Six Years with the Texas Rangers, 1875 to 1881Gillett, James B.
History
Six Years with the Texas Rangers, 1875 to 1881
Gillett, James B.
Frontier and pioneer life -- Texas; Gillett, James B., 1856-1937; Texas -- History -- 1846-1950; Texas Rangers
When daylight came Saturday morning Bass got up and walked to a nearby
house. As he approached the place a lady, seeing him coming holding
his pants up and all covered with blood, left her house and started
to run off, as she was alone with a small servant girl. Bass saw she
was frightened and called to her to stop, saying he was perishing for
a drink of water and would return to a tree not far away and lie down
if she would only send him a drink. The lady sent him a quart cup of
water, but the poor fellow was too far gone to drink it. We found him
under this tree one hour later. He had a wound through the center of
his left hand, the bullet having pierced the middle finger.
Bass' death wound was given him by Dick Ware, who used a .45 caliber
Colt's long barreled six-shooter. The ball from Ware's pistol struck
Bass' belt and cut two cartridges in pieces and entered his back just
above the right hip bone. The bullet badly mushroomed and made a
fearful wound that tore the victim's right kidney all to pieces. From
the moment he was shot until his death three days later Bass suffered
untold agonies. As he lay on the ground Friday night where Jackson
had left him the wounded man tore his undershirt into more than one
hundred pieces and wiped the blood from his body.
Bass was taken to Round Rock and given the best of medical attention,
but died the following day, Sunday, July 21, 1878. While he was yet
able to talk, General Jones appealed to Bass to reveal to the state
authorities the names of the confederates he had had that they might be
apprehended.
"Sam, you have done much evil in this world and have only a few hours
to live. Now, while you have a chance to do the state some good, please
tell me who your associates were in those violations of the laws of
your country."
Sam replied that he could not betray his friends and that he might as
well die with what he knew in him.
Sam Bass was buried in the cemetery at Old Round Rock. A small monument
was erected over his grave by a sister. Its simple inscription reads:
SAMUEL BASS
Born July 21st, 1851
Died July 21st, 1878
A brave man reposes in death here. Why was he
not true?
Frank Jackson made his way back into Denton County and hung around some
time hoping to get an opportunity to murder the betrayer of his chief,
an ingrate whose cause he himself had so ably championed. Jackson
declared if he could meet Jim Murphy he would kill him, cut off his
head and carry it away in a gunny sack.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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