4 Bass Reeves:Hero of the Wild West

This is Bass Reeves who searched for outlaws in towns such as this one, which is a ghost town today.

If you were an outlaw in the OldWest, you knew one thing for sure. You didn't want Bass Reeves on your trail.This U.S.deputy marshal almost always got his man. From 1875 to 1907 he tracked down outlaws in what is now the state of Oklahoma. During these years, Reeves captured more than 3,000 criminals.Bass Reeves was one of the best lawmen in the Wild West.

No one could have predicted such a future for Reeves. He was born a slave in 1838.He grew into a tall,strong adult.One day in the early 1860s, he quarreled with his master. A fight broke out between them. Reeves hit his master and knocked him out. Under slave laws, that was a major crime. Reeves knew he could be put to death for striking a white man. So he fled across the Red River to Oklahoma. He lived with the Indians of that region for several years.

In 1865 slavery was abolished. Ten years after that, Reeves became a marshal. He was appointed by Judge Isaac Parker. Parker's court was in Fort Smith, Arkansas. But the judge also ruled over Oklahoma. This was the most lawless part of the Old West. It was so bad that some people said, “There is no God west of Fort Smith.”

Parker knew how wild the region was. All kinds of outlaws hid out there.Among them were train robbers,horse thieves,and killers. Parker wanted these outlaws brought to justice. So he appointed 200 marshals to track them down. One of these marshals was Bass Reeves.

Reeves got the job in part because he knew the region well. He knew where the best hideouts were. He knew the likely escape routes. Also, he could speak the languages of the local Indians. So he could turn to them for help when he needed it.In addition,Reeves was good with a gun. He was so good, in fact, that his friends wouldn't let him join their shooting contests because they knew he would always win.

Still, being a marshal was a risky job. Many outlaws were ready to fight to the death. Marshals were often killed in shootouts. Others were killed in ambushes. Like all marshals, Bass Reeves was a marked man. Outlaws wanted very much to see him dead. Many times they shot at him. But they always missed. They never even wounded him.

Reeves was, of course, lucky. But he was also very smart. He knew it was safer to sneak up on outlaws than make a direct charge at them. And Reeves was a master of disguise. He often posed as a cowboy or farmer. Outlaws often didn't know who he was until he snapped the handcuffs on them.

Once Reeves went after two young outlaws near the Texas border. He heard they were hiding at their mother's home. So he decided to pay them a visit. But he didn't go dressed as a U.S. marshal.Instead,he dressed up as a tramp. He put on an old floppy hat.To make it look authentic,Reeves shot three holes in it.He left his horse at a camp 28 miles away. Then he made the long, hot walk to the mother's house.

By the time he got there, he was tired and dirty. He really did look like a tramp. Reeves knocked on the door. He begged the mother for a bite to eat, telling her how hungry he was. He said his feet hurt from walking so far. He also mentioned that marshals were after him and had nearly killed him. He took off his hat and showed her the three bullet holes.

The mother took pity on Reeves. She invited him in. She gave him food and began chatting with him. She told him about her two outlaw sons. She even suggested that he might join them in a life of crime.

Later the mother heard a whistle. It came from her sons. They had been hiding during the day and wanted to know if it was safe to return home. The mother signaled back that all was clear. When the sons appeared, the mother introduced them to Reeves. They agreed to let him join their gang.

With darkness falling, Reeves was invited to spend the night. As soon as the outlaws fell asleep, he handcuffed them to their beds without waking them. In the morning he arrested them. He marched them the whole 28 miles back to the camp. For the first three miles the mother followed them,cursing Reeves the whole time.

Although Reeves liked to surprise outlaws, he couldn't always do that. So he sometimes squared off against them face-to-face. That was the case when Reeves tracked down Jim Webb. Webb was among the worst outlaws in the Wild West. He was a thief and a killer. He had been on the run two years for shooting a black preacher when Bass Reeves finally cornered him.Although they were 500 yards apart, Webb began firing as fast as he could.

Reeves felt bullets whistling past him.One hit his saddle.Another cut a button off his coat. A third cut the reins out of his hands. Reeves didn't flinch. As he leaped off his horse, a fourth shot from Webb ripped through his hat. Still, Reeves stayed calm. He pulled out his rifle and took careful aim.Then he fired twice.Webb fell dead in his tracks.

Over Reeves's long career as a marshal, he killed a total of 14 men. But he fired his gun only in self-defense. Once Reeves was arrested for murder. He had shot and killed an outlaw whom he was trying to arrest. But during the trial he proved the outlaw had fired first. The court found him not guilty.

Reeves loved the law. One day near the end of his career he showed everyone just how much he loved it. He learned that a new arrest warrant had been issued. It was for a man who had shot and killed his wife. But this time the criminal was not a stranger. It was Reeves's own son.

No one expected Reeves to handle the arrest. But he was determined to do his duty. Sadly, he picked up the warrant and went out after his son. Two weeks later, Reeves arrested him. The son was found guilty and was punished with a long jail sentence.

In 1907 Bass Reeves turned in his badge. He was ready to retire. That same year, Oklahoma became a state. The days of the old Wild West were gone. Bass Reeves had helped bring law and order to the region. Three years later, at the age of 72, Bass Reeves died.