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Profiles of the early West record many stories

and notorious characters of that period.

Sam Bass, one of the most notorious train and stagecoach bandits

that operated in the Midwest in the 1870s.

In the years of his short but active career,

Bass terrorized the state of Texas.

Have your tickets ready, please.

Hello. Hello, darling.

Tickets, please. Tickets.

Oh, railroad detective, huh?

Where's your long black beard?

Ha ha ha ha!

Yeah.

I bet I can tell you why you're here.

Sam Bass, counter.

That's right.

Why are we stopping?

Oh, just the big springs. We're taking out water.

Tickets, please.

What was that?

Why, I don't know.

Something must have happened to the boiler up ahead.

I'll go see.

Stay where you are, everybody.

Nobody ought to get hurt.

I just put out the fire in the boilers.

This train won't move for hours.

Good. That'll give us plenty of time.

Yeah, who is it?

Conductor. I got a package for you.

That's a good one.

Now just step back and you won't get hurt.

Open it.

Open it.

I can't. I don't have the combination.

I said open it.

I can't.

The only one that can open the safe is the Wells Fargo agent in New Orleans.

So it's in those boxes.

Hey, Sam.

These boxes are heavy.

We struck it rich.

Double Eagles. All of them.

We struck it rich.

Really, Sam.

You get this stuff outside.

I'll go out front and see how they're doing with the passengers.

Come on. What else you got in there?

Nothing.

You've taken everything I have.

What's the matter?

I took my last $10 and the earrings my grandmother left me.

We don't treat ladies like that.

Give her back her money and her jewelry.

What we got up front, we don't need it anyway.

Hurry up.

Everybody stay where you are, folks.

Gold's waiting for us at the horses.

Good. We'll have to divide it up to make it easy to carry.

I don't want the horses to sink to their knees with this extra weight.

All right, folks. They've gone.

Say, it's a good thing they didn't find out that you were a detective.

I'm lucky that Sam didn't look in my purse.

Sam? You mean that ladder that was in here, that was Sam Bass?

The train robber himself.

I've got to warn my partner, Matt Clark, if this train ever gets to a station.

Well, I'll go out and see if they can't fix the boiler right away.

And if they can, we'll be in Denton in two hours' time.

I couldn't help smiling when I got Frankie's wire, dated September 19, 1877.

Now $60,000 and newly minted $20 gold pieces were stolen right under her nose.

But it wasn't funny.

This time, Sam Bass had hit the jackpot.

Being a railroad detective, I had orders to get him dead or alive.

Frankie should be waiting for me.

Howdy, Sheriff. My name's Matt Clark.

Oh, we've been expecting you.

Say, you don't know where Frankie Adams is?

Yeah, she's right there.

Well, how are you, Frankie? Chief sends his best to you.

One more remark out of you and I'll quit.

Now, don't be so downhearted. This is only Sam Bass' fifth holdup.

The company's already offering $10,000 reward for him for life.

Now, you just wait till he pulls his tenth holdup.

We'll both be rich if we can catch him.

$10,000?

Yes, sir.

Well, that ought to stir up the posse some.

Not that we ain't anxious to catch him.

The question is where to start looking for him.

I think I know.

Now, don't tell me Sam left his calling card after giving you back your money and jewelry.

Just a minute. Wait a minute.

Listen, Matt.

All right. I'll wait.

When they were making their getaway,

he said something about where they were going, the horses would sink down to their knees.

I wonder if they meant the swamps.

Frankie, you've just redeemed yourself for losing all that money to Sam.

If we're going to track down Sam in the swamps, we'll need dogs.

You know where we can get them?

Yeah. One of my deputies has the finest pack of hounds in this territory.

Well, let's go.

$60,000 here.

Split up, it comes to $10,000 apiece.

Sounds great.

A lot easier to carry this way, too.

You know, it's too bad you could stop.

I haven't eaten for two days and I'm starved.

You can buy a whole herd of steaks with this.

Those are hounds.

They picked up our trail.

We'll split up here. It'll make it tougher for the dogs to trail us.

I can't be far away.

Looks like they separated.

They've gone off in different directions.

Sheriff, you take a couple of men and follow the dogs.

We'll circle around the other way.

I hate to leave this gold here, but for those dogs,

it's too heavy to carry across the river.

We'll split up.

I'll take care of it.

No money on this either.

I guess Sam took care of that.

Sounds like the sheriff needs us.

Let's go.

Let's get out.

Don't shoot, Sheriff.

Don't shoot.

So far, the score stood.

Four of Sam Bass's men killed and one captured.

We did recover $30,000.

The big one got away.

Sam Bass himself.

Let's get these bodies and get them back to the desert.

How did you get along with Hayes?

I think I figured out a way to soften him up.

What do you have in mind?

You haven't seen the prisoner yet, have you, Frankie?

No, I was just going in to take a look at him.

Good. Let's go to the cafe.

If a waitress shows up with some food for the prisoner,

better talk to him alone, will you?

Yeah, sure.

She might look like Frankie.

Let's go.

You order some food for one of your prisoners?

Yeah.

Yeah, sure.

Right over here.

Hey, you.

Here's your dinner.

I'll have to wait for the tray.

That's all right. Just let me know when he's finished.

How is it?

This is great.

I was starved.

What made the sheriff so generous?

Oh, that isn't the usual food we serve prisoners.

To tell you the truth, I cheated a little.

Why should a pretty girl like you cheat her?

Bury her head about me?

Because you're an important man.

You're one of Sam Bass's men.

I read in the paper where your gang got away with $60,000.

They got away with $30,000.

Well, if you could get out of jail,

Sam would split his share with you, wouldn't he?

Sure he would.

Got a girl?

No.

How about me?

A smart guy like you ought to be able to get out of jail.

Yeah.

You, uh, got any suggestions?

As a matter of fact, I have.

As a waitress in the restaurant across the street,

I hear a lot of things.

From the sheriff and his deputies.

The law in general.

Sometimes you'd think I was a piece of furniture the way they talk.

So what have you heard?

I've heard this much.

They want Sam Bass, and they want him bad.

Worse than they want you.

If you told the sheriff where he could find Sam,

maybe he'd let you go.

They might.

Sounds good.

There's just one thing wrong.

Sam's a mighty fast man with a gun.

Think it over.

Listen, all you have to do is let the sheriff know where he can find Sam.

With that money, we could have an awfully good time across the border.

Mexico.

I am thinking.

Tell the sheriff I want to see him.

I want to see him.

I want to see him.

Frankie had put it over.

Our scheme worked.

We were supposed to be on our way to Walsh City where Hayes was to stand trial.

The train was moving right along.

We were nearing the spot where our scheme was supposed to work.

All right, get out of here.

Don't move, Detective.

That's right, keep him up.

The train was going pretty fast,

and I didn't envy Hayes when he landed in this rocky country.

I pulled the emergency cord and got ready to tell the conductor that I'd lost my prisoner.

Hello, Sam.

I see you read the papers.

Thanks for sending for me.

So you got away from that detective.

Why didn't you kill him?

I was in too big of a hurry.

There was nobody trailing him.

Of course there wasn't.

I made a deal with the law.

Hayes, you'll never walk out of here alive.

Now don't get excited.

I said I made a deal with him.

That doesn't mean I'm going to go through with it.

If I was going to go through with it, would I be telling you?

We thought he didn't have nerve.

Sam, I've got to have some money.

I've got to get to Mexico.

When that detective finds out I've double-crossed him,

he's going to have every ranger and sheriff in the country after me.

I need some money myself.

But don't you still have your share?

Easy come, easy go.

But I've got big plans.

I'm going to buy lots and lots of guns.

The Texans took this country away from the Mexicans.

I'm going to steal it away from the Texans.

That'll take a lot of money.

Well, sure it will.

We're going to rob a bank.

The posse that's been scouring the country for Bill Hayes has been called home,

and the search temporarily discontinued.

Well, I guess I'd better pack up and go back to headquarters.

I don't know how I'm going to explain this whole thing to the boss.

Still no word.

I don't know what this world's coming to when there's no honor among thieves.

Thank goodness there's still honor among lovers.

What are you talking about?

I just got a love letter from my boyfriend.

Give me that.

Wait a minute.

I'll read what I want you to hear.

The rest of it's personal.

Well, read it.

Sweetheart, baby.

How do you like that for a start?

Let me have this.

Dearest, pack up and meet me Friday, July the 21st in the saloon at Round Rock.

I've made a reservation at the hotel for you under the name of Cora Jones.

Destroy this letter, love, Bill.

Sweetheart, baby.

We're going to Round Rock or your name isn't Cora Jones.

So long, Sheriff.

Over here.

Let me look at you.

I knew you wouldn't disappoint me.

In another few hours, we'll be on our way across the border.

Why wait, Bill?

The sheriff may be after you now.

Can't leave yet.

I'm still broke.

Well, Sam has lots of money.

Won't he split it with you?

Spend it all.

But don't you worry about that.

By this afternoon, we'll have all the money we need.

It's all right, Sam.

This is my girlfriend.

Does she know who I am?

Sure.

You're a fool, Hayes.

She's got good taste.

Hey, take the lady outside and buy her a drink.

You go ahead, honey.

I'll be right out.

I'll be right out.

Don't worry about this, Sam.

Just looked over the Round Rock Bank.

We're going after that money right now.

I'll be right out.

No, thanks.

Come on, Pete.

Honey, there's been a change in plans.

We're going to ride out of here.

Now, you go back to the hotel and wait till you hear from me.

Sure, Bill.

Hey, Pete.

You're not going to get away with this.

I'm going to get you out of here.

You won't get away with this.

Better get some help.

I'll get the rangers.

You, sail back!

Throw up your hands!

It's the Rangers.

You yell about it, squealer, you're tipped them off.

We have to do it together, Mr. Reese.

Come with me.

This horse can't carry them off of this much farther.

You go ahead, Pete.

I'll hold them off here.

No.

I still got a chance if I can get you into that wagon.

Come on.

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Pete!

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Pete's dead.

You haven't got long to live, Sam.

You got $30,000. Where is it?

I only had ten.

I blew them.

What happened to the other 20?

It's against my profession to tell.

If a man knows anything, let him die with it.

There's only one thing that could have happened.

He must have buried it someplace.

Yeah.

You know, Texas is going to be looking for that gold

for a long, long time.

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Sam died on his 27th birthday.

Nearly all the rest of his gang were killed

or went to jail for life.

But that $20,000 in gold coin was still missing.

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Tickets, please.

Well, if it ain't the lady with the long black beard.

Hello.

You know my associate, Mack Clark?

Oh, yeah, sure.

How are you?

Say, you two have done a fine job

cleaning up that Sam Bass gang.

Only trouble is, folks around Texas are going to wonder

what happened to that $20,000 in gold.

Yeah, we're wondering, too.

I guess half the state will be looking for it.

Well, Texas is an awful big state.

But you know, I got an idea.

I'm going to retire pretty soon,

and instead of sitting on my front porch

just wasting my time,

I'm going out looking for buried treasure.

Might pay off, too.

Looking for those buried gold coins

became one of Texas' favorite outdoor sports.

Legends grew, tales of ghosts,

the eerie clank of spade and shovel.

But the earth kept its...

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