Sam Bass: Train Robber & Outlaw of The Wild West
Sam Bass was an outlaw and gang leader responsible for one of the largest train robberies of his era. After looting a Union Pacific train for $60,000, he became infamous across the American Frontier.
While his larger-than-life persona gave rise to several dubious posthumous claims by writers and storytellers, he was a fascinating enough character without needing to exaggerate the details.
Sam The Drifter
Sam Bass came into the world in Indiana before being orphaned and forced to relocate to his Uncle’s farmhouse with nine cousins. While his raw intelligence is often a source of some debate, we know conclusively that, at the very least — he did not have an education.
Soon after hitting eighteen, Sam decided to try and find his way in the world as best as an illiterate teenager could manage. After some travel, he found work in a local mill at Rosedale, Mississippi. This is where he met Scott Mayes, who had intentions of going to Denton, Texas.
Sam, easily impressionable and starry-eyed at the idea of becoming some stoic western badass, decided to tag along. Sam got work with the local Sheriff, W.F. Eagan, who had him working as a helping hand in various parts of the town. Whether tending to livestock or hauling cattle and goods, Sam got a reputation as a diligent farmhand.
While hauling for the sheriff, Sam got well acquainted with the surrounding area. He started to figure out the roads to travel to each town and the dusty, willow-shaded trails that could get you there unnoticed. Sam’s hard work paid off, and he purchased a hellishly quick horse nicknamed the “Denton Mare,” which became his new golden ticket.
The horse made him so much money in races that he no longer had to trudge through the backbreaking monotony of small-town labor. While in Denton, he had also grown a real skill for card sharking and began to make a profession out of racing, running poker tables, and misplacing other’s possessions.
A lot of outlaws get a reputation as lazy, though Sam didn’t mind a hard day’s work — if a fair bit of wealth lay on the end of it. So when he met Joel Collins, who had plans to whisk away cattle up to Nebraska, he decided to accompany him.
The trip went well enough, and the livestock arrived unharmed and in good condition. The two had a fair bit of expendable income on hand and decided the best way to make money was to toss in a bit of their own. They used the proceeds from their trip to seek out gold in the picturesque peaks of the Black Hills.
The idea was poor, though not nearly as poor as the ambitious duo when they descended back down the mountainside. They had found no gold and lost all of their money. Sam Bass decided that a new approach needed to be taken if he wanted to live a life of luxury and leisure.
Sam The Outlaw
Sam and Joel decided to start sticking up stagecoaches, robbing a total of seven in a few short months. The gig was easy enough and almost always went their way, though Sam found one big problem with the highway robberies. The stagecoaches were piss poor pay, and the risk vastly outweighed the reward.
So young Sam had himself a new idea; let’s rob a fuckin’ train.
Sam and Joel formed a posse while robbing coaches known as the “Black Hills Bandits,” which was comprised of Sam Bass, Joel Collins, Jack Davis, James Berry, Bill Heffridge, and the Canadian Tom Nixon. All six members unanimously agreed to rob a remote station near Big Springs.
On the 18th of September, 1877, John Barnhart (the station master) was apprehended by the bandits and coerced into getting the train to halt at the station. Late into the evening, just before 11 P.M, The Black Hills Bandits had boarded the train.
The robbery seemed like another one of Sam’s ambitious failures, with only a few hundred dollars found in the mail car. To make matters worse, the largest safe they could find had a time lock that made sure they would have to sit until the train reached its final stop before opening the safe. This was not a possibility for the six outlaws.
The rising anxiety and considerable desperation to make good on their bold attempt led them to kick the living shit out of the man in charge of the car, to no avail. Although it is hard to say from a few centuries away, maybe they just wanted to vent a bit of frustration. Regardless, it did not make them any richer.
As the panic and disappointment became palpable, they began to rummage through every inch of the train for anything they could sell, steal or make a penny off of. Then they found a set of wooden boxes, which normally would go unnoticed — though the group would have stolen the handles off the rail car at this point.
When they opened the unimpressive crates, they were stacked edge to edge with $60,000 worth of gold pieces. Thinking quickly, they robbed every passenger they could see and made off with a decent stack of money and a few watches.
In total, they had scored roughly $61,750, not including the wrist pieces. That equals around $1.8 to $2.2 million (possibly even more) in 2023. Not too bad, Sam.
Unfortunately, they still had to escape capture.
Sam The Wanted
The chase was on, and all six could feel the weight of the hellish pursuit that was soon to come. Thinking quickly, they decided three groups were harder to pursue than one. They split into pairs and went in different directions with the law on their back along with a new fortune.
The first pair was Joel Collins and Bill Heffridge, who made their way to Kansas. They did make it to Kansas, though the law was also waiting for them. Both were shot and killed within a week of the robbery.
The second pairing was Jim Berry and the cautious Tom Nixon. Jim Berry was eager to get his hands on some money and enjoy the good life. Tom Nixon thought this would attract attention and decided they should split up. This proved smart on Tom’s part, as Jim was killed in Mexico, Missouri, where he did indeed draw attention to himself.
Tom Nixon was never found and is believed to have escaped back into Canada, where $10,000 dollars in gold and the clever criminal were never heard from again.
The last pair was the morally dubious protagonist of our story and Jack Davis. While traveling back to the Lonestar state, the two came across a group of rough-looking men searching for the Black Hills Bandits.
Sam and Jack were searching for those criminals as well, the depraved sons of bitches. At least, that’s what Sam told the men. Apparently, he was very convincing — the bounty hunters bought the story and left their targets to search for the Black Hills Bandits.
When they got back to Denton, Sam Bass talked loudly and often about how successful his prospecting excursion was. How much gold did he find in the Black Hills? Well, at least $10,000.
Not much is known about Jack Davis after he returned to Denton. However, one thing that is known is that he never came to justice and likely got away with his share and made himself safely scarce.
Sam The Legend
Sam discovered that robbing trains was more than just lucrative; it was a hell of a lot of fun. He had formed himself a new posse, which was slightly more difficult to distance himself from. This might be because he named it after himself.
The Sam Bass Gang went on a train robbing rampage, taking out four within the same year that Sam had taken out the Train back in Big Springs. When it came to robbing trains, he wasn’t just good — he was prolific. The problem was he attracted the attention of the Texas Rangers.
The Texas Rangers are almost mythological in stature when we discuss them nowadays, though this reputation started because of how hard these guys were. So when Sam Bass became their priority, it was only a matter of time before the Rangers caught up.
There was only one problem; they couldn’t catch up. They would find Sam, try to chase him down, and lose him in the Texas wilderness. Remember when Sam used to run favors and cattle around Texas? Well, it had made him more familiar with the land than just about everybody, and it was becoming embarrassing how many times he escaped capture.
For around four months, Sam Bass had deftly escaped the rangers numerous times. It got to the point where the Texas Rangers realized they had to take a different approach. They decided to look through all the houses, hamlets, and hovels in the surrounding area to find any of the Sam Bass gang hiding out.
They found Jim Murphy, a member of the gang who they apprehended, and began forming a plan. Jim, who did not want to face the hangman’s noose, turned informant (also known as a snitch) in exchange for his freedom.
When he rejoined the group, they were immediately suspicious of his sudden release. Sam Bass questioned him hard and even made the decision to kill him before a member of his gang, Frank Jackson, reassured Sam that Jim could be trusted.
He was so adamant about Jim’s backbone that he told Sam he would have to be killed first before they shot Jim. It always stings like a bitch when you back up a bastard.
The first time Sam got hit by a lawman was outside Jim Murphy’s house, where they were unwisely staying. There must have been a few dozen footless rabbits along their trail because the leader was struck twice at his belt and rifle, causing no damage to Sam.
“Hell, boys, they’ve hit me at last. Let’s get out of here.” ~ Sam Bass
It wasn’t long before Sam reappeared in upper Texas, bragging about his accomplishments and spending his wealth. They ran upon a squad of men at this time who ended up shooting it out with him, killing one member of the gang known as Arkansas Johnson. Another took off after the fight and left the gang behind him.
There was still one problem, and its name was Jim Murphy. He had a deal to make good on, and the Rangers were growing more pissed off and humiliated by the day.
Sam The Damned
The Sam Bass gang had grown thin by the time they made their way to Round Rock, with only Sam, Frank Jackson, Jim Murphy, and Seaborn Barnes remaining. The four planned to get a wash and trim before taking out the town bank, though Jim Murphy needed to ensure they stayed in town long enough for Rangers to arrive.
He convinced them that they should wait until Saturday so the horses could recuperate, which the gang reluctantly agreed to. On Saturday, three of the men went to take out the bank while Jim Murphy stayed behind to make contact with the Rangers.
While Sam Bass and his two accomplices walked up the main strip, the deputy of the town spotted what he believed to be a pistol on Sam — which was outlawed in city limits. He walked up to Sam and asked if he was carrying a weapon.
Sam responded, “I’ll let you have it.” and the trio fatally shot the deputy. The deputy had six bullets in him before he could reach for his holster.
Unfortunately for the trio, the deputy didn’t come alone. Behind the front of the store was the town sheriff, Morris Moore. He landed a hit on the palm of Sam Bass before the sheriff caught one to the chest that went through a lung.
Across the street, Texas Ranger Dick Ware was getting a trim. The ranger heard the shots and ran out into the street with shaving cream still dripping off his jaw. He began to get into a shootout with the three men who were firing at him while retreating.
The clamor brought out Major Jones of the Texas Rangers, who was also close on the trail of the three. A man with only one arm named Stubbs also joined in, apparently grabbing the dead deputy’s gun and aiding the Rangers in the fight.
The Wild West fucking rules.
By the time the gang had made it to their horses, they were being pursued by five men — all desperately trying to bring them in dead. Seaborn Barnes collapsed with a hole in his head as they tried to get on horseback. Sam Bass had accumulated very serious wounds while retreating.
A bullet had broke into two on his belt, though this time it separated into his groin and back, wreaking havoc on his insides. They never gave official credit to who shot Bass, though it is widely believed to be Dick Ware. Dick probably didn’t want his career moment decided while covered in Gillette.
Frank Jackson
The only member of the gang not injured that wasn’t the informant Jim Murphy was Frank Jackson, who was the youngest of the gang. That being said, he showed a demeanor that was wise beyond his years and, by all accounts, handled their final showdown with a rare steadiness.
While Seaborn lied in a puddle of his own blood and Sam struggled to stand, Frank helped Sam to get on his horse while calmly holding off the five attackers. When they eventually did get away, Frank had to help hold Sam on his horse as he kept shifting toward the ground.
While they fled, Frank yelled to a small girl to get into her house as the bullets back then had a tendency to fly everywhere. They got away far enough to shake off pursuit, with Jim Murphy spotting them before Sam could no longer ride. Frank attempted to stay with the gang leader, but Sam forced him to continue.
Sam gave him a good bit of his supplies, along with the Denton Mare, which was still an incredibly swift mount. What Sam did not know was that Frank chose to remain nearby his leader for the night, unbeknownst to Sam.
A couple of days later, they found Sam propped up by a tree. Jim Murphy spotted Sam while the informant hid behind a tree, where he belonged. Sam gave an incredible story about how he had scared off a local household with his ruined appearance before a kind elderly gentleman offered him water.
He also told them how Frank Jackson had traveled hard and fast to get away from pursuit. This was an intentional lie, as Sam had now learned of Frank’s nearby proximity. There all several theories about Frank Jackson, some saying he got arrested later in life, others saying he became a wealthy rancher.
What we do know is that Frank Jackson did not get captured in Round Rock.
Jim Murphy was in a constant state of anxiety and terror for the short remainder of his life, worried that his actions would cause supporters of Sam Bass to find him and kill him. He did die a year later, and there are two prominent theories.
The first is that he committed suicide by poisoning, which is understandable, considering how much everyone hated him.
The second is that Frank Jackson located and killed him. This would make sense, considering Jackson was the one that stood up for him when the rest of the gang was suspicious of his swift release from Texas law enforcement.
Death of Sam Bass
Sam Bass died shortly after they found him by the tree. They moved him back into Round Rock in a home where the Rangers tried to get information out of the gang leader. Unlike Jim Murphy, Sam Bass was not so forthcoming.
“it is ag’in’ my profession to blow on my pals. If a man knows anything he ought to die with it in him” ~ Sam Bass, a few hours before death
Sam Bass died on his 27th birthday and was buried in the town cemetery.
A former associate of Sam’s who would cook his meals said she spotted Frank Jackson riding up to the grave. He looked despondently at the burial site of Sam Bass, tossed a bit of dirt on it, and rode off as quickly as he came.
Here's hoping he got that ranch.
Till next time,
Jack
