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Show .... . t P-- - , , , .... - . . hosts that stalk the Mountatn West . - ' -'' ,'' t ,, ,-- ittw . . . .... , , Al.:0-:- -; hey may , - - ii- if ,, .,, ut,,,,,,,,,, , , ' . .1 .. , THEY WOIV'T LIE DOWN . I , - . ,,,,...... 4 , . - s , , . . . .. . . . - By CRISTIE FREED. Illustrations by, Charles Nickerson , INTO THE STRANGE history of the Mountain West has been woven many peculiar tales, stories that with the years assume legendary proportions -- built of remnants whispered from the past For the Mountain West is stalked by many an ghost, characters is old Among these Butch Cassidy, the "Robin Hood of Robbers Roost," who gained his title because of the quency with which he stole from the rich to supplement the incomes of the poor. Cassidy and his gang kept the territory in are uproar with continual robberies between 1870 and 1900. There was cattle rustling: plus the lifting of ripe stage and train hold-up!nine payrolls. h inaccessible "Robber's Roost' The was handily located in the corner of convergence for three itates, Utah, Wyoming and Colorado. near Brown's Hole in the Uintah Basin. Its ruler. Butch Cassidy set out to engrave his name high on the outlaw list of the old Westand he succeeded! -u- - ndead" semi-fabulo- - us - Utah-Wyomi- s, well-nig- - .- , , , - - r , - - - -- - - -- FOLLOWING HIS release frorri jail, Lopez murdered a man, shot up posse out after him" r , 4L ,..- - 1:1 ; t; - -- 41 ;, ,"'ic ,,, , , IN,. ;. ; ' 1' '1 ::::40.400-0.- 5.., . x, i 4? s . - 'T d Included in his accomplish-e- projeciS was th;' other- men -Castle Gate holdup- - when with-two relieved the load mine owners of their payroll gold and silver amounting to $9000, in bright daylight but scared citizens before a number of The Montpelier Bank robbery added to his fame- - Cassidy lx.iked .a gun into the ribs of the quaking cashier with his right- hand, while his left busily scooped $7600 into a sack the cashier a courteous good morning he - ' Bidding rode away. gave the posse a gay chase and finally -- - - -- -- able-bodi- ed Well-load- ed - - - .10 - , ' :the-"Lo- - ' - Apeic-mine.--Th- 1 - st ' 4. , , 11it if , N t' , , - 4 Me: , .31 - T' "a-he-tr - ,zak . "CASSIDL AND his gong kept the area in on uproar with stage holdups, rustling , the walls. sneaked warily into the blackness, making no sound. After creeping quietly to the end. they crept quietly back. No Lopez. They stumbled on his bedding, his food, his equipment. He had air. vanished into Some say the ghost of Lopez occasionally walks into a Hingham cafe for a sandwich. and if you don't see the spectre you can smell it the Other S ask' hoW tan" there be ghost' man never died!. So in miners' stories, when they. gather to exchange tall ones. its just "Rafael Lopez. Disappeared." If the burned sands of .southern Utah could sweep back into the pattern they, held on a certain Artist" mighl day in 1934. the trail of be discernible, perhaps a new clue discovered to end another story which promises to become one of the mysteries. of the Mountain West ; In that year, on a November afternoon.' ayoung artist named Everett Ruess said "goodbyeto friends in Escalante. With his two burros. a -- t of ,,,1' bestowed the money on a friend who needed a little ready cash. The Wilcox train robbery .netted some $30.000 and was 'followed by one of the kmgest, fastest horseback rides in history. The theft took place in Wilcox. Wyo., and the Cassidy roughnecks were in New Mexico so soon after the .'big take- - it seemed impossible they were responsible. But they had been seen and unquestiónably-idified- ' by outraged WilCOxians. Somehow they always ,gotaw 0 itwas joyous news when word passed araund in the late 1880:s that the Prim posse not only had cap tured the famous leader., but also had brought him in dead. The body lay in "state- - in the center of ,.town, a holiday spirit reigned and people came for milvs to 'view the remains of this man who had laughed at the law for so many years. Several days after the slain man Was buried. the officers discovered Cassidy was still laughing. The body was identified is that of a minor outlaw. after it was learned Cassidy had ridden into town to look over the corpse, and had stayed to see it .' buried properly. Then Cassidy disappeared. Some say he met his end in South America, where he burned a hot outlaw trail from one mine payroll to another. 'Other reports note his return to the states and a life in the' Northwest. But no one is sure of what really did become of Butch Cassidy. No man has .claimed' to have seen him dead and proved it, On the other hand, it's been long years since he was last seen alive. But Cassidy's "undead" ghost has company. There's the story of Rafael Lopez, who arrived in Utah from Old Mexico. He always had a re spect for the law until he was tossed into the Bingham hoosegow fOr smashing' in the face of a miner who had molested a girl. After that "justice' was meaningless to Lopez for the attacked attacker went free while he, the girl's protector, was confined. Following his release he murdered a man and shot up the posse out after him. nperated in'the Binghini 'area where he' was employed as a- strike- - breaker and his pursuers followed him to the entrance of the decided rather than chase old film there, to plug up all means of escape and smoke him out. Elite days later, after burning quantities of lump sulphur, damp gun powder and cayenne pepper, with no sign of their quarry, they decided to go in after hill?. With noses stuffed with cotton, guns in readiness, the posse entered the tunnel and, hugging law-abidi- ng Jak , e4v-- , - -", ..0e-- frAt , I --- THE SEARCH for Ruess broadened. Expert Indian trackers were called in to join hunt , supply of paper, paint and brushes, he wandered out of town. A few days later, Ruess stopped to exchange desert gossip with in old Sheepherder by his campfire on a lonely cliff, ten went on. That was the last time he was ever seen Because Of today-gon- e ,tomorrow7,' ,habits, no one worried when two months slipped by and there was no word from him. Then Feb ruary, 1935, came and his friends,began to wonder. They placated tkeir fears by remembering that no one knew the country or blow to live in better than Rues& But just tcli check., in early , , his-"h- ere THE DESERET NEWS MAGAZINE , - - |