The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 60, July 1956 - April, 1957 Page: 329

Book Reviews

1895, and liked it. In the latter year she left Texas for Paradise;
perhaps her spirit is among those whom, as an old story has it, St.
Peter had to chain within the pearly gates to prevent their re-
turn to Texas.
Another major section of the book which will interest Texans
contains letters from various settlers at Four Mile Prairie, a
Norwegian settlement southwest of Dallas. In all, the book con-
tains approximately fifty pages devoted to Texas and perhaps a
dozen additional scattered references. Only the more avid col-
lectors will want to add the book to their Texas collections, but
they will be well rewarded. It is worth noting that Dr. Blegen
promises (page 322): "Ultimately a separate volume recording
the full texts of the Waerenskjold letters and articles will be
published.
SEYMOUR V. CONNOR
Texas Technological College
A Sketch of Sam Bass, the Bandit. By Charles Lee Martin. New
edition with an introduction by Ramon F. Adams. Norman
(University of Oklahoma Press), 1956. Pp. xxiii+x66. Illus-
trations by Stephen Seymour Thomas. $2.oo.
In the summer of 1878 the name of Sam Bass was on almost
every Texas tongue. The Denton County cowboy who turned
brigand had held up four North Texas trains in the spring, and
a special company of Texas Rangers led by Captain June Peak
of Dallas had taken his trail. The chase led through the hills and
hollows of several counties and brought the killing of one of the
Bass band. But Sam himself remained free until one of his men
betrayed him. He was wounded in a battle with Rangers and
local officers at Round Rock on July 19 and died there two days
later, on his twenty-seventh birthday.
Since he was not a killer, since the railroads he robbed were
unpopular because of their high freight rates, and since Texans
had no use for a traitor, Bass quickly became a legendary hero.
Cowboys on night guard with trail herds crooned to the Long-
horns the song about Sam and his Denton mare, and many stories
were told of the gold he was said to have buried. Three anony-
mous paperback biographies of Bass appeared within two years
of his death.

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