El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-05-11
BANDIT SAM BASS LAST FIGHT
How the Texas HighWdyman Met
His Fate in 1873.

SIN the little town of Round Rock
in Williamson county, Tex, not more
THAN thirty-6ve miles distant from Aus
tin, repose the remains of one of the
most desperate train robbers and all
around high waymen that ever operat
ed in our section" said /. N. Croker
OF the Lone Star state at the Riggs
says the Washington Post.
ut was in the spring of 1878 that
Sam Pass met his fate in this sleepy
little town and when he died with his
| boots on the southwest was rid of q crl-
minal who was easily the peer of Jesse
James, though he hadn't quite as long
product of Michigan: at least, his sis
ter, gentle girl, came down from
some town in that state to see that his
body wss decently Inferred. He had
collected about him q company of as
| hardened thieves as ever engineered q
holdup. The gang had robbed a num-
Der of trains in Missouri and Arkansas
more good haul in Texas before riding
across the border into Mexico, where
Their proposed to stay in retirement for
q season.
''Bass had planned the looting of the
only bank at Round Rock as an easier
job and doubtless a better paying one
than tackling a train, which feat had
been performed too often to be thor
oughly safe. By changing his program
to raiding q village bank there might
be more lucre and less risk. So on
that lovely morning in May when he
and his fellow thieves rode into the I'm.
suspicious town they chuckled to think
what an easy job it would be to trans
fer the banks cash to their pockets. !
So thoroughly certain were they of
getting off with the plumber that they |
were in no haste about the matter |
One wanted to get shave, another |
went into a restaurant, and so thew
scattered singly over the place, but
there was an understanding as to the
time OF attack and rendezvous was
fixed upon.
meanwhile, unknown to the BAN
dts, squad of mounted Texas rangers
had been pressing hard upon the trail
OF the bad men, and within an hour
after the Bass outfit entered Round
Rock Sergt. Dick Ware, with eight or |
ten rangers, also reached the scene. |
He wasn't aware Of the presence of the |
robbers, nor did they dream that the !
officers OF the law were in thatvicinity. |
Neither did any citizen of the town |
have the remotest idea of the identity |
OF certain rough-looking men, strang-
ers in the place. But they might be |
cowboys from some distant west Texas !
SSsoiS ohCh, LUZ GuS prosecute OI SuCn |
was too common to occasion notice.
"The climax came quite by accident. !
One OF the rutfians who had sauntered !
into store to make a few purchases,
in reaching for his purse to make pay
ment, disclosed big Colts revolver.
The Texas law against ca frying guns
WAS strict, and it so happened hat the
man who saw the weapon was no 9TH
er than the town marshal, as brave a
fellow as ever lived. He walked up to
the desperate and said quite courte-
ously, My friend, I'll have to relieve
you of that sixshooter.' IN give it
to you, then,' said the robber with an
oath, and in a second he had drawn
his weapon and fired upon the marsh
al. who fell dead at the report.
Upon this the robber rushed out of !;
the store and Immediately his COM
rades came running to the spot, but no