Butch and Sundance: The Boys Find Real Jobs In Bolivia

Howdy folks and greetings from the Great Plains of North Texas!

We're in a series about two of America's most famous and successful outlaws, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. In case you haven't been following along, the boys had moved to Argentina in South America to start their lives over and to avoid capture in the U.S.

They were accompanied by the girlfriend of Sundance, Etta Place, and they did indeed build a successful ranching operation until they were forced to go on the run again. In the last post we discussed the mystery of Etta and what may have happened to her.

We do know one thing

While there are many theories about that, the one thing we know for sure is that Butch and Sundance took jobs and apparently they were by themselves. We have interviews from men who worked with them, conducted by reporters, police detectives and probably the Pinkertons.

One man who employed Sundance to break mules for a railroad construction company described him this way..."He was employed by our company to break mules to harness and saddle and done a very good job...well dressed...did have a very fine Tiffany gold watch...it was not long before he was on the go again."

This guy remembered Sundance as being distant and shy but likeable.

The boys team up again

Sundance was on the go again to the Concordia Tin Mines in Bolivia where Butch was working. Obviously they planned this out, thinking it might look suspicious if two American cowboys showed up together.

Here is a Bolivian tin mining town, modern day. It may be the same one:

source

At Concordia Butch was hired to purchase and supply mules to use in the mining operation and was a big hit right off the bat because he would always return with excellent animals with money left over.

It wasn't long before he was promoted to guard the payroll going to the mine workers, many times it came to over $100,000! Is that ironic or what? lol..I love that job he had and they had no clue who he was!

I have to wonder if he was tempted at all.

Impressions about the boys

He boss stated about Butch.."He was an excellent and trustworthy employee..a good bargainer and always rendered a strict account of funds turned over to him." Of course! His mama raised him proper. lol. In spite of his record he could be a model citizen if he wanted to be.

Butch soon became a favorite at the mine of course. His boss was a man named Seibert which said of Butch..."Butch Cassidy was an exceptionally pleasant, cultured and charming man. He took well with the ladies and as soon as he arrived in a village he made friends with the little urchins and usually had some candy to give them."

But of Sundance he said...."Sundance was inclined to be distant, even sullen, and it was difficult to strike up a friendship with him." He was also known to be drinking heavily. I think it was to drown out his sorrow from missing Etta, whatever type of separation it was.

Even with Sundance's withdrawn and moody personality Seibert became good friends with them and enjoyed their company. The boys were dedicated and loyal employees and they'd once again settled down with honest jobs.

With the vast sum that they stole the year before I don't know why they didn't leave the country and settle down in a place where they weren't known at all. But we'll continue their story in the next post.

Thanks for reading folks, God bless you all!
-jonboy Texas
the gentleman redneck

PS- ya know...you might just be a redneck if:

You consider new hub-caps to be home improvement!