38. The Gringo Ranchers
In Argentina, Butch Cassidy posed as Ethel Place’s fictitious brother, James “Santiago” Ryan. The Sundance Kid went by Henry “Enrique” Place, and introduced Ethel as his wife. Remote Cholila, whose population rose to 43 by their arrival, was a great refuge. They built themselves a comfortable four-room cabin, and for years, they made a go of going legit.
One of the new arrivals’ first steps was to buy herds of cattle and fine horses to stock their ranch. They dressed like rich folk, rode handsome steeds, and bought the finest in saddles, bridles, and spurs. One thing that acquaintances noticed was that wherever they went, “James Ryan” and “Henry Place” went about well armed. They always had the newest state-of-the-art repeating rifles strapped to their saddles, an array of up to three pistols strapped holstered about their bodies, and a small derringer tucked into a coat pocket for good measure. Even Ethel sported a pair of pistols wherever she went.