Bass Reeves | From Slave to Deputy US Marshal

The story of bass reeves is one of desire, adaptability, and purpose. We see a man, who was enslaved, with the strong desire to be free. His ability to adapt to his environment made it possible for him to obtain freedom where others would have failed. And, ultimately, “purpose” was the driving force that gave his life direction once he obtained that freedom that he determined to have. He became more than simply a free man, Bass Reeves became a man with a mission.

The Bass Reeves Story

Bass Reeves was an American law enforcement official. During his 71 year life span (July 1838 – January 12, 1910) he became, what some would say, the most legendary lawman in u.s. history. His deeds in the American western frontier of the nineteenth century became the stuff of legend.

According to history, Bass Reeves is established as the first black deputy U.S. marshal to serve in the part of the country situated west of the Mississippi River. For the most part, his duties kept him in the Arkansas and Oklahoma Territories. However, his badge gave him authority throughout the United States. Unlike Colonel Allen Allensworth, another former slave that made his mark in the military out west, Reeves made his mark in federal law enforcement.

Young Bass Reeves

First and foremost, Bass Reeves was born into slavery. That, in and of itself, would make for the end of the story for so many black men of the time. However, fortunately, Bass Reeve’s story would be much much different.

His birthplace was Crawford County, Arkansas. The year was 1838. Two years prior, on June 15, 1836, Arkansas received statehood making it the 25th state of the United States. And, slavery would not be abolished in the U.S. for 25 years after his birth with the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863.

Reeves received his first name after his grandfather, Bass Washington. His last name, however, came from the man that owned his family, Arkansas state legislator William Steele Reeves. William S. Reeves moved to Grayson County, Texas, when Bass was about 8 years old.

Texas was a slave holding state meaning that slavery was legal there. It is highly likely that Bass Reeves was held as property in Texas by William Steele Reeves’s son, Colonel George R. Reeves. The younger Reeves was a sheriff and legislator in Texas. This is probably where Bass got his first real glimpse of the workings of law enforcement and lawmen. Colonel Reeves was also a one-time Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives. He died in 1882 from rabies.

Escaping to Freedom

Colonel George Reeves joined the Confederate Army when America became embroiled in the American Civil War. As was often the case, he took his slave with him. So, the now young man Bass Reeves found himself involved in a war that he never volunteered for and attached to the wrong side. His “master” was fighting for the side that wanted to uphold the practice of slavery.

A Tumultuous Relationship

Apparently, the relationship between Bass Reeves and George Reeves was an interesting one, to say the least. Obviously, the family dynamic and circumstances of their meeting amounted to what we could call “familiarity”. And, it was this familiarity that, according to one account, led to the men getting into a physical altercation. It was said that it was over a card game. And, it was also said that George took a pretty bad beating.

In any case, Bass eventually made his escape and began his journey toward becoming a free man. In the midst of a Civil War, the state of the country and North America as a whole made conditions right to do so. It was a good time to be on the run from slavery.

Help from the Natives

Upon his escape, Bass Reeves fled to the Indian Territories. In theory, it was the safest place for a runaway slave to be. Among the natives, there was no recognition of the white man’s laws. With them, Bass was accepted for what he was by nature, a free man. It didn’t matter what white people said.

He lived among various native american civilized tribes. Among them were people from the Cherokee Nation, Creek Indians from the Creek Nation, and Seminoles of the Seminole Indian tribes. While he lived in Indian country, the fugitive slave learned to speak the Indian languages. This would serve him well later on in life. He continued to live among them until the law of the land declared him free. The 13th Amendment abolished slavery throughout the country in 1865.

Bass Reeves, The Lawman

The now former slave, Bass Reeves, quickly set about reinventing himself. Now a free man, he made the move to Arkansas and became a farmer. His new home was in Van Buren north of what is now Fort Smith.

A New Beginning

In 1870, Isaac Parker was appointed federal judge for the Indian Territory. He was known as the “hanging judge”. As judge, Parker appointed James F. Fagan as U.S. marshal. After doing so, he instructed the new U.S. Marshal James Fagan to hire 200 deputy U.S. marshals. Having heard about Reeves, Fagan sought to recruit Bass Reeves as part of his efforts. He was aware that Reeves, having lived among the Native Americans, knew the territory well and could speak several of Native languages.

Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves

Ultimately, Fagan recruited Bass as a deputy. So, Reeves became the first black deputy marshal to serve west of the Mississippi River. Fagan assigned him to the Western District of Arkansas. Responsibility for the Native reservation Territory fell under the jurisdiction of that District.

Reeves served in Arkansa’s Western District until 1893. After that, he transferred to the Eastern District of Texas in Paris, Texas. He was only there for a short while. In 1897, he was transferred again. This time, he began serving at the Muskogee Federal Court.

A Long Service Record

Reeves had a long record of service totaling 32 years as a federal peace officer in the Indian Territory. Over time, he became one of the most capable and valued deputies that Judge Parker had at his disposal. During his career, he brought in some of the most dangerous criminals of the time.

Over that 32 year career, he was never wounded. However, he did come pretty close. One near miss was when he had his hat shot of with the bullet missing his head. Another was when someone shot his belt off of his body. How he wasn’t injured in the latter case is anyone’s guess.

A Legendary Record

Among federal peace officers, Bass Reeves made a name for himself. He was known to be among the best when it came to detective work. Reeves could down men that other men couldn’t. As a result, he built a “noteworthy” arrest record boasting over 3,000 felony arrests under his belt over the life of his career.

He was an excellent marksman with both the rifle and the revolver. In part, this was due to his proven willingness to use his weapon when necessary. Because of the willingness, records show that he shot and killed at least 14 of the men that he apprehended in the line of duty. And, as expected, those same records list the shootings under “self-defense.”

In 1907, President Roosevelt issued Presidential Proclamation 780. The proclamation spelled out the admittance of Oklahoma to the Union as the forty-sixth state. Reeves was 68 years old at the time. At retirement age nowadays, the lawman continued to work in his field. He became an officer of the Muskogee Police Department. He served for two years on the new job before he got sick. Finally, the law enforcement career of Bass Reeves came to an end and he retired from the City of Muskogee.

Family Matters

We all know that family matters often become fairly complicated. In the black deputy’s family, there was no exception. For instance, at one point, the suspect in one of his cases was his own son.

Reeves’ own son, Benjamin “Bennie” Reeves was charged with the murder. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the victim of the crime in question made matters even worse. Why, because Bennie’s charge involved killing his own wife. Imagine being a parent tasked with arresting your own child for killing their spouse.

But, even though he was rightfully shaken up, he understood what needed to be done. Bass knew his son had to be arrested. Further, he believed it was his responsibility to do the job. For that reason, he insisted on being the person to bring his son into custody. However, one can’t help but wonder if part of the reason was to make sure he was arrested unharmed.

Bass saw to it that Bennie’s capture occurred. Subsequently, he stood trial for the crime of murder. And, ultimately, a judge convicted Bennie of the charge against him. He went to prison at Fort Leavenworth and served a total of 11 years. At which time, a judge commuted his sentence. Reports say that, after that, he remained a model citizen for the rest of his life.

The Other Side

Interestingly, Reeves once found himself on the other side of the law. Officials charged him with the murder of a posse cook. During his trial, Reeves stood before Judge Parker. Former United States Attorney W. H. H. Clayton served as his lawyer. The two men were both colleagues in law enforcement and friends as well.

Reeves claimed that he shot the cook by mistake. According to him, he had been cleaning his gun. Whether or not that was true is still up for debate. Eventually, the gavel fell in his favor and Reeves authorities acquitted him of the charge of murder. Regardless of the facts, it is highly possible that his exceptional record and reputation as a lawman helped his case.

Legacy

On January 12, 1910 Bass Reeves passed away. Records state the cause of his death as complications arising from Bright’s Disease. After living a life as one of the great if not greatest frontier hero, he left a legacy of family and fame that lives on till this day.

Family

Reeves married twice. He first married a woman named Nellie Jennie, in 1864, and remained married until her death in 1896. In 1900, he married his second wife Winnie Sumter. He would have been around 62 years old at the time.

He had a total of 11 children;

• Newland
• Benjamin
• George
• Lula
• Robert
• Sally
• Edgar
• Bass Jr.
• Harriet
• Homer
• Alice

Paul L. Brady

Judge Paul L. Brady was Bass Reeve’s great nephew. He was born September 28, 1927. An American civil rights advocate, Judge Brady is both an author and former federal administrative law judge. He was also a first like his great uncle. However, in this case, Paul Brady was the first African-American to be appointed as a federal administrative law judge, in 1972. He retired from his law enforcement career in 1997.

Ryan Reeves

Ryan Reeves is the great-great-great-grandson of Bass Reeves and a National Hockey League. He was born on January 20, 1987. He is the son of Canadian Football League Most Outstanding Player Willard Reaves. Ryan Reeves is a Canadian professional ice hockey player. As of now, he is a right winger for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League.

Other teams he has played for include the;

• St. Louis Blues
• Pittsburgh Penguins
• Vegas Golden Knights

The Lone Ranger

According to historian Art Burton, Bass Reeves was the inspiration for the character of the Lone Ranger. George W. Trendle along with Fran Striker originally created the Lone Ranger character for a radio program. That program first aired on radio station WXYZ in Detroit, Michigan. Starting in 1933, the successful radio program gathered a nationwide audience. In all, more than 400 American stations were carrying it by the end of the decade.

Some of the similarities between Bass Reeves and the Lone Ranger are obvious. For instance, both were gunslinging lawmen. And both had a ton of arrests under their belts. Another thing to note is the strong connection to the Native Americans.

Some have even said the the characters of the Lone Ranger saga are actually merely components of one man, Bass Reeves. In the case, the white lead represents the white man’s law. Meanwhile, the Tonto character is actually a black freedman who had lived among the Indians. The mask, merely a symbol of hiding the true identity of the real lone ranger. An interesting hypothesis for sure.

Burton, however, made his argument based on Reeves’ arrest record without himself ever taking any serious injury. The fact that many of those arrested served their time in the Detroit House of Correction was another factor. Is it just a coincidence that it is the same city where WXYZ broadcasted the Lone Ranger radio plays?