Sam Bass gang flees Caddo Creek

Caddo was established about 1860, on Caddo Creek. According to records, Joe Schoolcraft was more than likely the first settler in the Caddo area. He built a log cabin on the north side of Caddo Creek. By 1869, C. J. Johnson established a ranch about seven miles north of Caddo.

By about 1875, Perry K. Taylor established a store along the Palo Pinto Road between Breckenridge and Palo Pinto, which is currently U.S. Highway 180 East. There also was another store, owner’s name unknown, established about this same time-frame of 1877 and was located east of Caddo but west of the Taylor Store.

Then in 1877, A.W. Corbett and John Robinson both established ranches in the Caddo area of the central-eastern part of Stephens County and into Palo Pinto County.

Tom Thompson built his cabin about a mile and a half from Taylor’s store and by 1877, a U.S. Post Office was added to the Taylor store on the main road between Palo Pinto and Breckenridge.

Taylor’s store came into the limelight when the famous Sam Bass and his gang of outlaws appeared on the scene when they fled to this area, in 1878, hiding out from the law. Caddo came into some notoriety in their brief history when the Bass gang hid out in the Cedar Breaks of Caddo Creek because one gang member, Frank Jackson, had relatives in that area who could supply them while they hid out from the law.

First of all, who was this notorious gang leader Sam Bass, who claimed the limelight for a brief year in gangster history? It can certainly be said that Sam Bass never was in the same league as Billy the Kid or Jesse James, but he did cause some upheaval for a brief time in history, in 1877-78, in this area.

Bass was born in Indiana but soon drifted to Texas, in the Denton area, where he worked as a teamster, driving, loading and unloading wagons. During this time of driving wagons, Bass learned about all the back roads of the area, which helped later when he was avoiding the law. Not caring for the mediocrity of the teamster job, Bass drifted to San Antonio where he met up with a pair of drovers, Joel Collins and Jack Davis. In the spring of 1877, the three men were to take a large herd to Kansas. However, when they arrived in Kansas, the men heard of a gold strike in South Dakota. Collins and Davis decided to keep the herd owner’s share of the profits, $8,000, and stake the three of them, including Bass, for a gold strike in South Dakota. Unfortunately, the three drank and gambled their way to their destination and were broke upon arrival. As a result, the three became the Black Hills Bandits and robbed a series of stagecoaches in the Black Hills area. As they continued on they’re robbing spree, the gang of three picked up a few more men and went on to rob banks and finally trains. Sam Bass and gang included Collins and Davis along with Jim Murphy, Jim Berry, Bill Heffridge and Tom Nixon.

After the last big train robbery of the Union Pacific R.R. at Big Spring, Nebraska, the gang headed to Texas and met outside of Denton to split up the $60,000 in $20 gold pieces. Before they could escape, the law caught them at Salt Creek, in Jack County, where there was a big shoot-out and three of the gang were supposedly killed which included Joel Collins, Bill Heffridge and they thought Jim Murphy had also been killed, but he was captured by the Texas Rangers, but the rest escaped. At that point, the shares of the $60,000 were recovered from the men who were killed or captured. Next, Davis was headed to New Orleans and attempted to persuade Bass to go with him and go into business together or continue to Mexico or South America. Davis was never apprehended and kept his $10,000 share, as far as records indicate.

Jim Berry and Tom Nixon planned to return to their homes in Mexico, Missouri. However, Jim Berry was caught at his home and killed and most of his $10,000 share was recovered. Nixon had taken off before the lawmen could catch up with him and it is believed he headed to Canada, never to be heard of again and along with him, his share of the $10,000 in $20 gold pieces.

As Sam Bass and his fame became more newsworthy in Texas, new gang members materialized and joined Bass and his gang which now included Frank Jackson, Seaborn Barnes and a cousin of Joel Collins, William Collins. In addition, the newest members included Henry Underwood, Arkansas Johnson and Pipes Herndon. The Bass gang headed to the Cedar Breaks of Caddo Creek in Stephens County, where Frank Jackson had family who could keep them supplied as they hid out from the law for two to three weeks.

While hiding out, the Bass gang did take at least one sojourn to the Taylor Store for supplies. Imagine seven men with sturdy, well-groomed mounts and each with a Winchester rifle and a pair of six-shooters fully loaded on each man. They met up with four local ranchers, who assumed the seven men they encountered were lawmen. The ranchers announced that they were headed to Breckenridge to help capture the Sam Bass gang. Sam and his men took them to Taylor’s store and commenced to get them drunk and then advised the four ranchers that they were the Bass gang in the flesh. Bass and his men strongly suggested the four ranchers return quietly to their homes and not take part in chasing the gang out of the area. Bass showed the men one of his $20 gold pieces and said, “The gang and I have $5,000 worth of the $20 gold pieces on us and the rest is buried.” It was always assumed that Bass had buried a part of his $10,000 share from the train robbery somewhere along Caddo Creek and many have searched the area, but nothing was ever found.

Reportedly, the Bass gang was hidden there for nearly two weeks before a woman who lived in the area spotted the men and figured out who they might be. She reported the information to Deputy Sheriff Freeman, who she convinced that Bass fit the description and she told them where they were camped at along Caddo Creek.

Stay tuned for more on Bass and his gang of outlaws and his demise in the next column, Aug. 12.

Contact Jean Hayworth with any stories or historic photos at office@breckenridgeamerican.com.