This page has been accessed 17,324 times. There was a fine line between lawmen and outlaws in the Old West, and sometimes, men crossed it. Ironically, Reeves was brought up on first-degree murder charges, not manslaughter or criminal negligence, after a new U.S. marshal was hired, the first former Confederate officer Reeves would work for. 'Ted Lasso' Season 3 Dropped Its First Trailer, 'Outer Banks' Season 4 Is Already In the Works, 'The Last of Us' Ep. There is no indication of race on federal records. [6] Reeves served in that district until 1893, when he transferred to the Eastern District of Texas in Paris, Texas. Marshals Museum. Its no wonder he had such a tough reputation among outlaws and lawmen alike. When Bass was eight, the Reeves family moved to northern Texas to Peters Colony in Grayson County near Sherman, Texas. Obituaries ran in the white and Black newspapers of Muskogee and were republished across the nation. He was not the first Black deputy U.S. marshal west of the Mississippi River. After he died the [16] Muskogee Phoenix wrote of the legendary lawman, In the history of the early days of Eastern Oklahoma the name of Bass Reeves has a place in the front rank among those who cleansed out the old Indian Territory of outlaws and desperadoes. Many claim this infamous lawmans exploits were the inspiration behind the Lone Ranger. Marshal James Fagan was replaced not long after Judge Parker took over the court with a Union veteran, Daniel P. Upham. He handed down a hefty sentence: Life in prison. He also rode the Oklahoma range on a massive white stallion. Making distraction rewarding since 2017. In 1872 the Federal Court for the Western District of Arkansas (which included 74,000 miles of Indian territory) established quarters in the former barracks building of Fort Smith. In total, he found at least twelve cards posted promising his demise. Greenleaf terrorized the area for years, but to Reeves, he was just another bounty. His estate came to less than $500. After that, Reeves had little choice but to flee his bondage and ride off into the sunset in search of a life as a free man. Marshals office in Muskogee was downsized, and Reeves found himself out of work. Marshal. In a happy subplot to an often harrowing tale, the two stayed together for the rest of their lives. In 1890, he received an arrest warrant for an infamous Cherokee outlaw named Ned Christie. Please add Bass to the American Heroes category. Your suggestions can be as general or specific as you like, from Life to Compact Cars and Trucks to A Subspecies of Capybara Called Hydrochoerus Isthmius. Well get our writers on it because we want to create articles on the topics youre interested in. [5], Reeves was himself once charged with murdering a posse cook. Reeves and Webb had a gunfight in June 1884 near Bywaters Store, which was a stagecoach stop. .css-gk9meg{display:block;font-family:Lausanne,Arial,sans-serif;font-weight:normal;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding-top:0.25rem;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-gk9meg:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.15;margin-bottom:0.25rem;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.625rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 73.75rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.2;}}Celebrities Who Voice Cartoon Characters, 'The Mandalorian' Season 3 is About to Commence, The Underworld Crossover of the Century Is Coming. The marshal tracked him down and made him an offerand so began a whirlwind tale of adventure, courage, and cold-blooded lawmaking. Sadly, Reeves beloved wife, Nellie Jennie, passed in Fort Smith in 1896. The same news-paper reported Reeves in August 1883 bringing in 13 prisoners. Connect to the World Family Tree to find out, July 1838 - Crawford County, United States, Ozoliiiulsioii Co., ; IS Pearl at., New York. prisoners. It focuses on the true story of a little-known marshal who patrolled the old Indian Territory, now known as Oklahoma. He just needed a way inso he came up with a devious plan. Reeves was 58 years old at the time. [9] He served there until 1893. One of Bass Reeves' warrants was for a notorious outlaw named Bob Dozier, who was wanted for a wide range of crimes from cattle and horse rustling, to holding up banks, stores, and stagecoaches to murder, and land swindles. An article suggests that Bass Reeves may have been the inspiration for the "Lone Ranger" --. He tried to apprehend the fugitive Jim Webb, who had been foreman on the Billy Washington Ranch in the Chickasaw Nation. Reeves was born into slavery and gained his freedom when he escaped during the Civil War, fled to the Indian Territory (Arkansas and Oklahoma) and lived among the Native Americans. His son was eventually tracked and captured, tried and convicted. Marshals Museums board of directors, said Burton told Reeves story at a Fort Smith National Historic Site Descendants Day event in the early 2000s and helped Reeves receive the notoriety for his bravery and incredible career as a lawman. His wife had an affair. [a] During his long career, he had on his record more than 3,000 arrests of dangerous fugitives, and shot and killed 14 of them in self-defense. Claude Legris, executive director of the Fort Smith Advertising and Promotion Commission and a member of the U.S. Reeves was in a dangerous profession and, unsurprisingly, had a lot of close calls. 14 were shot in self-defense. I tried to get my ex-wife served with divorce papers. As it turns out, the time to draw seemed to come up a lot. Reeves son, Benjamin Reeves, strayed from the family tree and ran into serious trouble with the law. He bought a small farm and married[6] Nellie Jennie. Marshal Reeves was disturbed and shaken by the incident but demanded to accept the responsibility of bringing his son to justice. Reeves was eventually believed and acquitted, possibly based on his exceptional record. Reeves methods of enforcement were somewhat unorthodox. William Steele Reeves, a prominent citizen and politician, enslaved his family. While living with the Indians, Bass learned to speak and understand the different Indian languages. They ended up having a whopping ten childrenfive boys and five girls. Many lawmen had tried to apprehend the outlaw, but none were successful until it came to Reeves. Reeves' health began to fail, and he died of Bright's disease (nephritis) in 1910. This is one gunslinger who wont soon be forgotten, so dive in and discover the action-packed life of Bass Reeves. Bass Reeves was the first black man to be appointed a U.S. Deputy Marshal west of the Mississippi. He was also a black dude. Many U.S. The following is just a short sampling of Reeves police work in the 1880s. Since birth, he had witnessed the deepest and darkest parts of humanity. The Fort Smith Elevator reported Reeves bringing in 12 prisoners in April 1884. Bass claimed that he fought in the Civil Warfor the South! It was probably a pleasant changebut it was not to last. Theres only one catch: Bass Reeves is not an original character. Deadline reported that the crew is officially filming in Texas, so it may be a while before we see the legendary lawman on our screens. This troubled his mother greatly as she thought he wanted to be an outlaw. A man could make a lot of money at itand Reeves was one of the best in the biz. My mom never told me how her best friend died. Its not known exactly where Bass Reeves is buried, but in the 1990s the Oklahombres organization placed a small marker bearing Reeves name in the Old Agency Cemetery in Muskogee. The same newspaper in March of 1885 reported Reeves bringing in 13 prisoners. According to the letter of the law, it didnt matter who they were. During the Civil War . Reeves did one thing, and he did it very well: He tracked down outlaws on the lam. Typically, local posses accompanied Reeves on his expeditions and stakeouts. We may earn a commission from these links. 7: Caught in a Bad Romance, Brandon Sklenar is the Baddest Dutton of Them All, The 'Outer Banks' S3 Finale Is Intense as Hell. Sometime after moving to Texas, Bass became a valet/body servant to William S. Reeves son, George R. Reeves. They also had another child together. Marshals Museum: The museum loves to talk to the descendants of historic Marshals and Deputies and we receive. All Rights Reserved. Unsurprisingly, Reeves took the task without complaint. Not too many years before, he was the target of law enforcement officials himself. Parker appointed James F. Fagan as U.S. [2] Once he had to arrest his own son for murder. Muskogee was unique with two Black business districts that were thoroughly integrated and catered to the diverse population in the frontier town. Starring Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, 1883 depicted the first Dutton family members to travel the Oregon Trail and settle in Montana, where the Yellowstone Ranch is set in the series. Abolitionists in the Indian Territory harbored him until it was safe to move. Reeves brought in some of the most dangerous fugitives of the time; he was never wounded despite having his hat and belt shot off on separate occasions. They didnt always give him that option. Reeves didn't just take it, though. Bass accepted the responsibility for finding his son. In 1900, at 62 years old, Reeves married for a second time. For the next 11 years, Bennie Reeves sat in Fort Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary. After tracking the notorious outlaw, Reeves captured him without much of a struggle. When those old gunfighters are sittin around up there in Valhalla discussing who was the, The real law-and-order heros long and Winding road to cinematic and television fame. He thought hed hit his mark and he burst out in laughter. In May 1881, Reeves made his first trip to Detroit, Michigan, to the House of Corrections, along with five other deputies transporting 21 prisoners by train via St. Louis. Join the. He often used aliases and disguises, a cowboy, farmer, gunslinger -- even a outlaw. His expeditions often lasted for several months and involved riding through rough terrain, living wherever he could find lodging, and risking his life taking on the toughest outlaws in the west. Eventually, Reeves decided he had to fulfill his obligation personally. One account recalls how Bass Reeves and George Reeves had an altercation over a card game. This was his first taste of work with the US government in an official capacity. Bass married Nellie Reeves in 1864, at age 26 in Arkansas, United States. Bass Reeves (2010 Video), Ponderous Productions, The Truth Always Comes Out: Dark Family Secrets Exposed, Entrancing Facts About Madame de Pompadour, France's Most Powerful Mistress, Tragic Facts About Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIIIs First Wife, Comedic Facts About Red Skelton, The Kookiest Clown Around, Glamorous Facts About The Countess Of Castiglione, The First Model, Sensational Facts About Louella Parsons, The Queen Of Hollywood Gossip, Extravagant Facts About Mohammad Reza, The Doomed Shah. They would later have 11 children in the household. Its a sequel to a prequel (of sorts), but it can still be viewed and enjoyed separate from Yellowstone. He and his family were owned by William Steele Reeves, who was originally from Hickman County, Tennessee. The Lone Ranger has appeared in thousands of radio episodes, hundreds of television episodes, hundreds of comic books, six films, and dozens of novels. Family history states that Bass and George got into an argument over a card game during the Civil War. Is it a sequel to a prequel? Bass occasionally would serve as a guide into the Indian Territory for Deputy U.S. Apparently, the six-foot lawman was a talented actor and took on a variety of aliases and disguises as he prowled outlaw country. Western Books: An Officer of Honor and Grit, Ask the Marshall Bat Masterson: Armed and Dangerous, Lincoln: Prepare Ye the Way for the Horde. After five years and several hundred thousand dollars in fundraising, Spears and his committee saw the unveiling of the large bronze Bass Reeves Legacy Monument by H. Holden at Ross Pendergraft Park in downtown Fort Smith in May 2012. 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