Bass Blood Runs Deep (2)
Huston Horn states in 'The Pioneers', "Buffalo could be a nuisance. Sometimes potable stream water turned dark and redolent after they ambled through it; at other times the emigrant's oxen and cows might stray off with a buffalo herd, never to be seen again. But the buffalo were invaluable as a source of fuel as well as meat." (*a-7) The Mayes party's travels were, apparently, uneventful. There was a Doan's Store on the Red River where The Texas Cattle Trail crossed, and three families lived there. (*a-8) Sam was able to quickly find work on the Robert Carruth ranch, just fourteen miles outside of Denton, after leaving the company of the Mayes family and others who traveled west with them. Sam worked on the
(*a-6) Webb, Walter Prescott 'The Texas Rangers' page#79 by University of Texas Press, 1935, and (*a-8) pg.#421 of same. (*a-7)Horn, Huston, 'The Pioneers' pg.#93, Time/Life Books 1974 ________________________________________________________________________ Carruth ranch approximately six months, through the winter and spring of 1870-71. During the spring an Indian raid of substantial size occurred very near the Carruth ranch, prompting Sam to move into town. He felt he would be safer there in the event of any more Indian attacks. And there he took a job at Mrs. S. E, Lacy's boarding house, remaining there for about one and one half years. At the time of Sam's arrival to Texas, an acre of land near Shoal Creek and West Pecan in Austin was selling for approximately one thousand dollars. Four to six room rent houses went for thirty to thirty-five dollars a month.(*a-9) Sam then took a job with a man by the name of Wilkes who ran a sheep ranch. Not much is known about his time spent there, because he and Wilkes evidentially did not get along well. Sam did not remain in Wilkes' employ long, but dreamed of one day starting a sheep ranch of his own. Sam then became an employee of Sheriff W. F."Dad" Eagan (Egan). He was hired on to do the usual chores associated with a farmhand and teamster. He ran errands, freighted, mended split rail fences (barbed wire was not yet found this far west),
FOOTNOTE: (*a-9)Barkley, Mary Starr 'The History of Travis County and Austin' ________________________________________________________________________
milked cows, fed steers, and helped with the younger Eagan children at times. The latter coming naturally to Sam, and Sam got along well with the Eagan family. "Colonel William Eagan, a prominent Denton citizen who owned considerable real estate in the town and was also the sheriff, took a liking to Sam. He hired him as a general labor man and later took to swearing him in as a special deputy whenever Sam's particular talents were needed." (*h-3) While in the employ of Eagan, Sam and Eagan's younger brother, Armstrong, became owners of a reddish-brown mare with a white sock on her back left foot they dubbed "Jenny", also known as 'The Denton Mare'. She was approximately fifteen hands high, and fast became the love of Sam's life. "Jenny" was a racehorse, eventually becoming known as "The Denton Mare". She was cut from a herd of wild mustangs by her former owner, Mose Taylor. "Jenny" was not one of the fastest horses around, but did Sam proud for a time. Sam hired a small black jockey who went by the name of Dick Eidson, but real name was Charlie Tucker. Sheriff Eagan saw to it that "Armie" was made to give up his holdings on the mare, because he thought horseracing a very bad influence of young minds. He highly disapproved of "Jenny", but could not legally force Sam to give her up. He allowed Sam to house "Jenny" on his property until he could make up his mind what he was going to do. Eventually, he gave Sam an ultimatum. Sam was told he needed to either get rid of the horse or leave his employment with the Eagans. He didn't intend to be shed of "Jenny", so he parted ways with the Eagan family with no hard feelings expressed on either side. Sam was
(*h-3) Huffaker, Clair Profiles of the American West's 'Saga of Sam Bass' page#236, Pocket Books 1976 ________________________________________________________________________ a loyal and ideal employee for the Eagans for some time. Sam left Eagan's employ in March of 1875. "After 1875 there is no record that Sam stained his hands with toil." (*s-1) Sam hired a small black jockey by the name of Dick Eidson whom, supposedly, weighed little more than the bridle on 'Jenny". And, on the days when the jockey had a hangover he would spread molasses on "Jenny's" back to keep the jockey glued to her as the race commenced. Dick Eidson was paid as much as $300 a race. (*n-0) Sam decided to keep racing "Jenny", and Joel Collins became his new partner in racing. Collins helped Sam in scheming ways to insure "Jenny's" always winning. They felt building up the dirt, on the roads where the races were to begin, would give "Jenny" the starting advantage by first running downhill. Joel and Sam took the mare to Ft. Sill, Oklahoma, which was then the northwest portion of Indian Territory, to race against the Indian ponies. (Oklahoma didn't become a state until 1907.) When Sam wasn't at a horse race you could find him at a local saloon playing cards and drinking whiskey. He played poker while flirting with the bar women and drinking his expensive whiskey to wile away the idle hours.
(*s-1)Webb, Walter Prescott 'The Texas Rangers page#372 University of Texas Press 1935 (*n-0)Huffaker, Clair Profiles of the American West's 'Saga of Sam Bass' page#273 by Pocket Books 1976 ________________________________________________________________________
Sam Bass and Joel Collins became very irritated after not having been paid by the Indians for a race "Jenny" won. They managed to sneak into the Indian camp during the night, taking back the horses with which they were suppose to have been paid. Quietly they took only the horses due them, then high-tailed-it back to the San Antonio area. Huffaker in 'Profiles of the American West' states, "The sheriff drew up a hundred yards from where Sam faced him on "Jenny" and yelled out, "Stop in the name of the law! I'll take them ponies back to their rightful owners!" "They're with their rightful owners!" Sam yelled back. He put a hand on each of his revolvers and added, "Before you take them, we'll wade knee deep in blood!" Such was Sam's manner when angered that the sheriff thought his words over quietly and then rode back to the Cherokees to tell them their horses couldn't be found." (*n-1) When "Jenny" finally played out, Sam and Joel decided to get up a herd of cattle to drive to Kansas and sell at a reasonable profit. They signed promissory notes in order to get up enough cattle, about seven
(*n-1) Huffaker, Clair Profiles of the American West's 'Saga of Sam Bass' page#239 by Pocket Books 1976 ________________________________________________________________________
hundred, for their first drive. Some cattle were ones they took to sell for other cattlemen. Sam acquired a cook and chuck wagon. They then bought horses and necessities needed, for survival, along the trail. They hired what they considered to be good help. At this time, there were fewer than one thousand persons for every one thousand square mile of ranchland. Three hundred thousand head of Texas cattle made the trip to Kansas in 1870. Off and on between 1870 and 1873 Sam and Joel made three or four trips to Kansass cowtowns with herds. The profit for each head was reported to be approximately from fifteen to twenty-five dollars at this date in time. Webb in The Texas Rangers tells it Bass and Collins drove the herds to Kansas and then shipped them to Sidney, Nebraska in order to escape some question as to who owned rightful title to the cattle. (*n-4) Mavericks were named so after Samuel Maverick who always carelessly managed to lose a part of his herd while raising ten children alongside his wife. At one point Mary Ann 'Adams' Maverick was left to manage the ranch and slaves while Samuel was being held in a Mexican prison. An invasion by Mexico had caused the Mavericks to flee from San Antonio with several other families. She lost four children, two to disease and two soon after their birth, at a young age and
(*n-4) Webb, Walter Prescott 'The Texas Rangers' page#379 by University of Texas Press 1935 ________________________________________________________________________ another son when in his twenties. Then, her beloved husband, Samuel, died in 1870. (*f-1) Starting in 1873 there was wide spread panic concerning the closing of banks in Texas. And this became one of the reasons for the public fascination, and approval, of Sam Bass and his gang. Joel and Sam tried their hand at mining as well. It is barely worth mentioning since the cold of that fall and winter forced them to give up the idea, almost before they ever started. They rid themselves of this notion fast with the temperature having drastic effect on their mining efforts. Deadwood, South Dakota thermometers sometimes dropped below the minus thirty-two degree level. They then tried their hand at their own freighting business, but lost more than they made due to poor business savvy on their part. They may have opened a resort devoted to liquor, cards, and ladies of the evening after this. (*t-1) All this time. Sam was fast losing sight of what he considered the ideal living in the west. His infatuation with the cowboy life was long gone, and he was acting now only survival instincts.
FOOTNOTE:(*f-1)Exley, Jo Ella Powell 'Texas Tears and Texas Sunshine', pg.#101-02,Texas A&M University Press, 1985 (*t-1) Webb, Walter Prescott 'The Texas Rangers page#372 University of Texas Press 1935 ________________________________________________________________________
Chapter III Indiana Goes On Without Him
Back home in Indiana Euphemia married John Beasley, remaining close to the rest of the family. John was a cousin of the Beasley who married one of Captain Columbus Moore's children. (Two children born to John and 'Efanny" were named Rose, one dying shortly after birth, the other dying at thirty-five. They are buried in the Sheeks' family cemetery as well.) Augustus Bass and Kansas Moore were married in 1879 with their first child being born on the 29th of August in 1880. Mary and Clarissa Bass married brothers by the names of George and Abner C. Horsey, closely related to Uncle Dave's second wife. *On the 1st of January in 1881 Sam's youngest full-blooded brother, Denton, married Emma Warren in Lawrence County. *Then, in 1889, Denton filed for George W.'s Civil War pension. One had to be inlisted at least ninety days before qualifying for a government pension, but this did not apply to those wounded or killed in battle. Uncle Solomon (then 66), Captain Columbus Moore (59), and Uncle Edwin Wood (73) all signed affidavits on Denton's behalf. It was not reported if any agreement was met by the government. Denton and Emma had one
FOOTNOTE: * see marriage certificate insert Also, see Civil War record inserts for George W. Bass ________________________________________________________________________
daughter together, Lola, before Denton filed for divorce due to Emma's bad temperament. Denton eventually remarried, having a daughter by this wife as well. Lola married Charles Briney, and the other daughter married Harley Alexander. Denton had five grandchildren, and six great grandchildren, at the time of his death on the 14th of December in 1948 in Mitchell. *(refer to copies of affidavits) By 1886 Captain Columbus Moore was a widower and an invalid. Being almost constantly bedridden the last few years of his life, and living with his son, Frank Pierce Moore. Moore was sometimes nursed by friend and neighbor, George Flora. (Flora is buried in the Bass Cemetery in Mitchell.) And Columbus Moore died on the 5th of March in 1904. He previously lived on his pension of fifteen dollars a month, with his last check being paid, at twenty dollars, to him on the 4th of February in 1904. He was preceded in death by his wife (Sabitha), two infant daughters (Catherine and Ida), an infant son (Frederic H.), and a teenage daughter (Rose). In 1953 only one child of Columbus was living "Sally" wrote that John L. and Denton were thinking seriously about joining Sam in Texas. Sam answered they should remain in
FOOTNOTE: *National Archives Civil War records, inc. affidavits and Lawrence County Historical/Genealogical Society ________________________________________________________________________
Mitchell, because Texas was not at all what he hoped it would be. (He learned to write with the help of a neighbor's hired hand, Charlie Brim, while employed by Eagan, but his signature always came out Sam B ass. Charlie Brim tried to teach Sam more of the basic fundamentals of reading and writing, allowing Sam to be able to write home.) He kept contact with his sister, Sarah "Sally", and Uncle Dave. Making a living in Texas was a lot harder than Sam ever expected. The younger brothers stayed in Indiana, never trying to make it out to Texas to find Sam. "Sally" went to Valparaiso for a time to further her education, coming back to Mitchell to clerk in the local hardware store where she met her future husband. John Hornbrook came to Mitchell to design, and build, a house for a local banker, and was a building contractor by trade. Marrying John gave "Sally" a life of means she never experienced as a child. John Hornbrook was from Cincinnati, Ohio. Captain Columbus Moore was finally back in town raising his family. *He saw Kansas Moore married to a first cousin of Sam's Augustus Bass. Augustus was son of Daniel's brother, William. One of Augustus' children, Homer, was father in law to Lela M. Bass, last surviving Bass (by marriage or birth) left in Mitchell. At the time
FOOTNOTE: *see family bible page insert (William Bass)
________________________________________________________________________
Lela came to Mitchell to teach, Denton Bass was still living there as well. The presently used Bass Cemetery is made up of land that was donated by Augustus, located three miles north of Mitchell, just one mile from Daniel and Elizabeth's original homestead. (This according to letters author received from Lela Bass. Also, refer to William Bass family bible page copy, courtesy of Lela Bass.) When John L. Bass turned twenty-five he married Martha J. Burrows. Their marriage took place on the 17th day of March in 1879. (see marriage certificate copy) Margaret A. Bass filed a law suit, complaining about the disbursement of Daniel's estate. Daniel's family never approved of his marriage to Margaret, so her departure from Mitchell was heated, and with her being near poverty. (According to records found by Rick Miller, appointed District Attorney for Bell County, Texas who is also president of N.O.L.A.) Solomon's daughter, Diadema, "Demma" for short, became John L. Dodson's second wife after the death of Nancy 'Bass' Dodson in 1877. In addition to John and Nancy's six children, John and Diadema shared two of their own.
________________________________________________________________________ Chapter IV The Growth of the Texas Frontier and The Bass Gang
Back in Texas Sam was fast picking up bad habits and company. Some say being associated with Sam Bass was what brought about the deaths of three of the seven Collins boys. Not to mention other poor souls! It also might be said of the associations Sam ran with, in reverse. However, laying blame remedies nothing. They all were old enough to choose the lives they led, and paid high prices for their choices. 1876 in Denton the courthouse burnt to the ground just before Christmas. A week later the Presbyterian Church burnt that was being used for court proceedings, and store records. Henry Underwood was arrested for the crimes, then soon released due to lack of evidence against him. All charges and/or indictments were therefore dismissed. Sam stated, once, that he was in the robbing business long before the Union/Pacific heist at Big Springs Station near Ogallala, Nebraska. On December 20th of 1877 Sam, along with two others, stopped a Ft. Worth/Clebourne stagecoach near Joshua. Without the use of guns they disarmed the driver and lifted a total of eleven dollars and twenty-five cents from its passengers. There one of Sam's gang, Albert Hernden, was shot by a witness to the robbery and left for dead by Sam and the other accomplist. (*b-1)
(*b-1) Dooley and Dooley's Why Stop, pg.#257, Lone Star Books a division of Gulf Publishing, 1978. ________________________________________________________________________ The first reported robbery of the Bass Gang was on the 25th of March in 1877, the last was planned for the 20th of July in 1878. The first was when they used whiskey and handkerchief masks for courage. It is also the only robbery in which anyone was murdered by one of the gang. Much to the shock and dismay of the family of Johnny Slaughter, he was the only casualty of any Bass Gang robbery. Huffaker states, in 'Profiles of the American West' "Sam called out, "Haul on those reins! This is a holdup!" Supposedly, Johnny Slaughter was cooperative and did just as he was told. But Bill Reddy aimed his scattergun at him, shooting Slaughter and nearly nearly in two. And Sam threatened to kill Reddy for his senseless act of murder, turning him out of the gang instead.* Johnny was a well-respected, and well-thought of, stagecoach driver who Robert "Little" Reddy saw fit to murder in cold blood. "Little" Reddy's real sur name was McKimie. And, though Sam resorted to robbing, he disliked violence and killing of any kind. This robbery yielded nothing, because of Reddy's act of stupidity. (*h-4) Towle was arrested shortly after, but released due to lack of evidence to convict. This put enough fear of God into Towle to have him leave the gang of his own choosing, high-tailing it back to Canada from whence he came, never to be heard from by any of the Bass Gang again.
FOOTNOTE: (*h-4)Huffaker, Clair Profiles of the American West's 'Sage of Sam Bass' page#240 by Pocket Books 1976 ________________________________________________________________________
Known Bass Gang members were-
JOEL COLLINS- died on the 25th of September in 1877. HENRY COLLINS "LITTLE" REDDY, ROBERT (Real sur name McKIMIE) WILLIAM "BILLY" COLLINS - (These three were brothers.) JACK DAVIS- A known ex-convict at the time of his joining. JIM BERRY- from Mexico, Missouri. HENRY UNDERWOOD, aka "Hank" Stewart- a medical graduate who left the gang on the 12th of June in 1878, and was hanged on the 29th of August in 1879. SEABORN "SEBE" BARNES- also known as "Nubbins Colt". He died on the 19th of July in 1878 during shoot out with Texas Rangers in Round Rock. "ARKANSAS" JOHNSON, real name Harlston, died the 12th of June in 1878 in Cottondale. FRANK JACKSON- known as "Blockey", and escaped capture in Round Rock. TOM SPOTSWOOD- with right eye disfigurement, was with the gang a very short time. SAM PIPES- was paroled by President Grover Cleveland. SCOTT MAYES- of Denton. WILL SCOTT TOM NIXON ALBERT HERNDEN- on the 22nd of December in 1877 was shot and left for dead by gang, also later paroled by President Cleveland. WILLIAM MINER- was a spy for Sheriff W. F. Eagan, and died of natural causes in 1913.
________________________________________________________________________
BILL SCAGGS BILL HEFFRIDGE RILEY WETZEL CHARLIE CARTER FRANK TOWLE, Canadian JAMES W. "Jim" MURPHY & BEN THOMPSON- of Austin. Notorious outlaw in his own right. Also, had younger brother, "Billy".
other farm boys were held as reserves in case of emergency. Walter Prescott Webb said Sam Bass and Seaborn Barnes participated in all the robberies, Frank Jackson in three, "Arkansas" Johnson in two, and all the others in one. The public had a morbid interest and were sometimes sympathetic to who the named Sam Bass and Company. (*y-1) Samuel Bass was only five feet and seven inches tall, and weighed close to 165 pounds most of his short-lived adulthood. He was fair complected, and had hair that turned from a dark sandy color to almost black as he got older. His eyes were dark blue. His voice, annoying to some, was a high pitched nasally twang. It was ignored by those close to him. Sam was nice looking. Fehrenbach states in 'Lone Star', "The line between a genuine criminal type, such as John Wesley Hardin or Sam Bass, an iron-fisted rancher building up his range by might and main or a rebellious frontiersman who hated Yankees, Negro police, banks, railroads, and all their works, was VERY THIN." (*f-5) At first, several petty thefts of Sam's gang went virtually unnoticed. They were then still known as The Black Hills Gang. The
FOOTNOTE: (*f-5) Fehrenbach 'Lone Star' page #571 (*y-1)Webb, Walter Prescott 'The Texas Rangers' page#374 University of Texas Press 1935 _______________________________________________________________________
murder of Johnny Slaughter set the first official posse on their trail. More posses were formed following four train robberies in Allen, Hutchins on, Eagle Ford, and Mesquite in the spring of 1878. One such posse was by Captain June Peak of the Texas Rangers. April 12th General Steele of The Texas Rangers wired Major Jones to take charge of the hunt for robbers in North Texas. Jones arrived in Dallas on the evening of the 14th and immediately got in touch with Colonel E.G. Bower. And since there were no Rangers near this area, Jones was ordered to get up an attachment that would become a part of Company "B". He offered command of this attachment to Captain June Peak, a former deputy sheriff, and city Marshall. Peak asked for a thirty-day leave of absence from his current job as recorder to become Lieutenant June Peak of the Frontier Battalion. (*r-1) The Bass Gang held up the Deadwood stage four times between July and August of 1877. The Cheyenne/Deadwood Stage and Express Company's first daily stage left Cheyenne on the 1st of February in 1876. By 1877 six hundred horses, with thirty stages, were used. A telegraph line was completed, and being used, in the Black Hills. Freighters used oxen, mules, and horses to pull their heavy wagons. First class passengers,
FOOTNOTE: (*r-1) Webb, Walter Prescott 'The Texas Rangers' page#375 University of Texas press 1935 ________________________________________________________________________
by stagecoach, paid twenty dollars to go from Cheyenne to Deadwood. Second class was at the cost of fifteen dollars, and third class at ten dollars. While he was in the Deadwood area Sam met up with the likes of Calamity Jane, real name Martha Jane Canary. She picked up the nickname when she risked her own life to care for the victims of small pox in 1878. It was a Pinkerton detective, Tooney Waits, who mistook Henry Underwood for Tom Nixon in connection with one of the Bass Gang robberies. Mrs. S. E. Lacy's son, V. D. Lacy, was on the Texas/Pacific train in Mesquite when it was robbed. During this Allen Express train robbery one thousand two hundred and eighty dollars was taken from well-to-do passengers and elsewhere. Governor Hubbard offered a reward of five hundred dollars for each and every robber involved. This offer was twice matched, once by Wells Fargo. After this robbery the Bass Gang did not rob any more trains, because they were then on the run from Texas Rangers and Pinkerton Detectives. V. D. Lacy stated to reporters the robbery took place "in a quiet yet chaotic fashion". Always there were remarks being tossed around about how poor a shot Sam Bass was, because he never hit anyone. He did shoot a
________________________________________________________________________
trainman in the shoulder, and he took part in shooting Deputy Sheriff Grimes in Round Rock. However, he was not in the killing business. Sam Bass respected all life, never taking aim on anyone, unless in self defense. The rest of the time he would rather use his name to instill fear, and obedience, in his would-be victims. The trainman was shot to make him halt his attack, because he was blasting in all directions with a six shooter in each hand. This was during the train robbery in which
Copyright © 1999 Linda Marie Brainard |