(light guitar music) - The old west was filled
with legendary characters. Some like Wild Bill Hickok, Doc Holiday, Wyatt Earp, and Annie Oakley were celebrated over and over in books, and film, and music. Others, like Bill
Tilghman and Bass Reeves, for various reasons,
were all but forgotten. But back in their time, the exploits of these lawmen,
were the stuff of legend. Our story today centers
on one of the greatest of these forgotten lawmen, Bass Reeves. Bass Reeves was an African-American, an
d the prevailing view of
the early American press was not open to an American hero of color. Thus, sadly, Reeves
exploits received little of the plaudits given to his
lighter skinned contemporaries. But I assure you, he was as resourceful and respected a lawman
as any of his peers. Let me take you back and tell you the tale of a most daring adventure, pitting Bass Reeves against
the notorious Brunter Brothers. - Yeah, Mr. Bass Reeves. How, in the name of all
that's holy, are you? - Marshall Earp
, I've been better. And I suspect I've looked better too. - At our age, we should
simply avoid mirrors. - I've been chasing these Brunter brothers halfway across the territory, and I've yet to corral them. - The Brunters, here? - I swear they are as elusive as snakes. - Well, if you don't mind the company, I'd like to help you find 'em. Maybe we could put them out
of our collective misery. - I was hoping you'd say that. Mind sharing some of your coffee? Sad was the day McKinley died, the wagon b
roke down and the horses cried. - Cheers. - [Narrator] The Brunter
brothers weren't cowards. Well, at least not in the
normal sense of the word. I mean, they might shoot
you in the back one day and then straight up gunfight ya the next. They might steal your horse, leave you 50 miles from water. That would be something
they could possibly do. But then again, they may
just walk right up to you and rob you. Like many of their ilk, Frank,
William, and Joe Brunter didn't have the best
of parental up
bringing. Their mother had died of typhoid when the brothers were young, and the Brunters endured
a quarrelsome narrative, while father liked to drink brown liquor. Amos Brunter, in fact,
often bullied his own kids. Although he was partial
to his eldest, Frank. Amos would encourage his favorite son to set the two younger
brothers against one another, so fights were inevitable. And Amos would invariably
find a not too gentle way to break up the ruckus he,
himself had instigated. - Hold-Hold that.
- Yeah. - I'll break these idiots up.
- Break 'em up. - You dang fools! Get up, you morons! - [Narrator] Curiously,
the death of their father proved difficult for the brothers. I suppose the guidance of a fool is better than no guidance at all. The three squandered what
little money they inherited on Rot Gut Whiskey. Even Frank, clearly the
brightest of the three, found that he often made unwise
choices under the influence. Once, after drinking his fill, Frank was spoiling for a fight. Eric Lun
quist would've proven
to be an unwise choice, had Frank not come to his senses. The giant blacksmith reported the dispute to local authorities. Charges, unfortunately, were not pressed. - Stand up. Let's fight. Let's stand up, fight right here. Catch that. Alright.
- You can take him. - Four on four. (drunk mumblings) - C'mon.
- Hey, here you go. - [Frank] You stand up
from behind that horse, You're gon' be fine. The Kanes were on their
way to a church social, when random shots and screams
spook
ed their sorrel mayor. This resulted in an overturned buggy and badly bruised passengers. - Just checking. Get his watch. - [Narrator] Mr. Kane was
not one to carry much money. So the Brunters ended up with little more than Mr. Kane's pocket watch
and his wife's heirloom broach. - They're saps. - [Narrator] Joe did take a
fancy to Mr. Kane's Derby, and he kept it. And to make the endeavor worth it, the Highwaymen decided to
keep the mayor as well. William, perhaps remembering
his dear departed m
other, returned the lady's broach. Regardless, the Brunters
were now officially outlaws. Every morning, Wallace
Wilcox, like clockwork, left his saloon to deposit
the previous night's receipts at Union Bridge's only bank. On April 5th, 1886, the
Brunter brothers waited. They were hoping to
relieve him of his money. What they didn't know, was
that Mr. Wilcox was not someone easily intimidated. A retired Calvary captain, he
had often set fear aside to engage the enemy. And this morning, he certain
ly
wasn't gonna let three shabby cowboys rob him without a fight. He threw his case on the ground
and town folk heard someone yell, "come and get it, boys!" Evidently, he went for
his concealed Navy Colt but it got snagged in
the shoulder holster, giving the brothers just
enough time to cut him down. Furthermore, they severely
wounded Sheriff Buckswheat. The boy's sins now included murder. So, were they cowards? Some
days, yes. Some days, no. What they really were, were
pushers. They pushed peop
le. They pushed fate. They pushed temptation. They just pushed. They had no nuance in their life, and that lack of nuance led
them to make some really bad decisions. Especially on that fateful day
when they ran into a lawman named bass Reeves. - Let's split up, double our chances. They're either toward Dilson
Caves or holed up near Pine Grove. Take Dilson, Wyatt. I'll
headed south to the Grove. - That's a deal. Let's say I meet you
here in two nights or so. - November wicks, Wyatt, if you spot '
em. Adios. Meet ya back here in dos mañanas. - [Narrator] Bass Reeves served
for 32 years as Deputy US Marshal in Native American
territories, namely Oklahoma. He had a reputation for being
fearless and despite arresting over 3000 felons and killing 14 outlaws, in defense of his own
life, he was never shot. It is said that several times
his hat was shot off the top of his head. I've actually read accounts
where different articles of his clothing had bullet holes in it. Like, his duster would hav
e a hole in it from a bullet, or his hat would
get shot off, but he never- He was never wounded in
any of those gun battles. He always got his man. He
arrested over 3000 felons, and it's said that there's
only one person that may have escaped being apprehended by Bass Reeves. He never shot a man
when it wasn't necessary and they hadn't tried to kill him first. He always acted in self-defense. Another thing about Bass Reeves
is that he never changed his policies or his philosophies
or his treatme
nt of people based on race, ethnicity,
even familial ties. Everybody was equal under the law. Not only did he arrest the
minister who baptized him, he also arrested his own son
after the young man murdered his wife in a fit of jealousy. When Reeves was appointed
a marshal by judge Parker, the hanging judge, the judge
reminded him he would be in a position to serve
as a deputy to show the lawful as well as the lawless
that a black man was to equal of any other law enforcement
officer on the front
ier. He, being in the Midwest, was
one of the few black men that could actually arrest a
white man during that time. Black law enforcement officers
were rare few in other parts of the country, but more
common in Indian territory and surrounding states, like Texas. Despite movie's depiction of
the old west, 25% of Cowboys in Texas were African-American. Because of the reputation Bass
earned as a marshal who was honest, effective, and
doggedly persistent, the Chief Deputy US Marshall
of the Wester
n district, Bud Ledbetter, called Bass
one of the bravest men this country has ever known. He was born into slavery and
upon escaping and gaining his freedom, he had never
learned to read or write. However, when he would get a
warrant for bounty or arrest, he would memorize certain
characteristics about the paperwork and then have someone
read to him the specifics. And it is said that he never
made a mistake on one of his arrest warrants. - Keep on goin'.
- Go ahead. It's on out there. - Gon' be
a while. - Back that way. - Oh, he's way-He way out
there, just keep on goin'. - Follow the tracks. - Oh, just go. You're never
gonna find him. Yeah, no way. Go, have fun. - That way. - Yeah, you wish you had a gun. - Here, here. Let me get one for ya. - No, follow the tracks! - Keep on goin'! Go ahead. It's on out there. - Don't shoot, Wyatt. It's me. - Well, ain't that somethin' right there. Yep. I thought you said no heroics. - No choice. - Why the gag? - Talks too much. - Understood. - Any
more complaints, you
can join your neighbor. - (mumbling) - So, you gonna tell me what happened or keep me hanging? - I ran into the brothers at the Grove. They was breaking camp, so there was no time
for me to come get you. Joe here was feeling somewhat perplexed. Seems his horse disappeared,
and he was still too much addled from all that rock gut. Joe was about 40 yards down over the hill. Jake and bill was gathering up their gear. So I worked my way around to
where the horses were tied. And I
set 'em loose. They were cussin' like sailors. Jake and Bill come up the
hill right into my gun. I hand over the arrest
warrant to Jake and he raises his long gun. And I dropped that sucker
right where he stood. That gave Bill time to draw. But in his excitement, he shot low. Hit me in the belt buckle. - Belt buckle? You hurt? - Like the dickens. I got
the bruises to prove it. - You don't have to show me, man. - I shot second, Bill left
this world quick and easy. Our friend there hears the
comm
otion, sobers up quick. Sees me with my gun belt
down my knee, rushes at me like a rank bull. And I'm standing there, gun
empty, moving like a dance hall girl in a too tight dress. When Joe gets over to me, I stopped. I braced myself against the tree, and I clubbed that sucker
as hard as I could. - (gagged mumbling) - Shut up, Joe. You're ruining my picture. - Oh no, Joe... Joe's right. That wasn't a very sporting
thing for me to do. But frankly, right about now
I ain't in a sportin' mood. Just
one more word. - You know, out in California
they're making moving pictures about the old days. They even called me to be a consultant. Tell my stories, put it on a screen. You oughta get in on some of that action. I mean, this story here. Yeah.
People ought to see this. - Forget it, Wyatt. Nobody puts a black man
in a motion picture unless he's shinin' somebody's boots. And I ain't shine nobody's
boots since 18 and 65. - Oh well. Even still, this story
here belongs in a flicker. - Sure. The day
I wake up
as a red headed Irish man. - [Narrator] As you may know,
Wyatt Earp became a Hollywood film consultant the last
decade or so of his life. His stories, both
historical and fictional, have been told on film hundreds of times. Bass Reeves' legend,
however, has remained, for the most part, fallow. But history has a way of
eventually finding its legends. Especially when, like Bass
Reeves, the legend needs no exaggeration. ♪ Roll out of bed ♪ ♪ Shake off that old mood ♪ ♪ Blacker than the c
offee I just brewed ♪ ♪ Saddle up my horse ♪ ♪ Ride for speed ♪ ♪ To smoke that old ghost
haunting me and you ♪ ♪ We might've slowed way down ♪ ♪ But we're keepin' our dreams alive ♪ ♪ We ain't ready to lie in no ground ♪ ♪ 'Cause one thing we've
learned from losin' ♪
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