Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-06-22
THE TEXAN TERROR"
Interesting "reminiscences Of Sam Bass,
the Noted Texan Bandit.

Interesting "reminiscences Of Sam Bass,
the Noted Texan Bandit.
Waconata," a RECORD UNION CORE
spondent at Elk Grove, sends the following
interesting and romantic sketch:
The recent determination of Jesse James
has revived in the newspaper world char.
acteristic "reminiscences of his former asso.
ciate, Texas favorite outlaw, Sam Bass.
The following occurrence fell under the
personal observation of the writer, who
was doing" Western Texas in 1875. It
has never appeared in print and may prove
interesting to the readers of the RECORD
UNION. 1t certainly will go to disprove
the idea that a similarity of impulses gov.
erned Jesse James and his energetic Texas
friend; the one being brutal, avaricious,
heartless; the other generous, big-hearted |
and anxious to avoid spilling human blood. |
In his whole career of crime Sam Bass
avoided the taking of life. Jesse James, lon |
the other hand, delighted in nothing SO
much as seeing the life blood flow, whether |
the victims were man, woman or child. |
One hot day in July the writer was
perched in the limb OF tree
overlooking the corral of one of the
largest cattle ranches in Western Texas.
The interesting ceremony of branding cat
tie for the road was going on, and so pre-
occupied were the cowboys in trying to
avoid wearing the horns and head Of some
infuriated steer on the seat of their |
breeches, and so delighted was l watching
that interesting but not always successful
performance, that the approach Of party
of mounted men was not noticed until they
greeted the aerial flight of too-daring
vaquero with loud peals of genuine laugh.
ter. The leader of the band was a
slender, compactly-built man, blue-eyed
and fair haired. He wore white
hat which looked considerably worse for
wear, suit of clothes, the appearance OF
which suggested an intimate acquaintance
with a catamount or brier patch. A brace
OF pistols was at his hips and another brace
on the saddle-horn. His pants were
tucked in his boots, American fashion. He
appeared to be % or 90 years Of age, but |
afterwards learned that he was only 25 at
his death. 1t was Sam Bass. His men
showed none of that reckless, daring spirit
in their appearance that characterized them
in their raids. One of them was very
youthful mere boy, in fact-Murphy by
name, and resident of Denton county,
Texas. This boy afterward, tempted by
the large reward offered for Bass and the
offer of an unconditional pardon for his own
past offenses, betrayed his chief to the
officers. 1t is noteworthy that the
betrayers of both James and Bass
were the youngest members of the gang.
Bass asked in voice clear and musical If
he could get some cold milk for himself
and men. He was directed to the house q
short distance off, and the woman in charge
furnished him with two or three panfuls of
milk. After quenching their thirst Bass
handed the woman $50 gold piece and
vaulting into his saddle rode quickly away,
leaving the astonished woman in mos
delightful frame of mind as she caressingly
fondled the gift of the bandit.
About four hundred yards from the cor.
raj, and concealed from it by bend in a
creek, one of the boys Montgomery by
name) had fine thoroughbred saddle mare
3" staked ont. Bass eye caught the fine
points in the animal, and in the briefest
space of time imaginable he had transferred
the saddle from his horse-a really fine
animal, but jaded QUITO the back of the
mare. He tied his horse to the stake, de.
posted $50 in gold at the bottom of the
stake as "boot," and left the following
note:
"a fair exchange is no robbery" will rob |
train bust bank, but will not steal horse.
SAM BASS.
In about an hour, possibly less, after the |
departure of Bass, a company OF Rangers |
came tearing along at headlong speed, in
pursuit Of Bass. Among them was Mr.. |
Murphy, the father of the boy above men,
toned. His only object in the chase was
to reclaim his errant son. Pausing only |
long enough to ascertain the direction |
taken by the outlaws, they again started,
and succeeded in overtaking them near
Weatherford, in Parker county, Here a |
fierce fight followed, in which Bass, true to
his former conduct, ordered his men to |
shed no human blood, but to shoot with |
the object of dismounting the Rangers by |
killing their horses. This was done, and |
the outlaws escaped. While passing |
through Parker county on his way south, |
Bass came across family in the most des-
titute circumstances, and although he was
being closely pursued, he stopped long |
enough to divide his purse with them, and |
to advise them to leave Western Texas for
some country better adapted for farming.
1t was only short time after this that
Bass was betrayed to the officers at Round
Rock, Texas. He and a few of his men
had gone into store to purchase some to-
bacco. The determination to enter town
for that purpose had been made known
several days before, and Murphy found
to communicate with the Off
GERS OF Austin. 1t was at Round Rock |
that Bass killed his first man after he became
a bandit, and he was then fighting
for life and liberty. Underwood, his most
trusted follower, stayed with him to the
last, and then escaped. Three of the Off
GERS were killed before Bass received his
death.wound. Knowing his hours to be
numbered, Bass sent for his relatives and
calmly awaited death. He gave his old
white hat to st. Louis drummer, and it
is now on exhibition in the show window
of a wholesale house on Chestnut street in
that city. He said they had intended to
rob the Austin Bank the night of the trag.
edy, escape to Mexico, disband and settle |
down. When asked where he thought he
was going, he replied It isn't my
profession to tell where l am going,
or what am going to do, but |
don't mind saying now that 1
believe | am going to hi" He made no |
protestations of repentance, and died with
out hope. Murphy, his betrayer, received
his reward and pardon, but being fearful
of the vengeance Of the remaining members
of the Bass band, requested the Sheriff Of |
Denton county to confne him in the Jail at
Dentonville for safe-keeping. This was
done, and few mornings following his
voluntary imprisonment the Sheriff, upon
going to the Jail with breakfast for the
prisoners, found the body of Murphy cold
and stiff in DEATH He had killed himself,
possibly through remorse, probably through
the fear of terrible retribution at the
hands of the friends and relatives of Bass.
Montgomery, the man whose horse was
'stolen by Bass, now lives in Cass