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Front Row: Nick Jacob’s, Katlyn Flanagan and Hailey Ward, Cherekee Summers, Alex Proctor. Second Row: Jacob Gambler, Keeian Heneha, Kekoa White, Deondre Pigeon. Back Row: Austin Fife, Josh Harmon, Braydon Nguyen, Jayme Whitaker and Alec Proctor. Photo by Wanda Mankin
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There were several outstanding Black men who served as Marshalls under federal Judge Isaac Parker at Fort Smith. Shortly after Judge Parker was sworn in as federal judge, blacks were recruited as Deputy U.S. Marshals working out of his court. Their duties took them mostly into Indian Territory, and some worked as far south as Texas, as far west as the Oklahoma Territory, and as far north as Kansas. These African American men were of varying backgrounds–some had been born slaves some were Black Indians, some were well educated, while others had little formal training.
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Rufus Cannon was commissioned on September 15, 1892 according to the Ft. Smith National Historic Site. He served directly out of Ft. Smith under Judge Parker. He was said to have been of African Cherokee origin and was familiar with many of the Cherokee native customs and the language. Cannon captured the father of the outlaw gang, The Christian brothers in Pottawatomie, Indian Territory in 1895, when William Christian was among his captives. Cannon was also on the posse that tracked Bill Doolin. But one factor to note is that all posse men were rewarded for the capture of Doolin— all except Cannon. It is not known exactly why he was not paid, though Heck Thomas was believed to have shared part of his reward with Cannon. He was later known to have been in a gunfight with outlaw Henry Starr. Not much is known of his life after the capture of Doolin. He later left the Ft. Smith region and moved to Kansas City where he resided till his death. He did have a daughter Lizzie with a Creek Freedwoman, Amy Garrison who remained in Indian Territory.
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Bass Reeves, was born in 1838 in Crawford County, Arkansas and died January 12, 1910 at Muskogee, Oklahoma. Reeves was one of the first deputy U.S. marshals of African descent in the American West. He was born a slave in Arkansas but grew up in Grayson County, Texas, following the relocation of his owner, William S. Reeves. Reports regarding Reeves’s activities and whereabouts during the American Civil War are ultimately unclear. He claimed to have served in the Battles of Pea Ridge (March 1862), Chickamauga (September 1863), and Missionary Ridge (November 1863) under William S. Reeves’s son, Col. George Reeves, for the Confederacy. Reeves’s family members, however, claimed that at some time be-tween 1861 and 1862 he attacked his owner following an argument during a card game and escaped to Indian Territory. It is considered unlikely that Reeves served at Chickamauga and Missionary Ridge, though it is possible that he escaped later in 1862 following his service at Pea Ridge. Following the war, he worked as a guide for U.S. government officials interested in traveling through Indian Territory.
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Marguerite French in a photo on her 100 birthday will be sitting for a new photo on her 104 th birth on August 18 th . Marguerite French, born August 18, 1916 in Clearview near her present home where she has lived her entire life. She and her late husband raised a family of 18 children, although twins did not make it to adulthood. When she was 100, she received many birthdays cards from many different states of which she immensely enjoyed. Her eyesight is dim now and she is unable to read for herself, but she really enjoys hearing from friends, relatives, and those who read about her. Over the last three years, she has gained friends across the country who have called to share stories with her. This year, she is hoping to receive 104 cards so that her children can take turns reading them to her. Let us see if we can make it happen. Her address is 110186 N 3830, Clearview, OK 74880. Because of COVID-19, Marguerite will celebrate with a grand party but instead her children are planning a grand drive by parade on her special day. Also celebrating a birthday is Eugene “Goon” Golden, Marguerite’s first cousin and one of nine children, who will be 95 on August 16 th . He was born in Clearview, Oklahoma and has lived in the area most of his life as a farmer and rancher and the is father of 14 children. Marguerite and Goon of the children of brothers and sisters. Watch for both on Mac’s porch as the parade passes by.
Read moreThough working for Judge Isaac C. Parker, Bill Colbert worked mostly in Atoka, in the Choctaw Nation. He was primarily known to be quick to use his gun, and the Muskogee Phoenix did report two separate incidents where Colbert killed suspects who re- sisted being arrested by Colbert. Of African Choctaw ancestry, Colbert worked mostly in the Choctaw nation where he had knowledge of the land, language, and customs of the nation. His years of service were during the Parker years, though it is not certain when or where he later retired.
Read moreOften referred to as Neely Factor, this was a man of distinction in the Choctaw Nation. Factor was born in the Choctaw Na- tion, and was the son of Collin Factor and Mahala Factor. He was the husband of Eva Wade and they had many children who lived in the vicinity of Krebs, Indian Territory, in the Choctaw Nation. During his career as a lawman, Neely Factory made many of his captures with Zeke Miller and Robert Fortune. Although they did not work as a “trio” often when a posse was formed, deputies would work together to capture a suspect. Many times, his captives were taken to McAlester where they were held until removal of the prisoners to Ft. Smith. Factory was said to have been one of the earlier peace officers that served in the Territory. Historian Art Burton notes that Factory often worked in posses, but that he also was known to stake out an outlaw for several days at a time, to capture a suspect. Neely Factor was assigned to work in the town of Carbon, I. T., but at the time he applied for citizenship as a Choctaw Freedman, he and his family resided in Krebs. There was some concern by the Dawes Commission over the surname of the family, but it was emphasized by the family that the name was Factory and the family was recorded in the Choctaw records as Factory. Neely Factor’s service as an early lawman of Indian Territory is noted and his distinguished record was one of capturing his man.
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