DELAWARE BEND by Ken Farmer

In the mid and all the way to the turn of the century, there was an area in northern  Cooke County and Grayson County, Texas called the Delaware Bend. At one time, it was known as one of the three most dangerous and deadly areas in North America sharing that honor with Leadville, Colorado and Tombstone, Arizona.

Stories are a place to hang knowledge on.

Originally part of Fannin County, it was included in Grayson County when it was established in 1846 and was finally split with the western half of the big loop in the Red River going to Cooke County in 1848. The entire area was bounded on the west with the Chisholm Cattle Trail and on the east with the Shawnee Cattle Trail.

The Shawnee—also called the Texas Trail is today known as Preston Road—used the crossing at Colbert's Ferry. It was the only decent crossing of the Red until you got to Sivells Bend in Cooke County or Red River Station in Montague on the west. It was important in that it was the primary crossing between Texas and Indian Territory from about 1850 to 1899 for both the Shawnee Cattle Trail and the Butterfield Overland Mail route.

Stories are linear in nature, but are best presented

by an abstract person.

Delaware Bend, upper right corner

There were still Indian villages in the area when Texas declared its independence in 1836. The primary tribe was known as the Delawares. In 1842 a treaty was drawn that would exclude Indians from the land east of the Cross Timbers—an unusual strip of forest ranging from five to thirty miles wide that ran from the Arkansas River on the north some four hundred miles south to the Brazos. Well, it seems the Cross Timbers and the land west ran smack dab across the Delaware Bend. 

The area rapidly became a haven for outlaws and rogue Indians. Joe T. Roff, son of one of the early settlers wrote in his memoirs the following:

"While the great majority of the people were of the type spoken of, yet many renegades from the States had drifted into the Indian Territory to avoid the laws of the States. There were bold cattle and horse thieves to be dealt with, but when the honest people could not be protected by the law, they appealed to the first law of nature and made and enforced their own laws." - Joe T. Roff

History is not always what it seems…it's what whoever

wrote about it wants it to be.

There were many sightings of William Clarke Quantrill, Bloody Bill Anderson and later, the James Gang in the Bend area in and around the town of Dexter. The natives tell the story that Jesse would give some of the local boys fifty cents to keep an eye out for posses.

When someone begins a conversation…'I may be wrong'...Rest assured 

they don't think there's a chance in hell.

Dexter was a booming town until the railroad from Denison to Gainesville and points west went south through Woodbine instead of Dexter as was projected—the town kinda died on the vine after that. But that's another story. 

Dexter Hotel - Then and now

Here's some pics of the Dexter Hotel, both back in the day and recently. It was still standing seven years ago when I was up in that part of the county doing some research…it looked haunted.

A Colonel W. D. Young owned much of the fertile land along the river bottom, including a settlement known as Shawneetown. He turned it into a landing for cotton barges. He also served one term as a US Marshal and is known in Texas history as a Confederate hero who was ambushed Oct. 16, 1862 in events leading up to what is known as the largest mass lynching in American history—The Great Hanging in Gainesville, Texas.

Writers learn to write by writing.

The Delaware Bend remained a gathering area for outlaws on the scout until the Lee Gang—brothers, James, Pink and Tom, along with Ed Stein—with their huge rustling operation, were shut down. James, Pink and Tom are key antagonists in our latest Bass Reeves novel, "Across the Red". 

What's left of Delaware Bend—at one time some of the best farming land in Texas—now lies under Lake Texoma.  There are a couple of houses and a feed store still left in Dexter along with a very interesting cemetery and the pile of old boards and a brick chimney that once was the Dexter Hotel.

Look at your tracks and acknowledge what you have

 or haven't done.

Continuing on with the next installment from my DICTIONARY of EMOTIONS

 LOVE FEAR

B

PRIME: FEAR

BEWILDERED - Perplexed or confused, mystified; dazed.

Secondary:

ADDLED - To make or become confused.

BEDAZZLED - Dazzled to a point of confusion or amazement.

BOGGLED - Overwhelmed with astonishment.

BENUMBED - Feeling totally stupefied.

CONFOUNDED - Brought into confusion.

CONFUSED - Unclear, addled; lacking logical order.

DAZZLED - Deeply impressed, overwhelmed or amazed.

FUDDLED - A state of confusion.

FLABBERGASTED - Dumbfounded.

LOST - Distraught; gone astray.

MUDDLED - Confused.

STUPOROUS - A state of reduced sensibility; dazed.

PRIME: FEAR

BELLIGERENT - Hostile, eager to fight.

Secondary:

ACERBIC - Bitter and sharp in speech , manner or temper.

ACID - Unpleasant disposition.

ARGUMENTATIVE - Given to arguing; disputatious.

BELLICOSE - Pugnacious; warlike in nature.

CENSORIOUS - Tending to be critical.

CONTENTIOUS - Quarrelsome.

CRUEL - Intentionally causing pain or suffering on others.

CYNICAL - Believing all people are motivated by selfishness.

DISPUTATIOUS - Given to dispute.

INDIGNANT - Feeling angry due to some injustice.

MALIGNING - To speak evil of; to defame.

MALEVOLENT - Exhibiting ill will.

MORDANT - Bitingly sarcastic.

SARDONICLY - Scornfully mocking.

SARCASTIC - Given to cutting, ironic remarks.

SPITEFUL - To be mean or evil toward another.

VENGEFUL - Desiring vengeance.

VINDICTIVE - Vengeful; spiteful.

C

PRIME: LOVE

CHARMED - Attracted to or fascinated with; delighted and pleased.

Secondary:

ABSORBED - Totally mentally concentrated; engrossed.

ALLURED - Enticed by charm or other attraction.

BEGUILED - Misled, diverted; amused or delighted.

BEWITCHED - Enchanted; fascinated or captivated.

CAPTIVATED - Fascinated by something or someone.

DELUDED - To deceived the mind in judgment of.

DIVERTED - Distracted.

ENAMORED - Inflamed with love.

ENRAPTURED - Filled with delight.

ENTICED - Attracted by arousing hope or desire; lure.

ENCHANTED - Bewitched; to attract and delight.

ENTRANCED - Carried away with delight.

ENTHRALLED - Fascinated; enslaved.

FASCINATED - Holding an intense interest or attraction for.

INFATUATED - Inspired with unreasoning love or attachment.

MESMERIZED - Hypnotized.

MARVELING - Filled with wonder or surprise.

RAVISH - To overwhelm with emotion.

SMITTEN - Inflamed with love.

SPELLBOUND - Fascinated as if by a spell.

PRIME: FEAR

CONFUSED - To be unclear in mind or purpose; bewildered.

Secondary:

ABASHED - Disconcerted.

ADDLED - Muddled.

BAFFLED - Frustrated, stymied, thwarted, foiled.

DISCOMBOBULATED - A state of being upset, confused.

DISCONCERTED - Thrown into disarray.

DISTRACTED - Emotionally unsettled; troubled.

DUMBFOUNDED - Filled with astonishment and perplexity.

GROGGY - Unsteady and dazed.

HAZY - Unclear or vague.

PERPLEXED - Puzzled.

PERTURBED - Disturbed, agitated.

PUZZLED - Mentally confused with a difficult problem.

THE DEEPEST TRUTH CAN BE FOUND BY MEANS

OF A SIMPLE STORY

Redemption along the Red

by Phil Truman

Continuing with the West of the Dead Line series, Episode 4 came out early last month.

What follows is an excerpt from #4, "Redemption along the Red."

Here's the setup:

Bass Reeves, still living among the Creek and Cherokee in 1875 Indian Territory, has settled in as a guide and tracker for lawmen out of Fort Smith, Arkansas who come into the Territory to hunt down wanted felons. During the course of this particular trip, Reeves takes the opportunity to rescue his mother, sister, wife and children from down in north Texas. On the land of his old master, he must face a nemesis from his past to fight for his family’s freedom. Escaping across the Red River and back into Indian Territory, Bass and his family are caught in the path of a deadly storm. In its wake he finds redemption for a sin from his past. 

Riders approaching brought Bass to the cabin door. As he pulled a suspender strap over his left shoulder, he picked up the Henry with his right hand, jacked a .44 cartridge into the rifle’s chamber, and stepped outside.

The two men pulled up twenty feet from the cabin’s front, staying in the saddle when they saw Reeves with the rifle. One was a stout man with a drooping brown mustache covering both his lips. The other was lean and clean-faced, sat taller in his saddle than his companion. They were young men, younger than Bass. Both wore tin badges on their shirt fronts.

“M’name’s LeFlore,” the stout one said. “This here’s Heck Bruner. We’re deputy U.S. marshals.”

“Charlie LeFlore? Believe I heard of you,” Bass said. “Don’t believe I know Mister Bruner.” He pointed the barrel of the Henry toward the ground, un-cocking the hammer with a thumb. His smile let the men know they weren’t in any immediate danger.

“We heard of you, too, Reeves. That’s why we come lookin’ for you,” LeFlore said. “Sam Sixkiller tells us you could track a dead man straight into hell.”

Bass laughed a little. “Well, some leave more sign than others, but if Sam said it, I ’spect it’s true. You needin’ a tracker, are ya?”

“We’re needin’ to go down into Chickasaw land to find a man shot and kilt a woman. There’s a couple whiskey runners we’d like to round up, too, while we’re down there. They’s said to be south of Anadarko, down around the Red. Sam says you know the land.”

“Red River country, huh? Where you’re talking about is Kiowa and Comanche land, out west of the Dead Line.”

Reeves paused to let that sink in. Then he continued. “Ain’t many men your side of the law likes to go out there.”

The deputies nodded and glanced at one another, keeping silent.

“I take it this man what kilt that woman ain’t Indin, or was she a white woman?”

“Naw, he’s a white man name of Bill Pollcott. I believe she were Choctaw, a whore. He beat her up and choked her dead when he woke and caught her stealin’ from his poke. Still, law says you can’t go around killing women, even thievin’ whores.”

“Believe that to be true enough. I require five dollars a day, plus expenses,” Bass said. 

LeFlore nodded. “Court’ll pay the goin’ rate, I reckon.”

"One of the men you lookin’ for Dick Glass?”

“We ain’t got a writ for him, but I believe if we’s to meet up with him, we’d want to take him in,” LaFlore said.

“He’s likely out that way. We meet up with Dick Glass, there’s a few things I’d like to discuss with him before you arrest him.”

“What would that be?”

“He oncest shot a friend of mine, stole somethin’ of ours. Another time he shot at me, but missed and kilt a little boy. I’d like to see if I could get restitution.”

The deputies looked at one another, knowing what Bass implied... 

Episode 5, "The Getaway of Cross-eyed Jack Dugan," is set to be released this month.  We'll take a glimpse at it in my September post. If you haven't had a chance to review the first three episodes, you can find them here:
#1 - Bringing in Pike Cudgo
#2 - Freed Men
#3 - Runaway

Phil Truman is the author of the award-winning historical western novel,  Red Lands Outlaw, the Ballad of Henry Starr;  a sports inspirational about small town schoolboy football entitled GAME, an American Novel; and Treasure Kills (formerly Legends of Tsalagee), a mystery/adventure in a small town. 

He's currently working on a series of western shorts put together in a volume called West of the Dead Line, the first four stories of which are available at Amazon in e-format only for 99 cents each. Volume I - six stories in all - will be available in print and electronic format in the Fall of 2014. 

The Dead Line

 by Phil Truman

The Dead Line, as it came to be called, was a railroad, the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas, cutting across the middle of Indian Territory.

Missouri, Kansas, & Texas RR

It ran straight south from Caldwell, Kansas to Fort Reno, I.T., then on down through the Cheyenne and Comanche and Kiowa lands, crossing the Red River into Bowie, Texas. It was not only a line on a map, but a physical demarcation. West of it there was no law, only outlaws. On trails out there, notes would be put up on trees and posts, sort of reverse wanted posters, letting lawmen - usually those Federal marshals up from Texas or over from Arkansas - know they’d be killed if they continued their pursuits west of the Dead Line.

Throughout the 225 year history of the U.S. Marshals Service, over 200 deputies have been killed in the line of duty. Of those, more than 120 lost their lives in the Indian and Oklahoma Territories between 1850 and Oklahoma statehood in 1907.

Relic of the MKT

In the storied annals of the American West, no place comes close to matching the dangers and mortality these Federal officers faced doing their jobs. Their courage, resolve, and dedication to duty were beyond reproach...for the most part. Those who survived became titans in the legends of the West.

The stories in this collection I call West of the Dead Line are fiction, but the encounters these lawmen faced, and The Dead Line, were not.

This first volume - seven are written, about five more are sketched out - involves tales centering around Bass Reeves, an illiterate ex-slave, adopted Creek Indian, scout for the Federal marshals, and eventually a Deputy U.S. Marshal himself, perhaps the best there ever was. In his 32 years as a Federal peace officer in the Indian Territory and young state of Oklahoma Reeves brought in over 3,000 outlaws to the Federal Court in Fort Smith, Arkansas, both dead and alive, one of whom was his own son wanted for murder.

So here are story lines and excepts from the first two stories in Volume I:

#1 - Bringing in Pike Cudgo

After the cold-blooded murder of two lawmen, Deputy Marshal Bass Reeves, along with his colleagues, Deputy Heck Thomas and Posseman Jud Coldstone, pursue a ruthless Seminole “freedman” into the harsh country of the Wichita Mountains. Aided by a band of Cheyenne hunters, Reeves and his allies seek to bring the outlaw Pike Cudgo to justice. 

Deputy Marshal Bynum P. Nelson felt surprise right before he died. He had a fraction of a second to be pissed, but he was mostly surprised. It never occurred to him that Pike Cudgo would walk right up to him, and stick that eight inch blade into the left side of his neck. He knew the Seminole freedman was a mean and dangerous sumbitch, but he’d been caught off-guard by Cudgo’s cordiality. It was his last mistake.

“You Deputy Nelson?” the man asked. He came walking up to him out of the night shadows right there on the main street of Waurika, smiling like they were at a church social, and he was about to introduce himself. “Your man, Maha, said you’s lookin’ for me.”

He started to stick his hand out as if to offer a handshake, but instead slid a bone-handled Boulder knife out of his coat sleeve and stabbed it into Nelson’s neck, right between two vertebrae, severing the lawman’s spinal cord. The surprise came up in Nelson’s brain the second he caught a glint of the raised blade, but that split-second was all he had as the emotion died right along with the rest of him that fatal instant there on the night streets of Waurika, I.T. in 1889. 

Cudgo embraced the slumping body of Nelson while he jerked the knife out of the lawman’s neck, then let the dead weight of him drop to the dirt street. Cudgo wiped the blade on a faded red bandana that hung from his belt, standing there looking around. His cruel black eyes searched for anyone watching; anyone he thought might care about what he’d just done, anyone else he might have to take care of. The expression on his mean black face was a mask of cold-blooded dispassion. Human life had no value to Pike Cudgo, except his own.

#2 - Freed Men

The young slave Bass Reeves is captured by a Yankee spy during the Civil War campaign in Arkansas which ended at the Battle of Pea Ridge. Set free by his captor, Bass wanders into the encampment of the 2nd Cherokee Mounted Rifles of the Southern Army whose leader presses the lost slave to stand and fight with them. Battling shoulder-to-shoulder with the Cherokee warriors during the fierce combat, Bass’s life is forever changed in a way he never before imagined. 

“Where you from, Yank?” Bass asked. 

His captor stared at Reeves squarely before looking into the fire. “Kansas, mostly,” he said. “Rode with General Lane’s Jayhawkers. He didn’t much cotton to secessionists… or slave owners. Called himself an ‘abolitionist.’”

“That why you rode with him? You uh…ab-bol-lishnest?”

The Yankee threw back his head and laughed. He stood and walked out to the edge of the firelight to take his own piss, chuckling to himself as he did so.

When he came back to the fire, he sat again opposite Reeves, stirred the coals with a stick, threw on another piece of wood. “You even know what that means, boy? Abolitionist?"

“Sho’ I does,” Bass answered, a little indignant. “It mean freein’ slaves.”

“Seems to me the only freed men is the dead ones,” his captor said. He paused to stir the fire some more, looked at Bass. “I’ve personally freed a few myself,” he said with a grin and a wink.

“Naw, I rode with Lane because he offered me the job,” he continued. “Pay wasn’t much, but it kept me out of jail. I needed that more than money at the time.

Battle of Pea Ridge

“Still, sayin’ it’s legal to own a man don’t seem right to me. Sure as hell don’t believe I’d put up with anyone claimin’ they owned me.”

Silence fell between the pair again. The haunting sound of a harmonica drifted in with the cold night air. Men’s voices echoed through the black forest; voices in calm conversation and some laughter, distant but clear like coming across a still river at night.

”Whas yo name, then?” Bass asked. Another long pause followed before the Yankee answered.

“I got several names. Go by Haycock in this here army, William Haycock. Back in Kansas some folks called me ‘Wild Bill.’ Called me that because of the shape of my nose, made fun of how it swoops out sorta like a duck’s bill. I didn’t much like it at first, made a few callin’ me that pay. But now I believe I like it…yes sir, believe I do. You can call me Wild Bill.”

Bass nodded, and grinned back at the man. “Wild Bill,” he repeated.

“You realize I’m only telling you this ’cause you’ll be dead before sundown tomorrow.”

Bass looked cold-eyed at Haycock. “You gone kill me, Wild Bill?” he asked.

Haycock laughed again. “Naw, I ain’t gonna kill you, Bass. I’m gonna let you go. But boys see a nigger runnin’ free through these here woods, I figure one side or t’other’s bound to shoot your ass. Ain’t that what we’re fightin’ for? To set your likes free?” He cocked an eyebrow and grinned at his captive.

Bass stared back at Haycock. After a bit, he said to him, “You lets me go, Wild Bill, how you know I ain’t finds myself a gun an’ frees yo’ ass?” 

The Yankee continued to grin back at Bass. After a few seconds Haycock began to sputter through his teeth, then his chest bucked. His eyes squinted as snorts of laughter welled up from his gut and burst out his mouth.

You can get your copy of the West of the Dead Line stories  by clicking on the titles above. Phil has also authored three other novels: the award-winning historical western novel,  Red Lands Outlaw, the Ballad of Henry Starr;  a sports inspirational about small town schoolboy football entitled GAME, an American Novel; and Treasure Kills (formerly Legends of Tsalagee), a mystery/adventure in a small town. 
 

 

 

Who was that Masked Man?

Movie theaters seem to be replete with super heroes these days. Maybe with the onslaught of  real life villains we see pouring in on us from the airwaves, we have an instinctive wish for, not just persons of incorruptible good, but champions for right, as well. Truth is, there’re plenty of those people in the world, they’re just not bigger than the screen…nor talked about much on the news channels.

Hollywood likes to spin up these marvelous fictitious heroes, mainly because we, the buying public…well, buy into it.  And what are the attributes of these super heroes? He (or she) must be honest, trustworthy, forthright, honorable, resilient, patriotic, faithful, fearless, duty-driven, courageous, young, good-looking, fit, and, of course, invulnerable. One or more super powers can come in handy, too, but aren’t mandatory. Wit, when one lacks in overpowering ability, can serve in its place.

Clayton Moore as The Lone Ranger

This summer it’s Superman and The Lone Ranger. Now, we all know about the Man of Steel. I mean, he’s like the Michael Jordon of super heroes with a dose of George Washington moral fiber thrown in. However, he’s more eastern urban than western hero, so let’s concentrate on TLR and the time-honored question, “Who was that Masked Man?”

Take a look at TLR’s hero characteristics: He was a loner; he rode with an American Indian sidekick; he concealed his identity with a black mask; he roamed “the West” bringing to justice all manner of bad guys; he had a beautiful, fast horse; he would often wear disguises to out-wit unsuspecting outlaws; he would leave a silver bullet as his calling card; he started out in Detroit.

There are those who think the tales of the Lone Ranger originated from the life of a legendary western lawman named Bass Reeves.

Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves worked for Judge Isaac Parker’s U.S. District Court out of Ft. Smith, Arkansas from about 1875 to 1905. Deputy marshals for the “Hanging Judge” would roam far into the rough, untamed, and lawless land called Indian Territory to arrest wrongdoers.

From its inception in 1789 the U.S. Marshals Service has lost over 200 deputies in the line of duty.

More than 120 of those were killed in Indian and Oklahoma Territories prior to Oklahoma statehood in 1907. So it’s interesting to note that during Bass Reeves’ 30 years as a lawman in one of the most dangerous areas of the old west, he received nary even a bullet wound. Several times he had his hat shot off, once a bullet ripped a button from his coat, another time a slug fired from a Colt .44 cut the reins he held while sitting astride his horse. Invulnerability? Check.

Bass Reeves, an ex-slave, belonged to a Confederate Colonel named George R. Reeves of the 11^th Texas Cavalry, who brought Bass along as his personal servant on his campaigns. Some historians believe Bass fought alongside Col. (later Gen.) Stand Watie’s Cherokee soldiers at the Battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas. Bass ran away from his enslavement after he and his colonel got into an altercation over a card game one night and Bass punched out his master. Fleeing into Indian Territory, he was taken in by members of the Creek Nation with whom he lived for several years.

In the back story of TLR, he was left for dead when a party of Texas Rangers, with whom he rode prior to becoming TLR, were ambushed by outlaws. But he is found by an Indian, who recognized the pre-TLR as a man who’d once saved his life, and so, nursed him back to health. Enter the famous Tonto.

Teaching a slave to read in the pre-Civil War South was considered a bad idea, so Bass was illiterate;

Bass Reeves

however, he was far from stupid. As a deputy he had to carry and serve warrants and writs for those whom he pursued. He devised astute ways to identify which writs were for which outlaw, and never arrested the wrong person, over 3,000 of them. He also got help from trusted possemen who could read. It’s believed one or two of those were Indians.

Black people in post-Civil War America were largely invisible. That is, no matter their station, no matter their accomplishments, they were ignored by the predominantly white population. Although Bass Reeves was perhaps one of the most courageous, dogged, duty-bound, and successful lawmen in terms of chasing down and bringing in bad guys, he was rarely recognized as such in news accounts. Having a black man arrest a white man, even the dirtiest of lowdown no account polecats, was highly frowned upon in “polite” society. Most times, newspaper accounts gave white deputies credit for Reeves’ arrests. Thus, his black face was his mask.

Bass would also use disguises to work his way among and arrest desperados. In one tale he put on ragged clothes, an old floppy hat, and heelless shoes then walked several miles to the home of two fugitive brothers. He looked every bit the downtrodden tramp, and told the boys’ ma he’d been running from the law, asking if he could get something to eat. She invited him in. When the brothers returned they struck up a friendship with the affable Reeves, and as the evening wore on agreed to let Bass join up with them in their ongoing outlawry, inviting him to spend the night. Once everyone was asleep, Bass slapped the brothers in cuffs, awakened them and informed them of their arrest. As he marched them off on foot back toward his distant camp, the boys’ ma followed along berating the deputy and cussing him fiercely.

Bass always had fine, fast horses. In fact, prior to his deputying days, he developed a good reputation for raising and training horses, selling many of his animals to the deputies he knew. He kept the best and fastest for himself, though. No doubt one or two were gray…or silver.

Bass didn’t use or give away silver bullets, but when he was out and about in the Territory, he would often get meals, lodging, and intel from local residents. It’s said he had a habit of leaving his hosts a silver dollar before he rode off.

As to the Detroit connection, many of the felons Reeves brought to justice were sent to the Detroit House of Corrections. Tales of the Lone Ranger began on the radio in Detroit in 1933. Maybe a tenuous connection, but it’s possible legendary stories of Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves came from some of those in that Detroit jail who’d had personal dealings with that man in the black mask.




Phil Truman has authored three of what he calls, “Oklahoma-centric” novels.  Red Lands Outlaw, the Ballad of Henry Starr  a historical novel about the life and times of an Oklahoma outlaw, was a 2013 Peacemaker Award nominee and finalist for the 2013 Will Rogers Medallion for Western Fiction. His novel GAME, an American Novel is a sports inspirational about small town schoolboy football. Legends of Tsalagee weaves a tale of mystery and adventure in a small town. He has won numerous awards for his short fiction, and his western short story “Last Will for an Outlaw” appears in LaFrontera Publishing’s anthology, Dead or Alive, released June 2013.

Phil’s website is: http://philtrumanink.com/