Bass Reeves: The Marshal Who Caught 3,000 Outlaws - Then Arrested His Own Son

Bass Reeves may have been the most effective lawman the Wild West ever produced - but the hardest warrant of his life had his own son’s name on it. Born into slavery and unable to read, Reeves became a deputy United States marshal in the Indian Territory, hunting outlaws across seventy five thousand square miles of dangerous country. Over more than thirty years, he arrested more than three thousand wanted men, survived gunfights, used disguises, memorized warrants by heart, and was never once shot. But this story is not just about the legend. It is about the day Bass Reeves was handed a murder warrant for his own son, Bennie Reeves - and chose to serve it himself. If you enjoyed this story, subscribe for more gripping history every week 📚 Leave a comment - was Bass Reeves the greatest lawman of the Wild West? #BassReeves #WildWest #OldWest #USHistory #AmericanHistory #Outlaws #Lawmen #IndianTerritory #FortSmith #JudgeParker #HistoricalDocumentary #HistoryYouTube 00:00 Intro 00:53 Bass Reeves And The Impossible Job 01:25 Indian Territory: A Hole In The Law 02:14 Fort Smith And Judge Isaac Parker 02:58 From Slavery To Deputy U.S. Marshal 03:54 How Reeves Was Paid To Hunt Outlaws 04:39 Riding Deep Into Outlaw Country 05:15 The Illiterate Marshal Who Never Served The Wrong Warrant 06:05 Disguises, Traps, And Three Thousand Arrests 07:14 The Deadly Cost Of Enforcing The Law 07:42 The Brunter Brothers 08:24 Jim Webb And The Duel Reeves Survived 09:39 The Legend Of The Untouchable Marshal 10:25 Bennie Reeves And The Murder Warrant 10:48 The Arrest No One Expected Him To Make 11:26 Bass Reeves Hunts His Own Son 12:04 Bennie’s Trial And Sentence 12:45 Oklahoma Statehood And The End Of An Era 13:25 Reeves’ Final Years In Muskogee 14:01 The Lone Ranger Question And Bass Reeves’ Legacy