The Plan That Never Was

The Plan That Never Was

Suzanne Marsh

The three men listened intently for the sound of the train coming down the tracks. Sam Bass, their sharp-eyed leader, waited, his bandanna covering his face; the three gang members were ready. The gold shipment was being shipped from California, and it was worth over one million dollars. Sam Bass, a man with high pretensions, gold would be more than enough for himself and his gang members. It seemed like an eternity as they listened for the train; the anticipation of money was a good incentive. Buster McGraw watched for the tell-tale sign of gray smoke from his post on top of a grouping of gray rocks. Their horses whinnied and pawed the soft sandy ground; Sam’s horse heard the train before he did. The men pulled up their bandannas to conceal their faces, just as the train rounded the curve. They loped after the train. Sam jumped onto the coal car, then into the cab of the engine. The engineer stared at him, opened his mouth as Sam shouted and pointed his six-shooter at the engineer’s middle:

“Stop the train, this is a train robbery. Don’t move or yell, and no one gets hurt.”

The engineer nodded and began stopping the train. Sam motioned the other gang members to go to the baggage car, which was where the gold was. Sam remained in the cab of the engine to keep an eye on the engineer; he was taking no chances with a million dollars' worth of gold that would be enough for him to live in Mexico as a wealthy man. He had every intention of sharing the million with his gang; they earned it. The gold presented a problem it was in wooden boxes, they could not haul it very far, each box weighed in at around one hundred sixty pounds. Sam had a few pack horses that could haul the gold into the mountains, where the gold could be hidden. Once it was hidden, the gang would ride in four different directions; then they would meet back at the stop in a year. Sam knew the law would give up quickly if all four of them stayed out of sight.

Sam rode toward Round Rock, Texas; it was as good as any place to hide in plain sight. He began to formulate a plan to dig up the stolen gold in six months. A million dollars in gold; he could buy a huge hacienda, and all those lovely senoritas. He smiled to himself as he strode toward the boarding house where he was staying. He knew the Texas Rangers had a warrant for his arrest; he had robbed several banks; he had money to support himself, but that million dollars was always on his mind.

At the end of the fifth month, Sam could not wait any longer. He rode out of Round Rock, Texas, headed toward El Paso and the Davis Mountains. He rode his horse as if he did not have a care in the world. He thought about the rest of the gang, Buster McGraw, Joe Martin, and Jed MacInnis; he would leave a small amount of gold for each of them. He would be in Mexico before the year’s deadline; a very wealthy man.

Sam had procured several pack mules; mules were sturdy compared to horses when going through mountain passes. Sam rode day and night, his mind only on the gold. Buster McGraw went to the small town of Fate, and he decided to settle there. Buster, now married, wanted to leave the robbing of trains to Sam and the rest of the gang. He wanted more out of life than living on the run, looking over his shoulder to be sure no Texas Ranger was there. He told his wife the entire truth about stealing the million dollars in gold. She asked if they could change their names, so that the rangers would be looking for Buster McGraw, not Tom Hennessy. Buster went to a lawyer and legally changed their name. He was relieved; now they could start a family, and he could farm a tract of land they had purchased.

Joe Martin waited until sundown, as the pink hue glowed, he crossed the Rio Grande in El Paso; he fled to Mexico, where he knew he would be safe from the Texas Rangers. Joe, too, had designs for the million dollars; he had to be patient and wait. He found a cantina with rooms for rent and a lovely senorita to warm his nights. He decided that hiding in Juarez, Mexico, was the best idea he had ever had. The view from the cantina was in direct line with the Davis Mountains; he could almost see the place where the gold was buried. A few more months, and it would be his, oh, he would leave a small amount for Sam and the other two. He thought he was being very generous with the gold.

Jed MacInnis loped toward Silver City, New Mexico, where he was ready to join Billy the Kid’s gang. Jed enjoyed the excitement of robbing banks and trains. He arrived there, found Billy, and a very strange friendship formed between the two gunslingers. Jed wanted money to gamble and have a good time. He and Billy robbed the bank in Deming, New Mexico. The entire haul was a little over four hundred dollars, which was enough to enjoy his stay in Silver City. He thought of remaining in Silver City, where the Texas Rangers did not have jurisdiction, so he would be safe. Jed decided to stay; he would rather rob small banks in the area than have a split of the million dollars with the Texas Rangers always breathing down his neck.

Sam, his pack mules were rebelling on the mountain pass just above the place where the gold was buried. Sam rode down the slope of the mountain with the mules braying loudly in protest. He set up camp, not realizing he was being watched by a not-trusting Joe Martin. He unrolled his bedroll and started a small fire for a meal of fried beans and bacon. He decided he would dig up the gold in the early morning, cross over into Juarez, Mexico. There was a hacienda he wanted very badly and intended to have. He tied the mules and horse to a sturdy tree with ample grass. He bedded down for the night. It had been a long ten days.

Joe Martin noted the smoke from the balcony; there was only one person who would double-cross him: Sam Bass. He ran to the stable where he boarded his horse and loped toward the border. He knew he could not trust Sam Bass to keep his word and return in a year. Joe rode up the mountain toward the smoke, and he hid up on the small cliff. There was a boulder that he could push down; it would kill Sam on impact, and he would be a million dollars richer. That was his plan; he did think that Sam had a plan, until he felt the business end of the Colt 45. He spun on the heel of his boot when he heard Sam’s voice: “You are a dead man, Joe, this is my gold, my fortune.” Sam fired his Colt. .45, his aim right on, Joe Martin lay dead on the hard rocky ground.