They disappeared in the night just as easily as they had done many times before. About a minute later, I heard the one who was outside say in English something like "all set." Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia. Richard M. Abrams In fact, even her real name is a mystery. Queen of the Wild Bunch is an excerpt from her book Love Lessons from the Old West: Wisdom from Wild Women (TwoDot, 2014). Pinkerton flyers describe some of their activities: This is to advise all offices that the above named [Harry Longabaugh] was in New York City February 1, 1901, at which time he lived with a woman he called his wife, at the boarding house of Mrs. Taylor, 234 East 12th St. 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. WebEtta Place was involved with the Sundance Kid and was a member of the Butch Cassidys Wild Bunch. Late 1909: A beautiful woman named Eunice Gray arrives in Fort Worth, Texas, and begins running a brothel. . In fact, even her real name is a mystery. Their coffers filled with money again, the outlaws returned to Argentina and boldly went into Buenos Aires, had their picture taken, then sailed away to Europe, going to Paris where they bought an assortment of clothing. In 2003, she was honored with a Walk of Fame star at 7080 Hollywood Blvd. The woman later known as Ethel Place, is most likely born in Texas in 1876. In fact, even her real name is a mystery. The deed is credited to the Wild Bunch, though the identities of the individual members involved have long been disputed. Etta James was known for her spectacular voice that had the power to move one to tears, and despite her brilliant career, her latter years were marred with legal battles between her husband and son. After a ten year battle with drug addiction and alcoholism, she released two albums in 1989 - Seven Year Itch, and Stickin' to My Guns, produced by Barry Becket and recorded at Fame Studios. They traveled to Monte Carlo, took up residence on the Riviera, and generally lived an easy life for a while. Many theories have been advanced over the years as to her true identity. Michael Rutter, an author who has written extensively on the life of Etta Place, speculates that she might have been romantically involved with Butch before entering into a relationship with the Sundance Kid. In 1901 she was going by the name Ethel and Etta is Spanish for Ethel. . The book purports to tell the "true" story of Etta and Sundance and includes many historical figures such as Buffalo Bill, Annie Oakley and Eleanor Roosevelt. They moved to Cholilaand began raising livestock. She was principally the companion of Longabaugh. There is no further activity from her, and she disappears from all historical records. Robert Longabaugh is the reason that the town of Marion, Oregon, comes into question, due to his claim that it was in Marion that his mother taught school. Ethel Etta Place, Western Woman of Mystery. Their trip included a sojourn to Coney Island, and possible further medical treatment for Longabaugh's unknown condition. Taglines. Because Pinkerton's believed the story was true, historians believed it too. However, Willis concedes that Gray never admitted or even claimed to be Etta Place; he merely made that connection on his own, given the similarities of their age, and the period in which Gray said she went to South America coinciding with Place's time in South America. Etta's first documented appearance was in the winter of 189697, when she hooked up with the Wild Bunch as they camped at the Utah hideout Robbers' Roost, preferring the company of Harry Longabaugh (Sundance). The Pinkerton Agency had known their precise address for some months, but the rainy season prevented their assigned agent, Frank Dimaio, from traveling there and making an arrest. As the cheerful three laughed and reminisced about their crime wave, several members of the Bolivian Army surrounded the area. Shortly after the trio arrived in South America, they opened a bank account with $12 thousand in gold notes. Author and historian Richard Selcer wrote in his book, Hells Half Acre, that Etta could very well have traveled to Denver with her husband. However, Place was little more than 20 years of age when she first met Longabaugh, and there is no evidence whatsoever to support those claims. Willa Cather With the exception of Butch, Sundance and Etta, who traveled to Pennsylvania and New York together, gang members confined themselves to the West. Encyclopedias almanacs transcripts and maps, Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia. The couple was spotted in Saint Louis, Missouri, at the Worlds Fair in 1904. January 1901: Longabaugh and Place visit his family in Mont Clare, Pennsylvania. Life with the Sundance Kid According to a Pinkerton Detective Agency memorandum dated July 29, 1902, she was "said..to be from Texas," and in another Pinkerton document dated 1906, she is described as being "27 to 28 years old", placing her birth around 1878. From here, Butch left his companions to return to their ranch, traveling south by water to Rawson, then west by land to Chubut Province. ." Place owned 2500 acres herself becoming the first female landowner in the country which had just changed its laws to allow women to own land. Etta James was known for her spectacular voice that had the power to move one to tears, and despite her brilliant career, her latter years were marred with legal battles between her husband and son. They believed the story was circulated to conceal her identity. by Chris Enss | Jul 15, 2019 | Features & Gunfights. Harry Sundance Kid Longabaugh biographer Ed Kirby believes but she might have been the daughter of Emily Jane Place and related to Longabaughs mother Annie Place. He spent part of his life in jail in Fresno, California, where he first came to public notice due to his claims. Barring new information, their time ranching was most likely spent lawfully. In 1901 she was going by the name Ethel and Etta is Spanish for Ethel. Principally the companion of Longabaugh, little is known about her; both her origins and her fate remain mysterious. Pursued by armed lawmen, they crossed the Pampas and the Andes and again into the safety of Chile. By the age of 5, she was known as a gospel prodigy, gaining fame by Estimates of her birth year range from 1878 to 1882 or 1883. If there are reported to you any bank or train hold up robberies or any other similar crimes, you will find that they were undoubtedly committed by these men. Efforts by both the law and the Pinkerton Detective Agency, which had been hired to assist in their capture, increased the pressure on their outlaw lifestyle. In a description that obviously referred to Etta, the Argentine newspaper La Prensa reported that "one of the bandits was beardless, had small feet and delicate features said woman is a fine rider, to the extent that she is widely admired by the Argentines for her skill and natural ability." She was said to have spoken in an educated manner, and she indicated that she was originally from the East Coast, although she never revealed an exact location. It shows how daring these people are, he wrote his brother in 1905. The authorities of the adjoining provinces have volunteered to co-operate: and yet the robbers are still at large, and their valuable booty unrecovered. Brawer, Moshe. until things settled down." WebAccording to reports of the day, Bassett and Davis were two of only five women ever allowed into the Robbers Roost hideout, the other three being Josie Bassett, the Sundance Kid 's girlfriend Etta Place, and Wild Bunch gang member Laura Bullion . She was awarded Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance for the album Mystery Lady, and two more for, Let's Roll, and, Blues to the Bone, for Best Contemporary and Traditional Blues Albums categories respectively. Again, the Wild Bunch fled to Chile, at which point the documentation of their activities gallops off into dozens of conflicting accounts. The three would later travel to South America in a doomed attempt by the two men to "go straight." It is this story that has the most support from researchers. She is the third of five children to be raised in the area her mother will rename Browns Park. Sundance pulled Etta down with him. We do not know the nature of the ailment he was being treated for." The members of the Blues Foundation, set up in Memphis, Tennessee, awarded her Blues Female Artist of the Year award 14 times and inducted her into the Blues Hall of Fame. WebIn Sundance Kid. Author Richard F. Selcer spent over ten years researching Hells Half Acre, the area in Fort Worth where Eunice Gray's brothel was located, but he was unable to prove beyond any doubt that Gray and Place were in fact the same person. There is no evidence that Longabaugh and Place saw one another at all between 1905 and his alleged death in 1908. She was well educated and an excellent horsewoman. It is thought that Butch and Sundance finally had had enough, and decided to "go straight" in a land where they were unknown. They returned to Buenos Aires from New York on July 10, 1902, aboard the steamer Honorius, posing as stewards. She was the one who held the horses and remained on guard while they robbed and stole. Pointer, Larry. The safes were open and two of the brigands emptied them whilst the other two covered the employees. Through his research, he discovered a paper trail and enough eyewitness reports to significantly improve the chance of capturing the outlaws. According to the San Antonio Light, three outlaws matching the description of Etta and her male cohorts were spotted at Cape Horn in early 1907. Place, Purser, Mrs. Harry A. Geni requires JavaScript! While the life of Place is somewhat mysterious - the only known facts being those that occurred while she was with Longabaugh - Bassett's life is well documented. In 2009, a new novel about Etta Place was released. We heard from him from time to While not otherwise engaged, the outlaws spent nearly three weeks sightseeing in New York City. Researcher Donna Ernst pointed out that Robert Longabaugh possibly was related to Harry Longabaugh, but it was unlikely he was Harry's son, and even less likely that he knew anything whatsoever about Etta Place. Gray was described as being a beautiful woman, as Place was, relatively wealthy, and said to have been articulate in her speech, intelligent, well-mannered, well-dressed on all occasions, and seemingly educated. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Etta Place, shown here in a photo taken in either Mexico or Texas with a womens group called Las Soldaderas, was a friend and outlaw companion of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. According to historians, on February 20, 1901, the husband and wife and Cassidy boarded the, Shortly after the trio arrived in South America, they opened a bank account with $12 thousand in gold notes. She married Artis Mils in 1969 who remained her husband until her death. Place. The remainder of Robert Longabaugh's stories are believed to have been completely fabricated by him. She received her first professional vocal training at the age of five from James Earle Hines, musical director of the St. Paul Baptist Church Echoes of Eden choir, in south central Los Angeles. WebEtta Place was involved with the Sundance Kid and was a member of the Butch Cassidys Wild Bunch. In much the same way as she appeared, Etta Place suddenly vanished from history with only rumors and myth to explain her fate. According to legend, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (Harry Longabaugh) infamous Utah outlaws noted throughout the Willis believed that Place and Gray held a striking resemblance to one another, but there is no way of verifying his assumption. The majority of the experts agree that Butch and Sundance probably met Etta at a bordello around 1900. On February 1, 1901, Etta and Sundance posed together for a picture at DeYoungs Photography Studio in New York after having made a purchase at Tiffany Jewelers. Indeed, with the revolving door of outlaws passing through the ranks of the Wild Bunch over the years, a variety of characters may have been involved. The album included her version of Otis Redding's Security, and I'd Rather Go Blind, regarded a blues classic. Fact timelines generally accepted by historians. She is the third of five children to be raised in the area her mother will rename Browns Park. However, the most intriguing mystery is not her past but rather where Etta Place went after Longabaugh and Parker were killed. Name variations: Emma Place; Eva Place. After a bad patch, she returned with the single and album, Tell Mama, in 1967. She then, on February 20, sailed with him and Parker (who was now posing as one James Ryan, her fictional brother), aboard the British ship Herminius for Buenos Aires in Argentina. The assistant manager related: While one of the thieves covered us, the other went outside and put the sack that contained the money on his horse. What is known, with little doubt, is that she simply changed her name and began a new life, essentially disappearing from history. The Wild Bunch. Both Ann and her sister Josie Bassett no doubt knew Place, as the three women were often alleged to have been at the Robbers Roost hideout at the same times. Tomeka Thiam Met Akon When She Was 18 & Gave Him 5 Children. Life on the ranch in Cholila proved to be too mundane for Butch, Etta and Sundance. She never makes any indications that she is, nor does she attempt to fuel this rumor, but rather avoids the topic altogether. Originally named Robert LeRoy Parker, Butch Cassidy was the celebrated leader of the Wild Bunch, a loosely knit group of outlaws and ne'er-do-wells. Estimates of her birth year range from 1878 to 1882 or 1883. Flourished around 18961905; dates and locations for her birth and death are unknown, as are parents' names, marriages, and children; thought to have been educated in the East as a teacher. Wagons without springs pulled by half-wild horses passed by, and the rattle of the wheels over rocks and gravel added to the commotion. Popular locations for her place of birth include Utah, New York City, Pennsylvania, or These tactics netted them much success, especially after railroad or bank robberies. The second, put out in 1906, described her as having, "classic good looks, 27 or 28 years old, 5'4" to 5'5" in height, weighing between 110 lb and 115 lb, with a medium build and brown hair.". Author and historian Richard Selcer wrote in his book. Theories abound regarding Etta's earlier life. Etta and Sundance made it back to Argentina without interference from any law enforcement agency. They then traveled west where again they sought medical treatment, this time in Denver, Colorado. History Blazer, May 1995. 1961: Female Wild Bunch Gang member Laura Bullion dies in Tennessee, the last member of the gang, and, aside from the Bassett girls, one of the only people who could have either confirmed or denied as to whether Etta Place and Eunice Gray were one and the same. Harry Sundance Kid Longabaugh biographer Ed Kirby believes but she might have been the daughter of Emily Jane Place and related to Longabaughs mother Annie Place. According to the Pinkerton Agency file, Sundance periodically accompanied her. According to the February 19, 1950, edition of the American Weekly, Butch told the Buenos Aires bank president that he and his friends were afraid of thieves. A mule train rumored to be transporting a rich payroll was going to be in the area. After signing with Chicago's Chess Records her career began to soar. Palmer Lake, CO: Filter Press, 1977. Place had long been tired of life on the run and deeply lamented the loss of their ranch. Etta was reportedly killed instantly from a bullet to the chest, and the Sundance Kid was critically wounded. . Crouching low, Butch led his cohorts inside the tiny, vacant caf. He even claimed that he was a pallbearer at Butch Cassidy/aka Parker's funeral years after Parker was alleged to have been killed in Bolivia, and that Cassidy was buried in Spokane, Washington. Selcers research suggests she might have been suffering from acute appendicitis and needed emergency surgery. The other assailant at once went outside, and they immediately took off in flight on horses that they had already prepared. Under a new law of 1884, they were granted 15,000 acres (61 km) of adjacent land to develop, 2,500 of which belonged to Place herself, who has the distinction of being the first woman in Argentina to acquire land under the new act, as land ownership had hitherto been almost the exclusive preserve of men. "A great pity we did not get the information regarding the photograph while this party was in New York," wrote one Pinkerton agent. Possible identities for her parents range from an Englishman named Ingerfeld to more fanciful alternatives, such as Emily Jane Place and George Capel, alleged son of Arthur Algernon Capel, 6th earl of Essex. In early 1905, the trio sold the Cholila ranch as once again the law was beginning to catch up with them. Buck, Daniel, and Anne Meadows. Plot summary. They are all thorough plainsmen and horsemen, riding from 600 to 1,000 miles after committing a robbery. Goldman, William (screenplay). The Pinkerton Agency files, as well as an article in the San Antonio Light newspaper, note that Etta became acquainted with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in 1899 while working for Madam Fannie Porter at a brothel in San Antonio. 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