Sam Bass
SAM BASS
On Friday, February 22, 1878, possibly the first train robbery in Texas occurred in Allen. Six men robbed the southbound Houston and Texas Central Railroad passenger train when it stopped at the Allen station. While one man held the horses on the west side of the tracks, one man boarded the engine and held a pistol on the engineer. The other four approached the express car which was guarded by James Thomas. After demanding that Thomas open up the door, a short gunfight ensued. The robbers repeated their demands and said if they were not met then they would set fire to the car. Thomas gave up. The robbers ransacked the safe getting $1280.00, mostly in silver coins, and made their escape in a northwesterly direction. This began a string of three more train robberies in the next fifty days all within a twenty mile radius of Dallas. [....]
Suspicion began to fall upon a man named Sam Bass. Bass and his gang had been living in the swamps of Denton County along the banks of the Elm Fork of the Trinity River and Hickory Creek. His gang had already robbed a train in Nebraska. A warrant was issued for the arrest of Bass and other members of his gang on April 13, 1878. Feeling pressure from the law, Bass’ gang moved south. They were ambushed in Round Rock, Texas, on July 18, 1878, and he died 3 days later.
Historical marker application for robbery. Rejected for lack of proof.
On Friday, February 22, 1878, possibly the first train robbery in Texas occurred in Allen. Six men robbed the southbound Houston and Texas Central Railroad passenger train when it stopped at the Allen station. While one man held the horses on the west side of the tracks, one man boarded the engine and held a pistol on the engineer. The other four approached the express car which was guarded by James Thomas. After demanding that Thomas open up the door, a short gunfight ensued. The robbers repeated their demands and said if they were not met then they would set fire to the car. Thomas gave up. The robbers ransacked the safe getting $1280.00, mostly in silver coins, and made their escape in a northwesterly direction. This began a string of three more train robberies in the next fifty days all within a twenty mile radius of Dallas. [....]
Suspicion began to fall upon a man named Sam Bass. Bass and his gang had been living in the swamps of Denton County along the banks of the Elm Fork of the Trinity River and Hickory Creek. His gang had already robbed a train in Nebraska. A warrant was issued for the arrest of Bass and other members of his gang on April 13, 1878. Feeling pressure from the law, Bass’ gang moved south. They were ambushed in Round Rock, Texas, on July 18, 1878, and he died 3 days later.
Historical marker application for robbery. Rejected for lack of proof.
