Partly printed document signed by Bass Reeves (by mark) and Fred Schwebke. Ft. Smith, Sebastian County, Arkansas, 9 August 1884. 2 pages, legal folio. Docketing to verso with stamp noting it as "duplicate".

A fascinating legal document recording the formation of a posse under legendary African American U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves (1838-1910). The document confirms that Fred Schwebka was in a posse comitatus under Bass Reeves bringing in James Market for assault. It details that "in company with said Marshal" they moved into Indian Territory where they arrested several men: Aaron King in Arebeka on July 1st, John Jefferson in Shawneetown on July 3rd, John Barnard and Joe Howes on July 10th near Sacred Heart Mission, and Billy Bowlegs and Cyrus Williams on July 12th at We-wo-ka, before returning to Fort Smith. It is signed by posse member Fred Schwebke and Clerk Stephen Wheeler.

The verso features a testament signed by Bass Reeves that the posse "was actually and indispensably necessary to enable me to serve the warrants in my possession" and confirmed the pay of $63 for Schwabke. Reeves signs this twice by mark alongside Witness R.B. Creekman and Stephen Wheeler.

Bass Reeves (1838-1910) was born into enslavement in Arkansas but was moved to Texas before the Civil War. When the war broke out in 1861, his enslaver sided with the Confederacy, taking Reeves with him. Reeves' escape from bondage remains shrouded in mystery, but he reportedly fled to Indian Territory, where he lived among Native American tribes as a fugitive. After the war, Reeves worked as a farmer until 1875, when he was recruited as a US Deputy Marshal. Possessing exceptional tracking, marksmanship, and language skills, along with an intimate knowledge of the land, Reeves became invaluable to the US Marshals Service. Throughout his career, he apprehended over 3,000 outlaws without sustaining any injuries, cementing his reputation as one of the most skilled and successful lawmen of the American frontier.

A significant Wild West document.

[Western Americana, Wild West, Manuscripts, Documents, Ephemera, African Americana, African American History, Black History, Pioneers, Cowboys, Black Cowboys]