Sam Bass was notorious in the Wild West for robbing trains and robbed a train that was carrying $60,000. He died at the age of 27 in a shootout with the Texas Rangers. His life was cut short like many famous gunslingers.
Early Years
Sam Bass was born in Mitchell, Indiana, on July 21, 1851. By the age of 10, the Civil War was raging throughout the United States.
He was orphaned at a young age and moved in with his uncle and their nine children. He did not receive formal education, and at the age of 17, he left his uncle's home to build a life of his own.
He traveled down the Mississippi River to Rosedale, Mississippi, where he found work at Charles' Mill. He worked at the mill for a year, learned how to handle a pistol, and became a skilled card player.
Sam Bass Turns Outlaw
In 1870, Sam Bass became friends with Scott Mayes, who was a teamster headed to Denton, Texas. Sam and Scott had an instant connection, and the fact that Sam always wanted to move to Texas only encouraged their relationship.
Once the two arrived in Denton, Texas, Sam found work as a farmhand with Sheriff W. F. "Dad" Eagan. He took care of the horses, milked the cows, cut firewood, and spent some time as a teamster.
During this time, he became familiar with all the back trails and thickets that would aid him during his future outlaw career.
In Denton, Sam was considered to be a hard worker and was known for his thriftiness. It was here that he also met many of his friends, with whom he would later engage in unlawful activities. Saving his earnings, he was able to purchase a 15-hand mare, referred to as the “Denton Mare.”
This racehorse was fast and soon earned Sam enough money for him to quit his job with Sheriff Eagan and retire to a life of horse racing, gambling, and saloon patronizing.
After 1875, Sam never again held a permanent job, living instead on his gambling proceeds and eventually as an outlaw.
Later that year, he met Joel Collins in San Antonio, Texas. The two decided to run a herd of cattle up north and sell them. They used the money to prospect gold, which failed miserably.
After the failure, the two became outlaws and began robbing stagecoaches. They held up seven stages over the next few months and began to make a name for themselves. They became known as the Black Hills Bandits.
The gang did not like the payoffs they were receiving from the stagecoaches and opted to rob trains.
Train Robberies
The gang robbed their first train at Big Spring Station, Nebraska, on September 18, 1877, at night.
They came up with a plan that would force the station master to signal the coming express train to stop, and afterward, they would board the train. They were able to execute the plan well and then board the train.
However, they were disappointed to find only $450 in the safe. The gange refused to believe that was all the money on the train and proceeded to beat the express messenger and force him to open the "through safe." The safe was time-sensitive and prevented the gang from opening it until it reached its destination.
Despite not being able to open the time-sensitive safe, they found some wooden boxes and began to inspect them. The wooden boxes revealed a small fortune of $60,000 of freshly minted $20 gold pieces headed from the San Francisco Mint to an Eastern Bank.
Joel Collins and his partner were shot and killed a week later.
Another pair, composed of James Berry and Nixon, was split up, and Berry was captured; Nixon escaped with his share to Canada.
The third pair, Sam Bass and Jack Davis rode south in a one-horse buggy – their share of the haul hidden under the seat.
Sam would continue to rob trains for sport, but he did not accumulate anything of significance except a higher price on his head.
The End
Bass was able to elude the Texas Rangers until a member of his gang, Jim Murphy, turned informant.
Mr. Murphy's father, who was very ill at the time, had been taken into custody and held for questioning.
He was not allowed to be seen by a doctor and was prevented from receiving medical treatment, which caused his condition to worsen rapidly.
Lawmen sent a message to Murphy informing him that they had his father in custody and that if Murphy did not agree to meet with them, they would continue to withhold medical treatment from the father.
Knowing how sick his father was, Murphy agreed to the meeting and reluctantly agree to become their informant and deliver information about the gang's movement.
On July 19, 1878, Bass and his gang were scouting the area before the robbery. When they bought some tobacco at a store, they were noticed by Deputy Sheriff A. W. Grimes. When Grimes approached the men to request that they surrender their sidearms, he was shot and killed.
As Bass attempted to flee, he was shot by Texas Rangers George Herold and Sergeant Richard Ware. Soapy Smith and his cousin, Edwin, witnessed Ware's shot. Soapy exclaimed, "I think you got him!"
An interesting note to all of this is the fact that no one in Round Rock, nor any of the visiting Texas Rangers, except Jim Murphy, knew what any of the Bass gang looked like.
In fact, after Seaborne Barnes was killed and lay in the street, Ware had to have Murphy identify the body, as no one else knew who the man was.
Ware himself stated that he had seen the same three men earlier in town crossing the street to enter the dry goods store but, in fact, did not recognize them as the Bass gang.
Bass was later found lying in a pasture west of Round Rock by Williamson County Deputy James Milton Tucker. More specifically, Bass had to call out to the posse as they were, in fact, about to ride by him, shouting, "Hey, I'm over here. I'm Sam Bass, the one you are looking for."
He was taken into custody and died the next day on July 21, 1878, his 27th birthday, and buried in Round Rock Cemetery.
