That's Ray Charles, Bob....Don't know how I missed this thread in its past lives, but found it an interesting read now. Points out how dense I can be sometimes.
It had never occurred to me that there were interpretations other than that Lefty turned Poncho in to the federales and went to Cleveland on the payoff cash. It also never occurred to me that the Pancho was Villa, since there is no idication of anything extraordinary about him, either as outlaw or rebel leader — he seems just a run-of-the-mill outlaw, albiet one "honest" enough to not rely on concealed weapons.
My take is that Van Zantz was making the statement that an honest outlaw is a better man than a sneaky little stool pigeon and he leaves Lefty rotting away in the Mistake-on-the-Lake with his conscience gnawing away at him.....
just my take....
david