Several historic Wyoming newspapers from the 1910s carried stories claiming that legendary outlaw “Butch” Cassidy was killed in South America during the winter of 1908. The reports, drawn from local press in Converse County, Lander, Cheyenne and other towns, describe Cassidy’s alleged flight to the Argentine Republic and a fatal encounter with fellow bandit Kid Curry.
Contemporary newspaper accounts
Bill Barlow’s Budget Douglas (Converse County) published a May 29, 1913 article stating that Cassidy, long‑known as a bank robber and horse thief, had been killed in South America after a shoot‑out with soldiers. The piece claimed he killed his companion before taking his own life.
The Wyoming State Journal (Lander) on July 4, 1913 noted that Cassidy’s winter cabin near Dubois still stood, describing its windowless design and heavy log door. It reiterated that Cassidy left for South America and was reported dead there the previous winter.
An April 1, 1904 story in the Wyoming Semi‑Weekly Tribune (Cheyenne) quoted former U.S. marshal Joseph H. Forquer, who said Cassidy and fellow outlaw Harvey Logan were farming in South America and that Cassidy had visited the continent several times.
Later reports and lingering mystery
In February 1911, the Daily Enterprise of Sheridan reported that a man arrested in Bozeman, Montana, was initially thought to be Cassidy, but officials later dismissed the claim, noting that Cassidy was believed to be on a ranch in Argentina.
Other articles, such as the March 3, 1910 Worland Grit and the February 25, 1910 Riverton Republican, described the gang’s activities in South America and suggested that the Argentine government was compelled to pay tribute to the outlaws’ forces.
Historical perspective
While these early 20th‑century sources present a consistent narrative of Cassidy’s death abroad, later historians have debated the accuracy of the reports. Some family members and acquaintances claimed Cassidy survived and returned to the United States, keeping the legend alive.
Regardless of the ultimate truth, the newspaper accounts provide a vivid snapshot of how Wyoming’s frontier press chronicled the fate of one of the West’s most infamous outlaws.
Original reporting: Sheridan Media (Sheridan WY) — read the source article.
