| Show Cowboy Joe Marsters talks about the Wild Bunch days Bunch dys When the name Butch Cassidy is mentioned many people remark tha that t he is the outlaw that was portrayed by bythe bythe bythe the actor Paul Newman in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Sundance Sundance Sun Sun- dance Kid However it isn't often that a person meets a man who knew the theReal Real McCoy Cowboy Joe Marsters 82 of Doyle California who was was' the grand marshall for the Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo last week Isone is isone isone one such man MARSTERS LEFT his home in Portland Oregon at the age of 14 in 1908 After reaching Green River Wyoming by the rails Marsters lived with a rancher named Jack Mass near Henrys Henry's Fork According to Marsters the people he was living with wanted him to go to school and he didn't want to g go In 1908 Marsters was given a ajob a ajob ajob job as a horse horse wrangler near Lin Linwood wood Wyoming His employers turned out to tobe tobe tobe be Butch Cassidy Robert LeRoy Parker and the Sund Sundance Sundance Sun Sun- d dance nce Kid Harry marry Longabaugh of the Wild Bunch Marsters was at Bridgers Bridger's Bottom at the Green reen River and Butch Cassidy remarked Kid Marsters how well do you know your geography In case you dont don't this is where Jim Bridger built his w wagon gon crossing at the Green River in 1838 Marsters held Butch Cassidy in high esteem and he said He Butch Cassidy liked me because became I grew up like Butch Cassidy with religious people Cassidy told Marsters that he could stay on if he kept his nose clean and wasn't too mouthy Butch Cassidy was respected greatly by Marsters but the Sundance Kid Hurry Harry Longabaugh and Marsters didn't always see eye to eye Sundance was a horse of a a different color Butch probably could not have survived without him Sundance was the executer I saw him hang one man at Bridgers Bridger's Bottom in September 1908 Hutch Dutch Cassidy always had the he last word Sundance Sundan e never let Dave Lintt the man hung at Bridgers Bridger's Bottom talk to Butch TilE THE WILD Bunch wo would ld get work horses from Washington ke keep p them in Wyoming for lor the winter and th then n sell them hem to people in the Texas cot Then the group would take horses from Texas and keep l 4 1 I j b i 1 Yr J J b L y I I E COWBOY JOE MARSTERS last surviving member of the Wild Bunch took part In the Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo as the grand marshall last week them in Wyoming for the winter The horses would then be sold to buyers in Washington Etta Place Sun Sundance's dances dance's girlfriend kept the books for forthe forthe forthe the Wild Bunch and accounts that were payable on time were paid to names instead of Cassidy and Longabaugh Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Sundance Sundance Sun Sun- dance Kid left for South America in the winter of 1908 09 and Marsters returned to Oregon in the fall of 1909 after he got involved in a gunfight at Burnt Fork Wyoming Ills His father arrived soon after the gunfight and returned Marsters to Oregon Marsters said that the last time that he saw Butch Cassidy was in 1915 at the Worlds World's Fair in San Francisco He was riding with Wild West Show with Will Rogers Rogers Roger's got Marsters a riding job in San Francisco During the fair Marsters performed a good ride on a bulland bull bulland bulland and after the people were leaving an old cowboy co greeted him The old cowboy said Hey kid Im I'm talking to you The old cowboy began walking to the east and just jerked his thumb over his shoulder Your old boss wanted to come congratulate you on OIl your ride He Cassidy is still worth so dont don't wave at him Butch Cassidy will Continued on on Page 16 Cowboy Jo Joe Joe Continued on P Page ge 1 hi hi ball ball quick wave you remarked the old cowboy liE HE WALKED over and hi hl balled me and kept on walking And that's the only time I saw him Cassidy since commented Marsters Marsters said that he doesn't believe that Butch Cassidy died in South America sister claimed that he came back in 1924 and I believe that Marsters said that a lady in California said that when she was as a baby Cassidy used to feed a baby bottle to her on his knee and that she thought that Cassidy was buried burled somewhere in Wyoming When Marsters joined up with Butch Cassidy in 1908 the main topic was Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid William Bonney because Garrett had him shot to death in February of 1908 The main topic by gosh over the campfire was Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid He Billy the Kid was never killed by Pat Garrett Im I'm one of the few people that know Billy the Kid was buried in a paupers pauper's grave in Phoenix Arizona under the name of Street Smith WILL ROGERS and Marsters tried to get Smith a pardon but Smith according to Marsters turned it down Marsters said that Smith said that people would crawl 50 miles in the snow to get me Marsters said that Smith died in the early thirties He died a natural death and died a Christian Christians Pat Garrett did not kill him Pat Garrett was about abot abo t as good as an outlaw as the rest of them Marsters said that Smith was teaching leaching school in Texas and when he heard of Garretts Garrett's death he said The man who killed Pat Garrett Garrett- is the best friend I have Marsters said that to this this' day no one knows who killed Pat Garrett Cowboy Joe said that the Tall Texan Ben Kilpatrick a member of the Wild Bunch knew all about it He knew Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett Garrett and the Kid would move cattle across New Mexico and then the Tall Texan would receive them at the Texas border for Texan cattle buyers AFTER HIS illS outlaw days Marsters tra traveled with a wild west show and then turned to ranching and law enforcement He also worked as a professional rodeo cowboy and andas as a movie extra Marsters said that he worked with John JohnWayne JohnWayne JohnWayne Wayne in the movie The Big Trail The last survivor of the Wild Bunch Cowboy Joe Marsters is isnow isnow isnow now retired and lives with his wife Nellie at the Lost River Ranch in Doyle California Marsters appeared last Thursday Friday and Saturday at the Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo and parade A resolution number 1362 was passed by the Cal California ornia State Assembly in September 22 1975 which said that Cowboy Joe Marsters should be commended commended commended com com- mended for personal contributions contributions contributions con con- to the history and heritage of the Old West Marsters was listed in the American Biographical Institutes Institute's Institutes Institute's Institutes Institute's In In- 76 1975 Bicentennial of Community Leaders and Noteworthy Americans |
