An Aussie's Obsession with American Buffalo Wings

This is Lee Habib and this is our American stories show where America is the star and the American people up next story from Prof. RT Burton on Bass Reeves the first black deputy US marshal west of the Mississippi River and quite possibly the basis of Jango, Jango unchained or the Lone Ranger are is the author of black on Silverstar life frontier marshal Bass Reeves and is dedicated his life to the academic study of African-Americans in the West taken away. I first became aware of Western culture around age of four years of my mother was from Arcadia, Oklahoma and the family live in a country outside of Arcadia and at the first memory of around 84 I can remember visiting relatives and my uncle trying to break a horse that was in the past and thought at the time. This is like Western films I've seen on TV people read bucking horses that that was one of my first memory and originally as a young man I thought was very strange because you didn't see African-Americans in movies and television shows were cowboys but in Oklahoma there were quite a few African-Americans that were involved in ranching owning horses, and there was a segregated black rodeo circuit that traveled between Oklahoma and Texas and Louisiana.

And there were quite a few rodeos and Oklahoma jacket that can when I was a little boy and actually I had a couple of cousins near my age it's a little bit older, who used to do trick riding in rodeos and they would do all types jumps and flips and all types of things on the horses and later one of them became a bareback rider really won several rodeo first prize. So quite a few my family owned lab stock they own cattle and the sometimes one to Oklahoma and have to click medicine in accounts past so they wouldn't get sick or doing different things. Brandon the Slicer do all that and I will come back home because I live in suburbs of Chicago until my friends about it and they thought I was nuts on the truth about my adventures when I went Oklahoma but that was that was like the first introduction to African-American aspect of Western culture now is always bothered that a fact that African-Americans were not depicted in movies and television shows, talking about the Western frontier and I didn't really know the history at that particular Tampa look like there was a big disconnect somewhere so the high school. My last two years I went to high school in Oklahoma and it wasn't until I went to college and I seen a book called the black West was a picture book that started the filling and some chapters and some information on wow Wes. I made a few trips back to visit family didn't do any research but I do remember on one occasion my grandparents him at their home and I was on that and I asked my grandfather had remembered seeing any African-Americans who get this Mars going to frontier days because my grandparents came in Oklahoma in 1890 when it was Oklahoma territory and my grandfather stated that he remember seeing some black deputy US marshal rat through Arcadia. Know who they were and I remember asking him was any of them light whacker.

They were like Vlad present for with that type of celebrity and then he asked my grandmother what was the name of that black that the scope and Buffett said he had quite a reputation going to frontier days and they can think of his name again. My grandmother said Bass.

That discussion, I have my grandparents didn't come back to me too many years later till 85 when I went to Oklahoma for a family reunion and was hanging out with a cousin, one of my favorite cousin Jabari Parks and he had a college roommate and his roommate stated that he was from Reeves addition in the scope and was named for a black law named batteries not at that Sam had been writing a column here in Chicago blues and jazz and a lot of my interest at that time was music is because I'm a physician and plan Jasmine all my adult life and I thought that very interest write article about Ashley that never heard of Provincetown be a name for black lawmen so I told my cousins define and evaluate anything about batteries for phone numbers don't talk to and so I talked to quite a few people that my cousin is in the people associated batteries with the rest just this ability. Rest just about anybody of saying no, and I thought felt varies.

I did make sense.

As I was saying well if you have been negative law. That would, and even listening to Prof. Burton tell the story of Bass Reeves the first black deputy US marshal west of the Mississippi River. When we come back more fish story here on our American story every day on the show were bringing inspiring stories from across this great country but we truly can't do the show without you are stories are free to listen to, but they're not free to make if you love what you hear our American stories.com and click the donate button a little of a lot.

Go to Al American stories.com and give and we continue with our American stories, and Prof. RT Burton and legendary black woman Bass Reeves. We last left off parts curiosity and peak after his cousin's roommate told him that he had lived in Reeves addition in Muskogee, Oklahoma or thought it was strange that an area in the town name after a black woman decided to do some research. Let's continue with the story now regards to Reeves addition which was in the scope I contacted the Northeast and state diversity library and then I got a package in the packet stated that Reeves addition was named for white banker was also an this brought to an end aspect of Reeves addition being name for passively it was going last 10 years of his life at so I was about ready to give up and then I remembered there was a man I read about it was just a stupid and he lived in Waukegan, Illinois had been a barber and he moved to Denver, Colorado to start a black West Museum and he had a small little museum in the basement of radio black radio station so I called him up on the phone and us asking what did he know about classroom state. He didn't know too much. But there's two older gentleman said from Oklahoma and he said that's all they talk about and he said one man is Rev. Haskell shoe and riven Haskell shoe boots said bass will walk the streets in Muskogee with a sack cake with care satchel full of pistols and somebody called his name was always quick to put his back up against the wall before you turn around and seeing who was calling his name. Very cautious.

So that sounded pretty interesting. From what he was telling me. So I asked him did you have any phone numbers for the two gentlemen that live in them and talk about dance and said no exit had seen them in a couple so I took the name riven Haskell shoe and I doubt the operator I knew it was a long shot because most the time. Older people are living with relatives or their living in senior homes and not doubt the operator and operated said yes. They had a listing for Rev. Haskell shoe cannot dial the number and the lady answered the phone and told out one speak to Rev. Schubert. She suggested and Revelation came to the phone and he talked a widow like a hoarse whisper voice. Yes, like that cannot tell riven salute out and get some information on Bass Reeves and he laughed.

To this day I don't know why he laughed and overjoyed somebody is tentative national dance, read but he went on to say that Bass please get out fight out little out Brad out shoe basically was man Bass Reeves get out do anything anybody could and he knows Phil was nice that he felt so strongly about Mr. Reeves but was nothing I could do with that no interns may write an article possess initially what I want to do is write an article about and then I guess. I was impressed enough with what he was saying and he set out to you stop messing with all impacts say something messing stated that you said grab the hack to stop and asked what was ahead, and he said I had one horse. Laugh out but he said he drove had forgotten that and but that that was the principal lawmen in Muskogee after the turn-of-the-century and he said that they went after an outlaw.

I guess you must do some bad feelings and he said, but Ledbetter had a posse and the posse was shooting at this outlaw, and they were not able to hit they were expending a large amount of ammunition that was basically ammunition from Ledbetter's stock is so he said that a middle of the day they came out earlier in the day it will not make any progress yesterday. Outlaw had a real good had placed told somebody in the posse that Muskogee so Subaru said that that end of the day. The sound was darkness. He said Bass Reeves came on the same said that posse at which at this outlaw Baptist and the outlaw evidently with no being taught in the day things will make one for any said out loud, jumped up and we sit, jumped up I watched so many Western movies.

I was thinking that he was going to jump up on his horse and he said his outlaw jumped up and started running across the field and that posse started shooting at it and were missing and he said, but let Bella Holland at the top of his voice, Bass NEC advance release is very common. I will break his neck and he said Bass took his Winchester rifle and with one shot at 1/4 of a mile broke this man when he told me that she was kind went up and down my spine. I know little bit about shoot a court amount is two city blocks the shoot a moving target is very hard in the call, but shot a moving target is almost phenomenal, and so I get mad cause out sale here in town this kind is some information on Bass reason is management. Tell me the biggest slaver in my life so I was thinking for the story conversation and I used to walk a mile from the train station downtown Chicago to my office every day and I was thinking about this conversation all week long and so bad in the middle of the week I started thinking Schubert told me he was 90 and most tanned people in a tail lab. Some is none to get out of alive was alive and then I'll start thinking if it's true, is one of the most phenomenal stories ever in my life and became more more impressed with the fact that if he still may prove Disney's research and so I became possess that it ended that week fanned out everything I could. Bass and you been listening to Prof. RT Burton discussing his soon-to-be obsession and developing obsession with Mormon Bass Reeves and it was in preliminary research firm your article but the session was born when we come back more of this remarkable story not only about an historian's pursuit of a person story. He didn't know but more importantly, the story of Bass Reeves.

That story continues here on our American story, and we continue with our American stories, and Prof. RT Burton on legendary black woman Bass Reeves.

We last left off part. I dove headfirst into researching best in order to write a column about them for a newspaper in Chicago all the story she heard about that scene which almost well to larger-than-life leave. As he looked into Bass became clear that he was indeed a superstar of law enforcement but continue the story of answering was born in Arkansas as an enslaved person in 1838 and and he was enslaved to family readings Williams feelings patriarch of the family and when Bass was nine years old, a move Texas USA life family and William I guess had appointed Bass to become God's servant to his son George who was a County share and was a legislative Texas legislature and Bass as a young man and get quite good with a rifle and all stories from the family states that George Reeves would make money on Bass Turkish team of putting into competition and he would make money on the fact that nobody could out shoot bathroom so he did that but he went went with Joyce. I guess one all his work as County Sheriff but anyway when the Civil War came around. George became a Col. in 11 Texas Calvary red. They will serve in the Indian territory and Missouri and Arkansas early in.

It was at that time that Bass supposedly got into an argument with George Rees about cardiac and Bass knocked him out and for a slave to hit his master in Texas law is punishable by death. So Bass didn't wait around to see what outcome that would be and he went into the Indian territory and hooked up with Seminole Creek Indians and from what I can understand family history says that he had some interest about the holo- listed Creek chief that was a land with the union forces and so the best that I can gather is that he most likely served with union Indians in the Indian territory during the Civil War against the Confederates and Indian territory was pretty much like Vietnam. It was total guerrilla warfare for the Most Part It Was Pl. in United States that suffered more than anywhere on a percentage basis, there was more loss of life, property and lab stop in India territory working at a state stories white blood cells. Bass and then you can't do that then after that, he served as a scout and had for the deputies marshals working out a Federal Ct. in Van Buren, AR and he was the first African-American built all within the city limits and there were a lot of Confederate veterans that live in that area two is an interesting but looking at their reconstruction and Republicans held sway the vampiric court around 1872, moved to Fort Smith, Arkansas which was a former military base that the U.S. Army discarded and the US marshals office and federal jurisdiction to logo the product and it was both use as a jail in a court. Bass given a commission as a deputies marshals 70 was not the first African-American Deputy West Mystic River. It was probably 1/2 dozen or more African-Americans that preceded Bass. There was one that I know for sure named Bino Kolber who was a former United States college soldier during the Civil War and serve seven years with temp Buffalo soldiers. He became a deputies marshals 1972 preceded Bass by about three years and their stories about life deputies are seen as early as 1867, but Bass got a commission instantly fact and he worked up till Oklahoma State in 1907 in a city is served on the seven US marshals and he did a yeoman's job in terms of what he had. There was quite a few crimes such as murder or staff cattle rate robbery. There was issues with train robbery, stagecoach robbery, people still in lumber any type of crime where 889 Indian committed crimes against Indians that fell on US marshals distinction and Fort Smith quarter-inch jurisdiction over 75,000 mi.² which is pretty much the whole state of Oklahoma and so the deputies marshals had a route where they would leave Fort Smith hit Wes across the Missouri Kansas Texas railroad tracks 60 miles from Fort Smith and the railroad tracks and called it did, and generally if you want West could pick up prisoners before you get to the Gatland you can pick him up on the way back before it's they would hit Wes the fourth seal, which is far west Indian territory and then they would go north to Fort Reno and sometimes even go north head toward Kansas and then you make a loop back to Fort Smith at least 400 miles round-trip or more, and it would take a month or two months to make this trip you have open Lawrence where you could find people committed prayers for you have Lawrence where you were given names of individuals that to be apprehended he would handle as many as 30 warrants at a time can be as illiterate in all that has been illiterate how he did that he would have an individual leave. The war to him and he would memorize the name and what the want was for and in those 32 years.

Never did he bring back the wrong person because he is so he had total recall and guess over the will. Lawrence that the federal offices enforcement have started giving him subpoenas for people they wanted to come and testify at trial, and you know I guess you evidently them was one the best deputies in terms of fuel subpoenas and this man could read the list is absolutely phenomenal because he will come back to ports communicate with anywhere from a dozen to 17 prisoners on a regular basis.

They will sing songs about mastery and this was white people like people in Indians with singing songs about this man's abilities to catch criminals and they say once again on the trail he was going catch you unless you get completely out of the territory will go to Texas, New Mexico, Arkansas and some for him not to catch because they say once he zeroed in on on the graph he was he would deftly you know, probably the greatest man of that era he working miscast on many occasions. It's criminal. And you been listening to Prof. RT Burton told the story of Bass Reeves the first black deputy US marshal west of the Mississippi River.

We thought in the beginning was just a little too large for life itself and in the stories kept piling up.

When we come back more of the story of Bass read.

On our American story, and we continue with our American stories, and Prof. RT Burton on legendary black woman Bass Reeves when the last left off.

Prof. Burton was telling us about how Bass Reeves born a slave fled his bondage after knocking out his master. During the Civil War reflected Indian territory became the first black deputy US marshal west of the Mississippi River. Despite being illiterate.

He traveled 400 miles round-trip to execute warrants and subpoenas. He also worked in the sky. Let's continue with the story. What he had a lot of stories, it came back about Bass in terms of his abilities and what he had many times he wardens.

As I stated earlier, one time he dressed as a tramp shot holes in his head, will had Thomas mobile vans to put on and you look slovenly like now long. It was two boys that had a couple thousand dollars reward.

He went and found where they live locked in and they weren't home with their mother was in told her that he is an outlaw Ron Nancy told her that she had a couple boys. It was also sad loss.

Maybe they can do something together. They they could have a discussion once they came home and they asked told her they thought that was good at dealing so they came back home that evening. They made a pact to commit some crimes again. Eight went to sleep and while it was sweet. Bass slipped the handcuffs on and in the morning to come up told him let's go on the rest. The mother was so upset. I think she father him for two or three mouse personality, but the rest of those boys against the war for another time he found out some gentleman with Rob store on that brown was chief. A similar donation in trading post and it was Rob and Bass found out whether outlaws will have an out and he said to get a yoke of oxen to pull a wagon. He drove the wagon set approximately where the outlaws were stand, and it was, in hidden areas, but he found a way to work, drove the wagon into a ditch and then he started Holland for somebody come out and give him a hand. He is wagon. Facilities outlaws wanted to get on the subway because they don't want any type of email knowledge about people know where they were and so they came out and as they pulled his wagon about Dixie for the gun out of his overalls and told him they were under arrest took them in those type of things. He was also very strong. Bass is 6 feet 290 pounds and there was one story told in to the sublimation that Bass came across in cowboys. They had about six ropes on steer that was called in the moon and they were trying to pull it out and they were getting anywhere. Bass Boston for a while. It's home after my simple well Bass got off his horse took all his clothes off and jumped in the Murray steer and took all the ropes off the steer and push and pull of the steer out of the Lord uses strip in cowboys. What made this a bassinet on his horse but I'll really put your clothes back on, but he rolled off the sand hills done cowboys and some to that effect. He could also shoot very good shooting was remarkable as a one time he came upon six rules: down steer on the Prairie and he shot all six of the wounds from the back of his horse and the bulls and scattered in all directions, and he said that he only had to shoot pool rules twice, but he killed all six of them from the back of his horse pretty good shooting on running rules and is his weapon of choice was Winchester rifle.

He will carry 2 to 3 pistols also and he was ambidextrous with left-hand and right-hand. So this guy was like to know the Michael Jordan of a law enforcement if you had a gunfight with bathroom is almost tantamount to suicide if you try to run, catch, tread, had fanned the lot as people found out Bass as a warrant, they turn themselves in a bail star was the most famous female outlaw from Indian territory. Several movies were made about life. It will say that she and asses good friends will Bass got a warrant for her arrest. Around 1886 and she turned himself in was the only time she was known to Bluffton Road into Fort Smith, Arkansas often surrendered herself and she was found not to be guilty for that particular time, but that was the one time Bass had a warrant for her arrest. He arrested long and it went bad. He did that on a few occasions and then there was some outlaws he arrested. They came back out of prison and became law, and in 1902 Benny one of his sons. He had problems with his wife and then eventually doing altercation with Benny Carter with another man, Benny shot and killed his wife.

Bass found out about it and told Marshall to give me the Lord, and he went and arrested for capital murder. Benny was convicted and sent to the Leavenworth federal prison in Kansas for life, but he only actually served I think was 11 years and you get out and actually the preacher that baptizing yet by hand. In arrears for his church and the congregation gave him permission to sell bootleg whiskey to make some money for the church and Bass arrested and put them in jail seven bootleg whiskey you like to tell jokes like the layout want to get to know somebody never forgot a flight for sale I could do an outlaw. That is the worst person you want to meet your life you know is what another said. He said he was very kind and very gentle and was told that person to be around. And so he would hear the duality about you know a good thing that gets me is that he had no fear. And that's scary to me in itself for you not to fear anything that walks on the face of the earth, so he had a different mindset because most people are scared of something that's a probably be a hero for law enforcement today that has worked for the Fort Smith court up to 1893 and for the Eastern District of Texas until 97 and 97 transferred to the Muskogee federal court so he worked up to statehood of M-16 1907. His career was legendary in terms of status, there was a newspaper stories on his police work in Texas, Kansas and the newspapers always stated bassinet even at the Tam's death newspaper the same he had never been shot. But he did walk with a cane late in his career and some people stated that it was due to him being shot.

I think it was losing a newspaper article that stated that he was walking with a cane due to a bullet seemed earlier there worse. Approximately four fast saloon towns just to the west of the seminal nation in the Creek nation almost real bad, but one was notorious and supposedly Bass was in this 20 saloon and get into an argument with a young Texas cowboy cowboy calling out in supposedly Bass got shot in the leg, but Bass killed cowboy that this is never been written about in newspapers. It is in some books that were oral books that were in a report from people's remembrances so it's quite possible that there newspapers also stated that he killed 14 mid-Atlantic newly connected Tam's death. I found at least three of four newspaper said he killed over 20 men landed here in 1902 he was interviewed better newspapers and he stated he arrested over 3000 men and women broke federal law, so that in time he retired in 1907 is probably appointed 4000 people hit arrest for breaking the law for me. For me that's reason is the greatest friend to hero in United States history. I taught American history late American early American and I don't know any friend to hero in US history. Dave comes close to – and that he had to walk the fine line between white, red and black populations in Indian territory and what that all entail new and effective. The majority of deaf ears. Marshes kill Malan ability will kill an Indian territory very, very dangerous. He walked in the Valley of death every day for 32 years and came out alive. He is without a doubt that somebody can show me something different. The greatest friend to America's great job on the production by Monte. A special thanks to Prof. RT Burton's book black gun Silverstar life of frontier Marshall Bass Reeves go to local bookstore and buy it or purchase the book forever. You get it out fight right hopefully I won't shoot anybody killed 20 men in the line of duty and arrested over 4000.

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