Frontier Legends | Bass Reeves | 3

0:00American History Tellers:Hello, American History Tellers listeners. The live show I've been telling you about for a few weeks has a new date, October 23rd at the Plaza Theater in Garland, Texas. This is my Days That Made America tour, a thrilling evening of history, storytelling, and music with me and a band live on stage. So if you're in the North Texas area or anywhere close, be sure to come out and see me live. And more shows will be announced soon. For information on tickets and upcoming dates, go to AmericanHistoryLive.com. That's AmericanHistoryLive.com. Come see my Days That Made America tour live on stage. Go to AmericanHistoryLive.com.

0:39American History Tellers:A listener note. This episode contains outdated racial language presented in its original historical context.

0:51American History Tellers:Imagine it's a summer day in 1890, near Keokuk Falls in Indian Territory. You're the ringleader of a gang of outlaws, and the three of you are holed up in an abandoned log cabin. You're dealing a hand of cards, killing time until sunset, when you plan to sneak onto a nearby ranch to steal their horses. You jump at the sound of a crash outside. What was that? You emerge from the cabin and squint into the afternoon sunlight. Twenty yards away, a ramshackle wagon has rolled into a shallow ditch. An ox stands nearby, flicking flies with its tail, while the driver climbs out of his seat and jumps to the ground.

1:30You there, would you mind giving me a hand?

1:33American History Tellers:He's a tall black man, a poor tenant farmer by the looks of his faded overalls. You start walking toward him while glancing at your fellow outlaws. Come on, boys. Let's help him out and be done with it. The farmer nods his head in appreciation as you approach. Thank you. I don't know what happened. The wheel just slipped off the road. It happens. The road's in an awful state out here. You turn to your friends. Jim, get behind the wheels. Bill, grab that rail. I'll take the wagon box. On three, we'll push. You take your positions. Ready? One, two, three! You dig your boots into the dirt and push.

2:14American History Tellers:The wheel shifts slightly, but remains stuck. Again! You shove your shoulder against the wagon box and push into it with all your strength. The wheel suddenly lurches free and rocks up onto level ground. There she goes! With a grin on your face, you turn around to find the farmer with a revolver in each hand. The barrels pointed directly at you and your friends. Put your hands up. What? Hey, just who the hell do you think you are? Name's Baz Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal. I have warrants charging you men for robbery and murder. Disbelief washes over you as you realize this was all a trap. You reluctantly put up your hands as he steps forward and starts patting you down for weapons.

3:00American History Tellers:You've robbed banks, held up stagecoaches, and outrun posses across the territory. Yet somehow you've just been duped by a deputy in a two-bit disguise. But as you glance up, you catch a fierce glint in his eyes that tells you this is no ordinary lawman.

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4:24American History Tellers:From Audible Originals, I'm Lindsey Graham, and this is American History Tellers, Our history, your story.

4:46American History Tellers:At the end of the 19th century, Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves used elaborate disguises to catch outlaws in Indian Territory, in present-day Oklahoma. Reeves had been born into slavery, but went on to become one of the first black men to serve as a deputy U.S. marshal in the West. For three decades, he hunted down murderers, horse thieves, and bootleggers across a vast and remote terrain, resulting in countless dramatic shootouts and hair-breadth escapes. At a time when segregation was taking hold across the South, the West offered a unique opportunity for a man like Reeves. While still facing racial discrimination, he nevertheless became one of the most formidable lawmen in the history of the West, feared by outlaws across Indian Territory for his relentless pursuit of justice and his deadly marksmanship.

5:33American History Tellers:His career spanned Indian Territory's transition into statehood, a rare period of possibility for a former slave-turned-cunning lawman. To help tell this story, we've enlisted actor Ace Anderson to voice the characters you'll hear throughout this episode. This is Episode 3 in our five-part series on frontier legends, Bass Reeves.

5:56American History Tellers:Bass Reeves was born enslaved in July 1838 in Arkansas. He adopted the last name of his owner, William Reeves, a farmer and state legislator. When Bass was eight years old, his owner loaded up 30 covered wagons and moved his family and his slaves to northern Texas. As Bass grew older, William Reeves removed him from fieldwork and made him his personal servant. Although he refused to let Bass learn to read, he trusted him enough to take the unusual step of allowing him to handle firearms, a privilege denied to most enslaved people. Bass quickly proved himself a gifted marksman, and Reeves began entering him into shooting contests.

6:35American History Tellers:When the Civil War broke out in 1861, William Reeves' son, George, enlisted as a Confederate cavalryman, and he brought 23-year-old Bass with him to the front lines. But one night, a heated argument during a card game ended with Bass knocking George unconscious. Fearing that he could be punished with death for assaulting his owner, Bass fled west to Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma. Indian Territory had been established by the U.S. government in the early 1830s as the final destination for Indian tribes who were being expelled from their native lands in the South. Around that time, federal officials began forcibly relocating the so-called five civilized tribes—the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole—and there, on the Great Plains, each tribe operated as its own nation, with its own government and court systems.

7:25American History Tellers:And although Indian territory had been set aside for displaced native tribes, slavery was legal within its borders, and by the start of the Civil War, there were roughly 10 ,000 black people enslaved there. But ironically, Indian territory also became a haven for fugitive slaves, because slaves owned by members of the five tribes retained more autonomy and faced less violence than those in the southern states. These conditions made for a less rigid racial order, one that attracted runaway slaves like Reeves. Making the move easier for Reeves, the terrain of Indian territory was already familiar to him.

8:01American History Tellers:He'd grown up nearby across the Red River in northern Texas. So after he fled George Reeves, he lived among the Creek and Seminole Indians and learned their languages and customs. For former slaves like Reeves, Indian territory, and the West more broadly, offered a unique opportunity for reinvention. In 1864, Reeves, now 26 years old, married a 14-year-old named Jenny. The couple started a family that would eventually include 11 children. And with the end of the Civil War, Reeves gained his freedom, and he and his growing family settled on a farm near Van Buren, Arkansas, on the eastern border of Indian Territory.

8:38American History Tellers:Reeves soon began earning money as a scout and tracker, using the knowledge he'd gained while living among Native tribes. He later boasted that he knew Indian Territory like a cook knows her kitchen. But the Indian Territory Reeves knew so well was fast becoming one of the most lawless regions in America. While Native tribes enforced their own laws with mounted forces known as the Light Horse Police, Their jurisdictions were limited to their own people, a legal loophole that non-Indian lawbreakers exploited. But one man resolved to rein in the chaos. In March 1875, a hard-charging judge named Isaac Parker assumed the bench of the federal court at Fort Smith, Arkansas, just across the eastern border of Indian Territory.

9:20American History Tellers:More than 100 murders had been committed in Indian Territory during his predecessor's three-year tenure, and Parker was determined to restore law and order. To that end, he set out to recruit 200 deputy U.S. Marshals, though he only managed to convince 50 to enlist. This small force would be tasked with curbing crime across 75 ,000 square miles of rugged frontier. It was an area roughly the same size of all of New England, and it made Fort Smith the largest federal jurisdiction in the U.S. But part of what made the Marshals' task so daunting was the complex overlap of federal and tribal jurisdictions.

9:57American History Tellers:While tribal police handled crimes involving their own citizens, they could not arrest white or black non-citizens who were in Indian territory either as renters of Indian land or intruders. It would be up to the deputy marshals operating out of Fort Smith to handle the prosecution of crimes committed by these non-tribal citizens as well as crimes committed by tribal members against non-Indians. But despite the complexity, the marshals Parker recruited wasted no time getting to work. They began pursuing suspects for crimes including murder, robbery, and railroad sabotage. But because alcohol was outlawed in Indian territory, 80 % of the cases at Fort Smith ended up being liquor-related.

10:37American History Tellers:So to stem the flow of the illegal booze, marshals targeted the bootleggers who bought whiskey in Arkansas or Texas and smuggled it into the territory, reselling it to Indians for ten times the price. And in the face of a seemingly endless stream of offenders, Judge Parker set about ruthlessly enforcing the law, believing that the certainty of punishment was key to fighting crime. During his time on the bench, he boasted a 70 % conviction rate, and he would ultimately sentence 160 criminals to death in executions that became public spectacles, earning him the name The Hanging Judge. And it was in 1875 that Bass Reeves became one of Parker's first recruits and one of the first black men to wear the Marshal's badge.

11:21American History Tellers:Thanks to his skill with weapons, his knowledge of Indian languages, and his tracking abilities, Reeves was an ideal candidate for the role, and he and Judge Parker bonded over their shared mission. According to Reeves' great-nephew, Parker and Reeves developed a very close working relationship in spite of the widely diverse backgrounds—one a slave, one a former congressman. Instead, it was based upon their overriding sense of duty and responsibility. His great-nephew credited Reeves' strong Christian faith as the foundation of his moral principles and his dedication to the rule of law. But Reeves stood out among the deputy marshals not just because of his race.

11:58American History Tellers:At six foot two, he cut an imposing figure and was known for his immense strength and booming laugh. He rode a large stallion and carried two Colt revolvers on his belt, but his preferred weapon was his Winchester rifle. Still, despite his striking appearance, he couldn't catch dangerous criminals completely on his own. Federal law required deputy marshals entering Indian territory to recruit at least one able-bodied man for backup known as a posseman, a role Reeves himself had started in. These men assisted more experienced deputies while learning the ropes. And because deputy marshals and their possemen often spent months in the saddle pursuing criminals, they traveled with a supply wagon carrying food, equipment, and a cook.

12:40American History Tellers:This allowed them to stay in the field as long as it took to apprehend suspects before transporting their chained prisoners back to Fort Smith. Reeves was also unusual among deputy marshals because, due to his childhood in slavery, he had never learned to read or write. He was able to memorize and recognize printed names, associating them with certain written documents. But to complete much of the paperwork associated with his role, he was often forced to ride long distances to find someone who could read aloud or take his dictation. But what he lacked in administrative skills, he made up for with his creative approach to catching criminals.

13:15American History Tellers:To get as close to suspects as possible in order to arrest them, he donned various disguises, often posing as a drifter, cowboy, preacher, or farmer. And in 1883, Reeves used one of these disguises while pursuing a ruthless fugitive named Jim Webb. Webb was the hot-headed foreman of a massive ranch in the Chickasaw Nation, where he ruled over dozens of cowboys with an iron fist. But his temper wasn't just reserved for the men who worked for him. That spring, after a black preacher at a neighboring ranch ignited a controlled burn that spread to Webb's ranch, Webb rode over and shot the preacher dead.

13:52American History Tellers:Reeves was alerted to the murder, and a few days later he and a posseman rode to Webb's ranch. Disguised as cowboys passing through, they asked Webb for breakfast. It was the custom on the frontier to offer food or lodging to travelers, so Webb reluctantly agreed. But he was immediately suspicious of these two strangers.

14:14American History Tellers:Imagine it's a spring morning in 1883 on a large ranch in the Chickasaw Nation. You're a deputy U.S. marshal disguised as a cowboy, and you're inside a barn feeding your horse while back at the ranch house, the cook prepares breakfast. But you're not really hungry. You're just waiting for the right moment to arrest the ranch's foreman, Jim Webb, who's leaning against a stack of hay bales across from you, watching you closely. Where did you say you came from? A ranch about 50 miles north of here, owned by a couple of Chickasaw brothers. You pour a scoop of oats into a wooden trough. As your horse lowers its head to eat, you brush your hand along its neck, wondering how you'll manage to arrest Webb without someone getting killed or seriously wounded.

14:58American History Tellers:Webb takes a step forward. And what are you doing down here? Like I said, just passing through. We're on a errand for the ranch boss. A man by the name of Keller. Ever heard of him? Sounds familiar. What sort of errand? He's got us picking up some barbed wire over in Lone Grove. I think the prices are better in Ardmore, but he won't be persuaded. You loosen the saddle on your horse, feeling the heat of Webb's gaze. You pull your rifle from the saddle and lean it against a wooden rail, hoping to convince Webb that you mean no harm. So how long have you worked here? About a year. What's it to you?

15:38American History Tellers:You're just about to respond when the sound of a bell interrupts you. Is that breakfast already? Sounds like it. Well then, lead the way. No, after you. I insist. You nod uneasily and exit the barn to walk back to the house. but Webb hangs back in the doorway as his right-hand man, a cowboy who introduced himself as Frank Smith, approaches. In the reflection of the front window of the house, you can see the two of them whispering. But there's not much you can do, so you join your posseman on the front steps of the ranch house. This is going to be our only opportunity. When I give the signal, you jump Smith, I'll take Webb.

16:20American History Tellers:He nods, and the two of you walk up the steps. Your finger twitches over the revolver on your belt. You know that you're walking on a razor's edge, and that if your timing isn't perfect, both of you will end up dead.

16:36American History Tellers:Reeves and his posseman joined Jim Webb and his right-hand man Frank Smith for a tense breakfast. After they were done eating, the group went out into the adjoining hallway. Reeves continued making conversation, hoping not to alarm Webb, who was clutching his pistol. But when Webb looked away for just a moment, Reeves knocked Webb's gun out of his hand, drew his own revolver, and jammed it into Webb's face. But the other man, Frank Smith, had the opportunity to fire at Reeves twice. He missed both shots before Reeves dropped him with a single bullet. So with his right-hand man down and Reeves' hand around his throat, Webb surrendered.

17:14American History Tellers:Reeves hauled both men back to face justice. Along the way, Smith died of his gunshot wound. But over the next year, Webb remained locked behind bars in the federal jail at Fort Smith, awaiting trial for murder. This jail, known as Hell on the Border, was little more than two cramped basement rooms that held as many as 150 prisoners at a time. Eventually, Webb's friends secured his release on bail. But by the time the trial was set to begin, Webb was nowhere to be found. Determined to finish the job, Reeves swung back into his saddle and began his manhunt.

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18:35Hey, Dan Taberski here. I'm a podcast host, a journalist, and now with my newest project, the author of my own manifesto. Well, it's a manifesto about manifestos. My search for inspiration in a world that feels more infuriating, more out of its freaking mind with each passing hour. Manifestos are a call to action, an artful scream. They capture our anger and they try to do something with it. This is my attempt to take the manifesto back from mass shooters and nihilists and return it to its rightful place with the warriors, the visionaries, the regular folks with just the right amount of crazy.

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19:39American History Tellers:In June 1884, Bass Reeves and a posseman set out from Fort Smith, Arkansas, in pursuit of their fugitive, Rancher Jim Webb. He had fled while awaiting trial for the murder of a black preacher, and after days of hard riding across 200 miles of the Chickasaw Nation, Reeves and his posseman finally caught up with Webb at a general store in the foothills of the Arbuckle Mountains. Reeves' posseman peered through a store window and spotted Webb, then motioned to Reeves. But when Reeves dashed up on horseback moments later, Webb caught sight of him and bolted, leaping through a window on the opposite side of the store.

20:15American History Tellers:As Webb ran for his horse, Reeves whipped around and cut him off. Webb sprinted toward a clump of bushes, then turned around and opened fire on Reeves. Reeves later recalled, Before I could drop off my horse, his first bullet cut off a button of my coat. his second shot cut my bridle rein in two. So quickly, Reeves slid down from his saddle, steadied his Winchester rifle, and pulled the trigger twice. Both shots hit their mark, and Webb fell to the ground. Onlookers watched as Reeves approached the dying man, who reportedly told him, I want you to accept my revolver as a present. With it, I've killed eleven men, four of them in Indian territory, and I expected you to be the twelfth.

20:57American History Tellers:Reeves had skillfully taken down his suspect. But by killing Webb, he had lost any chance of earning a fee for his capture. Deputy marshals like Reeves were paid through a fee system instead of an annual salary, earning money only when they successfully served papers or delivered prisoners to court. But the prisoners had to be alive. That was usually not a problem. At a time when the typical deputy marshal earned roughly$500 a year, Reeves earned an average of$3 ,000 to$4 ,000 due to his frequent arrests, making him one of the highest-paid deputies in the Fort Smith court. And while Reeves preferred to make arrests without drawing his gun, he was not above using lethal force when fugitives resisted or when his own life was at risk.

21:40American History Tellers:So although he would receive no payment for killing Webb, he took comfort that there was one less dangerous outlaw roaming Indian territory. And the arrests kept coming. Two months after he shot and killed Webb, Reeves brought 15 prisoners to Fort Smith. One of them was the notorious outlaw Chubb Moore, a Chickasaw Indian accused of inciting a lynch mob against a black man. It was a rare instance of a black law enforcement officer arresting a suspect for the crime of lynching, an outcome virtually unthinkable anywhere outside of Indian territory. And by September 1885, Reeves' reputation loomed large enough that the infamous outlaw Bell Star, one of the most notorious women in the West, voluntarily surrendered at Fort Smith after hearing that Reeves had a warrant for her arrest.

22:27American History Tellers:It was the only time she ever turned herself in. But as Bass Reeves' legend grew, he began to face scrutiny. In the fall of 1885, following the election of Democratic President Grover Cleveland, the Republican U.S. Marshal overseeing Reeves' district was removed from office. He was replaced by John Carroll, a Democrat and former Confederate officer who soon began investigating an old incident involving Reeves. Back in the spring of 1884, Reeves had been traveling to Fort Smith with a wagonload of prisoners when one evening he discharged his rifle beside a campfire. The bullet from the rifle struck a black cook named William Leach in the neck.

23:07American History Tellers:Soon after, Leach died from his wound. The shooting was deemed an accident until January 1886, when Carroll suddenly reopened the investigation.