people who have no redneck traits and those are the boring people with no sense of humor, lol.
Anyway, I am also wondering, what they did with all that money, if they were all the time in hiding.
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well howdy steem-ua! Thanks for the upvote and for helping so many people!
Could you imagine being interviewed by Butch Cassidy 😂😂😂
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haha! Well sir badger I think we would get along fine but I wouldn't get hired because I have no experience! lol. He could have built an empire if he's gone into a legitimate business!
Maybe but then he would have had to pay taxes!
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haha! yes he would have been a favorite with the government instead of hunted by them!
They were a rare pair in their day. Most of the outlaws of the time were either/or sociopaths or psychopaths. Butch and Sundance were neither, they just didn't like to work.
Can you even imagine that sort of job interview? Holy Cow!
You Texans seem to think you have some kind of majority of 'red necks'. You don't. I've met rednecks all over this country. California even has a large population...
Thanks again for the really great series. You should consider writing a 'serial' novel or something...
Howdy this fine Sunday sir bigtom13! You're making me think now...is a sociopath the same or similar to a psychopath? I assume that both have barely or no conscious. Yes I was reading about some of the guys listed that the authorities knew about and looking them up in wikipedia and wow, you wouldn't think Butch and Sundance would want to work with cold blooded killers but they did.
I'd like to know what the guidelines or parameters Butch had, because it didn't seem like he was very picky. lol. Maybe he most wanted people who would prove to be loyal even if they got caught. And that would take a hardened criminal.
The rednecks yes...lol...well I think most of them are in Alabama, Lousiana, West Virginia, South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee..all of those before Texas. But the reason I like the redneck jokes is because people all over the country can relate to them personally or they know someone who is! lol..and it's not being mean because I love rednecks and think they are some of the finest people, they just have eccentricities! lol.
Sir bigtom do you write this long of comments all the time? You're one of the best commenters on here, you should be in Asher's Engagement League. I usually win that thing but I think you could take over!
At any rate, thanks for your excellent, insightful, knowledgable, fine commenting sir!
Well Cowboy, looks like the gang is getting into serious robbing. Sundance and Butch could have started a legit business and been successful-they seem to work good together.
Howdy redheadpei! yes Ma'am they could have created an empire in legitimate business with Butch's strategic planning abilities, he could have been the CEO of a major business and force for good if he's chosen that. Instead they surrounded themselves with cutthroats and thieves. That guy from PEI was the worst! lol.
Paul Neuman was very handsome when he was young :D
Howdy there blacklux! Yes Ma'am and I think he was even handsome when he got old ...well until he got real old. lol. But stayed handsome much longer than most.
Love these cowboy stories they bring back so much memory :)
well thank you sir hangin! Memory? you mean you used to be a cowboy? lol...you mean you used to watch cowboys on tv and movies? Thanks for the kind words sir hangin!
Yep loved watching all the old cowboy movies on TV , John Wayne he was one of my favorites :)
oh yes, The Duke! John Wayne was the greatest!
Loved him as a kid one of the best :)
Westerns not really my scene except for the horses...........oh my give me an open range and a good horse and even I could be a cowgirl!
A bit of history brought to life.
WEll done.
Ralston must have been good stuff. Besides, what was he going to eat? Trix are for kids, not outlaws!
hahaha! howdy sir fotosdenada! have you ever done any comedy posts? Those comedy guys pay some good rewards. Have you posted recently? Are you back to teaching tomorrow?
No teaching today! Back in my day, six inches of snow wouldn't have cancelled a coffee date but, apparently, it was worthy of shutting the University down today. Supposed to get down to -40 tomorrow night...
I've actually gotten some nice ice photos posted in the last week. At least the cold is good for something!
oh wow, -40? dang! no thanks, that's getting into dangerous territory. lol. well at least you get a day off but yeah, six inches up there shouldn't be a major deal.
I'll check out those ice photos!
That is the perfect poem for these two recalcitrant cowboys @janton and that sure was an effective way to put someone off cereal. 😄
haha! there ya go again trudeehunter with those big words. Can I get a redneck tanslation over here please? lol. I should look that up but I reckon it means stubborn or hard to change. Have you ever had that cereal? I don't know if they have Ralston in Austalia but that's good stuff. lol. I'm just gettin back online for today and won't be on much tomorrow until night time so it'll take awhile to catch up but I haven't skipped out on ya!
😁 😁 😁 My definition of recalcitrant is wayward, headstrong or self willed which seems to fit these two cowboys. I haven't heard of that cereal before, until now so I will take your word for it that is good. 🌝
Please don't worry about skipping out on me cause I sure get behind and besides......I've been practicing my lasso-ing techniques. You wouldn't get too far my friend.
haha! howdy trudeehunter! I'm back. At least until the SuperBowl comes on tomorrow night! I thought maybe Ralston made it down there but I guess it wasn't world wide. How about Quaker Oats?
Recalcitrant is a perfect word to describe those guys for sure!