Butch & Sundance ~ The New Evidence

[@michaelparker7529]

I am the great grand son of Dan Parker , Robert Leroy Parkers next younger brother and partner in crime , although that is a dead ringer for Harry Longabough , that does not look at all like Robert , I will pass this along to my cousin Bill ... thank you for posting .

[@michaelparker7529]

Myself , Bill Bentenson , and several of my cousins all agree , that is not a Parker sitting in that chair, sorry, I posted this to my Facebook page and everyone examined your photo thumbs down all around , I have no use for Michael Bell or Dan Buck , they are self appointed, tin horn , opportunists , Bill has published a awesome book on the subject with a chapter dedicated to my great grandfather and his failed exploits , The Title is Butch Cassidy My uncle on High Plains Press .

[@butchsundance1889]

Michael, good to hear from you. For a short period I thought seated Subject B was actually Dan Parker. Then I discovered the giant scar waving across Robert Parker's left cheek and the truth was made clear. In The New Evidence, Butch & Sundance are in their early twenties, with smooth skin, straight noses, and relaxed expressions, sans spotlight shadowing within Dowe's tent studio. Many authors portray Butch as a man of disguises and here he has Sundance and himself appearing as mining investors in preparation for an historic robbery. This is your great grand uncle, Butch Cassidy.

[@butchsundance1889]

Michael, please ask Bill Bentensen and the rest of the family if they have ever seen a close-up photo of Robert and Harry from the 1880's. Have they ever seen the outlaws as young men with straight noses? Have they ever seen an albumen cabinet card of the duo - one taken in a sunlight-saturated tent studio? The answer to these questions and many more is no. But do not feel bad, every other researcher is in the dark too - except me. The real question is why you learned gentlemen will not acknowledge the scar on Cassidy's face. I am the first to truly advance our early understanding of the Butch & Sundance legacy, but like the confused history associations of this country, you will not even consider hearing my presentation. I will proceed without you.

[@butchsundance1889]

Well, folks, there you have it. The Parker family has had their chance to discuss the huge scar apparent across the left cheek of Robert Leroy Parker, but they are more conflicted than the history associations. If they, for the first time, acknowledge the scar that my research alone has forensically documented, then they will be admitting that I know their kin better than they do - which is exactly the case. This exchange amply illustrates that I am The New Authority on Butch & Sundance. Check out my second video and look for exciting future developments in my research presentation.

[@sc2070]

Well done sir. Compelling evidence. I get peoples doubts about Butch on the right, however an angled pose compared to a straight forward pose can make them seem different. In addition to the fact that they were both younger at the time of this photo in 1889.

[@butchsundance1889]

Thank you Q17. The New Evidence shows Robert and Harry five years before the Laramie mugshot, but it also reveals them before their noses were broken, in a sunlight-drenched travelling photographer's tent studio, just before robbing the San Miguel Valley Bank. Notice that Robert Parker is not squinting or under sheer light here - so no creases around the eyes or dark orbital shadowing. Check out the scar on Parker's left cheek, which The New Evidence corroborates. Not one "expert" can see this blemish. Additionally, I have repeatedly challenged the world's facial recognition software experts to disprove my assertions, but so far not one has come forward. If they did they would be working for me 100%. Watch "Butch & Sundance ~ The New Authority" for a more thorough presentation. Until others acknowledge the massive scar on Cassidy's face, I am the foremost Butch & Sundance researcher. Furthermore, new portrayals of the Wild Bunch or Billy the Kid will disappoint until me and Randy Guajarro are recognized. Western publishers and producers can find out how to contact me at the end of this video.

[@Josephthe4th]

Thank you for your kind remarks. I do care about historical integrity and that is why I mentioned the FB facial recognition software. I don't know how you would go about it with FB anyway. I do have an idea that I might try with your picture if you don't mind. All I would do it post it to a FB page.

[@butchsundance1889]

I have issued two electronic versions of the photo which I anticipated would be lifted and examined, against each other and against the known photos. If you can legitimately represent my images in your research, then further work can and should be done. I welcome rigorous debate on this amazing view. Remember, however, the acknowledged limits of facial recognition software. In The New Evidence, young Butch Cassidy has a relaxed expression and his head is turned to the right. The Laramie and Fort Worth Five photos show him straight on with a grimace and grin, respectively. Thanks again. ~ B.M.B.

[@thecowboy9698]

I'm not sure the guy in the chair is Butch. Compared to the photo of the Wild Bunch, they have different type eyes. Butch's eyes in the group photo look a lot more squinty, with a more pronounced brow, same as in his mugshot, yet the man seated in the chair has larger and more rounded eyes, that and their noses look to be differently shaped as well. I can buy that the man standing is the Sundance kid, the similarities are enough, but I'm not so sure about the man who's supposed to be Butch. Granted the angles of how the two men are seated, in comparison to the camera, are a bit different, which will highlight different things, but still, to me they do not look quite like the same man, although they do share some similarity in look. Also, and it's a little hard to tell, but the man seated actually looks he might be taller than Sundance, by at least a couple of inches, and Sundance was the taller of the two, standing 6ft in height, while Butch was only 5'9/5'10. This is my humble opinion, I do not claim to be an expert. Just explaining what I see.

[@butchsundance1889]

Cowboy, I thank you for sharing your concerns about The New Evidence. We all have access to clear copies of the same two previously known photos of George “Butch” Cassidy - the 1894 Laramie mugshot and the 1900 Fort Worth Five photo. In both images Cassidy is indoors, under controlled conditions and sheer light sources. He is grimacing, seething, and 30 pounds overweight in the Laramie mugshot, because he has been beat up by men he could have shot and waited months before being sent to the penitentiary for stealing a five-dollar horse. Also, his brow is swollen because the desperate posse shot him across his forehead during his arrest. He is grinning (and again looking straight into the lens ) in the FW5 image, because he is and his cronies are stepping into outlaw history. In both instances he is squinting beneath cutting light. This is how we have come to know him, and this is how he would have us know him - as a mysterious western outlaw. If the only footage of me were from Halloween parties where I shone the flashlight under my chin and wished everybody a “Guuuud Evuuuning,” would you characterize me as having deep set eyes and a voice like Boris Karloff’s? The two known images of Butch Cassidy are both revealing and misleading. They show us a weathered and disfigured outlaw, posing repeatedly in these artificial environments. The New Evidence is something different, way earlier. This is young Robert Parker and his friend Harry Longabaugh, just days before the robbing of the San Miguel Valley Bank. It is June of 1889, and these are not yet wanted men. Eager to satisfy his place in history, Robert is beginning a tradition of using the proceeds from one heist to document the next. This is also why we have the Fort Worth Five photo. In The New Evidence, Robert Parker is not squinting at all, or even facing the camera. He is listening to sounds emanating from the street and staring at the entryway, as he was always known to do. There is no sheer lighting in the travelling photographer’s tent studio - the sunlight filters in from all directions. Robert and Harry are only 23 and 22, respectively, and have not yet broken their noses, a big difference. Plus, photography was an evolving science in 1889, and the photographer, Dowe, made albumen prints. Silver halide processing, used to give us the two previously known images of Cassidy, was not yet widely available. As for Harry appearing to be the smaller man, when we know that he is the taller? Again, remember the date of The New Evidence - June of 1889. Harry is still a kid, lanky, bushy haired, some baby fat, and he is still growing. I know, because that description fits me, and I did not reach 6’6” until I was 24 years old. Cowboy, you are a gentleman, and your opinion matters to me. Bring up “Butch & Sundance ~ The New Authority” and skip way ahead to the close-up of Robert Parker’s boyish face. Can’t you see the young Butch Cassidy, before the pushed in nose and grinding criminal journey? Can’t you see what I’ve found?

[@thecowboy9698]

@@butchsundance1889 - Thank you for replying. I have to admit I did not realize that Butch had been beaten up before being taken into custody. Nor did I realize he was overweight at the time, as you say. I've read a lot of descriptions about Butch, and they always said he was a little on the ugly side. But then you get the crap beat out of you, with face altering injuries, yeah I imagine you're not gonna be real pretty afterwards. But then, even if he was a bit ugly, Butch seemed to possess a certain natural charm and sophistication, that he could've probably easily made up for it. A man called Seibert, was interviewed, and said he found Butch to be "an exceptionally pleasant and even cultured and charming man. He used good language and was never vulgar." Regarding Sundance, I remember reading about him that most describe him as a very quiet man, and who mostly kept to himself. They also said he was known to suffer from sinus trouble. As I said earlier, I could definitely buy that the man standing in the photo was him, and I have to confess I did not realize that a person can still physically grow into their twenties.

[@nobodyspecial6513]

@@butchsundance1889 I'm old as you can plainly see by my little photo. I was never handsome in the classic sense, but my looks changed in a matter of seconds due to me somehow not yielding to an oncoming train. Life and circumstances can have a big impact on your appearance. Good stuff. Thank you for the work you put into this video

[@Sibes3]

Interesting video but Butch's nose is the Dowe photo doesn't look as wide to me as in the other two photo's.

[@butchsundance1889]

Right you are, Sylvia. Thanks for posting your very sensible observation. The Dowe photo shows Butch in June of 1889, at the age of 23. He has already sustained a serious facial injury resulting in a wavy scar across his left cheek, but somehow has not yet broken his nose. He likely got his nose broken during his violent arrest in 1892, when he was punched out and shot across the forehead by a posse of angry ranchers. In the Laramie mugshot of 1894, his nose is obviously flatter and the scar on his face very apparent in the sheer prison lighting. Many experts agree that Sundance has a badly broken nose in the Fort Worth Five photo of 1900, and possibly even a notched right ear. The New Evidence reveals that, back in 1889, young Butch and Sundance were already beat-up cowboys, but they still had straight noses. As to the scar on Butch Cassidy's face - nobody is talking out loud about that except me.

[@Sibes3]

That would explain it! Other than that your picture is a dead ringer! I just finished reading Butch Cassidy, my brother and Butch Cassidy, my Uncle. Both excellent reads by Butch's family members. Have also read Bringing Sundance Home. I for one don't believe they died in Bolivia.

[@judyallen5929]

Sadly, no provenance for the Dow photo...

[@butchsundance1889]

The Dowe photo has the very finest of provenance, Judy. The 1894 Laramie mugshot clearly shows the unique scar across Cassidy's left cheek, which I noticed and brought to the world's attention because of high-resolution examinations of the Dowe image. I can understand why many choose not to comprehend an albumen print of Butch and Sundance, with straight noses, taken in a sunlight-drenched tent, while in their early twenties. This is not the spoon-fed, low-IQ wild west they want . What I cannot accept are people with opinions who will not acknowledge the scar - which is the provenance.

[@gregwatson8219]

Might xplain the freezeframe of movie classic

[@butchsundance1889]

That's right, Greg. The New Evidence indicates that Robert Leroy Parker and Harry Longabaugh knew each other before Harry served 18 months in the Sundance jail. Almost certainly they were friends by 1887. These two confidantes would join the McCarty gang in robbing the San Miguel Valley Bank in 1889 then reunite as Wild Bunch members in 1896, after Parker served his own 18 months in the Laramie penitentiary. Later they would flee the U.S. together, and tragically watch Etta Place die in their arms, before making their final stand in Bolivia. Pretty dramatic stuff.

[@Josephthe4th]

Can you have the photograph checked out by Facebook? FB has the best facial recognition software available. Better even than the FBI.

[@butchsundance1889]

The New Evidence has already been authenticated by Dr. Sabrina Caldwell of The Australian National University using two methods of anthropometric comparison, and by matching the major scar visible across Cassidy's left cheek in the Laramie mugshot. The bigger question is why the Western History Association will not acknowledge this scar, or let us present at their upcoming convention in San Diego. Joseph, you are one of the very first to intelligently inquire about this Old West game-changer - all the "experts" are running scared. If you care about historical integrity, then something big could start with you. Please contact the WHA and ask them why they have excluded The New Evidence from their convention and publications. Thanks for your support. ~ B.M.B.