Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid are two of the most celebrated figures of American lore. As leaders of the Wild Bunch, also known as the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang, they planned and executed the most daring bank and train robberies of the day, with a professionalism never before seen by authorities. For several years at the end of the 1890s, the two friends, along with a revolving cast who made up their band of thieves, eluded local law enforcement and bounty hunters, all while stealing from the rich bankers and eastern railroad corporations who exploited the land. The close calls were many, but Butch and Sundance always managed to escape to rob again another day--that is, until they rode headlong into the 20th century. The Old West was coming to an end- fenced-in range, telephone lines, electric lights, and new crime-fighting techniques were quickly rendering obsolete the outlaws of the wide open frontier. Knowing their time was up, Butch and Sundance, along with a mysterious beauty named Etta Place, headed to South America, vowing to leave their criminal careers behind. But riding the trails of Chile, Bolivia and Argentina, Butch and Sundance would find that crime wasn't through with them just yet. THE LAST OUTLAWS brilliantly brings to life these thrilling, larger-than-life personalities like never before, placing the legend of Butch and Sundance in the context of a changing--and shrinking--American West, as the rise of 20th century technology brought an end to a remarkable era.

Drawing on a wealth of fresh research, Thom Hatch pushes aside the myth and offers up a compelling, fresh look these icons of the Wild West.