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011 - Sam Bass and His Train Robber Gang Part 1 · Six Years with the Texas Rangers, 1875 to 1881

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  Speaker 1: Chapter nine of Six Years with the Texas Rangers eighteen
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  Speaker 1: seventy five to eighteen eighty one. This is a liberyvox recording.
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  Speaker 1: All liberyvox recordings are in the public domain. For more
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  Speaker 1: information or to volunteer, please visit liberyvox dot org. Read
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  Speaker 1: by Stephen R. Gagan. Six Years with the Texas Rangers
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  Speaker 1: eighteen seventy five to eighteen eighty one by James B. Gillette,
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  Speaker 1: Chapter nine. Sam Bass and His Train Robber Gang, Part one.
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  Speaker 1: Sam Bass, the noted train robber, was born in Indiana
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  Speaker 1: July twenty first, eighteen fifty one. He came to Texas
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  Speaker 1: well quite a youth, and worked for Sheriff Everheart of
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  Speaker 1: Denton County until he reached manhood. While still an exemporary
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  Speaker 1: and honest young man, Bass came into possession of a
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  Speaker 1: small race pony, a little Sorrel mare. On Saturday evenings,
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  Speaker 1: when most of the neighborhood boys met in Denton, Bass
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  Speaker 1: raced his pony with much success. Mister Everhardt soon noticed
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  Speaker 1: that Sam was beginning to neglect his work because of
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  Speaker 1: his pony, and knowing only too well what this would
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  Speaker 1: lead to, he advised Sam to sell his mare. Bass hesitated,
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  Speaker 1: for he loved the animal. Finally, Mattis came to such
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  Speaker 1: a point that mister Everhart told Sam he would have
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  Speaker 1: to get rid of the horse or give up his job.
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  Speaker 1: Thereupon Bass promptly quit, and this was probably the turning
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  Speaker 1: point in his life. Bass left Denton County in the
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  Speaker 1: spring of eighteen seventy seven and traveled to San Antonio. Here,
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  Speaker 1: many cattlemen were gathered to arrange for the spring cattle
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  Speaker 1: drive to the north. Joel Collins, who was planning to
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  Speaker 1: drive her herd from Ubald County to Deadwood, Dakota, hired
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  Speaker 1: Bass as a cowboy. After six months on the trail,
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  Speaker 1: the herd reached Deadwood and was sold and all the
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  Speaker 1: cowboys paid off by mister Collins. At that period, Deadwood
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  Speaker 1: was a great, wide open mining town, adventurers, gamblers, mining
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  Speaker 1: and cattlemen all mingled together. Though Joe Collins had bought
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  Speaker 1: his cattle on credit and owed the greater part of
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  Speaker 1: the money he had received from them to his friends Texas,
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  Speaker 1: he gambled away all the money he had received for
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  Speaker 1: the herd. When he sobered up and realized all his
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  Speaker 1: money was gone, he did not have the moral courage
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  Speaker 1: to face his friends and creditors at home. He became
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  Speaker 1: desperate and with the band of his cowboy, held up
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  Speaker 1: and robbed several stage coaches in the Black Hills. These
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  Speaker 1: robberies brought Collins very little booty, but they started Sam
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  Speaker 1: Bass on his criminal career. In the fall of eighteen
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  Speaker 1: seventy seven, Collins, accompanied by Bass Jack Davis, Jim Barry,
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  Speaker 1: Bill Heffrich, and John Underwood, better known as Old Dad,
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  Speaker 1: left Deadwood and drifted down to Ogalalla, Nebraska. Here he conceived, planned,
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  Speaker 1: and carried into execution one of the boldest trained robberies
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  Speaker 1: that ever occurred in the United States up to that time.
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  Speaker 1: When all was ready, these six men, heavily armed and massed,
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  Speaker 1: held up the Union Pacific train at Big Springs, a
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  Speaker 1: small station a few miles beyond Oglala. The band attended
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  Speaker 1: the express car and ordered the messenger to open the safe,
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  Speaker 1: explained that though the safe had a time lock, could
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  Speaker 1: only be opened at the end of the route. One
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  Speaker 1: of the robbers then began to beat the messenger over
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  Speaker 1: the head with a six shooter, declaring he would kill
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  Speaker 1: him if the safe were as not open. Bass always
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  Speaker 1: of a kindly nature pleaded with the man to desist,
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  Speaker 1: declaring he believed the messenger was telling the truth. Just
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  Speaker 1: as the robbers were preparing to leave the car without
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  Speaker 1: a cent, one of them noticed three stout little boxes
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  Speaker 1: piled near the big safe the carrious bandit seized a
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  Speaker 1: coal pick and knocked off the lid to the top box.
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  Speaker 1: To his great joy and delight, he exposed twenty thousand
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  Speaker 1: dollars in shining gold coin. The three boxes each held
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  Speaker 1: a similar amount, all in twenty dollar gold pieces of
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  Speaker 1: the mintage of eighteen seventy seven. After looting these boxes,
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  Speaker 1: the robbers went through the train and in a systematic manner,
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  Speaker 1: robbed the passengers of about five thousand dollars. By daylight,
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  Speaker 1: the bandits had hidden their booty and returned to Ogalalla.
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  Speaker 1: They hung around town several days while railroad officials, United
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  Speaker 1: States marshals, and sheriff's parties were scouring the county for
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  Speaker 1: the train robbers. While in o Galala before and after
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  Speaker 1: the robbery, Collins and his men frequented a large general
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  Speaker 1: merchandise store. In this store was a clerk who had
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  Speaker 1: once been an express messenger on the Union Pacific and
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  Speaker 1: who was well acquainted with the officials of that company.
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  Speaker 1: I have forgotten his name, but I will call him
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  Speaker 1: More for the sake of clearness of my narrative. Of course,
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  Speaker 1: the Great train robbery was the talk of the town.
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  Speaker 1: Moore conversed with Collins and his gang about the hold up,
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  Speaker 1: and the bandits declared that they would help haunt the
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  Speaker 1: robbers if there was enough money in it. More's suspicions
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  Speaker 1: were aroused, and he became convinced that Collins and his
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  Speaker 1: band were the real hold up men. However, he said
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  Speaker 1: nothing to anyone about this belief, but carefully watched the men. Finally,
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  Speaker 1: Collins came to the store and, after buying clothing and provisions,
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  Speaker 1: told mister Moore that he and his companions were going
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  Speaker 1: back to Texas and would be up the trail the
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  Speaker 1: following spring with another herd of cattle. When Collins had
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  Speaker 1: begune a day's travel, mister Moore hired a horse and
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  Speaker 1: followed him. He soon found the route the suspects were traveling,
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  Speaker 1: and on the second day Moore came upon them. Suddenly,
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  Speaker 1: while they were stopping at a roadside farmhouse to have
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  Speaker 1: some bread cooked, Moore passed by without being noticed and
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  Speaker 1: secreted himself near the highway. In a short time, Collins
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  Speaker 1: and his men passed on, and Moore trailed them until
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  Speaker 1: they went into camp. When it was dark, the amateur
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  Speaker 1: detective crept up to the bandits, but they had gone
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  Speaker 1: to sleep, and he learned nothing. The next day, Moore
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  Speaker 1: resumed the trail. He watched the gang make their camp
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  Speaker 1: for the night, and again crept up to within a
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  Speaker 1: few yards of his suspects. The bandits had built a
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  Speaker 1: big fire and were laughing and talking. Soon they spread
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  Speaker 1: out a blanket, and, to Moore's great astonishment, brought out
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  Speaker 1: some money bags had emptied them upon the blanket sixty
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  Speaker 1: thousand dollars in gold. From his concealed position, the trailer
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  Speaker 1: heard the rubbers discuss the hold up. They declared that
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  Speaker 1: they did not believe anyone had recognized or suspected them,
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  Speaker 1: and decided it was now best for them to divide
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  Speaker 1: the money, separate in pairs, and go on their way.
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  Speaker 1: The coin was stacked in six piles that each man
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  Speaker 1: received ten thousand dollars and twenty dollar gold pieces. It
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  Speaker 1: was further decided that Collins and Bill Heffridge would traveled
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  Speaker 1: back to San Antonio, Texas. Together, Sam Bass and Jack
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  Speaker 1: Davis were to go to Denton County, Texas, while Jim
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  Speaker 1: Barry and Old Dad were to return to the Bury
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  Speaker 1: Home in Mexico, Missouri. As soon as mister Moore had
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  Speaker 1: seen the money and he heard the robbers' plans, he
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  Speaker 1: slipped back to his horse mounted and rode day and
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  Speaker 1: night to reach Oglala. He notified the railroad officials of
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  Speaker 1: what he had seen, gave the names and descriptions of
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  Speaker 1: the bandits and their destinations. This information was sent broadcast
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  Speaker 1: over southern Nebraska, Kansas, Indian Territory, and Texas. In the
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  Speaker 1: fugitive list sent to each of the companies of the
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  Speaker 1: Frontier Battalion of Rangers, Sam Bass was thus described twenty
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  Speaker 1: five to twenty six years old, five feet seven inches high,
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  Speaker 1: black hair, doc brown eyes, brown mustache, large white teeth
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  Speaker 1: shows them when talking, has very little to say. A
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  Speaker 1: few days after the separation of the robbers, Joel Hollins
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  Speaker 1: and Bill Heffridge rode into a small place in Kansas
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  Speaker 1: called Buffalo Station. They led a pack pony, dismounting from
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  Speaker 1: their tired horses and leaving them standing in the shade
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  Speaker 1: of the store building. The two men enter the store
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  Speaker 1: and made several purchases. The railroad agent at the place
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  Speaker 1: noticed the stranger's ride up. He had, of course, been
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  Speaker 1: advised to be on the lookout for the train robbers.
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  Speaker 1: He entered the store in a little while engaged Corlins
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  Speaker 1: in conversation. While talking, the robber pulled his handkerchief out
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  Speaker 1: of his coat pocket and exposed a letter with his
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  Speaker 1: name thereon. The agent was a shrewd man. He asked
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  Speaker 1: Collins if he had not driven or her to cattle
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  Speaker 1: up the trail in the spring. Collins declared he had,
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  Speaker 1: and finally, in answer to a direct question, admitted that
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  Speaker 1: his name was Joel Collins. Five or six hundred yards
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  Speaker 1: from Buffalo Station, a lieutenant of the United States Army
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  Speaker 1: had camped a troop of ten men and was scouting
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  Speaker 1: for the train robbers. As soon as Collins and Heffridge
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  Speaker 1: remounted and resumed their way, the agent ran quickly to
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  Speaker 1: the soldiers camp, pointed out the bandits to the lieutenant
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  Speaker 1: and declared, there go two of the Union Pacific train robbers.
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  Speaker 1: The army officer mounted his men and pursued Collins in Heffridge.
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  Speaker 1: When he hovetook the two men. He told them their
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  Speaker 1: descriptions tallied with those of some train robbers that he
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  Speaker 1: was scouting for, and declared that they would have to
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  Speaker 1: go back to the station and be identified. Collins laughed
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  Speaker 1: at the idea and declared that he and his companion
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  Speaker 1: were cattlemen returning to their home in Texas. They reluctantly
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  Speaker 1: turned and started back with the soldiers. After riding a
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  Speaker 1: few hundred yards, the two robbers held a whispered conversation. Suddenly,
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  Speaker 1: the two pulled their pistols and attempted to stand off
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  Speaker 1: the lieutenant and his troop. The desperadoes were promptly shot
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  Speaker 1: and killed. On examining their packs, the soldiers found tied
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  Speaker 1: up in the legs of a pair of overalls, twenty
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  Speaker 1: thousand dollars in gold eighteen seventy seven mintage. Not a
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  Speaker 1: dollar of the stolen money had been used, and there
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  Speaker 1: was no doubt about the identity of the men. Not
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  Speaker 1: long after the divide up in Nebraska, Jim Barry appeared
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  Speaker 1: at his home in Mexico, Missouri. At once he deposited
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  Speaker 1: quite a lot of money in the local bank and
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  Speaker 1: exchanged three thousand dollars in gold for currency, explaining his
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  Speaker 1: possess of the gold by saying he had sold a
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  Speaker 1: mine in the Black Hills in three or four days.
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  Speaker 1: The sheriff of the county learned of Berry's deposit and
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  Speaker 1: called at the bank to see the new depositor's gold.
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  Speaker 1: His suspicion became a certainty when he found Berry had
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  Speaker 1: deposited twenty dollar gold pieces of eighteen seventy seven. At night,
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  Speaker 1: the sheriff with the posse rounded up Barry's house, but
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  Speaker 1: the suspect was not there. The home was well provisioned,
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  Speaker 1: and the posse found many articles of newly purchased clothing.
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  Speaker 1: Just after daylight, while searching about the place, the sheriff
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  Speaker 1: heard a horse whinny in some timber near by. Upon
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  Speaker 1: investigating this, he suddenly came upon Jim Barry sitting on
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  Speaker 1: a pallet. Barry discovered the officer at about the same
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  Speaker 1: time and attempted to escape by running. He was fired upon,
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  Speaker 1: one bullet, striking him in the knee and badly shattering it.
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  Speaker 1: He was taken to his home and given the best
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  Speaker 1: of medical attention, but gangrene set in and he died
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  Speaker 1: in a few days. Most of his ten thousand dollars
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  Speaker 1: was recovered. Old Dad eventually quit barry somewhere en route
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  Speaker 1: for he made good his escape with his ill go
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  Speaker 1: got in Gain and was never apprehended. Sam Bass and
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  Speaker 1: Jack Davis, after the separation in Nebraska, sold their ponies,
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  Speaker 1: bought a light spring wagon and a pair of work horses.
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  Speaker 1: They placed their gold pieces in the bottom of the wagon,
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  Speaker 1: threw their bedding and clothes over it, and in this disguise,
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  Speaker 1: traveled through Kansas and in the Indian Territory to Denton County, Texas.
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  Speaker 1: During their thrip through the territory, Bass afterwards said he
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  Speaker 1: camped within one hundred yards of a detachment of cavalry.
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  Speaker 1: After supper, he and Davis visited the soldiers camp and
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  Speaker 1: chatted with them until bedtime. The soldiers said they were
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  Speaker 1: on the lookout for some train robbers that had held
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  Speaker 1: up the Union Pacific in Nebraska, never dreaming for a
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  Speaker 1: moment that they were conversing with two of them. The
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  Speaker 1: men also mentioned that two of the robbers had been
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  Speaker 1: reported killed in Kansas. This room would put Bass and
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  Speaker 1: Davis on their guard, and on reaching Denton County, they
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  Speaker 1: hid in the Elm bottoms until Basquet interviewed some of
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  Speaker 1: his friends. Upon meeting them, he learned that the names
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  Speaker 1: and descriptions of every one of the Union Pacific train
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  Speaker 1: robbers were in possession of the law offices, that Collins, Heffridge,
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  Speaker 1: and Barry had been killed, and that every sheriff in
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  Speaker 1: North Texas was on watch for Davis and himself. Davis
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  Speaker 1: at once begged Bass to go with him to South America,
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  Speaker 1: but Bass refused, so Davis bade Sam goodbye and set
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  Speaker 1: out alone. He was never captured. On his deathbed, Bass
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  Speaker 1: declared he had once received a letter from Jack Davis
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  Speaker 1: written from New Orleans, asking Bass to come there and
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  Speaker 1: go into business of buying hides. Bass left Denton County
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  Speaker 1: early in the spring an honest, sincere, and clean young man.
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  Speaker 1: By following with evil associates, he had become within a
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  Speaker 1: few months one of the most daring outlaws and trained
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  Speaker 1: robbers of his time. Before he had committed any crime
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  Speaker 1: in the state. The offices of North Texas made repeated
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  Speaker 1: efforts to capture him for the big reward offered by
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  Speaker 1: the Union Pacific and the Express Company, but owing to
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  Speaker 1: the nature of the county around Denton and his friends
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  Speaker 1: Bass had as long as his goal lasted, met with
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  Speaker 1: no success. Bass's money soon attracted several desperate and daring
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  Speaker 1: men to him, Henry Underwood, Arkansas Johnson, Jim Murphy, Frank Jackson,
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  Speaker 1: Pipees Hendron, and Collins, the last one a cousin of
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  Speaker 1: Joel Collins, and two or three others joined him in
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  Speaker 1: the Elm Bottoms. Naturally, Bass was selected as leader of
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  Speaker 1: the gang. Was not long before the outlaw chief planned
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  Speaker 1: and executed his first train robbery in Texas, that at
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  Speaker 1: eagle Ford small station on the Tepee Railroad, a few
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  Speaker 1: miles out of Dallas. In quick succession, the bandits held
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  Speaker 1: up two or three other trains, at the last I
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  Speaker 1: believe being at Meskeete station, ten or twelve miles east
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  Speaker 1: of Dallas. From this robbery, they secured about three thousand dollars.
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  Speaker 1: They met with opposition here, for the conductor, though armed
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  Speaker 1: with only a small pistol, fought the robbers to a
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  Speaker 1: fare you well, and slightly wounded one of them. The
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  Speaker 1: whole state was now aroused by the repeated train hold ups.
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  Speaker 1: General Jones hurried to Dallas and Ditton to look over
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  Speaker 1: the situation, and strange to say, he arranged to organize
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  Speaker 1: a company of rangers at Dallas. Captain June Pink, a
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  Speaker 1: very able officer, was given the command. No matter how
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  Speaker 1: brave a company of recruits, it takes time and training
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  Speaker 1: to get results from them. And when he saw this
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  Speaker 1: raw company was thrown into the field against Bass and
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  Speaker 1: his gang, the bandit leader played with it as a
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  Speaker 1: child plays with toys. Counting the thirty rangers and different
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  Speaker 1: sheriff's parties, they were probably one hundred minute in pursuit
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  Speaker 1: of the Basque gang. Sam played hide and seek with
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  Speaker 1: them and all and said never ranged any farther west
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  Speaker 1: than Stephens County or further north than Wise. He was
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  Speaker 1: generally in Dallas, Denton, or Torrant Counties. He would frequently
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  Speaker 1: visit Fort Worth or Dallas at night, ride up with
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  Speaker 1: his men to some outside saloon, get drinks all around,
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  Speaker 1: and then vamoose. Finally, in a fight at Salt Creek,
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  Speaker 1: Wise County, Captain June Peak and his rangers killed Arkansas Johnson,
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  Speaker 1: Bass's most trusted lieutenant. Either just before or soon after
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  Speaker 1: this battle, a rangers captured Pipe Hendron and James Murphy
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  Speaker 1: and drove back and his two remaining companions out of
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  Speaker 1: North Texas. At that time, the state had on the
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  Speaker 1: frontier of Texas six companies of veteran rangers. They were
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  Speaker 1: finally mounted, highly equipped, and with the best mounted police
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  Speaker 1: in the world. Any company of the line could have
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  Speaker 1: been marched to Denton in ten days, yet they were
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  Speaker 1: never moved one mile in that direction. Any one of
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  Speaker 1: those highly trained commands could have broken up the Sam
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  Speaker 1: Bass gang, and half the time it took a command
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  Speaker 1: of new men. After the fight on Salt Creek, only
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  Speaker 1: Sam Bass, Sabe Barnes, and Frank Jackson were left of
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  Speaker 1: the once formidable gang. These men had gained nothing from
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  Speaker 1: their four trained robberies in North Texas and were so
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  Speaker 1: hard pressed by the officers of the law on all
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  Speaker 1: sides that Bass reluctantly decided to leave the country and
• 14:43
  Speaker 1: try to make his way to Old Mexico. Through some
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: pretended friends of Bass. General Jones learned of the contemplated move. He,
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  Speaker 1: with Captain Peak and other officers approached Jim Murphy, one
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  Speaker 1: of Bass's gangs captured at about the time of the Salt
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  Speaker 1: Creek fight, who was awaiting trial by the federal authorities
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  Speaker 1: for train robbery. And promised they would secure his release
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  Speaker 1: if he would betray Bass. Murphy hesitated and said his
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  Speaker 1: former chief had been kind to his family and given
• 15:09
  Speaker 1: them money and provisions, and it would be ungrateful to
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  Speaker 1: betray his friend. The General declared he understood Murphy's position fully,
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  Speaker 1: but Bass was an outlaw, a pest to the country
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  Speaker 1: who was preparing to leave the state, and so could
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  Speaker 1: no longer help him. General Jrones warned Murphy that the
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  Speaker 1: evidence against him was overwhelming and was certain to send
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  Speaker 1: him to federal prison, probably for life, and exhorted him
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  Speaker 1: to remember his wife and children. Murphley finally yielded and
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  Speaker 1: agreed to betray Bass and his gang at the first opportunity.
• 15:39
  Speaker 1: According to the plan agreed upon, Murphy was to give bond,
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: and when the federal court convened at Tyler, Texas a
• 15:45
  Speaker 1: few weeks later, he was not to show up. It
• 15:48
  Speaker 1: would then be published all over the country that Murphy
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  Speaker 1: had skipped bond and rejoined Baths. This was carried out
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  Speaker 1: to the letter. Murphy joined Bass in the elms bottom
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  Speaker 1: of Detton County and agreed to rob a train or
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  Speaker 1: bank and get out of the country. Some of Bass's
• 16:03
  Speaker 1: friends suspicious of Murphy's bondsman wrote Sam that Murphy was
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  Speaker 1: playing a double game and inviired him to kill the
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  Speaker 1: trader at once. Bass immediately confronted Murphy with these reports
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  Speaker 1: and reminded him how freely he had handed out his
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  Speaker 1: goal to Murphy's family. Bass declared he had never advised
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  Speaker 1: or solicited Jim to join him, and is said it
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  Speaker 1: was a low down, mean, ungrateful trick to betray him.
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  Speaker 1: He told Murphy plainfully, if he had anything to say,
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  Speaker 1: say it quickly. Barnes agreed with his chief and urged
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  Speaker 1: Murphy's death. Leaplauda denied any intention of betraying Bass and
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  Speaker 1: offered to take the lead and any robbery Bass should
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  Speaker 1: plan and be the first to enter the express car
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  Speaker 1: or climb over the bank railing Bass was mad, and
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  Speaker 1: so was Barnes. They elected to kill the liar at once.
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  Speaker 1: Frank Johnson had taken no part in the conversation, but
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  Speaker 1: he now declared that he had known Murphy since he
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  Speaker 1: was a little boy, and he was sure Murphy was
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  Speaker 1: sincere and meant to stand by them through thick and thin.
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  Speaker 1: Bass was not satisfied and insisted that Murphy be murdered
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  Speaker 1: then and there. Jackson finally told Bass and Barnes that
• 17:05
  Speaker 1: they could not kill Murphy without first killing him. Although
• 17:08
  Speaker 1: the youngest of the party, Frank was only twenty two
• 17:11
  Speaker 1: years old, Jackson had great influence over his chief. He
• 17:15
  Speaker 1: was brave and daring, and Bass at the time could
• 17:17
  Speaker 1: not very well get along without him, so his counsel
• 17:19
  Speaker 1: prevailed and Murphy was spared. The bandits then determined to
• 17:23
  Speaker 1: quit the country. Their plan was to rob a small
• 17:25
  Speaker 1: bank somewhere en route to Old Mexico and thus secure
• 17:28
  Speaker 1: the funds needed to facilitate their escape, for they were
• 17:31
  Speaker 1: all broke. End of Chapter nine, Part one