Ernest Cashel

Ernest Cashel (c. 1882 – February 2, 1904) was an American-born Canadian outlaw who became famous for his repeated escapes from custody.

Early crimes and escapes

1882–1890s Cashel was born in Nebraska in 1882. When he was 14 he left home and quickly ran afoul of the law. He was arrested and sent to jail twice; both times he escaped. Now a fugitive in the United States, he crossed from Wyoming, through Montana into Alberta, Canada, and worked as a ranch hand at several locations. On October 14, 1902, he was arrested and charged with forgery for passing a bad check. While being transported by train under guard, Cashel escaped out the window of the train's lavatory. A posse was formed by the North-West Mounted Police, but Cashel eluded them.

Several weeks later, on November 19, a man called on police to report his brother-in-law, Isaac Rufus Belt, had gone missing from his ranch east of Lacombe. Upon investigation by the authorities, it was discovered that a young man named Bert Elesworth had been staying at Belt's ranch at the time of the latter's disappearance. wearing Belt's clothing, and had in his possession several of Belt's possessions, including a $50 American gold certificate. The gallows where Cashel was to hang was visible outside the window.

Escape from the Mounties

Cashel's brother John visited nearly every day, and on December 10 he arrived as usual. Under the pretense of a tearful final farewell to his brother – indeed both men were openly weeping – John covertly handed two revolvers to Ernest who concealed them as John left the room.

The police received a tip on January 24, 1904, that Cashel was hiding in the cellar of a farmhouse outside of Calgary. He was buried in an unmarked grave, in the potter's field section of Calgary's Union Cemetery.