To Catch a Thief 4 Mystery Cache

What is known about the thief is that he enjoys math and the sciences. He always leaves one or two things behind when a theft occurs. One is a puzzle and the other has something to do with the solution location.

The thief was part of a gang that operated outside of Colorado until recently and has been seen in the Parker area. He is now the leader of the gang and seems to be spending more time out of parker.

His last heist was at a women's fitness business but he went unnoticed because he was outside as a lookout.

Lets look at the possible thieves.

Bill Longley came to his career by a typical route. He was 15 when he killed his first man in Austin County, Texas in 1866. Much of the state police force was manned by ex-slaves. One of them was riding through the village of Old Evergree, brandishing his rifle and cursing at whites in his path. Bill's father was one of them. Bill ordered the man to lower his gun and when he was too slow to respond, Bill shot him dead. Whites hid the corpse and Bill was never prosecuted and in fact became a local hero. He soon became a drifter and he traveled the states just west of the Mississippi. For a brief period he ran a small saloon in the Black Hills where he found it attractively lawless. Longley carried violence with him wherever he went. Sometimes killing men in blazing bursts of temper, sometimes in gunfights and sometimes from ambush. Finally, back in Texas in 1877, he was jailed for killing a man who had shot his cousin. He was then 27 years old and by his own count he had killed 32 men. In surveying the crowd of 4000 who had gathered to see him hanged, he mused: "I see a good many enemies around and mighty few friends."

Bill Longley wannabe: Just as mean and tough as his namesake. He has dark brown eyes and dark hair. He is of medium height and build. So far, he has stayed out of trouble or at least not been caught.

Most of the victims of Billy The Kid were either unarmed or plugged from ambush. Billy was born around 1860 and was the second son of Catherine McCarty or Katherine McCarty Bonney. The father was either Patrick Henry McCarty or William Bonney who died young. Catherine then took her two boys to Indiana. In 1873 she married William Antrim and the family moved to Silver City, New Mexico. Billy, who had been baptized Henry, took his stepfather's first name. The step father was a prospector and was rarely home. When Billy was 14, his mother died.

An older man, playing a joke on a Chinese laundryman, stole a bundle of clothes and gave them to Billy to hide. He was caught and sent to jail to teach him a lesson. He was terrified and traumatized and this changed his life forever. He was in jail for two days when he escaped by climbing up the chimney and then fled across the territorial line.

In 1877 he had an exchange of words with a burley blacksmith named Frank "Windy" Cahill who threw him to the ground. Billy drew his gun and shot him. Frank died the next day and Billy went to jail once again. And again, a few nights later he escaped. He became involved in what was known as the Lincoln County War and witnessed his latest friend and employer, John Tunstall, murdered. He tried to avenge the killing but found himself in jail again and had his rifle stolen by the sheriff. He was released after three days. He then waited in ambush, shot the sheriff and got his rifle back. However he was shot in the thigh by Billy Matthews, a companion of the sheriff. In 1878 a new territorial governor, retired Union General Lew Wallace, arrived in New Mexico. He had heard that Billy was willing to give himself up for amnesty and got word to him. Billy finally agreed if all indictments against him were dropped and this was arranged. Lew Wallace was writing "Ben Hur" at this time. During Billy's testimony against others, the district attorney defied Wallace's orders and wanted to arrest Billy. Billy slipped out of the handcuffs and walked away.

Billy remained at large and hung around Fort Sumner on the Pecos River. There he formed a friendship with the bartender in the Beaver Smith's saloon, Pat Garrett. In 1880, Pat was elected sheriff and one of his first duties was to arrest Billy the Kid. This proved not to be easy but was eventually done in 1881 and he was convicted of killing Sheriff Brady. He escaped again by slipping his handcuffs and killing his guard.

On July 14, 1881, Pat Garrett rode to the Maxwell farm near Fort Sumner on a rumor that the Kid might be there. He was. With the proverbial shot in the dark, Billy was killed in Maxwell's bedroom.

Billy The Kid wannabe: Just about as scrawny as his name sake. He has dark brown eyes and dark hair. Probably too young to grow a mustache or beard. Constantly in and out of jail.

Robert LeRoy Parker was born on April 13, 1866 at Beaver, Utah. He was called Roy by his friends. In 1879 the Parkers moved to Circle Valley, an area known for it lawlessness. Here Roy befriended Mike Cassidy. At age 16, Parker began riding with Cassidy's cattle rustling ring working as his right hand man. During a raid, Mike killed a Wyoming rancher and was forced to leave the area. Parker took over the operation and as a symbol of admiration, assumed the name of Cassidy. Roy Cassidy expanded his operations to include bank and train robberies. This included Denver. Shortly thereafter, Roy became George Cassidy and took a reprieve from being an outlaw. He settled in Rock Springs, Wyoming and worked as a butcher thus earning the nickname Butch. He tried to walk the straight and narrow but failed.

In 1893 he was arrested for stealing a horse and served 18 months in the Wyoming State Prison. He was pardoned with one stipulation and that was he was not to pursue his line of work in Wyoming.

In 1896 Butch formed a gang of outlaws know as the Wild Bunch. The Wild Bunch had a flair for dramatics during their robberies. Although some of the gang were ruthless killers, Butch was not. Later in life he claimed that he had never killed a man. He would, however, shoot the horse out from under those who pursued him.

Eluding the law became increasingly difficult and around the turn of the century he broke up the Wild Bunch because they were now wanted in five states and the Pinkertons were after them. Following a short trip; Butch, Harry "Sundance Kid" Longabaugh and his mistress, Etta Place decide to go to South America where they operated a sheep and cattle ranch. The Pinkertons tracked them there so they decided to leave, but not empty handed. They robbed three banks in Argentina and a train in Bolivia.

Etta became ill with acute appendicitis and the operation was performed in Denver. To avoid arrest, Butch and Sundance returned to South America. There they worked at a Peruvian gold mine with periodic raids into Bolivia to rob trains, banks and stores. In 1908 the Bolivian police caught up with them. Legend claims that they died in a blaze of gunfire at a remote Bolivian border village.

Legend also claims the Butch escaped and returned to the United States. Using an assumed identity of William Thadeus Phillips, Butch passed himself of as a mechanical engineer from Des Moines, Iowa. The following spring he married Gertrude Livesay and the couple moved to Globe, Arizona where he was a mercenary in the Mexican Revolution. From Arizona the couple moved to Spokane, Washington and started an office equipment company.

Brought on by the Great Depression in the early 30s, Phillips sold the business.

Cancer, not a bullet was what ended Butch Cassidy's career.

Butch Cassidy wannabe: Just as gentle a person as his namesake. He has dark brown eyes and dark hair. He is of medium height and build. He has stayed out of trouble or at least not been caught.

Clay Allison defined himself as a shootist just as others would say that they were an artist. He prowled the New Mexico saloons where the effects of drink transformed him into "Hell turned loose." Allison was different from most other gunfighters as he started his career in his mid twenties.

When the Civil War began he enlisted in the Tennessee Light Artillery. Three months later he was medically discharged because of his emotional outbursts assumed to be caused by a blow to the head many years earlier.

A newspaper accused him of killing 15 men which he denied. It is really unknown how many men he had dispatched but it was certainly more than zero.

It was inevitable that he would meet up with someone with as little regard for life as he had. Chuck Colbert was such a man who claimed seven kills. He invited Clay to dine with him and Clay accepted with every appearance of both having a good time. This charade ended when Colbert reached for his cup with one hand and his gun with the other and was slowly bringing it up under the table when Allison went for his gun. Colbert fired in haste but the gun had not cleared the table and his shot went through the table top. Allison calmly shot his host just above the right eye. He commented that he had dined with Colbert because he didn't want to send a man to hell on an empty stomach.

Mace Bowman sought out Allison with the thought of killing him but instead of trying to kill each other, they got drunk and started shooting at each others feet to see who could dance the best. Neither was injured. They quit because of exhaustion.

In Colfax County, Allison fell into dispute with a neighboring rancher. They decided to dig a grave and place an unmarked stone at the head, They would then climb naked into the hole with bowie knives and whoever came out would write the inscription on the stone. This never happened.

On July 1, 1887 Clay was hauling a load of supplies home from Pecos, Texas, when a sack of grain fell off. He tried to grab it and toppled from the wagon and one of the wagon wheels rolled across his neck breaking it.

Once again he was different. Most gunfighters died by a bullet or a rope.

Clay Allison wannabe: The guy is a complete jerk. He has dark brown eyes and dark hair. He is of medium build but tall. He just got out of jail and wants to prove himself. He grew a mustache while in prison.

John Wesley Hardin dispatched 44 men in 10 years. He was born in Bonham, Texas in 1853. His father, a Methodist minister, named him for the founder of the faith. He was slight of build and had blue eyes. When 14, he was taunted by a larger boy and John went at him with a knife with the intent to kill him. His tormenter escaped with just two knife wounds.

Within a year he did kill. In 1868 he was visiting relatives near Moscow, Texas and was egged into a wrestling match with a freed slave named Mage. Mage escaped with nothing more than a bloodied nose but declared that no white boy could draw his blood and live. The following day Mage caught up with John as he was riding home and dared him to fight again. John started to ride away when Mage caught hold of the bridle. John was armed and shot Mage. Mage kept coming back and kept being shot until he was dead. John's father told him to go into hiding and he did for the next ten years in central Texas.

He was told that some Union soldiers were looking for him and he was able to bushwhack three of them. In his autobiography, "Thus by the fall of 1868 I had killed four men." He was then 15 years old.

In 1870 he was arrested for a murder that he had not committed. While in jail he bought an overcoat and a Colt .45 and waited for his chance. He got it when he was being transported to Waco for trial and shot his guard dead.

A few days later he was hired as a trail boss near Gonzales in southern Texas for a trail drive on the Chisholm Trail to Abilene, Kansas. Toward the end of the drive there was a problem keeping the herd apart from a Mexican herd. The Mexican trail boss shot at John and put a bullet through his hat. John's gun had developed a loose cylinder and would not fire. John dismounted and holding the cylinder in place, shot the Mexican in the thigh, and a truce was declared. John was not done. He borrowed a gun from a friend and shot the trail boss through the heart. A general gun battle ensued. The Mexicans suffered all of the casualties. Six vaqueros were killed, five by John.

In Abilene, Hardin met Wild Bill Hickok, the town's peace officer, and they got along well until John shot a man for snoring.

In 1871 he married Jan Bowen but he wasn't home much, but enough to have two children.

In 1874 Deputy Sheriff Charles Webb tried to shoot him in the back but John was warned in time to just get grazed by the bullet and was able to kill the sheriff. His 39th killing. He hid out in Florida, taking his wife with him. He was now J. H. Swain.

The Pinkertons caught up with him and lost two men. He moved to Alabama. On July 23, 1877, Hardin was caught by the Texas Rangers and sent to jail for 25 years of which he served 15 and was pardoned by the Governor of Texas.

Meanwhile, his wife had died. During jail he studied algebra, theology and the law. He went to El Paso and opened a law office.

His lady love at the time was arrested for carrying a gun and John made threats to the policeman, John Selman. On August 19, 1895, Selman stepped into the Acme saloon, walked up behind Hardin and shot him dead. Selman was acquitted.

John Wesley Hardin wannabe: This guy is somewhat timid, for a crook. He has dark brown eyes and dark hair. Strange, that he has no mustache but does have a beard. He is of medium height but thin. He has never been in jail.

Pat Garrett was born on June 5,1850 to a Southern planter in Chambers County, Alabama. In 1856 the family moved to a 3000 acre plantation in Louisiana. Ten years later, both parents were dead.

In 1869, Pat left for the Texas Panhandle where he was employed in cattle punching and buffalo hunting. Near Fort Griffin a remark made to an Irish skinner in jest was taken seriously and the skinner grabbed an ax. Garrett stopped him with a slug in his chest.

From there he went to Sumner, New Mexico where he tended bar and opened a small cafe. In 1879 he married a young woman who died in premature childbirth. Shortly thereafter he married again an started a family. While tending bar he became a friend of Billy the Kid.

At the height of the Lincoln County Cattle war, Pat was elected as Sheriff of Lincoln County. Billy was on the wrong side of the war and Pat's chief objective was to subdue his old friend Billy. Garrett arrested Billy at Stinking Springs, New Mexico on December 23, 1880, only to have him escape. Garrett again pursued the Kid and this time it ended with Billy's death on July 14, 1881.

Garrett settled on a ranch near Las Cruces, New Mexico where he leased a tract of the land to Wayne Brazel. A dispute arose between the two men when Brazel began to graze a herd of goats on the land. A third party agreed to lease the land and on February 29, 1908 while the three men were riding near the tract of land Pat Garrett was shot from behind and killed. His murder was ruled self-defense and the perpetrator walked free.

Pat Garrett wannabe: This is one cool dude. He has dark brown eyes and dark hair. He is tall and thin. Every time he has been arrested he has talked his way out of it.

Okay, Detective, here is your first case. It is tough to believe but the gang robbed a train near Parker. There is no train in Parker and hasn't been one for nearly 100 years. As the thief left he gave the conductor a paper with the information below.

First Witness: He was really cool. Didn't seem to be in any hurry at all.

Second Witness: I don't know about the eyes, his hat was pulled low, but I caught a glimpse of a mustache.

Third Witness: I don't know about his size, he had a heavy coat on.

Conductor: They actually rode away on horses!

City

Latitude

Longitude

Miles

Hilltop

39 26.095

-104 40.042

7.6

Melvin

39 37.310

-104 50.490

8.4

Elizabeth

39 21.584

-104 32.256

16.2

Denver

39 47.899

-104 59.905

23.2