Ebook Life and Adventures of Sam Bass

Sam Bass was born July 21 st, 1851, in Lawrence county, Indiana, on a farm two miles north of Mitchell. He was the son of Daniel Bass, who in 1840 had married Elizabeth J. Sheeks and settled upon a farm, where by industry and economy he acquired a competency. They had ten children, the two oldest of whom died in infancy. The third son, Geo. W. Bass, enlisted in the 16th regiment Indiana volunteers and was killed in the battle of Richmond, Ky., August 30th, 1862. The rest of the children, with the exception of the wayward subject of this sketch, are still living in Lawrence and Martin counties, Indiana. Their names are John, Denton and Sallie Bass, Euphema Beasley, Mary Hersey and Clarissa Hersey, "all doing well," so the chronicles state, "and highly respectable."

In 1861 Bass lost his mother, but a few months after his father made haste to supply the loss by marrying "a pious young widow and devoted member of the M. E. Church." This union seems to have been attended by excellent results, as we are informed that soon after the marriage "Daniel Bass joined the M. E. Church and was a praying Methodist up to the time of his death which occurred February 20th, 1864." One child was born from this last marriage, Charles Bass, who now lives at Kansas City, Missouri.

After the death of the elder Bass, Daniel L. Sheeks, an uncle of the heirs, took charge of the estate and the children. Mr. Sheeks, being one of the largest, and most respectable farmers in the country, trained the children up to the habits of industry and gave them all the advantages of education and improvement conferred upon his own children. But as Bass could not read and could barely sign his name, these advantages could not have been great.

There seems to be no. question that the Bass and Sheeks families were highly respectable and had the esteem of all the people with whom they lived.

Up to the time of the death of his father and for two or three year afterward, young Bass maintained an excellent character, but after that he began to associate with bad companions and soon acquired evil habits.