Bass Reeves' Life

Bass Reeves was a legendary lawman in Indian Territory.  He reportedly arrested some three thousand criminals during his career as a Federal Deputy Marshal. 

He began service in 1875 as one of some 200 marshals hired to tame Indian Territory under Judge Isaac Parker.  These two, Judge Parker and Bass Reeves, were both destined to suffer from Bright's disease.

Almost everybody in Indian Territory knew Reeves as "Black Bass."   In reality, this African American lawman was of mixed heritage.  Paralee Steward (reportedly Bass' mother) claimed to be white in 1900.

Some say that part of his fame came from the length of his service.  Those who have read his story in original source material say instead this man's reputation was built on his character.

During his career as a US Deputy Marshal, he spent long hours riding from one log cabin to another, seeking information about a criminal.  On average, Reeves arrested about eight people each month.  This meant he spent a lot of time away from home. 

Most of the time, it seems, Bass Reeves operated alone.  But there were times when he formed a posse to chase a gang of outlaws.  And, sometimes, there was a shootout that settled the matter. 

One time he killed the posse's cook.  Really!! 

Bass killed the cook accidentally following the death of Bass' pet dog.  The dog died when the cook poured boiling grease down the dog's throat.  In trying to get up, Bass' rifle discharged accidentally.  At least that is how Bass testified at his trial in Fort Smith.

Reeves said he killed fourteen criminals who were resisting capture.  For all of the violence associated with the American West, he killed less than one half of one percent of those he brought back dead or alive.

Late in life, he testified that he never shot first.  The fact that he was never wounded attests to the consistently poor aim of criminals.

Arresting his own son was probably his hardest case.  When his grown son murdered his wife, Bass could have let another serve the arrest warrant.  Instead, Bass asked for the warrant and went to serve it personally.  His son was subsequently sentenced to life in prison.

This incident shows how committed Bass Reeves was to the law.  Neither the hours spent in the saddle, nor the threat of death or a family bond would turn Bass Reeves aside from the task given.

Bass served as a "Field" Deputy Marshal until 1907.  Arresting Reverend Wilson Hobson was among his last cases. 

Only three years earlier, Hobson baptized Bass Reeves into the Muskogee Baptist Church.   Rev. Hobson was found guilty of selling alcohol in order to pay off a church debt.  Introducing liquor into the Indian Territory was still against the law in August, 1907.

After his retirement from working for the US Justice Department, Bass Reeves found that idleness did not suit his temperament.  The following August, he applied for a job as a Muskogee Patrolman, but apparently did not work long as a beat cop.

Bass Reeves died January 12, 1910 at approximately 72 years of age.  He left a reputation that continues to shine more than a century later.