The Legacy of Bass Reeves, the Legendary Black Lawman Revealed

in May of 1887 Deputy Marshall Dan Maples was murdered over in the Cherokee Nation the law man had been searching for whiskey peders and his killer was initially assumed to be the notoriously violent Bud trainer Maple's fellow deputies began searching for trainer and when they couldn't find him they rounded his buddies up instead one of whom claimed that Maple's true assassin was not Bud trainer but instead a local Cherokee by the name of Ned Christie now I did an episode on Ned a very long time ago l in this episode's description if you're interested but christe was almost certainly an innocent man hell he wasn't even a Criminal by trade and he definitely didn't Rob no banks or trains or anything like that he was very well respected and a leader in his community Ned's main sin was refusing to surrender and take his chances in the white man's Court once he found out that he was wanted for Maple's murder Christy took to the woods resulting in what's now known as Ned Christie's War by 1889 the legendary HEC Thomas had located Ned's Hideout and a vicious gun battle ensued although Ned was seriously wounded and his home burned down he escaped and the hunt was on yet again not that Christie was necessarily hiding mind you the man rebuilt only this time it was a damn Fortress up on top of a hill double walled with fire Imports and enough food and water to withstand a Siege guest Ned figured if they wanted him bad enough they could come blast him out meanwhile back at Fort Smith the bounty on Christy was up to a cool one grand which was about the equivalent to a little over 30,000 in today's money just enough to entice the brand new string of deputies to come looking for Ned scalp one of whom was our topic dour bass Reeves maybe my name's Josh and you're listening to the wild west [Music] extravagan now as innocent as Ned Chris may or may not have been that was really no concern for officers like bass reefs right or wrong their job was to deliver the wanted men to Judge Parker and just let the system decide their fate that being the case Reeves allegedly located Ed's cabin stronghold and just like heck Thomas before him burned it down in an attempt to flush Christy out by the way this is part two and the final installment on the great bass Reeves link below for part one where we discuss Reeves childhood his esap From Slavery his employment as a deputy United States Marshal out of Fort Smith Arkansas and even his own murder trial today we're starting rock where we left off with Reeves hunt for Ned Christie and we'll also take a look at the rest of bass's storied career including the claims as to whether or not he truly inspired the Lone Ranger and sorry if my voice sounds like it's wavering or a little off I have been under the weather lately but I am on the men feeling much better but my voice just ain't at 100 yet hopefully soon now that little info I just shared about Reeves burning Christy's cabin down sadly there aren't many more details available if it did happen bass went home empty-handed because Ned would continue to live free for the next couple years nonetheless I will share with you what I know per a November 1890 edition of the Vanita Indian Chieftain quote on Tuesday last us Deputy Marshall bass Reeves of Fort Smith with his posi made an attack on the home of Ned Christie in the Flint District who is perhaps the most notorious Outlaw and Desperado of the Indian Territory and the outlaw stronghold was burned to the ground supposing that the owner had been killed or wounded and was consumed in the building the news went out that he had met a violent death but Christy has turned up alive and may cause trouble yet is said to be on the war path fiercer than ever and vows revenge on the Marshall and his posi end quote I'll take that with a grain of salt as just two months later the papers then began reporting that Ned killed bass per the Mogi Phoenix in January of 1891 quote word reached here denight of the killing of United States Marshall bass Reeves near to liqua Indian Territory by Ned Christie a well-known fugitive end quote this was reported by several other papers until finally on February 21st 1891 the eala Indian Journal wrote Deputy Marshall bass Reeves lacks a lot of being dead he turned up Saturday from the West with two wagons of prisoners going to Fort Smith end quote so did bass Reeves really burn down Ned Christy's home just like heck Thomas I don't know according to at least one paper he did but I'm not sure there's any other evidence be that as it may 1891 was a good year for Deputy Reeves not only did he put an end to the outlaw Bob doer but he also arrested a longtime seminal fugitive known as Green Leaf now doer was pretty prolific iic in his own right guy was just involved in a little bit of everything stealing cattle robbing stores holding up stage coaches poker games even FC and stolen property a proper old west racketeer there is a dramatic account the source apparently bass's daughter Alice where Reeves gets into a pretty touch Ando gun battle with doer it was at night during a thunderstorm bass kills one of do's men before himself playing possum then as doer emerges from the Dark Shadows laughing like a maniac Back bass pops up rids the lightning flashes and guns doer down okay maybe but the court record shows that bass delivered a bob doer to Fort Smith alive and that he was later released due to a lack of witnesses of course I suppose that could have been a different doer as for Green Leaf this is one of those guys we don't know much about nowadays he's certainly not a household name but by the time bass caught up with him Green Leaf had been on the run for 18 years so notorious was he there in Indian Territory that folks traveled from miles around just to watch bass March him into Fort Smith in shackles Story Goes that Reeves considered that to be one of the high points of his career Now by this point some pretty serious changes were a foot for the first time ever a court was established within the borders of Indian Territory over in the town of Mogi and in the spring 1890 the territory of Oklahoma was formed so now in addition to Indian Territory you also have the territory of Oklahoma it can get a little confused but from what I understand Indian Territory at this time was what's now Eastern Oklahoma and Out West you had the territory of Oklahoma and of course you still have the individual Nations like the Cherokee Nation and the choc Nation I know that's an oversimplified explanation but suffice it to say times they was a changing for instance the formation of the territory of Oklahoma allowed non-native Americans to legally settle on land forly reserved for the indigenous and it also permitted the opening of saloons where they were previously not allowed as you can imagine chaos ensued when entrepreneurs started buying liquor in the newly formed Oklahoma territory hauling it West and illegally selling it to the natives in Indian Territory one of the rougher saloons of the day was known as the corner in present day powa Tomi County right across the border from the seminal Nation our very own bass Reeves was reportedly one of the first deputies brave enough to enter into the saloon alone and it's there where he received his one and only gunshot wound at least the only one we know of a Dr Jesse Mooney who would later write two books Chronicle in his time as a frontier sawbones was called to The Saloon one day following a gunfight according to Mooney as he stepped within the darkened dive he found Deputy bass Reeves bleeding from the leg and half leaning against the table revolver still in hand and At His Feet a dead man in a pool of blood who was also clutching a six shooter when the doctor asked Reeves what happened bass replied that it was just another young man who doubted his abilities quote he was fast but like a lot of them they can't shoot both fast and straight end quote in November 1891 bass shot and killed An Outlaw by the name of Ben Billy who also made the mistake of doub and Reeves abilities you can find proof of this in messages sent from bass to Marshall yo more on that later and by 1893 Reeves would be transferred to the federal court down in Paris Texas which at that time had jurisdiction over much of the choc and Chickasaw Nations as such bass would first be stationed out of the town of Calvin on the Canadian river and then wuma over in the Creek Nation keep in mind his wife and kids are still back there at Fort Smith Arkansas and being away from family for such long stretches of time it's easy to see how things back home can get neglected and that's no judgment on bass he was doing his duty I'm sure I get it but but nonetheless by the mid 1890s and without a strong Father Figure present some of his children began acting out in fact two of his sons Edgar and newand ended up getting sent to the Arkansas pin in the summer of 1895 one for perjury and the other for assault and tragically less than a year later bass's wife Jenny would die of cancer Deputy Reeves ever on the search for bad guys does not appear to have attended her funeral which per records was paid for by bass's son-in-law by 1897 Reeves was transferred yet again and began working out of the town of Mogi where he'd end up living for the next decade and with this move the nature of his job began to change quite a bit as well with Reeves duties now resembling that of a town Vice Cop more than a frontier Marshall evidently Mogi was overrun with gambling halls and whouses and bass was charged with cleaning the town up according to Art Burton in Black Gun silver badge quote the crimes that bass Reeves was now attending to in the the late 1890s were somewhat different than those he dealt with in the courts of Paris and Fort Smith Reeves was spent some time in the saddle during his last 10 years as a law man but more and more he used a one-horse carriage or walked a beat moving into the 20th century Reeves would eventually become more of a town cop with rural responsibilities the days of riding his magnificent horses over the great expanse of prairie for weeks and months at a time looking for Desperados was long gone one as ECT that did not change was his ability to catch criminals who broke the law end quote now eventually a few of bass's children joined him there in Mogi and in January of 1900 Wedding Bells told once more when Reeves married a widow Cherokee fredman by the name a Winnie Sumer sadly just N9 months later ree's 17-year-old daughter passed away from epilepsy and then in October of 1901 his 14-year-old son bass Reeves Jr would succumb to pneumonia dis P struck again the following year 1902 when another son Benjamin found himself in some pretty serious trouble with the law Story Goes The Young Ben Reeves then just 21 came home from work one day and caught his wife with another man oh boy his heartbroken as I'm sure he was Benjamin let it slide tried to do what he could to keep the marriage intact even confided in his father about it asking what he would have done and bass Flatout said that he'd have shot the hell out of the man and then whip the Living God out of her as his words not mine unfortunately Ben's wife would step out on him yet again and taking his father's words to heart I'll be it backwards Benjamin beat the man to a bloody pulp and then shot his wife dead before possibly and unsuccessfully attempting to take his own life now keep in mind with that version of events I just relayed we don't have Ben's wife's side of the story obviously I'm just tossing that out there when bass heard what happened he immediately hauled after the Marshall's office and demanded the warrant said it was his boy so his responsibility give me the warrant I'll bring him in the Marshall at the time Leo Bennett reluctantly did so and two weeks later bass Reeves returned with his son in custody or was it that very same day once again there are conflicting timelines and in one version bass simply arrests Benjamin at his home there in Mogi either way young Ben would be found guilty and sentenced to life in prison now one narrative you'll hear time and time again is that this was a testament to Bass Reeves and his unwavering Devotion to Law and Order that he was such a stalwart and dedicated law man that he'd even hunt down and arrest his own son okay maybe or maybe it's a little deeper than that I don't know about you but if my kid committed a crime any crime and I was able and authorized to do so I'd much rather it be me that brings him in than someone else now I've never worn a uniform but I imagine it can be a little nerve-wracking arrest in murder suspect or anyone really who's considered armed and dangerous no matter how professional an officer is there's still going to be all kinds of keyed up when it comes time to execute that warrant and sometimes [ __ ] happens also I know people don't like to hear this but you do have to take into account the times and the fact that Benjamin Reeves was a black man there is a very good chance that whatever Deputy arrest had been if not bass would have been white and Indian Territory or not this was still the 18 90s as respected as bass Reeves was his son was more than likely statistically speaking was not going to get the same treatment as a white man that's just a hard reality of the times okay I'm not going woke so calm your ass down over there Boomer I see you crack in your knuckles getting ready to send a very strongly worded email just simmer down Grandpa now I could be reading more into this than there is uh maybe I'm completely wrong about his motivations but as a father I do tend to think bass re Reeves more than anything wanted to assure the safety of his boy at very least make sure he got his day in court right Reeves knew that Ben couldn't hide forever he knew the law would eventually catch up to him that was inevitable and I think bass wanted to lessen the chance of any accidents from occurring just one ignorant podcaster opinion and I would definitely be interested in knowing what those of you in law enforcement think hit me up at Josh wildwest extra.com speaking of law enforcement I would like to send a very heartfelt congratulations and thank you to Mr Brent Reeves for his recent retirement after 32 years of locking up bad guys if you're not familiar Brent Reeves host the amazing podcast this country life over there on the meater network and I don't know the man personally but after listening to a few episodes of this country life I kind of wish I did and I think you'll likely feel the same way no this is not a paid endorsement I am a genuine fan and he did recently retire so thank you for your service Mr Reeves it is kind of interesting if you think about it though right Brent Reeves bass Reeves both men spent 32 years each working as law dogs and they both operated out of Arkansas coincidence or is podcaster and retired law enforcement officer Brent Reeves a Reincarnation of bass Reeves is Brent Reeves a time traveler is this new persona is a podcaster just a cover for what he truly is an immortal officer of the law we'll probably never know for sure but I do think it's likely now like I said bass's Son Ben got life but this would be commuted and he'd be set free after just 11 years whether or not his father's service had anything to do with this I do not know now just another quick word on race relations of bass Reeves look I'm sorry but you just cannot discuss the most legendary black law man of the old west who just so happened to have been born a damn slave without also acknowledge in the racial undertones now first off it is a common misconception that Reeves only arrested minority criminals that is not true bass apprehended many a white Outlaw especially in those early years he was fully a deputy Marshall and with all the authority that that entailed and in that respect Reeves wielded an enormous amount of leeway in a day and age that still saw black men lynched in certain areas even for being perceived as disrespecting a white person be that as it may bass did see an enormous amount of positive change in a very short period of time Born Into Slavery and then in just the span of a decade Reeves went from being a runaway slave to a lawfully sworn Deputy of the United States Marshall service he made good money he was treated mostly with respect by his fellow lawmen and he enjoyed a somewhat close relationship with the powerful Judge Parker unfortunately whatever optimistic view bass Reeves had of the future was somewhat shattered in 189 96 with the Supreme Court decision in Pie versus Ferguson long story short a mixed race gentleman Homer pie was arrested down in Louisiana for sitting in a Whit's only train car he fought the case it went all the way to the Supreme Court and they ruled against him stating that having separate facilities for blacks and whites was constitutional so long as the facilities in question were quote unquote equal which let's be honest they never really were but still what's the big deal I mean why would bass Reeves care about some light-skinned dude all the way over in Louisiana well as it turns out py v Ferguson had immediate far-reaching and longlasting ramifications for all people of color and it paved the way for a [ __ ] ton of new segregation laws for someone like Reeves it was an enormous slap in the face the highest CT in the land letting him know exactly who he was and where he stood you know you're good enough to put your life on the line day in and day out getting your black ass shot at all over Indian Territory but you can't even sit in the same train car as the white criminals that you're putting in jail according to the Reeves Family quote although the decision did not immediately impact Indian Territory bass Reeves felt like he had been betrayed by the US government Reeves would now stand toward the rear at crowd Gatherings and not be as vocal as he had been in the past end quote by the way pyv Ferguson would not be overturned until Brown versus the Board of Education and the Very Civil Rights Acts of the 1950s and 60s decades after ree's death interestingly enough one of bass's own descendant would actually be involved with Brown versus the Board of Education stick around to the end of today's episode to learn more on that and just one more little touch on the race issue and we'll move on I promise as I mentioned just a moment ago bass did arrest quite a few white criminals this would change however as Oklahoma became more populated back in the 1870s and ' 80s Indian territory was about one of the most integrated places in all the United States be that as it may following the dolls Act and the formation of the territory of Oklahoma there was a huge influx of white settlers and some of them didn't much appreciate a black man like Reeves enforcing federal law you can even find interviews from the early 20th century with people talking about how astonished they were at coming to Oklahoma and finding Black Law Men I'm not aware of bass ever being reprimanded or officially being told not to arrest white people but in time he would do so with less frequency even supposedly saying that it wasn't worth the trouble and that he preferred to work in areas more populated with African-Americans or Native Americans just to be clear bass would continue to arrest white people the official records reflect this but just not as often as he had in the past I think it's pretty obvious that Reeves was very much aware of the atmosphere you know you just don't survive in a rough land that long without learning how to read the crowd now despite these Changing Times bass did continue to be employed by the BYOD United States Marshall service and Legend as it he continued to be just as deadly as ever in the year 1904 Reeves already in his mid-60s employed an interesting tactic when apprehending a couple of Texas boys for murder some his daughter would later refer to as the letter trick per daughter Alice bass encountered both men on the road and greeted them with a friendly good morning gentlemen to which they replied that they did not speak to Black in words of course not being the sharpest knives of the Ro they kept on a speaking asking bass if he was really the notorious Deputy bass Reeves the Aging yet widely law man played it cool and replied that no he was not but I guess they weren't buying it them Texas bad men shucked iron and ordered Reeves down off his horse asking if he had any last words bass did as he was told careful not to Spook him and said that he had a letter from his wife and would they be so kind to read it to him before sending him on to meet his maker one of the Texas men sneeringly asked what difference it would make but Reeves already had the letter out and was handing it over his hands quivering in mock fear that Split Second they took their eyes off bass and looked down at that paper was all the time Deputy Reeves needed in what must have seemed like a blur bass reached out and wrapped a giant hand around the throat of the closest Outlaw while simultaneously drawing his revolver at which point the second Bandit got so scared that he dropped his gun and that was that another two arrest for the record books you know I think in all the time I've been covering these old west figures here on the wild west Extravaganza bass Reeves is the only guy that just routinely grabs [ __ ] by the throat I said it before and I'll say it again if these stories are true then Reeves must have either been insanely quick or just extremely fearless or both with that in mind some of these stories like the one I just told come from the Reeves Family and thus are virtually impossible to cerate and the others come from various sources authors or journalists who interviewed Reeves court records newspaper articles correspondence between bass and the marshals firsthand eyewitness accounts you name it as is the case with anyone we cover here on the wild west Extravaganza you got to assume there's a little fluff thrown in did bass really kill that guy at 500 yards like we discussed last episode I'm pretty sure he didn't I don't even think the gun shoots that far did bass really burn down Ned Christie's strong hold I got no idea did Reeves really just routinely grab Men by the throat and then while still holding on he pulls his gun with his free hand and shoots their companions once again I can't say but it does sound pretty Hollywood right sounds a little bit made up I said all that to say this I did get a comment stating the last week's episode link down in the description was fraudulent nonsense and that bass was no legend that almost all the information about him comes from him or dubious sources and that's why most smart folks don't speak of his false claims yikes now I am not a smart man that much is true but to say that bass Reef's story is fraudulent nonsense is blatantly false you can view the official records you don't just have to go by fanciful TS you find on the internet I've mentioned the book Black Gun Silver Star by Art Burton several times already it is chalk full of credible primary sources for instance earlier in passing I mentioned that Reeves killed an outlaw named Ben Billy you can read bass's actual message that he to his Marshall requesting a rid of arrest for Billy's Compadre in the message Reeds explained exactly what happened how Ben Billy and his buddy put up a fight and how he bass had to shoot Billy twice if that's not enough there are also the official court records from later on during Billy's friend's trial there at Fort Smith you can read bass ree's own testimony at that trial as well as his cross examination and you can read the testimony of the two guys who were serving as Reeves posim men bass Reeves was irrefutably beyond a shadow of a doubt a forreal deputy US Marshal out of Judge Parker's court for years upon years bass traveled into Indian Territory in return with wagon loads of prisoners these are proven facts his many arrests are documented as are more than a few of his killings the man served in law enforcement for over 30 years and as you'll soon hear was even engaging in Gunplay at damn near 70 years of age I don't care who you are that is by definition a legendary career as is the case with all of these old west figures there's going to be some embellishment it happens with everybody bass couldn't read or write so we don't have his own story and his own words but if we did I'm sure it'd be just as full of tall tals as were the stories of Wild Bill Hickock and John Wesley Harden both told and as full of manure as both those men were when retelling their own exploits their real life adventures were truly the stuff of Legends Jim Bridger was a noted liar right especially when talk talking to quote unquote pilgrims it does not mean that Jim Bridger was not a legend there's no telling what kind of stories bass Reeves told his kids no telling what kind of stories he told news reporters none of that takes away the facts from this man's long story career now not to beat a dead horse but on our timeline we're already in 1904 right let's just take a look at a few documented arrests That Bass Reeves in his mid 60s made in 1904 right around the time that he allegedly pulled that letter trick the following comes from official records by the way not from bass Reeves or his family or anything dubious like that January 15th 1904 bass arrest Jess Morgan for assault February 18th 1904 bass arrest Cornelius Graves for unlawfully carrying a pistol March 11th 1904 Reeves arrest a Creek Indian with the awesome name of Dick lucky for selling stolen cattle April 12th 1904 bass arrest Thomas Matthews for threatening to shoot someone may 1st 1904 bass arrest Lonnie Smith for assault with a deadly weapon that same exact day bass also arrest Abe Drew for murder May 5th 1904 bass arrest John laramore for stealing chickens a week later bass arrest Bob Johnson on a whiskey charge and when Bob tries to escape Reeves puts a bullet in his leg this was documented the following day bass arrest John Wilkins for stealing horses May 23rd 1904 66-year-old bass Reeves arrest five men in a 24-hour period for illegally selling whiskey I think you get the picture right and this wasn't just some streak the bass was on in the spring of 1904 this was the man's entire career over three decades go back and look at the records if you're doubting it even all the way back to the 1880s don't believe me here's just a tiny sample August 1882 bass returned to Fort Smith with 16 prisoners August 83 returned with 13 prisoners February 1884 4 bass Reeves brings in 12 Prisoners 2 months later April 1884 another 12 September 1884 Reeves halls in 15 March 1885 13 October 1885 17 it just keeps going all of these dates are just a fraction of the verified arrest that we have records for made by bass Reeves I don't know but it doesn't sound very fraudulent to me once again Black Gun Silver Star by Art Burton Mr Burton goes into great detail and I assure you the records are legion is there some embellishment in there sure for instance I can't prove what I'm about to tell you you know you arrest that many people and you're bound to make enemies right and if the stories are to be believed bass Reeves had more than a few close calls with would be assassins like what happened in November of 1906 Reeves was in a wagon traveling after Sundown when he was fired on by an unknown as salant bass did shoot back but he was never able to get a good bead on them before they fled into the night on another occasion in that very same area Reeves was traveling with two prisoners when someone once again opened up fire bass fell back and played posum allegedly and when the wannabe dry gure stepped out into the open Reeves bounced up and plug the damn fool in the gut I don't know if the man lived or not but I suspect at very least to paraphrase John Wayne he had himself a Long Winter belly ache skip ahead another year 1907 right there in Mogi Oklahoma USA bass Reeves was involved in his last known major gunfight at the age of 69 nice per official records a recent transplant from San Francisco broke several of the city ordinances getting high on both marijuana and LSD while at the same time burning his draft card and brazenly disrespecting the local College dean bass who reportedly had been sipping on a little white lightning wasn't having none of it and when he asked for a description was told that the the dastardly offender had long shaggy hair was wearing beads and Roman sandals and had a quote history out of making a party out of loving end quote an incensed Reeves quickly located the narell drew his pistol and marched him straight back to the jailhouse where he forced the son of a [ __ ] to listen to several hours of Merl Haggard which is exactly what should be done to you if you didn't catch any of those references sorry I just couldn't keep saying Mogi over and over again without at least dropping one reference to haggards Oki from Mogi far as I know there were no potm smoking hippies in Oklahoma in 1907 but there were anarchists I [ __ ] you not and the true story of bass Reeves last gunfight is almost as strange as the one that I just made up so bear with me I promise this next part is actually true on March 26 1907 a large group of black anarchists calling themselves the United socialist Club took over a house there in Mogi and declared it as their own what's more they also said that they they could take any property in town if they chose to do so their leader was a crackpot and so-called Minister by the name of William Wright who in addition to teaching scripture and practicing Voodoo had also convinced his followers that they were not subject to any modern-day laws so sort of like a turn of the century slightly more delusional Sovereign citizen movement when officers arrived to evict the anarchist they were met with a hell of gunfire and deputies guy fiser and John Coffield were wounded fiser was able to ES Escape but CFI just lay there pinned down and bleeding out the marshals once alerted showed up in force led by the legendary Bud lead better and a full-blown gun battle ensued the 69 nice year old bass Reeves didn't arrive until later but he was still able to get in on the action and send at least one of the anarchists to the Happy anti- capitalist stateless society in the sky before the fight was over and no bass was not yet ready to retire matter of fact just a month later lat in April of 1907 he would arrest a murder suspect right there in Mogi couple of days after that he apprehended a young man wanted for assault bass just did not slow down H even arrested the minister who just a few years prior had baptized him I'm not kidding the preacher in question had been caught illegally selling whiskey and bass did not hesitate in hauling his ass downtown I do find that interesting though that Reeves was baptized so late in life kind of makes me wonder if it was his first dunk or sort of a renewal of vows whatever the case bass apparently had no qualms and arrest in his own pastor and let that be a warning to all you men of the cloth out there all right don't be so stingy when it comes time for communion maybe don't hold our heads under the water so long now the good times don't last forever though and once Oklahoma officially became a state in November of 1907 there was quite a bit of downsizing including at the Marshall's office for the first time in over three decades barring the six month once he spent in jail bass Reeves was out of a job at least temporarily wasn't long before he was hired on by the Mogi police department and began walking a beat downtown the local paper ran the following story on January 2nd 1908 former deputy United States Marshall bass Reeves who was in many battles with Outlaws in the wild days of Indian Territory and during judge Parker's Reign at Fort Smith is on the Mogi police force Reeves is now over 70 years old and walks with a king a bullet in his left leg received while in government service gives him considerable trouble he is as quick a trigger however as in the days when gunmen were in demand I like the way they put that back in the days when gunmen were in demand and I really L this next little detail as the article stated bass was walking with the cane at this point but here's the best part while on patrol Reeves also had an assistant walk alongside him carrying a sack of guns and he was still still just as cautious as ever if someone yelled out his name or called out to him bass would quickly put his back to the nearest wall before even so much as turning to see who it was as you can imagine there was Zero crime on the beat of constable bass Reeves now he would continue working for the Mogi police for about two years but sadly bass's Health began declining turns out Reeves had Brit's disease which affects the kidneys ironically this is the same thing that failed his old boss Judge Parker Luke sh who we covered here on the wild west Extravaganza a couple years ago also died of Bright's disease as did Emily Dickinson and Booker T Washington just to name a couple more so it were on January 12th 1910 after 32 years of service that bass Reeves finally hung up that badge for good the legendary law man was survived by his second wife a few children and believe it or not his own mother who at the time was 87 years young now I tried finding out the location of ree's final resting place but it looks like nobody really knows for sure he was supposedly buried there in Mogi either at the old agency Cemetery which now is on private land and from what I can tell highly neglected or in a small cemetery West of town off of fern Mountain Road as of this recording his Tombstone if he even ever had one has not been located which I do think kind of Linds Credence to the idea that Brent Reeves is actually bass Reeves I'm not saying he is I'm just saying it's not impossible now despite the lack of a tombstone there are other monuments Passover the bass Reeves Memorial Bridge and if you ever find yourself at Fort Smith Arkansas you can see a giant statue of bass brought off of Garrison Avenue by the Fort Smith National Historical Site where Judge Parker used to hold Court in addition Reeves has been inducted into the Great Hall of westerners at the national cowboy museum in Oklahoma City and he has his own star which I personally saw with my own own two eyes a few weeks ago on the Texas trail of Fame in the Fort Worth Stockyards and if that's not enough the legendary law man is also been featured on a number of television shows comic books video games movies hell there's even an Off Broadway stage play on Reeves titled cowboy and there's more to come right about the time you're hearing this that new miniseries law man bass Reeves will be making his debut on Paramount plus all total bass reevs would have 11 children although many of them would die rather young I mentioned a few today but I believe there were others who passed before their father and it's not clear whether or not the Reeves name currently lives on there is a former football player whose two sons are also pro athletes up in Canada uh one in the CFL and another in the NHL and they do claim to be descendants which I mean kind of makes sense considering the quick reflexes and large size of bass Reeves these athletes have not been able to verify their connection there are nieces and nephews though that much is proven bass's great nephew Paul El Brady would make history in 1972 as the first black man appointed as a federal administrative law judge Brady would state that bass Reeves was as much of an inspiration as he was a relation and that he's pleased more people are learning about his great uncle and that the more people who are aware of him the more who will be inspired by his actions also as I handed at earlier it was Brady's aunt Miss lucenda Todd who initiated Brown versus the Board of Education over in Topeka Kansas and finally just as a somewhat morbidly interesting aside but remember George Reeves the guy who owned bass up until he made his getaway during the Civil War well George would later go into politics down in Texas serving as a speaker of the house until he got bit by a rapid dog in 1882 after which he would spend the short remainder of his life inside of a padded shed dying just 3 years before the rabies vaccine would be invented now before we wrap things up I would like to discuss whether or not bass Reeves truly killed 14 men in the line of duty this number was reported numerous times even while bass was still alive and at the time of his death some of the papers were saying it was closer to 20 for what it's worth Reed's biographer art Burton thinks the number 14 is conservative and that the true body count is even higher not everybody agrees though David Kennedy of the US Marshalls Museum thinks the number seven is a little more realistic on this one I really don't have an opinion uh I did not go through and look at the primary sources for each of Reeves alleged kills but I will say these numbers are almost always inflated if it's true that bass only killed seven men as opposed to 14 well I think we can all then agree that he was just a [ __ ] right no I'm kidding seven is still a very high number okay any way you want to cut it I'm not sure that bass's more famous peers like heck Thomas or Bill Tillman or Chris Matson ever killed seven him in that's a lot of damn ghost to be dragging behind you whatever the official number if it even matters which I personally don't think it does there is no doubt that bass Reeves was a dangerous man and definitely not somebody you wanted to go pick in a gunfight with luckily he spent most of his life working for the good guys and as it turns out he may have even inspired one of America's original Good Guys The Lone Ranger or didd he let's just go ahead and finally put this one to rest okay here's the thing there are similarities as we touched on it was protocol for deputies like bass to be accompanied by at least one piman while out in the field and Rees very often utilize Native American Scouts kind of like Tonto from The Lone Ranger then there's basses pinching for going undercover sometimes even wearing disguises a possible wink and Nod to the Lone Rangers mask the deputy was also known to pay for his supplies with silver dollars akin to the Silver Bullet that The Lone Ranger would use his calling cards finally and I do think this is interesting many of The Men Who Reeves arrested following a conviction would be sent to the Detroit House of Corrections and it's there in Detroit in 1933 that The Lone Ranger made its radio debut does all that sound like a stretch yes it absolutely does I think many of these examples are tenuous at best Reeves was certainly not the only law man to employ Native American Scouts nor was he the first to work in Disguise and silver dollars were just a common currency of the day furthermore the correspondence between the original Lone Ranger creators makes no mention of bass Reeves instead they write about how they wanted the character to be like early Hollywood cowboy actor Tom Mix as well as kind of a old west composite between Robin Hood and Zoro now there are some that find the comparisons to The Lone Ranger insulting they say that bass can stand alone is a real historical figure and that he does not need to be compared to a fictional character judge Paul Brady bass's great nephew who we just mentioned echoed these sentiments saying that it's not acceptable to compare Reeves to a fictional character and that he was a real man who never had the distinction he deserved for many many years now for what it's worth this entire Lone Ranger story it originated with the author that I keep lauding art T Burton and black gun Silver Star Mr Burton has an entire chapter devoted to this Theory but it's just that a theory I was not able to find any instance of Mr Burton claiming that bass did absolutely Inspire The Lone Ranger or that he had any sort of concrete proof or that he was even necessarily married to the idea Burton was just putting it out there into The Ether and pointing out the various similarities I guess the media did what the media does and ran with it as if it were gospel and here we are today with my ignorant ass weighing in on it now with that in mind Mr Burton when speaking of the theory commented quote if the Lone Ranger analogy will help people understand who bass is and what he did and to make his name connect somehow I don't think that's a bad thing end quote so no Bast Reeves did not Inspire the fictional Lone Ranger but what's not up for debate is that Reeves himself was a larger than life figure the man was fearless and in addition to being hell with both Rifle and Pistol Bas could track and ride with the best of them and he damn near always got his man make no mistake about it not a whole lot of people could have done what Reeves did the fact that he repeatedly for decades placed himself in the Lion's Den and went Toe to Toe with some of the worst and the most he got was a bullet to the thigh speaks volumes and yeah I'm glad he's finally getting a little recognition and that's about all I've got on bass MF and Reeves thank you so much for listening if you like what you hear please tell somebody about the wild west Extravaganza share this episode with friends and enemies alike if you're looking for more true TS from the Wild and Woolly West head on over to wildwest extra.com and peruse at your leisure while you're there hit that contact button let me know what's on your mind and thank you for being patient with me over these last few weeks I ended up going on a little road trip saw a few parts of Texas that I ain't never seen before and I had very little time to devote to this podcast and then once I got back home I ended up getting sick as a damn dog my daughter had it too little damn plague incubator we're both doing good now and despite feeling like crap for about a week it was good disconnecting for a few days I think a nice short reset is in order every now and then now I just mentioned going on a little short trip would you believe that along the way daddy stopped at the Brushy Bill Roberts Museum over in hio Texas yes I did I will say that the ladies working inside were very nice they also had a lot of cool old uh military memorabilia and then when you get to the Brushy Bill section it's about what you would imagine lot of photos of Brushy and a ton of fake Billy the Kid photos literally like every unauthenticated picture of Billy the Kid that you can imagine was there they did have a couple of old knives that Brushy once owned those were kind of cool and a couple of photos of amilio Estes apparently he must have visited the museum at some point in the past all in all not a bad experience and no I did not go in there arguing about Brushy damn bill Roberts I was just being a nice little tourist and this next part is not a paid Endor but I got to give a shout out to the restaurant directly across the street little place called The Chop House best damn cheeseburger I have ever had in my entire life yes I am the white trash guy that goes to a restaurant and orders a cheeseburger y'all they gave me my toppo Chico in a wine glass and in my book that's classy I did sample their collared greens delicious and I had some fried green tomatoes as an appetizer also delicious if you're ever in hiot Tech Texas stop by The Chop House and get you some of that good food and tell him Josh from the wild west Extravaganza sent you because if I'm ever back in that area I'm trying to eat again for free I ain't going to lie all right I think that's all I got this week till next time try not to own any slaves and then arm the slaves and then take them off to war and get a surprised look on your face when they slap the [ __ ] out of you and make a run for Freedom also don't go hurting no puppies adios hey we'll get back to the story in just a moment but but first I got to be honest with you I'm doing this fulltime now the wild west Extravaganza is as we speak my job and to tell you the truth this is sort of a gamble I'm gambling on myself and I'm gambling on you to make this work and to continue bringing you true Tales From The Wild and Woolly West in an unfiltered and uncensored fashion I'm going to need your support and at this moment the absolute best way you can support the wild west Extravaganza is by becoming a member of into history into history is a podcast subscription Channel made by history lovers for history lovers not only will you get to listen to the wild west Extravaganza ad free but you'll gain Early Access before anyone else you'll also get bonus content there is currently Wild West Extravaganza content on into history that you cannot hear anywhere else not even on patreon and there's a lot more to come you'll also get to participate in the book club the community forum the upcoming live streaming events and best of all you won't have to hear my annoying ass Voice break into the middle of a story like I'm doing right now and guess what you also get everything I just mentioned from all the other shows in the into history Universe offering the same perks come on what are you waiting for go to int.com slw wildwest extra that's int.com for/ wildwest extra to become a member today I love you and thank you very much much for assisting me in helping to keep the old west alive back to the [Music] [Music] show [Music] nice

Channel: The Wild West Extravaganza

Views: 153,286

Keywords: wild west, old west, western, wild west history, old west history, ned christie, ned christie biography, bass reeves biography, bass reaves, bass reeves documentary, history of bass reeves, old west documentary, wild west documentary, indian territory oklahoma documentary, muskogee oklahoma history, oklahoma history, old west facts, facts about the wild west, us history american old west documentary, lawmen of the wild west, lawmen old west, black cowboys, black history

Id: YByfhYo_7as

Length: 46min 40sec (2800 seconds)

Published: Thu Nov 09 2023