Reeves couldnt stay on as a ranger forever. Bass Reeves worked with lawman such as [10] Heck Thomas, Bud Ledbetter, and Bill Tilghman. Colbert began his tenure as a deputy U.S. marshal with the Fort Smith federal court in 1872, three years before Bass Reeves commission. [78] Reeves was born into slavery in Grayson County, Texas in 1838. No story of the conflict of government's officers with those outlaws, which ended only a few years ago with the rapid filling up of the territory with people, can be complete without mention of the Negro who died yesterday. One of the most infamous men in Indian Territory went by the name Greenleaf. He does not know what fear is. This claim was backed up with hard evidence, as well soon discover. Marshals. The U.S. Who knows! Since birth, he had witnessed the deepest and darkest parts of humanity. He and his family were owned by William Steele Reeves, who was originally from Hickman County, Tennessee. Bass Reeves (July 1838 - January 12, 1910) was an American law enforcement official, historically noted as the first black deputy U.S. marshal west of the Mississippi River. Father of Benjamin Bass Reeves; Homer Reeves; Robert Reeves; Newland Reeves; Edgar Reeves and 8 others; Sally Reeves; Harriet Reeves; Georgia Reeves; Alice Reeves; Lula Reeves; Bass Reeves, Jr.; George Reeves and Private less A man could make a lot of money at itand Reeves was one of the best in the biz. In January 2007, the U.S. He was 62 tall and extraordinarily strong. The U.S. When we do, we depend on our loyal, helpful readers to point out how we can do better. 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. [5], One of his sons was charged with the murder of his wife. Whatever the precise details of his flight, certain facts are crystal clear: Between 1861 and 1862, as the country was in the throes of the Civil War (take a wild guess as to which side Colonel George Reeves was on), Reeves escaped from his enslavement and became a free man of his own accord. All were two years in age apart. Over his long career as a lawman, the mustachioed slinger racked up a body count of 14 men. Though it hasnt been explicitly stated, many outlets have just been calling the series Bass Reeves. Enter a grandparent's name. [3] During the Civil War, Bass escaped north into the [4]Indian Territory ,and lived with the Cherokee, Seminole, and Creek Indians. Marshals Museum. His family was owned by the prosperous and politically well-connected family of William Reeves, an early Arkansas legislator . Please submit feedback to contribute@factinate.com. At Muskogee, Reeves worked under Leo E. Bennett, the former Indian agent for the Five Civilized Tribes, headquartered at the same town. Bass Reeves was indeed the Invincible Marshal. [1] He was one of the first African Americans to receive a commission as a Deputy U.S. Once And For All, Is The Lone Ranger Based on Bass Reeves? Husband of Nellie Reeves and Winnie J. Sumner Reeves The talented marksman and guide quickly started making a name for himself. [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. Legend has it that Reeves ended up getting into a serious confrontation with his master over a card game in 1861. Other blacks were also appointed to this position: Dee Rogers, Bob Fortune, Bill Colbert, Neely Factor, Zeke Moore and Grant Johnson. In the late 1870s, although Reeves was a deputy U.S. marshal, much of his work was as a posseman for other deputy U.S. marshals, including Robert J. Reeves eventually tracked Dozier down to a hideout in Cherokee territory. I knew that she was going to take it badly, but I had no idea about the insane lengths she would go to just to get revenge and mess with my life. [3], When the American Civil War began, George Reeves joined the Confederate Army, forcing Bass to go with him. Other reasons, Kennedy adds, included Reeves age. Marshals Bill Tilghman (1854-1924), Chris Madsen (1851-1944), and Heck Thomas (1850-1912). Bass married Nellie Reeves in 1864, at age 26 in Arkansas, United States. The Lone Ranger has appeared in thousands of radio episodes, hundreds of television episodes, hundreds of comic books, six films, and dozens of novels. Reeves was now 69 years old, the only deputy U.S. marshal I have found that started with Judge Parkers regime in 1875 and worked up to Oklahoma statehood in 1907. He served in the Indian Territory for 32 years. When the men fell asleep, he burst into their room and threw them each in handcuffs. His expertise in local languages and culture made him perfectly suited to the job. That year he transferred to the Eastern District of Texas in Paris, Texas, for a short while. Reeves earned his reputation. Dozier shot first, firing at them from a stand of trees. He got close to the two sons, told tall tales of thievery, and waited. Join the. Adams served as Reeves posseman, and they were involved in numerous police actions together in and around Muskogee. setTimeout(function(){var t=document.createElement("script");t.setAttribute("src","https://sample.dragonforms.com/getEmbeddedClientScript.do?embeddedsite=TW_dispatch_nl"),t.setAttribute("type","text/javascript"),document.body.appendChild(t)},5); Become a subscriber today and youll recieve a new issue every month plus unlimited access to our full archive of backlogged issues. Though he successfully caught the outlaws, Reeves did not escape from his infiltration unscathed. He beat the man BACK AND depending on what you read, either killed him or almost killed him. The St. Louis Globe Democrat in February 1884 reported Reeves bringing in 12 prisoners to Fort Smith. [5], Reeves and his family farmed until 1875, when Isaac Parker was appointed federal judge for the Indian Territory. The deputies covered an area of 75,000 square miles. [9] He served there until 1893. Marshal west of the Mississippi River. His estate came to less than $500. Bass Reeves and his family were slaves of Arkansas state legislator William Steele Reeves. Marshal badge and bullets that one belonged to U.S. Deputy Marshal Bass Reeves. Answer (1 of 6): I am just glancing at census records after first reading about Bass Reeves on Wikipedia, but it looks to me like he married Winnie Summer about 1899-1900, when he was around 59 and she was around 38, and that his children and hers were both from previous marriages. Earlier, Upham had commanded the Arkansas State Militia and had destroyed the Ku Klux Klan in that state. [11], His great-great-grandson is former National Football League and Canadian Football League player Willard Reaves, while his great-great-great-grandsons are National Hockey League player Ryan Reaves and CFL player Jordan Reaves. It didnt take a genius to get to the bottom of this one. He knew that every chase was potentially his last. The same newspaper in March of 1885 reported Reeves bringing in 13 prisoners. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8584642/bass-reeves, US Black Heritage Project Managed Profiles. In 1907 Bass Reeves' time as a deputy marshal came to an end, because law enforcement was taken over by state agencies after Oklahoma became a state. Reeves remained with this federal district until 1897, when he was transferred to the new Northern District of Indian Territory at Muskogee. The tough man was definitely no stranger to loss in his life, but this was different. During that time he was sent to arrest some of the most desperate characters that ever infested Indian Territory and endangered life and peace in its borders. The same news-paper reported Reeves in August 1883 bringing in 13 prisoners. In Black Gun, Silver Star, Burton recounts some stories from Adam Grayson, a former resident of Indian Territory, saying that Reeves tore up at least one warrant for a prisoner who outraced his sorrell steed. Art T. Burton AFRICAN AMERICANS, RUFUS CANNON, FEDERAL DISTRICT COURT FOR WESTERN ARKANSAS, ROBERT L. FORTUNE, FREEDMEN, INDIAN TERRITORY, GRANT JOHNSON, ZEKE MILLER, ISAAC CHARLES PARKER, SEGREGATION Marshals Service selected Fort Smith as the site for the national museum. He liked to brag that there was never any crime reported on his beat. As it turns out, the time to draw seemed to come up a lot. Reeves was inducted into the Texas Trail of Fame in 2013; he's had bronze statues erected in his likeness, and a bridge in Oklahoma now bears his name. Bass Reeves began his life as a slave in the state of Arkansas in July 1838, near the town of Van Buren. Marshals Museum: The museum loves to talk to the descendants of historic Marshals and Deputies and we receive. "Some say because Bass beat up George after a dispute in a card game. He died on January 12, 1910, of kidney disease. Fortunately, though, he had some connections. Though there were over 200 deputies to choose from in Indian Territory, marshals, judges, and district courts constantly turned to Bass Reeves because they knew that he would deliver results. Its entirely possible that the show's Yellowstone interconnectedness drops off by the time it arrivesand we find ourselves with a Bass Reeves series that's entirely separate from Yellowstone. The Fort Smith Elevator reported Reeves bringing in 12 prisoners in April 1884. He worked mostly in Arkansas and the Oklahoma Territory. Apparently, the six-foot lawman was a talented actor and took on a variety of aliases and disguises as he prowled outlaw country. Reeves died in Muskogee on January 12, 1910, after a short illness. Selma 's David Oyelowo will. Well, as a deputy in Indian Territory, Bass Reeves rode his horse from Fort Smith to Fort Renoa distance of 800 mileson more than one occasion. At his trial before Judge Parker, Reeves was represented by former United States Attorney W. H. H. Clayton, who had been his colleague and friend. Police departments and state agencies took over, meaning that marshals and deputies lost their authority. Instead, he always asked somebody to read him the contents of the warrants that the Marshals presented to him. [1] When Bass Reeves was eight (about 1846), William Reeves moved to Grayson County, Texas, near Sherman in the Peters Colony. Many claim this infamous lawman's exploits were the inspiration behind the Lone Ranger. In December 1878, Reeves served as a guard at Fort Smith for the executions of a Black man named James Diggs and an Indian named James Postoak, both for murder. Deputies would work out of Fort Smith and venture into the Indian Territory with warrants and open warrants. 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. I think Bass Reeves claim to fame is his persistence, and he bounced back after the murder trial.. Dozier escaped from Bass Reeves for several years until he tracked Bob Dozier down in the Cherokee Hills. He died of Bright's disease (nephritis) on January 12, 1910. Bass started as a water boy until he was old enough to become a field hand like his parents. The public won't want to miss the unveiling of these pieces on Saturday," said Jessica Hougen, curator of collections and exhibits for the U.S. Reeves was also known to love racing his sorrell horse, and would go to extremes to serve writs. In 1865, the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery. One day, a posse cook caught a bullet from Reeves trusty Colt while the lawman was cleaning it. Kennedy pointed to racist sentiment on the part of incoming state officials, as well as the Congressional delegation and the incoming U.S. marshal when Oklahoma became a state in 1907 as reasons Reeves lost his job with the Marshals Service. 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. It looked like his luck was finally beginning to turnand more good fortune was on the horizon. He was hired as a deputy because of his knowledge of the territory and ability to speak many of the tribal languages. After tracking the notorious outlaw, Reeves captured him without much of a struggle. Unfortunately for Reeves, this brought change to the face of law enforcement. Unsurprisingly, Reeves took the task without complaint. Do you question the accuracy of a fact you just read? WIKITREE PROTECTS MOST SENSITIVE INFORMATION BUT ONLY TO THE EXTENT STATED IN THE TERMS OF SERVICE AND PRIVACY POLICY. He died in 1910. All face the same hardships and dangers.. Marshal credited with being the inspiration for The Lone Ranger. 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