Josie Bassett, sister of Ann Bassett, was a successful Wild West rancher. She is known for her romantic involvement with well-known outlaws such as Butch Cassidy and Elzy Lay.
Later in life, she spoke of her association with the gang and was the last remaining connection to Butch Cassidy's gang to die.
Early Years
Josie was the first girl born to Herb Bassett and Mary Eliza Chamberlain in Arkansas on January 17, 1874.
When she was young, her father moved the family to a ranch located on the border of Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado. She and her sister were taught to rope, ride, and shoot at a young age, and they preferred that life over other responsibilities that were given to women during that time.
She and her sister were seen as attractive young ladies, which attracted young men. Her father's dealing with famous gunslingers and outlaws during the Old West meant that the attractive young ladies were put in front of young outlaws.
The girl's parents sent them to an excellent boarding school where they were also given a formal education. By the time Josie Bassett was a young adult, she was well-versed in ranching and liberal arts but opted to become a rancher.
As said previously, Herb Bassett did much business with outlaws. He often supplied them with beef and fresh horses in exchange for money. Some of the more notable outlaws were: Butch Cassidy, "Black Jack" Ketchum, Elzy Lay, Will "News" Carter, and Ben Kilpatrick.
Outlaw Romance
In 1896, the Bassett's became involved in a feud with other cattle barons of the area. The Bassett's refused to sell their ranch to the barons, which resulted in the barons rustling cattle from them.
In response, the Bassett's began rustling cattle from them, which resulted in the barons hiring Tom Horn to deal with the rustlers. While he did deal with some of the rustlers in the area, there were no actions taken against the Bassett family.
However, by 1896, the girls had begun to become romantically involved with many notorious outlaws.
Josie Bassett became involved with Elzy Lay and, shortly after his release from an 18th-month prison sentence Butch Cassidy. She later became involved with Will "News" Carver.
Ann also had a relationship with Butch Cassidy before and after her sister did. She was also involved with Ben Kilpatrick. Her relationship with Cassidy would be on and off again for several years. He even brought her and her sister to their notorious hidden hideout, Robbers Roost.
These relationships with notorious outlaws put the two sisters in a position to deal with the cattlemen who were pressing them to sell the ranch. They would often exchange beef and fresh horses for protection.
This association was a deterrent that kept cowboys hired to harass the sisters from doing so for fear of retribution from the outlaws. There was a report that Kid Curry, the most feared member of the Wild Bunch gang, once paid a visit to several cowboys known to be employed by the cattlemen, warning them to leave the Bassetts alone.
Despite the seemingly constant changes in romantic partners by both the Bassett sisters and the gang members, there is no report of there being any animosity as a result of this.
Later Years
As the years went by, the outlaws that Josie and Ann knew continued to reach their fates. Some were killed, some disappeared, and some turned from the life of an outlaw.
Elzy Lay visited the Bassett girls in 1906 and then moved to California and became a respectable businessman.
Josie claimed that Butch Cassidy visited her in 1930 and lived in Utah until the late 1940s until his death. This is disputed since it is believed he died in South America.
Josie tried to live a traditional life, but she was unable. She lived at her father's ranch and operated many of the activities. She married 5 times, divorcing 4 of them, and the other reportedly died of alcoholism, although many speculate that Josie poisoned them. During her marriage to Carl McKnight, Josie gave birth to two sons: Crawford McKnight and Herbert "Chick" McKnight.
In 1913, Josie Bassett moved from her father's ranch to a new homestead in Utah. Here, she built a new ranch and made it her lifetime commitment. In 1924, her son Crawford helped her build a new cabin on this property.
During the Great Depression, she supplied food to others in the area, particularly with supplies of beef. She made her own soap, sewed her own clothing, and became known for her prowess at hunting deer, which she often did for her own family and for less fortunate neighbors.
In one instance, a game warden stopped by her cabin, announcing that he was there to arrest her for poaching. She confessed that she had just killed a deer and took him to the carcass. The game warden was joking with her and took no action.
During the Prohibition years, Josie made and sold bootlegged whiskey, but she never was arrested. Years after Prohibition, she continued to make her own brandy and whiskey until she was finally warned that revenue agents were looking for her still.
In 1936, rancher and former adversary Jim Robinson accused her of butchering his cattle and selling it in town. Six other ranchers joined in on the accusations. Hides from the carcasses were found on her property. Bassett was arrested.
She claimed the evidence was planted. Several neighbors supplied her with bail money until her trial. She was tried twice, each ending in a hung jury. After the second trial, the local prosecutor dropped the charges.
In 1945, she fell victim to a land scheme and lost most of her land. However, she lived frugally in her cabin and supported herself well into her 80s.
Last Days
Later in Josie's life, she began to tell stories of her days with the outlaws. This captivated many as she was the last link to a time that many romanticized. She spoke of Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch, who had become infamous by the 1960s.
In 1963, she fell when a horse knocked her down, which resulted in her breaking her hip.
A few months later, at the age of 90, Josie Bassett died.