Tom-The-Teacher’s American Western History Blog

According to most researchers, Butch Cassidy was arrested in Montrose for only a few weeks for having removed his race pony from a Telluride livery stable.   As with many stories about Butch Cassidy, this fabrication is another attempt to glamourize the outlaw and make it sound as though he removed his own colt.   I always wondered why Robert Parker would have been incarcerated in Montrose when the crime occurred in Telluride and a different county.   Why was he not placed in jail and tried in Telluride, the county seat of the crime? Ophir, Colorado Let us examine the overlooked facts. Robert Parker was originally arrested in Ophir, Colorado for horse theft.  Ophir is a mining town thirteen miles southwest and uphill from Telluride, also within San Miguel County.    The Solid Muldoon (Weekly), July 27, 1888 Bob Parker  was captured last week in Ophir by H . Allerton of the Uncompahgre Cattle Growers Association, having in his possession a valua...

  Note the San Miguel Valley Bank (lower left) I thought I would throw this news account into the mix.  This article alters several of the details presented by previous witnesses.  I am aware of several writers that have run with the details presented.       The Rocky Mountain News (Daily), Volume 31, June 27, 1889   THE TELLURIDE ROBBERY. How the Robbery Was Committed by the Cowboys. Special to The News. Ouray, Colo., June 26 .—The robbery of the San Miguel Valley bank of Telluride on Monday by four daring cowboys of the Stockton outfit on the Mancos is one of the boldest affairs of the kind ever known in southern Colorado. The robbers recured about $20,000. The San Miguel Valley bank, of which Judge William Story of Ouray is president and Charles Painter of Telluride is cashier, is one of the oldest and soundest financial institutions in the San Juan. The men who committed the robbery ar...

The following is a firsthand account of the Bank of San Miguel Valley robbery as presented by Charles L. Hyde, a bookkeeper and sole attendant in the bank at the time of the robbery. Many newspapers incorrectly give him the title of cashier; Charles Painter was the bank manager and cashier.  This material is maintained by the San Miguel Historical Society and submitted by Carl Hyde, Charles Hyde’s grandson (Yellow Spring, Ohio), date unknown. Later we will delve into Charles Hyde’s details and personal story. I transcribed the document and tried to retain all spelling and punctuation errors.  ___________________________________________________________ A TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLAR HANDOUT By Charles L. Hyde Telluride, Colorado, was a typical mining camp; of the thirty-two places of business half of them were saloons.   Each of the saloons had gambling facilities in the rear end and none of them was ever closed to business. Hundreds of miners earning good wages, provi...

Tom Mccarty's Own Story. Autobiography Of An Outlaw Below are excerpts from McCarty’s account of the Bank of San Miguel Bank Robbery.   This will be an interesting and tough read. If true, this is the closest first-hand account of the robbery we have explored, written about ten years after the robbery.   Tom McCarty I transcribed the material myself, attempting to keep the wording, spelling, and punctuation as presented.   Tom McCarty Own Story. Autobiography Of An Outlaw (excerpt) … After drifting around the country for a considerable length of time I landed in the western part of Colorado, where I again commenced in the mining business with considerable success. I also worked at other occupations. I remained here several years having no adventures of any consequence. In that part of the country were men of all grades and I soon joined with some that longed for excitement of any kind, and having been quiet for so long a time, my restlessness began to annoy me....

Excerpts from Telluride: Tale of Two Early Pioneers – L.G. Denison and L.A. York on the Telluride Robbery L. G. Denison's Account L.G. Denison Being there when the bank was robbed, my store being just a few doors east, I saw the whole thing. The editor has asked me to write about It. The Cosmopolitan Magazine is carrying one of the bandit's, Matt Warner story. I will defer that until my next article, for two reasons— I want to give the history of the first bank and others; and secondly, in Warner's first article in the Cosmopolitan, I could add several things that he overlooked, skipping around, evading officers, and I want to read his second article. … At the time of the robbery, C. L. Hyde was Assistant Cashier, and there was a little over $40,000 stolen. Charles Painter was Vide-President and Acting Cashier but was out at the time of the robbery. Later L.L. Nunn established the First National Bank.  Mr. L.A. York, in his “Telluride of the Eighties” has tol...

  The Delta Independent, Volume 7, Number 19, July 2, 1889 (The same account went out nationwide)   San Miguel Bank Robbery. The following is an Authentic report of the Bank robbery at Telluride last Monday: Ouray, Colo ., June 27.—The bold bank robbery at Telluride on Monday is still the all-absorbing topic of conversation. Until this afternoon no authentic account beyond a few telegrams could he obtained: Mr. H. H. Corbin, a long-time resident of the San Juan and at present a resident of Telluride, came over today via the High Line trail and gives the following interesting account: “I was in the bank just a few moments before the robbery and had just returned to my office when the firing of at least nine shot's notified me that all was not right. “Just prior to my return to the office a party of four men dressed as cowboys rode into town and stopped at the brewery. From this point they mounted their horses and rode directly to the bank; all dismounted leaving their horse...