[Occupymendocino] Black History month

[Richard Karch]

Thought this was interesting. 



Black History Month: Bass Reeves

Bass Reeves was a legend of the west and one of the first Black lawmen in the region and one of the first Black heroes of the era.

Bass Reeves is surrounded by so much legend that it is hard to determine what is fact and what is fiction. What is certain is that he was one of, if not the first, black lawman to serve west of the Mississippi River.

Bass Reeves was born a slave in 1838 in Crawford County, Arkansas. Bass worked as a water boy in the cotton fields. During the Civil War Bass was a servant for George Reeves. Bass claimed to have fought in several battles during the conflict but, because of a dispute with George (supposedly over a card game which led to fisticuffs), Bass allegedly escaped and fled into the Indian Territory as a fugitive slave. There he associated with Native Americans from the Creek and Seminole tribes. During this time, he developed an understanding and appreciation of their languages and their customs. The fact that he mastered these languages was remarkable considering that he was illiterate. 

Refining his skills as an outdoorsman, Bass became an expert sharpshooter. Because he was ambidextrous, he was alleged to have incredible accuracy shooting with either hand. In addition to earning a living as a farmer, rancher and horse breeder, he also served as a guide into the Indian Territory for Deputy U.S. Marshals for the Van Buren Federal court searching for outlaws.

In 1875, the legendary “Hanging Judge” Isaac C. Parker was appointed a federal judge of the Indian Territory. Parker appointed James Fagan as U.S. Marshal and instructed him to hire 200 deputy marshals. Knowing of Bass Reeves reputation with a pistol, his ability to speak several Indian languages and his ability to interact with them, as well as his knowledge of the territory, Fagan named Reeves a Deputy Marshal, the first black to hold the title. Deputies in the territory were authorized to arrest only black or white criminals who were not members of a tribe, as the Native Americans had their own laws and law enforcement procedures.

Reeves was a good fit for the position, standing 6′, 2″ and weighing around 200 lbs. with broad shoulders and large hands. For more than 30 years Reeves served as a Deputy Marshal, often sent to arrest the most dangerous criminals of the time. He liked to carry two .45 caliber six-shooters, which he wore with their handles facing forward. (He believed that this would allow him to pull them out faster, employing a cross-handed draw.) In addition to his expertise with both pistols and and his Winchester rifle, he was also a master of disguise, a trait which allowed him to observe outlaws without being recognized. One fascinating story recounted in the “Stuff You Missed in History Class” podcast has Reeves dressing up as a tramp and walking 28 miles to the home of the mother of two outlaws he was pursuing. He told the woman he was running from the law and needed some food and rest. As she fed him, she encouraged him to wait for her sons so they could ride off together to escape the posse pursuing them. She allowed him to sleep over and in the middle of the night he handcuffed the sons to their beds and left the next morning, walking the two outlaws 28 miles back to his camp. The mother was alleged to have followed for three miles cursing him. 

Although he arrested more than 3,000 felons, he was never harmed by gunfire (although his hat and gun belt were shot off). He did claim, however, to having shot to death 14 criminals in self-defense. On one occasion he claimed to have brought in nineteen horse thieves he captured near Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He retired from his position in 1907 when Oklahoma gained statehood. He then became an officer with the Muskogee Police Department. He served in this position for another three years before his health began to fail.
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