ll52

LFGA Line 52.

PLEASE NOTE:

Line 52. David Lay married Hannah Clark, each of whom are listed on their son's death certificate as born in Mt. Pleasant, Ohio. Son is James L. (appears to be "Lander" on his certificate) Lay, b 14 Feb 1845 in Mt Pleasant, Ohio. He was orphaned at the age of 4 and reportedly raised by an aunt and uncle. He married Mary Jane Bellew 15 Jan 1868. Children: William Ellsworth "Elzy" Lay (a member of Butch Cassidy, Hole in the Wall Gang), Maggie (Spriggs), and Encll. Elzy married or joined Matilda Maude Davis and Had one daughter, Marvel Matilda (Murdock). He later married Mary Calvert 27 Mar 1909 and had two children, James Walter Lay b 22 Feb 1910 and Mary Lucille b 23 Jan 1912

CONTACTS

John Murdock johnmurdock1@hotmail.com

Elza Lay and The Wild Bunch

Robert Murdock

LFGA Line 52

The letter was dated August 2, 1902, and directed to a ;Mrs. Davis in Ashley, Utah. Written on lined note pad, it was beautiful handwriting. As a lad growing up, I often saw this letter as it reposed in the upper drawer of the living room bureau at our Heber City, Utah home.

My inquiry to my Mom gained a rather casual reply that it was from Butch Cassidy, of whom I knew little. It intrigued me since it came from Chubu, Cholila, the Argentine. That was enough to pique my young interest. The Mrs. Davis and Butch Cassidy brought about a knowledge of a man by the name of Elza Lay, my mother's father, and thereafter brought about a curiosity about the Wild Bunch.

The Mrs. Davis was my great grandmother, who in turn was the mother of Maude Davis - a beautiful young maiden who met and married Elza Lay - and the mom (mine) was Marvel Murdock of Heber City, a grand lady who was absolutely properly named for indeed she was a marvel

The stock in trade for the Wild Bunch was robbery -specializing in trains and banks. Elza Lay was recognized as the closest associate of Butch Cassidy, the renowned leader of the bunch.

The wild bunch was a only when there was a major job to be pulled. Otherwise they ran in pairs, with Elza and Butch working on ranches under the aliases of McGuinness and Jim Lowe. They had signed on as ranch hands on the outskirts of Price, Utah.

In addition to their ranch pay, they received a couple of fine horses. They would ride the horses up the canyon to the Castle Gate Coal Mine. There they became acquainted with the miners and also found out when the payroll was due. Their heist of that payroll is considered one of the most famous robberies in the mountain west. Lay was given credit for masterminding the jobs and came to be known as the educated outlaw& On this occasion they had convinced the miners they were getting the horses in shape to take them to Salt Lake City for racing. Cohort Bob Meeks cut the telegraph lines on a pre-arranged signal and the get-away was made that much more simple as the;race horses were more than a match for the plodding work horses the miners had for pulling ore from the mine workings. They further covered their tracks, and a lot of ground, by posting fresh horses along the getaway trail.

In his 'Trustee to Warden' role, one day he accompanied the warden to Sante Fe only to return to find the inmates had taken the warden's wife and daughter hostage inside the prison. Lay told the warden he would go in after the two women. He was able to convince the prisoners of their folly and gained the release.

In the shoot-out the Sheriff was shot and killed. Lay was subsequently the only one captured and was charged, convicted and committed to the New Mexico State Penitentiary. He was immediately noted as something other than the common, ordinary outlaw and became the trustee to the warden.

Another episode had some interesting tums, for the worse and then for the better. Elza split with other members of the to hold up a train in Folsom, New Mexico. The get-away was a success, but the pursuing posse found the outlaw camp. As the posse rode up, they spotted Lay going to the creek for a bucket of water. He was shot and wounded and being unarmed was not a figure in the ensuing gunfight.

Elza was pardoned by Governor Otero for his deed and heroism under trying circumstances. Upon his release he found his way to Baggs, Wyoming, a small ranch town just north of the Colorado border. There he worked in various roles and worked as a guide for an Eastern man who held mineral rights in the area. He claimed to have 'broken a lot of rocks,' but the search for oil was not successful.

Sometime later, the rights were sold to another Eastern gentleman who also sought Lay as a guide. Elza declined but offered to tell where they had previously thought of drilling. The drilling was then accomplished by the new owner. Rather than oil, natural gas was 'hit,' making this eventually a huge find.

Elza's next move was to Southern California where he became a U. S. Water Marshall and supervised the extensive produce fields of the Imperial Valley just north of the border with Mexico. Elza married Mary Calvert (Maude having divorced him when he refused to go straight) and the couple raised a second family.  My mother, Marvel, was the only child of the Maude-Elza marriage, but I remember as a little boy the visits of Jim Lay and the balance of Elza and Mary's new family.

Elza is buried at Forest Lawn in Glendale, California, south of Los Angeles.

So... we missed out on the great gas find. However, an even greater find for us, would be to discover information on Elza's grandparents. His father, James Landon Lay, died in Woodruff, Kansas. He was married to Mary Jane Bellew. From the death record it appears that James' parents' names are David Lay and Hannah Clarke. James was born in 1845,and was orphaned at age 4.

Just as Elza finally went 'straight,' we're hoping someone will be able to set us 'straight' on the genealogical particulars. Should you have such a miracle available, you can send information to my son John Murdock at 5445 Tree Line Drive, Centreville, VA 20120. and email is johnmurdock@cccorp.com.

Periodical: Pathways

Volume: Number: (March 1996)

Article Title: Wm. Lay Fam., Cleburne Co., Tennessee

Periodical: Pope County Historical Association Quarterly Volume: 16 Number: 2 (December 1981)

Article Title: Enos Lay-Elizabeth Lay Deed, 1809, North Carolina

Periodical: Tallahassee Genealogist

Volume: 6 Number: 4 (Spring 1987)

Bob Murdock, the writer of this treatise, is the son of Marvel Murdock, Elza's first born. Bob lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.

See Lay of the Land  6/98

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