Other blacks were also appointed to this position: Dee Rogers, Bob Fortune, Bill Colbert, Neely Factor, Zeke Moore and Grant Johnson. He hung up the stirrups at 68 years oldso that he could become another kind of officer. Reeves was headquartered at Calvin in the Choctaw Nation and carried many of his prisoners to the federal commissioner at Pauls Valley in the Chickasaw Nation. [9]Bass Reeves was the first African American Deputy to be appointed west of the Mississippi River. (Reference unknown). [2] Once he had to arrest his own son for murder. Law and order in the Wild West was not a pretty thing. He grew up tending to chores and animals while his 'mammy' cooked and cleaned. From judges to supervising marshals, nobody took issue with Reevesexcept, of course, for outlaws. Research shows that Reeves stayed in Fort Smith until 1893. Reeves made a name for himself early in his career when he struck out after the famous outlaw Bob Dozier. 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. In the late 1870s and early 1880s, most guards, turnkeys, cooks and bailiffs for the Fort Smith federal court were African Americans. Topping, James H. Mershon and Jacob T. Ayers. Marshal Bass Reeves. Story was the leader of a feared gang of horse thieves who operated under the highly original name of The Tom Story Gang. Over his career, Reeves made a lot of enemies. [1] He was one of the first African Americans to receive a commission as a Deputy U.S. The Reeves family moved to North Twelfth Street, Park Place, in 1889. He was a real-life gunslinger and lawman who lived from 1838 to 1910, and he was said to have recorded over 3,000 arrests during his lifetime. Though he had a hard reputation, Reeves was, by all accounts, a mild-mannered and polite man. Some say the Quentin Tarantino movie, Django, was based on his life.[17]. ", "Bass Reeves and The Lone Ranger: Debunking the Myth, Part 1", "Bridge to be renamed in tribute to famed lawman", "Statue of U.S. marshal to travel from Oklahoma to Arkansas Wednesday", Gunslingers, "Bass Reeves - The Real Lone Ranger", "In a New Series, 'Around the World in 80 Days' Gets More Worldly", "David Oyelowo To Star In 'Bass Reeves' Limited Series From Taylor Sheridan As Part Of Yoruba Saxon Overall Deal With ViacomCBS & MTV Entertainment Studios", "Mini About Hero Lawman Bass Reeves In Works At HBO With Morgan Freeman, Lori McCreary & James Pickens Producing", "Bass Reeves Series 'Twin Territories' From Morgan Freeman's Revelations & 'Hand Of God' Creator Ben Watkins In Works At Amazon", "Amazon Studios Lands Biopic on Bass Reeves, First Black U.S. Deputy Marshal, From 'The Rider' Helmer Chlo Zhao", "U.S. [5], Reeves and his family farmed until 1875, when Isaac Parker was appointed federal judge for the Indian Territory. His wife had an affair. When they neared Doziers hideout, things turned ugly. A fitting end to a horrible man, George Reeves contracted rabies and passed in 1882. The deputy lawman found himself on the wrong side of the law in 1887. A crack shot, he won 14 shoot-outs with men who all drew on him first without suffering a single wound. Finally, it came time to bring him down. Its clear at this point that the deputy tracked down and captured a huge number of outlaws. During a game of cards with his owner, Reeves won, which caused his owner to beat him. As it turns out, the time to draw seemed to come up a lot. Dave Kennedy, curator of collections and exhibits, said recently the museum is still in search of Bass Reevess descendants, the Southwest Times Record reported. He went back to work as one of the deputies of the Western District of Arkansas at Fort Smith under Judge Isaac C. Parker. It sat on his desk for two days while he decided what to do. Reeves, it seems, was the most famous of them all. 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. [2], When Oklahoma became a state in 1907, Reeves, then 68, became an officer of the Muskogee Police Department. Bass also served as bodyguard, coachman and butler. The round trip would be approximately 400 miles and would take one or two months, depending on high water in the rivers and creeks. Reeves lived in the protection of his new communities and learned their languages for the next several years. Bass Reeves was one of the greatest peace officers in the history of the American western frontier. Want to tell us to write facts on a topic? So what about Bass Reeves? Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. Being ambidextrous he always wore two Colt pistols and he rarely missed his mark. Marshal was abolished at that time, so he became an officer with the Muskogee Police Department, where he served for two years until he was forced to resign because of his declining health. He just needed a way inso he came up with a devious plan. Wasnt Bass Reeves a real guy? [2][5] Reeves was assigned as a deputy U.S. marshal for the Western District of Arkansas, which had responsibility also for the Native reservation Territory. Bass Reeves, a former slave, fiercely defended the Old West during his 32-year tenure as deputy U.S. marshal. His estate came to less than $500. Who Is John Dutton's Grandfather in '1923'? Reeves was quicker and dropped the outlaw. A year after moving to Arkansas, Reeves fell in love. His son was tried and sent to Kansas Leavenworth Prison. In 1897 he was transferred to the Muskogee Federal Court. Bass won many turkey shoots for his master, which in Texas was prestigious for George. Colbert began his tenure as a deputy U.S. marshal with the Fort Smith federal court in 1872, three years before Bass Reeves commission. Marshals office in Muskogee was downsized, and Reeves found himself out of work. Reeves eventually tracked Dozier down to a hideout in Cherokee territory. In 1897, he was transferred again, serving at the Muskogee Federal Court in the Native Territory. This was his first taste of work with the US government in an official capacity. After casting off the shackles, Bass embarked on a truly remarkable journey. [5] He was an uncle of Paul L. Brady, the first African-American appointed a Federal Administrative Law Judge (in 1972). Eighty-two of the U.S. deputy marshals are buried at Oak Cemetery in Fort Smith. 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. Bass Reeves Born about Jul 1838 in Crawford, Arkansas, United States Son of [father unknown] and Parilee Washington Stewart [sibling (s) unknown] Husband of Nellie (Jennie) Reeves married about 1864 in Arkansas, United States Husband of Winnie (Sumter) Reeves married 1900 in Muskogee,Oklahoma,United States Descendants Well, when Sheridan finished 1883, producers over at the Paramount Network were mighty angry that he wrote it so that there couldnt be a second season. He married a woman named Nellie Jennie, and they must have been really into each other. From 1920-1970, Kennedy explained, the name Bass Reeves, as well as those of Grant Foreman and Robert Fortune were forgotten outside the circle of family and local history. He bought a small farm and married[6] Nellie Jennie. It seems that Reeves talents were without end. Later in November 1890, Bass and his posse raided the home of the legendary Cherokee Ned Christie, who was wanted for murdering a deputy U.S. marshal. Williams son, Colonel George Reeves, was Basss legal owner. The details of his sons doings were unpleasant. Before Reeves could respond, the gunman shot his belt in half. Reeves was arrested and lodged in the Fort Smith federal jail until he could make bond in June of that year. [2][5] He is said to have shot and killed fourteen outlaws to defend his own life. In the Old West, its hard to separate the good guys from the bad. Dozier shot first, firing at them from a stand of trees. The Fort Smith Elevator reported Reeves bringing in 12 prisoners in April 1884. 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. Fortunately, he had another useful skill. Marshal Bass Reeves. (AP) The U.S. After a citizens petition and an exemplary prison record, his son was pardoned and was never in trouble with the law again. In 1900, at 62 years old, Reeves married for a second time. Deputy United States Marshal Bass Reeves reunites with his former partner turned fugitive Sam Tanner. [2], In addition to being a marksman with a rifle and pistol, Reeves, during his long career, developed superior detective skills. My mom never told me how her best friend died. Bass Reeves was the first black man to be appointed a U.S. Deputy Marshal west of the Mississippi. Such a dark beginning really sets the stage for the twisted tale of law and violence that followed. After serving as a valiant marshals deputy, Reeves worked as a policeman in Muskogee for two years, 1907-1909. He was hired as a deputy because of his knowledge of the territory and ability to speak many of the tribal languages. From the shackles of slavery to the US Marshals Service, Reeves lived a life of conflict, excitement, and heartbreak. Please add Bass to the American Heroes category. [2] He served for two years before he became ill and retired. Fortunately, though, he had some connections. The lawman was such a good shot that nobody wanted to face him in competition. Federal Judge Paul Brady and his wife Xernona were in Fort Smith on Monday (April 11) to donate a gun, U.S. He served 11 years at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas before his sentence was commuted; he reportedly lived the rest of his life as a model citizen. 1 of 3 In a statue of Bass Reeves residing in the Lamar County Courthouse, sculptor Eddie Dixon arms the famed lawman with a double-barreled shotgun. [5] Reeves had to arrest his own son for murder;[2] Benjamin "Bennie" Reeves was charged with the murder of his own wife. As the years passed, the American government seized more and more territory. Word of the relationship somehow got out. After 1900, Muskogee had city police, with two deputy U.S. marshals stationed there, Bass Reeves and a white man David Adams. He captured the two gang members in the Red River Valley, but it wasnt exactly simple: The boys mother chased him for three miles, cursing his name the whole time! 7: Caught in a Bad Romance, Brandon Sklenar is the Baddest Dutton of Them All, The 'Outer Banks' S3 Finale Is Intense as Hell. These are just a few of the incredible stories of a man who hunted down men nobody else could capture. Historys most fascinating stories and darkest secrets, delivered to your inbox daily. They arrested, without incident 15 white men and eight Black men and brought them to the federal jail in Muskogee. Madame de Pompadour was the alluring chief mistress of King Louis XV, but few people know her dark historyor the chilling secret shared by her and Louis. Marshals. Please submit feedback to contribute@factinate.com. Is it a sequel to a prequel? Greenleaf had been on the run for 18 years and had murdered three white men and four Indians and had never been arrested. Their names are listed side by side with other Deputy U.S. The following is just a short sampling of Reeves police work in the 1880s. Bass claimed that he fought in the Civil Warfor the South! He served for two years, in that time there were no crimes on his beat. Bass started as a water boy until he was old enough to become a field hand like his parents. 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. In fact, his personality was so warm that it comes up in countless contemporary sources detailing his many adventures and arrests. Brother of UFN Washington and Jane Reeves, Bass Reeves was born into slavery in 1838 in Crawford County, Arkansas. Bass occasionally would serve as a guide into the Indian Territory for Deputy U.S. The St. Louis Globe Democrat in October 1885 reported that Reeves had arrested 17 felons in the Indian Territory and brought them to Fort Smith. 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