Ann Bassett - Association With Outlaws

Association With Outlaws

In 1896, several wealthy cattle barons in the area made attempts to purchase the Bassett ranch from the Bassetts. When the Bassetts refused, the barons began to rustle their cattle. Ann and her sister Josie, in turn, rustled cattle from them. This led to a feud, and resulted in the cattlemen bringing in killer for hire Tom Horn to deal with what the cattlemen deemed to be criminals. Horn eliminated several known rustlers during that time but took no action against the Bassets. While he also killed two rustlers in 1900, Isom Dart and Matt Rash (a sandy haired Texas cowboy), who were known to be associated with the Bassett family, this was unrelated to the Bassett conflict with their neighbors.

By 1896, Josie Bassett was heavily involved in a relationship with Elzy Lay, Cassidy's closest friend. Josie had also became involved with Cassidy shortly after his release from an eighteen-month prison sentence, during which time Ann was involved with Ben Kilpatrick. When Elzy Lay began a relationship with a woman named Maude Davis, Josie became involved with Will "News" Carver, and Ann returned to her involvement with Cassidy. Through their relationships with the outlaws, and in exchange for their supplying the outlaws with beef and fresh horses from their ranch, the two sisters were in a position to get assistance from Cassidy and his gang in dealing with certain cattlemen who were pressuring them to sell.

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 even one report that Kid Curry, easily 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. That cannot be confirmed, but although the problems with the wealthy cattlemen's association continued well into 1902, by late 1899 the problems were rare, and there was little pressure placed on the sisters to sell their ranch. Despite the seemingly constant changes in romantic partners by both the Bassett sisters and the gang members, there is no report of there ever being any animosity as a result of this, and it seemed to simply be the accepted way that things were.

Although both sisters were taking part in the fight against the powerful cattlemen's associations, it was Ann that became best known, with newspapers as well as friends dubbing her "Queen Ann Bassett". In early 1897, Bassett joined Cassidy at "Robbers Roost". Elzy Lay, having ended his relationship with Josie Bassett, joined them with his girlfriend and future wife Maude Davis. According 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.

By April, 1897, the two women were sent home so Cassidy and his gang could concentrate on their next robbery. Cassidy would continue his romantic involvement with Bassett off and on for another four years, seeing her whenever he was near her ranch. The total length of their relationship was around seven years, but was interrupted often with his being away, and for an eighteen-month period when he was in prison starting in 1894, during which time she was involved with Ben Kilpatrick.

By 1903 Bassett had married a rancher by the name of Henry Bernard. Shortly after the marriage, she was arrested for cattle rustling. She stood trial, but was acquitted and released. The marriage lasted six years, ending in divorce, with Bernard helping Bassett and her sister Josie in maintaining their ranch.

By 1904, most of the outlaws associated with the Bassett girls were either dead or had been captured by lawmen. Ann Bassett never saw Cassidy again after he first departed for South America. Several other outlaws from lesser known gangs drifted in and out of the ranch, usually visiting only to obtain beef or fresh horses, and have a place to stay for a few days. Elzy Lay reportedly visited the ranch again in 1906, shortly after his release from prison, before moving on to California where he lived out the remainder of his life as a respectable businessman. Herb Bassett died on July 30, 1918.