John B. Jones was Adjutant-General of Texas during 1877–8 and so commanded the Texas Rangers. Jones was an able and experienced officer, and the train-robberies of Sam Bass, which were becoming very frequent, roused him to unusual energy. Having visited Denton, Dallas and the surrounding country personally, he organized a new company of thirty Rangers at Dallas, giving the command to Captain June Peak.
To this company was given the specific duty of capturing the Sam Bass Gang, but figuratively, if not actually, Sam mocked Captain Peak and his clumsy, inexperienced recruits. It is said that, counting Rangers and sheriffs’ posses, at least a hundred men now took the trail of Texas’ train-robber premier. Yet tradition has it, also, that during his time “on the dodge” Sam himself was rarely, if ever, driven out of the three adjoining counties of Denton, Dallas and Tarrant. The wooded nature of the country in this locality made it simple for him to elude the blundering officers.
Not always did the gang hold together, now. Bass’ second-in-command, the daredevil Arkansas Johnson, was killed at Salt Creek in Wise County by Captain Peak’s Rangers. Then Pipes Herndon and Jim Murphy were captured. Sam himself, with Sebe Barnes and young Frank Jackson, were the only members out of jail, and they hugged the elm-bottoms of Denton County. The handwriting on the wall became clear now. This dodging might go on almost indefinitely, but the nerve-racking strain was telling on them all; they were weary of it. Sam decided to leave his beloved north Texas and in Mexico or some other foreign country make a new start.
To General Jones, by this time, the intent to capture or kill Sam Bass had become an obsession. We may shrug away mention of stool pigeons and traitors as necessary units of police equipment, but by Texans generally, and especially by the cowboys, who regarded Sam Bass as one of themselves, the methods of General Jones were given no fancy names whatever.
Jim Murphy was the tool chosen by Jones. To Murphy, then in jail awaiting Federal trial for robbery of the mails, Jones went with the offer of freedom on condition that he execute a certain plan which would result in Sam Bass’ betrayal into the officers’ hands. Murphy, to give him the tiny modicum of credit one may, at first rejected the proposal, even though life imprisonment seemed its alternative. But Jones was persistent, and finally threats and promises together overcame Murphy’s remembrance of Sam Bass’ many kindnesses to the needy Murphy clan.
Jim Murphy was arrested and then released on bail.
He jumped his bond at Tyler and then took the train for Terrell.
But Major Jones had posted Jim and that was all a stall;
’Twas only a plan to capture Sam before the coming fall.
So runs a verse of the old ballad. With the clear, unquibbling judgment of the outdoors, it tells unmincingly the tale of Jones’ plan to trap Sam Bass.