August 13th: Butch Cassidy Robs a Bank in Montpelier, Idaho

August 13th: Butch Cassidy Robs a Bank in Montpelier, Idaho

Around 3pm, August 13, 1896, Butch Cassidy and other members of the Wild Bunch gang, hitched up their horses outside a bank in Montpelier, Idaho.  They had spent two weeks scouting the area, which apparently included their escape route to Wyoming.  Read a detailed account of this story here.

Cassidy purchased a gun in early 1896 and gave it to fellow Wild Bunch gang member Joe Davenport.  Davenport retired from his life of crime, settling in Rock Springs, Wyoming.  He later gave this gun to his dentist in exchange for his services.  This gun went up for auction in 2013 with an estimated price of $2,500-$5,000.

Another gun bought by Cassidy in Vernal, Utah this same year went up for auction in 2012.  In 1899, Cassidy attempted to turn in the revolver as a last-ditch effort to gain amnesty after a string of robberies in Idaho, Utah and Wyoming.  The winning bid was $175,000!  Watch a documentary about this “Amnesty Gun” below.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAf2k5Knw5M&w=640&h=385]