b'Reeves continued from page 45others, bank robbers, illicit whisky sellers, rustlers, and murderers. He preferred traveling light with a trusted Indian deputy in tow (this is where the Tonto connection may have developed), a cook, and a wagon. There were times he chose to operate alone if he felt comfortable in doing so, or if situations warranted urgency. Being that Reeves, like the fictional Lone Ranger, was also a master of deception, occasionally taking the role of an old Black hobo down on his luck, or portraying a teamster whose cart had careened into a ditch, or even a wanted outlaw himself. Reeves was at times, able by guile to win the trust of the unsuspecting real outlaws who would soon find themselves disarmed and their hands cuffed. Or in a few unavoidable instances, killed.He accepted no more wages than what was offered, and almost certainly did not accept anything additional (Ibid., p. 123; Souter and Souter, Guns of Outlaws, p. 92). His favorite choice of weapon was the Colt Single Action Army 45 six-shooter although he also carried a Winchester 44 carbine (Ibid., pp. 92-93).The Black deputy marshal and the white judge also had the same sense of honesty and a ceaseless dedication to rid the Indian Territory of its criminal element. Perhaps, more importantly, is that both men shared the same sense of fairness and virtue in dealing with grave offenders that were often so hard to find in the Old WestThere is no denying that Reeves (front row, left with cane)of their time. was one unique heck of a lawman.On one occasion, Reeves came across a "necktie party" in the making. The deputy rode in just before the vigilante mob could string up their apprehended outlaw. ReevesWebb, in 1883. Foreman on a territory ranch, Webb hadof the nearby posse men gave the lawman his gun. In stopped the lynching, asked the mob the crime themurdered the owner of a nearby ranch, and brazenlywhat must arguably be the greatest tribute to a Lawman offender was guilty of committing. He was told it wasthought that no one would go after him. But Reeves did. from a dying outlaw, Webb uttered these final words, rustling, so Reeves revealed his badge and informed theWith a warrant for Webb\'s arrest, Reeves and his posse"You are a brave man. I want you to accept my revolver vigilantes that in this Territory he was the law and thatman chose to appear as cowhands looking for work whenand holster as a present. Take it, for I have killed eleven the rustler would be taken back to Fort Smith to standthey approached the ranch Webb worked out of.Theymen, four of them in Indian Territory. I expected you trial - not be dangling from some cottonwood at thegot off their horses, asked for breakfast for themselveswould be number twelve, but you were too good for me" hearsay of a lynch mob. Reeves was somewhat of a rareand feed and water for their horses. Webb and one of his(Ibid, p. 128; Legends of the Wild West (periodical), breed, preferring to bring back his prisoners alive to faceranch hands allowed them to dismount but kept an eye2020, p. 51).trial in Judge Parker\'s courtroom rather than shootingon them. Out of the corner of his eye, Reeves noticed them down on the prairie or in a deserted cabin (FisherWebb whispering to the ranch hand, then signaled to hisTHE CASE OF THE TWO BROTHERSand O\'Reilly, p. 123). posse man to be ready for any eventuality.Sure enough,AND THE HARRIDAN MOTHERwhen Reeves and his deputy approached Webb to askIn another one of his cases, one involving a pair of But he also did not hesitate to shoot them down whenabout employment, he saw Webb reach for his gun - andbrothers wanted for some undisclosed crime, Reeves it became necessary to do so or when he had no otherpromptly grabbed him by the throat, hoping his mandisguised himself as a hobo, an outlaw himself on the choice, especially when the outlaw was brutal and sowould take down the ranch hand. Something went wrongrun. He shot three holes in his hat, and then walked willing to kill him. His notable cases between 1875 andand the posse man froze, so Reeves ended up killing thealone, with a cane almost 30 miles across the Red River 1896 included the following: ranch hand while still tightly squeezing Webb\'s neck. Valley to the cabin of the wanted fugitives where he encountered their sympathetic mother. Explaining that THE APPREHENDING OF THE SEMINOLEWebb was taken to court, but his boss paid his bail nothe was an outlaw on the run, and showing the woman KILLER KNOWN AS TO-SA-LO-NAH, ALSOsuspecting that Webb would take the opportunity tohis bullet-ridden hat, Reeves ingratiated himself with KNOWN AS GREENLEAF go on the loose. For two years he remained on the runthe mother, who then told him that her sons too, were The killings Greenleaf committed were so brutal thatto Reeves\' frustration, but like many an outlaw justfugitives and that they were staying at the cabin. She even the trusted Indian trackers refused to go after him,couldn\'t stay away from his happy hunting grounds. Thethen invited Reeves to join them for the night.especially when the last man who tried to track himUS deputy marshal learned that Webb had been seen down ended up being shot 24 times. He had eludedat a nearby general store. Accompanied by two posseReeves assented, but as the two brothers lay asleep in the the law for quite some time when Reeves received themen, he approached the general store, seeing Webbmiddle of the night, Reeves crept up to their beds, and warrant for his arrest. Reeves, who ironically had learnedoutside, sitting by a window. Webb saw Reeves riding upwithout making a sound swiftly cuffed the two outraged his tracking skills from the Seminole inhabitants of theand attempted to flee, only to be cut off by the intrepidbrothers and began marching them back across the Red territory, learned that Greenleaf had been seen at a ranchlawman. In desperation Webb fired several shots at theRiver Valley, the equally outraged mother screaming and in the area, selling whisky to the tribes. oncoming marshal, almost cutting him down - but hiscursing Reeves for the first several miles of the return shots merely took a button off Reeves\' coat while anothertrip, then staying behind as Reeves shoved them the Reeves and his one-man "posse" crept up upon theshot knocked his hat off his head. Still on horseback,remaining 25 or so miles back to camp - where a $5,000 ranch where Greenleaf was staying and then waited.Reeves fired two shots from his Winchester 44 at thereward awaited him (Legends of the Wild West, p. 49).Greenleaf had gotten drunk on his whisky and herunning outlaw, both shots estimated to be at over 200 promptly fell asleep, when just as promptly the deputyyards! Both bullets found their mark, and Webb tumbledTOM STORY BITES THE DUSTand his one-man posse burst in. They quickly grabbeddown in the grass, mortally wounded with two slugs inTom Story was yet another hard case. He was an outlaw the aroused outlaw before he could reach for his gun. Tothe chest. who organized a band of horse thieves. When Reeves cite Fisher and O\'Reilly - After Reeves had put the cuffscame up to present a warrant for his arrest, Story pulled on Greenleaf; a steady stream of people came to look atThe lawmen approached Webb warily. They knew himout his gun and pointed it straight at the lawman. the vicious killer long believed to be uncatchable, now into be crafty and extremely violent, and even if seriouslyUnfortunately for Story, Reeves was just a tad quicker chains (Ibid, p. 126). wounded was still considered to be a very dangerousand another outlaw dropped dead to the ground (Souter man. As they approached him, demanding he toss awayand Souter, p. 92; Legends of the West, p. 51). When THE KILLING OF KILLER JIM WEBB his weapon, they noticed the blood flowing from hisStory died, his horse rustling gang died with him. One such case that involved deception on the part ofwounds. According to one of the posse men, the dying Deputy Reeves was his arrest of the notorious killer JimWebb called Reeves over to his side and to the surpriseNext month, part 2.46 March 2021'