William Carver, nicknamed William "News" Carver, was a member of Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch. He became a famous gunslinger and notorious outlaw, and like many who chose that lifestyle, he ended up dead at a young age.
He was given the nickname "News" because of how much he loved to read his name in the newspapers.
Carver was part of one of the last generations of Wild West outlaws.
His life would be cut short when he was ambushed and killed by sheriff deputies in 1901.
Jump to:
Outlaw Career
In 1868, William Carver was born in Caryell County, Texas.
When he was old enough, he took a job as a cowboy for a ranch in Tom Green County. Here, he worked for a short time until he began to get the urge to move further west. During this time, he met his eventual bride, Viana Byler. The two seemed to have a good marriage, but it was cut short after Viana became ill with yellow fever and died within the first six months of their marriage.
Viana was the aunt to the future outlaw Laura Bullion and also had some ties to the Butch Cassidy wild bunch.
Shortly after his wife's death, Carve became involved with Josie Bassett, sister to Ann Bassett. She had also been involved with some of the men in the wild bunch. Later, he became romantically involved with Laura Bullion. These romantic relationships took place less than a year after his wife had passed.
Soon after, he became connected with multiple outlaws, which included the "Black Jack" Ketchum gang, Ben Kilpatrick, and eventually the Butch Cassidy Wild Bunch. During this time, most of his criminal activity took place in New Mexico (an area made famous by Billy the Kid).
After some small successes, Carver ran into some problems and thought it best to leave the area. He fled to "Robbers Roost" in Utah. This would be when he first started riding with Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch.
During this time, he was able to reconnect with Josie Bassett and seemed to have a close relationship throughout his time there, and by early 1900, he had become involved with Lillie Davis, a prostitute who lived in San Antonio. This would eventually end his romantic relationship with Bullion, who would become involved with Ben Kilpatrick. Bullion and Carver would again become involved with each other.
Laura Bullion would eventually go on to stick with Ben Kilpatrick for the duration of her outlaw career.
The romance did not overshadow his criminal behavior. Butch Cassidy, a successful criminal, began to plan a big score that would take place in Wyoming.
Death
On August 29, 1900, Carver, Kid Curry, Cassidy, and the Sundance Kid robbed a Union Pacific train near Tipton, Wyoming, with a take that exceeded $30,000. The gang split up to avoid pursuing posses, and Carver fled south.
Despite fleeing south, Carver would end up further north and was later involved in the robbery of a "Great Northern" train near Wagner, Montana.
William Carver's success did not last long. By 1901, Carver was back in Texas, and he was a known criminal. On April 2, 1901, he and George Kilpatrick ended up face to face with Sheriff E.S. "Lige" Briant and his deputies. The law confronted the men on the murder of Oliver Thornton. While later on, Kilpatrick would clear Carver's name of the crime, it did not matter. Kilptratrick made an awkward motion toward the lawmen that caused William Carver to go for a gun.
Carver was shot six times and would be dead shortly after.
His last words were, "Die game, boys!"
He is buried in Sorona Cemetery in Sorona, Texas.