Bad news for outlaws: The remarkable life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshall

Nelson, V.M. with Christie, R.G. (2009) Bad news for outlaws: The remarkable life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshall. Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda Books

This rather more grown-up picture book outlines the life of Bass Reeves, from his childhood in slavery through his deputization by Judge Isaac C. Parker in 1875 and his methods of bringing in criminals. He escaped slavery after striking his master, and went west to live with the Native Americans. Because the west was so lawless, judges were instructed to deputize U.S. Marshalls, who were to bring in criminals dead or alive. Reeves, the only Black marshall, brought most of his over three thousand outlaws in alive, and not because he wasn’t a crackshot, but because he had such a strong moral compass. And because he was so wily.

Readers learn about some of Reeves’ more famous lawbreakers, and some of his more interesting methods of arrest, like impersonating outlaws or farmers. Nelson does a nice job combining facts with storytelling, which makes Reeves seem as exciting but more real than some Western tall tales. There is a photo of Reeves in the back, with his trademark bushy moustache and imposing gaze, as well as a glossary of some of the fun western words like “dry-gulch” and “shooting irons.” Some of the more serious words, like “warrant” and “lynching,” are included, which I’d already had to explain (badly) for my seven year old. The end notes also offer a timeline of both the country and Reeves’ exploits, and some further reading and websites, info on Judge Parker and Indian Territory and her bibliography. These last I may be able to use for one of my summer camps for the library, as I look for western stories and frontier life! The artwork is a good accompaniment to the stories with a “cruder” folk style evocative of a hard, dry country teeming with two-legged varmints. They actually worked very well telling a story about rustic frontier life.