The Tombstone of Sam Bass, Outlaw

This is the full view of Sam Bass's gray granite tombstone erected by the Sam Bass Historical Foundation. A closer view follows in the next picture.

Sam Bass was eulogized in his day because he was known as the "Robin Hood of the West." He rewarded those who did things for him, e.g., with a gold coin or a gold bar. As a result of his reputation, people would give posses who were looking for him, the wrong directions as to which way he was riding, to help him elude them. After he was fatally wounded in a gunbattle with the law in downtown Round Rock, he escaped with the help of his pal Frank Jackson, but finally had to give up due to the excruciating pain he was suffering. At his request, he was left sitting against a tree beside a road. Possees raced back and forth past him on the road and then finally stopped to question him. He told them their search was over, that he was Sam Bass. The other reason he was eulogized is because, during hours of interrogation, he would not tell where his fellow gang members were. Many books and articles have been written about him and still are. I have more notes about him, his birth family and relatives on www.rootsweb.com on my sites bcarl41 and bcarl112, because he was my first cousin, thrice removed. After I viewed his tombstone, I said a prayer for him and told him on behalf of the family I was sorry his life had turned out the way it did.