Bass
Reeves was born into slavery in Crawford County, Arkansas, in 1838.
He was named after his grandfather, Basse Washington. Reeves and his
family were slaves of Arkansas state legislator William Steele
Reeves. Bass took the surname of his owner, like other slaves of the
time. Working alongside his parents, Reeves started out as a water
boy until he was old enough to become a field hand.
A
tall young man, at 6’2”, with good manners and a sense of humor,
George Reeves, William’s son, later made him his personal companion
when Bass was older. When the Civil War broke out, Texas sided with
the Confederacy and George Reeves went into battle, taking Bass with
him. Un
fortunately,
George died from rabies in 1882.
It
was during these years of the Civil War that Bass parted company from
Reeves, some say because Bass knocked out his owner George after a
dispute in a card game. Others believe that Bass heard too much about
the 'freeing of slaves' and simply ran away. Bass fled north into
the Indian Territory. There he lived with the Cherokee, Seminole, and
Creek Indians, learning their languages.
While
in Indian Territory, Reeves honed his firearm skills, becoming very
quick and accurate with a pistol. Though Reeves claimed to be 'only
fair' with a rifle, he was barred on a regular basis from
competitive turkey shoots.
'Freed' by the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 and no longer a fugitive,
Reeves left Indian Territory and bought land near Van Buren,
Arkansas, becoming a successful farmer and rancher. A year later, he
married Nellie Jennie from Texas, and immediately began to have a
family. He married Nellie Jennie from Texas, with whom he had 11
children.
 |
| A map of Indian Territory as it existed in 1868. |
He
started making some extra money by helping the U.S. Marshals with
scouting and tracking and soon earned a reputation for himself as a
man who knew what he was doing and could be relied upon.
Reeves
and his family farmed until 1875, when Isaac Parker was appointed
federal judge for the Indian Territory on May 10, 1875. At the time
Parker was appointed, Indian Territory had become extremely lawless
as thieves, murderers, and anyone else wishing to hide from the law,
took refuge in the territory that previously had no federal or state
jurisdiction.
The
Indian Territory was home to what was referred to as the Five
Civilised Tribes, consisting of Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek
and Seminole.The Five Tribes had their own governments, courts, and
police, but could not arrest white or black men who were not citizens
of the tribes. This task fell to the deputy U.S. marshals who worked
out of Fort Smith. Also, the deputies were responsible for arresting
Indians who committed crimes against white or black men.
He
started making some extra money by helping the U.S. Marshals with
scouting and tracking and soon earned a reputation for himself as a
man who knew what he was doing and could be relied upon.
Reeves
and his family farmed until 1875, when Isaac Parker was appointed
federal judge for the Indian Territory on May 10, 1875. At the time
Parker was appointed, Indian Territory had become extremely lawless
as thieves, murderers, and anyone else wishing to hide from the law,
took refuge in the territory that previously had no federal or state
jurisdiction.
The
Indian Territory was home to what was referred to as the Five
Civilised Tribes, consisting of Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek
and Seminole.The Five Tribes had their own governments, courts, and
police, but could not arrest white or black men who were not citizens
of the tribes. This task fell to the deputy U.S. marshals who worked
out of Fort Smith. Also, the deputies were responsible for arresting
Indians who committed crimes against white or black men.
 |
| James F. Fagan was tasked to hire 200 US Marshals. |
Parker
appointed James F. Fagan as U.S. marshal, directing him to hire 200
deputy U.S. marshals. Fagan had heard about Reeves, who knew the
Indian Territory and could speak several Indian languages. There was
also the fact that he was a black man, which was valuable in an area
where white men were rightfully treated with suspicion. Fagan took
advantage of this fact by hiring a number of black men as deputies.
Now recruited as a deputy; Reeves was the first black deputy to serve
west of the Mississippi River.
The
deputies were tasked with “cleaning up” Indian Territory and on
Judge Parker’s orders, “Bring them in alive — or dead!”
Working
among other lawmen that would also become legendary, such as Heck
Thomas, Bud Ledbetter, and Bill Tilghman, Reeves began to ride the
Oklahoma range in search of outlaws. Covering
some 75,000 square miles, the United States Court at Fort Smith, was
the largest in the nation.
Depending
on the outlaws for whom he was searching, a deputy would generally
take with him from Fort Smith, a wagon, a cook and a Native American
posse man. Often they rode to Fort Reno, Fort Sill and Anadarko, a
round trip of more than 800 miles.
Though
Reeves could not read or write it did not curb his effectiveness in
bringing back the criminals. Before he headed out, he would have
someone read him the warrants and memorise which was which. When
asked to produce the warrant, he never failed to pick out the correct
one.
An
imposing figure at over six feet tall, and always riding on a large
white stallion, Reeves began to earn a reputation for his courage and
success at bringing in or killing many desperadoes of the territory.
Speaking to a newspaper in later life, Reeves said about his huge
white horse, ‘When you get as big as me, a small horse is as
worthless as a preacher in a whiskey joint fight. Just when you need
him bad to help you out, he’s got to stop and think about it a
little bit.’
Reeves
was described as being a smart dresser, wearing well made clothes, a
large black hat, and with his boots polished to a gleaming shine. He
was known for his politeness and courteous manner. He always wore
two Colt pistols on his belt, butt forward for a fast draw, and
carried a trusty Winchester rifle. Able to draw his guns incredibly
fast, and being ambidextrous, he rarely missed his mark when called
on to shoot.
 |
| Bass Reeves. |
Reeves
was also considered by many to be a master of disguises and often
utilized aliases. Sometimes appearing as a cowboy, farmer,
gunslinger, or outlaw, himself in order to capture his mark. He would
not only change his clothing, but use smaller horses, and even went
without, and changed the way he rode and moved. He often told people
that these were skills that he was taught by the different tribes in
the territory.
Leaving
Fort Smith, often with a pocketful of warrants, Reeves would often
return months later herding a number of outlaws charged with crimes
ranging from bootlegging to murder. Paid in fees and rewards, he
would make a handsome profit, before spending a little time with his
family and returning to the range once again.
Contemporaries
described Reeves as a ‘lawman second to none,’ who was
‘absolutely fearless,’ and a ‘terror to outlaws and
desperadoes’. He was said to be the most feared U.S marshal at the
time, and his nickname was the ‘Invincible Marshal’. He earned
this nickname because despite numerous attempts on his life, and a
number of gunfights throughout his career, he was never shot. This
was, however, not through lack of trying. During his time as a
Martial ‘his belt was shot in two, a button shot off his coat, his
hat brim shot off, and the bridle reins which he held in his hands
cut by a bullet’.
Reeves
took the time to get to know the peoples of the territory, including
the tribes and their customs, and they respected him for it. His
friendly and sterling reputation among Indians, blacks, and whites
alike led folks to trust him and give him assistance and tips they
didn’t feel comfortable sharing with other marshals.
The
tales of his captures are legendary – filled with intrigue,
imagination and courage. On one such occasion, Reeves was pursuing
two outlaws in the Red River Valley near the Texas border. Gathering
a posse, Reeves and the other men set up camp some 28 miles from
where the two were thought to be hiding at their mother’s home.
After studying the terrain and making a plan, he soon disguised
himself as a tramp, hiding the tools of his trade – handcuffs,
pistol and badge, under his clothes. Setting out on foot, he arrived
at the house wearing an old pair of shoes, dirty clothes, carrying a
cane, and wearing a floppy hat complete with three bullet holes.
Upon
arriving at the home, he told a tale to woman who answered the door
that his feet were aching after having been pursued by a posse who
had put the three bullet holes in his hat. After asking for a bite to
eat, she invited him in and while he was eating she began to tell him
of her two young outlaw sons, suggesting that the three of them
should join forces.
Feigning
weariness, she consented to let him stay a while longer. As the sun
was setting, Reeves heard a sharp whistle coming from beyond the
house. Shortly after the woman went outside and responded with an
answering whistle, two riders rode up to the house, talking at length
with her outside. The three of them came inside and she introduced
her sons to Reeves. After discussing their various crimes, the trio
agreed that it would be a good idea to join up.
Bunking
down in the same room, Reeves watched the pair carefully as the
drifted off to sleep and when they were snoring deeply, handcuffed
the pair without waking them. When early morning approached, he
kicked the boys awake and marched them out the door. Followed for the
first three miles by their mother, who cursed Reeves the entire time,
he marched the pair the full 28 miles to the camp where the posse men
waited. Within days, the outlaws were delivered to the authorities
and a $5,000 reward collected.
One
of the high points of Reeves’ career was apprehending a notorious
outlaw named Bob Dozier. Dozier was known as a jack-of-all-trades
when it came to committing crimes, as they covered a wide range from
cattle and horse rustling, to holding up banks, stores, and
stagecoaches; to murder, and land swindles. Because Dozier was
unpredictable, he was also hard to catch and though many lawmen had
tried to apprehend the outlaw, none were successful until it came to
Reeves. Dozier eluded Reeves for several months until the lawman
tracked him down in the Cherokee Hills. After refusing to surrender,
Reeves killed Dozier in an accompanying gunfight on December 20,
1878.
 |
| Bass's son Bennie was arrested by his own father. |
After
having delivered two prisoners to U.S. Marshal Leo Bennett in
Muskogee, Oklahoma, he arrived to bad news. His own son, Bennie, had
been charged with the murder of his wife. Though the warrant had been
lying on Bennett’s desk for two days, the other deputies were
reluctant to take it and though Reeves was shaken, he demanded to
accept the responsibility for finding his son. Two weeks later,
Reeves returned to Muskogee with his son in tow and turned him over
to Marshal Bennett. His son was tried and sent to Kansas’
Leavenworth Prison. However, sometime later, with a citizen’s
petition and an exemplary prison record, his son was pardoned and
lived the rest of his life as a model citizen.
In
1901, Reeves was interviewed by a Territorial newspaper, at that time
he stated he had arrested over 3000 men and women who had broke
federal laws in the Indian Territory. The Indian Territory was the
most dangerous area for federal peace officers in the Old West. More
than one hundred and twenty lost their lives before Oklahoma became a
state in 1907.
Reeves
was the target of numerous assassination attempts whilst a Marshall
in the Territory, but he often saved himself by staying completely
calm and in control. One time, he met two men out riding who knew who
he was and wanted him dead. They drew their guns and forced him off
his horse. One of the men asked if Reeves had any last words, and
Bass answered that he would really appreciate it if one of them could
read him a letter from his wife before finishing him off. He reached
into his saddlebag for the letter and handed it over. As soon as the
would-be-assassin reached for the letter, Bass put one of his hands
around the man’s throat, used his other hand to draw his gun, and
said, 'Son of a bitch, now you’re under arrest!' The outlaw’s
partner was so surprised he dropped his gun, and Reeves put both men
in chains.
Another
time, Reeves faced a similar situation; this time three wanted
outlaws forced him from his horse and were about to do him in. He
showed them the warrants he had for their arrest and asked them for
the date, so he could jot it down for his records when he turned the
men into jail. The leader of the group laughed and said,'You are
ready to turn in now.' But having dropped his guard for just a
second, Reeves drew his six-shooter and grabbed the barrel of the
man’s gun. The outlaw fired three times, but Reeves again dodged
the bullets. At the same time, and with his hand still around the
barrel of the first man’s gun, he shot the second man, and then hit
the third man over the head with his six-shooter, killing him.
In
1907, law enforcement was assumed by state agencies and Reeves’
duties as a deputy marshal came to an end. This was also in part due
to the Jim Crow laws that came into effect in 1907 when Oklahoma
became a state. Forcing segregation, the new laws meant that Bass was
unable to continue on as a Marshal. Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal of the
Western District, Bud Ledbetter, called Bass, ‘one of the bravest
men this country has ever known’.
No longer a Marshal, Bass took a job as a patrolman with the Muskogee
Oklahoma Police Department. During the two years that he served in
this capacity, there were reportedly no crimes on his beat. Reeves’
diagnosis with Bright’s disease, a historic term for kidney
disease, finally ended his career when he took to his sickbed in
1909. He died January 12, 1910 and though he was buried in Muskogee,
Oklahoma, the exact location of his grave is unknown.
Over
the 35 years that Bass Reeves served as a Deputy United States
Marshal, he earned his place in history by being one of the most
effective lawmen in Indian Territory, bringing in more than 3,000
outlaws and helping to tame the lawless territory. Killing only 14
men during his service, Reeves always said that he ‘never shot a
man when it was not necessary for him to do so in the discharge of
his duty to save his own life’.
Historian
Art Burton said about him, ‘If Reeves were fictional, he would be a
combination of Sherlock Holmes, Superman, and the Lone Ranger.’
Many
historians even argue that there is evidence that Bass Reeves was the
basis of the now classic fictional hero the Lone Ranger, with several
key similarities between the character and the real legend, making
Bass Reeves the real life Lone Ranger.
 |
| Statue to Bass Reeves in Fort Smith, Arkansas. |
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