Sam Bass was born on July 21, 1851 near a farm in Indiana. He was
             one of seven children that included three boys and four girls. His
             parents, Elizabeth Jane Sheeks Bass and Daniel Bass, had both passed away
             by the time he was thirteen ("Story of Sam"). This left Sam and his
             siblings orphans. After the death of their father, the children went to go
             live with their mother's brother. The uncle was reportedly abusive
             ("Seduced By History"), and Sam only stayed for five years.
             At the age of eighteen, Sam decided to go out on his own and ran away
             from home. The only job he could get at the time, due to lack of any form
             of education, was a sawmill located in Rosedale, Mississippi. He remained
             employed at the mill for one year. During that year, Sam not only polished
             his skills for maneuvering a pistol, he met Scott Mayes who was heading to
             Denton, Texas as a teamster. Sam decided to follow ("Story of Sam").
             Upon arrival in Denton, Sam went to work for Sheriff W. F. Eagan as a
             farmhand. He performed tasks such as taking care of the livestock and
             chopping firewood. However, his main accomplishment while in Eagan's
             employment, he learned how to be a teamster. While working as a teamster,
             he was able to explore the open range and familiarize himself with the
             country and trails. This would play to his advantage later ("Story of
             Sam left Denton and went down south to the San Antonio area. It was
             there that he met a bartender, Joel Collins, and the two decided to buy a
             herd of cattle with the intent of paying back their debt once the cattle
             were sold. They took a small herd up north where prices were higher and
             sold them. When it was all said and done, they had $8000 in their
             possession. Instead of taking the money back to pay off their debt, the
             two lost it gambling ("Story of Sam").
             With very little money left, the pair decided to try freighting.
             After t...