"The world is bobbin' around"
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Once you solve the puzzle you are looking for a magnetic Altoids
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Sam Bass (21 July 1851–21 July 1878) was a
nineteenth-century American train robber and western icon.
After failing in a series of legimitate enterprises, Bass turned to
crime, and robbed the Union Pacific gold train from San Francisco
on September 18, 1877, looting $60,000, to this day the largest
single robbery of the Union Pacific. After a string of robberies in
1877 and 1878, including the first train robbery in Texas history,
in Allen, Texas, Bass was betrayed to the authorities by a member
of his gang. After being mortally wounded, Bass was eventually
taken into custody, and he died from his wounds on July 21, 1878,
his 27th birthday.
Despite his short career, Sam Bass was colorful and saw extreme
financial success in his robberies from 1877 until his death in
1878. The well publicized and unsuccessful law enforcement pursuit
of Bass and his gang following their $60,000 take on the Union
Pacific train robbery was the event that brought him to the
attention of the public and what captured their imagination. That
single event, and his evading capture afterwards, led to Bass
reaching the status of legend.
Early life
Born to a farming home in Mitchell, Indiana, Sam Bass was orphaned
at the age of 13. He and his siblings lived for the next five years
with an abusive uncle, and in 1869 set out on his own. He spent the
next year in Mississippi, but in 1870 headed for Texas. In 1871, he
moved to Denton, Texas. He acquired a prized racing mare (whom he
named "Jenny" and which was known as the "Denton Mare") and made
his living from working at first as a stable hand for Sarah Lacy of
the Lacy Hotel on the Denton County Square, and later for Sheriff
William F. Egan, the Denton County Sheriff of the time.
He was known to race Jenny and make a profit on these races racing
horses from 1874 to 1876. He often traveled to San Antonio during
this period. In 1876, he led a cattle drive north from south Texas.
He completed the drive in Nebraska, but squandered the money
gambling. He next tried gold mining in Deadwood, South Dakota,
again without success.
The outlaw character that was to emerge was completely out of
character for Sam. While in the employ of Sheriff Egan, he often
took care of Egan's children, and would haul ice from Dallas to
Denton regularly for the Sheriff. On one such trip, Sheriff Egan
gave Sam enough money to make the trip to Dallas for ice and to
stay the night in a hotel, with money the Sheriff had given him.
Sam would get up early enough in the morning to make the ice haul
in one day, so as to save the money, and return the unspent money
to Egan. For this and other similar actions he earned the nickname
in Denton at this time of "Honest Eph" for Ephesians in the bible.
This contrast in character, a character not out of line with what
his siblings remembered of him back on the homestead in Indiana,
led his sister to place the phrase, "A brave man reposes in death
here, oh why was he not true?" on his original grave marker.
Life as an outlaw
In 1877, Bass and his friend Joel Collins set up a freighting
business. When it failed, they turned to robbing stagecoaches. On
the evening of September 18, 1877, they robbed the Union Pacific
gold train from San Francisco. Their take was $60,000, shared
amongst the 6 gang members. To this day it is the single largest
robbery of the Union Pacific, and the one single event that
launched Bass to Old West fame. With the Pinkertons and other law
enforcement officers on his tail, including lawman Charlie Bassett,
he headed back to Denton, Texas.
Bass and the others now began a string of train and stage coach
robberies, including the first such robbery in Texas history in
Allen, Texas, never netting over $500 at any one time. In 1878,
they held up two stagecoaches and four trains within twenty-five
miles of Dallas. The gang quickly found themselves as the object of
a pursuit in the Denton area by Pinkerton Agents and by a special
company of Texas Rangers headed by Captain Junius Peak.
Sam and members of his gang booked a hotel room under assumed names
just off the Denton square, knowing full well that the Pinkertons
were staying in another hotel on the opposite side of the county
square. Sam contacted his hotel's front desk and asked if a baggage
boy could come up to his room for an errand. Sam gave the lad
instructions to take a note to the Pinkertons expressing his
dissatisfaction that they had not found him. The note also
contained the famous signature, for which he is known, "Signed Sam
Bass, Kiss my @@@." He also gave the lad a $20 gold piece as
further proof. The Pinkertons are said to have received the note,
but could not believe it was him, and did not even bother to check
out the veracity of the story.
Death
Bass was able to elude the Rangers until a member of his gang, Jim
Murphy, turned informant when his father was imprisoned in Tyler,
Texas. He cut a deal to save his father, and informed the lawmen
about the gang's plans and movements. As Bass's band rode south,
Murphy telegraphed Major John B. Jones, commander of the Frontier
Battalion of Texas Rangers.
Jones set up an ambush at Round Rock, where Bass planned to rob the
Williamson County Bank. On July 19, 1878, Bass and his gang scouted
the area before the actual robbery. When they bought some tobacco
at a store (Sam was actually also buying candy - as he had a sweet
tooth), they were noticed by Williamson County Sheriff A.W. Grimes.
Grimes did not even recognize the gang, rather he noticed that they
had side arms, and Texas had passed a law requiring that all side
arms be surrendered when entering town. Grimes approached the men
to request that they surrender their sidearms, not knowing it was
Bass and Co., and because he was blocking the entrance, was shot
and killed. Grimes only got off one round before he died and a
heavy gunfight ensued between the outlaws, the Rangers and the
local lawmen. A deputy named Moore was mortally wounded, as was Sam
Bass. The gang quickly mounted their horses and tried to escape,
while continuing to fire. As they galloped away, Bass was shot
again in the back by Ranger George Herold. Bass was later found
lying helpless in a pasture north of town. Bass was found by a gang
of black men who were working on the nearby railroad; as he was
literally dying of thirst, and Bass called out to these men for
water. The men, realizing who Bass was, summoned the authorities.
Bass was taken into custody, and he died from his wounds the next
day, July 21, 1878, his 27th birthday. Coincidentally, Sheriff
Grimes was also 27 years of age. The authorities kept interrogating
Bass as he lay dying, attempting to get him to give the identity of
his gang members. He is reputed to have said, "A man never blows on
his pals." His last words were, "The world is bobbin'
around".
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Hfre'f Jro Cntr