Raised in an orphanage and deemed by the nuns who looked after him as another "Casualty of War," John never knew his real last name. It wasn't until years later, by fate, that he took a name that would become the signature of his true calling in life.
Hired simply because of the color of his skin, a benefit as seen by Judge Isaac Parker, Sam Bass quickly became one of the west's most infamous U.S. Marshals. Because he was black, he often found mistreatment from the whites he was sworn to protect, but he never let that interfere with the completion of his duties.
For many years, Bass roamed through the Indian Territory at the direction of Judge Parker. Then, when folks thought he was beginning to enjoy his less than moral means of recovering outlaws, he was taken out of field work and left to move prisoners from the jail to Judge Parker's famous gallows. Bass didn't let that hold him down, however, and he found a means of exacting his revenge on the very ones who tried so hard to strip him of the dignity he fought his whole life to acquire.
Sam Bass retired from the U.S. Marshal's service after one final job for Judge Parker, and himself. Only then was he content to live out the remainder of his days sitting in his rocking chair and fishing in his creek, all the while holding onto two secrets no one would ever know.