THE REAL LONE RANGER
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| BASS REEVES INSPIRED THE THE MOVIE CHARACTER THE LONE RANGER |
Over his 32-year career as a Deputy U.S. Marshal, Bass Reeves arrested
3,000 felons, killed 14 men, and was never shot himself. His reputation
for persistence, his total fearlessness, his skills with a gun, and his
ability to outsmart outlaws struck terror into lawbreakers in what we
now call Oklahoma. Bass Reeves was born a slave in Arkansas in 1838. His
slavemaster, William S. Reeves, moved the household to Texas in 1846.
When the Civil War broke out, William Reeves' son George was made a
colonel in the Confederate army and took Bass to war with him. At the
most opportune moment, Reeves escaped while George was sleeping and took
off out west for Indian Territory. Accounts vary on whether Bass beat
up George as he left, and whether his immediate aim was freedom or to
escape punishment over a card game dispute. In any case, Reeves went to
live among the Creek and Seminole Indians. He learned their customs and
languages and became a proficient territorial scout. Reeves eventually
procured a homestead in Van Buren, Arkansas, where he was the first
black settler.
In 1875, “Hanging Judge” Isaac C. Parker was made the federal judge of *Indian Territory. One of his first acts was to make James Fagan a U.S. Marshal and order him to hire 200 deputies. Fagan knew of Reeves and his ability to negotiate Indian Territory and speak the languages, so Reeves was named the first black Deputy Marshal west of the Mississippi. Although Reeves was a skilled frontiersman and spoke several languages, he had never learned to read. Once, when two potential assassins forced Reeves off his horse, he asked them for one last request - that someone read him a letter from his wife. When the outlaws were momentarily distracted by the piece of paper they were handed, Reeves drew his gun and turned the situation around. The second outlaw dropped his gun in surprise, and they were both arrested. Reeves used the "piece of paper" ruse several times in his career to distract felons to similar ends.
Oklahoma became a state in 1907, and Reeves' commission as marshal ended. He was 68 years old by then, but took on another position with the Muskogee Police Department, which he kept until his health began to fail. Reeves died of Bright's disease in 1910. His record of 3,000 arrests dwarfs the arrest records of better known Old West lawmen such as Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp, and Wild Bill Hickok.
*Indian Territory was where the Creek, Cherokee, Choctaw, Seminole, and Chickasaw tribes who were forcibly removed from their homes were resettled following the Indian Removal Act of 1830.
In Spanish, "tonto" translates as "moron" or "fool".
In 1875, “Hanging Judge” Isaac C. Parker was made the federal judge of *Indian Territory. One of his first acts was to make James Fagan a U.S. Marshal and order him to hire 200 deputies. Fagan knew of Reeves and his ability to negotiate Indian Territory and speak the languages, so Reeves was named the first black Deputy Marshal west of the Mississippi. Although Reeves was a skilled frontiersman and spoke several languages, he had never learned to read. Once, when two potential assassins forced Reeves off his horse, he asked them for one last request - that someone read him a letter from his wife. When the outlaws were momentarily distracted by the piece of paper they were handed, Reeves drew his gun and turned the situation around. The second outlaw dropped his gun in surprise, and they were both arrested. Reeves used the "piece of paper" ruse several times in his career to distract felons to similar ends.
Oklahoma became a state in 1907, and Reeves' commission as marshal ended. He was 68 years old by then, but took on another position with the Muskogee Police Department, which he kept until his health began to fail. Reeves died of Bright's disease in 1910. His record of 3,000 arrests dwarfs the arrest records of better known Old West lawmen such as Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp, and Wild Bill Hickok.
*Indian Territory was where the Creek, Cherokee, Choctaw, Seminole, and Chickasaw tribes who were forcibly removed from their homes were resettled following the Indian Removal Act of 1830.
In Spanish, "tonto" translates as "moron" or "fool".
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