Irate Ira Nails the McClellands!
Ira Aten vs. The McClelland Brothers
By: Bob Boze Bell 06/01/2009
The Aten-Bass Connection
Ira Aten grew up in Round Rock, Texas—famed as the town where outlaw Sam Bass met his end.
Did Ira see the shoot-out that resulted in Sam Bass’s death on July 20, 1878?
Some sources say so. Bass biographer Rick Miller doubts it. Most of the townsfolk stayed behind closed doors, afraid of getting shot. It’s likely that the Aten family took the same precaution.
Aten’s father Austin, a Methodist minister, went to Bass’s deathbed the next day and offered to pray with him, but Sam turned him down. Miller believes that 15-year-old Ira probably was outside the room, looking in at that scene.
Throughout the rest of his life, Ira said that talking with the lawmen involved in the gunfight led him to become a Texas Ranger.
Comments (1)
Wow!!! Great stuff as always Mr. Bell!!!
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