Abstract:
In the early days of the development of the American frontier, western migration beyond the Mississippi river toward the Pacific Ocean was an on-going and dangerous venture. But those emigrants had no fear of what the unknown, open spaces held for them. After the war of rebellion, emigration became even more intense, comprised now of freedmen as well as European settlers. There were wagon trains full of Black pioneers originated from as far away as Indiana and Kentucky, Alabama and Mississippi, Georgia and Florida. All fleeing the Black Codes of the Northern states, or the Jim Crow Laws of the south, and seeking a share of the “New America”! The elements of lawlessness were close behind. The Indian resettlements in the west had taken place thirty years earlier and their enclaves were considered off-limits to any settlement other than the designated tribes that lived there. Because there was no authority given to the Indian Police (called Light Horsemen) to arrest white men crossing into their reservation, many white men who lived outside the law retreated there after doing their dastardly deeds outside the boundary of “The Territory”. They robbed and killed with impunity because of their ability to hide out there. The United States Government decided to take the situation in hand. Cavalry patrols were set up to maintain some semblance of order, but their patrols were predictable, and few and far between. Finally, Washington, D.C. decided to set up a permanent judicial district. The main seat of this arm of Law and order became the court of Judge Roy Parker, operating out of Ft. Smith Arkansas. His jurisdiction covered Arkansas and he had judicial authority over the Indian Nations in what was called the “Territory”. The judge organized a force of Lawmen and appointed them Deputy United States Marshals. Their duty was to serve the writs Judge Parker issued for lawbreakers, giving them the authority to arrest white men and black men, as well as Indian. These were outstanding lawmen and they quickly made a name for themselves. They were by and large a body of intrepid black men. Some who had been runaway slaves and some who were born free men. One of the most outstanding lawmen in the ranks of these Deputies was a man named Cazz Reed. Known for his extraordinary tracking ability and mastery of the languages of the “Nations” and “signing”, Cazz always brought back his man. He had a reputation for honesty and fairness among the tribes and his fellow lawmen and he was the man most often called upon by the judge. He was a lawman extraordinaire, and desperadoes who came up against him either praised him or cursed him, depending on the severity of their crime. He was known to be tenacious and tough, sometimes trailing a man for weeks (and in several instances for years) on end. Now his skills would be tested to their limit against an adversary that was counted among the most dangerous in the whole western territory. This writ would take him through hostile encounters with lawmen and citizens, as well as with the bad men living outside the law! It was a writ for the notorious “Grabber”, a man who even horses turned away from! Cazz was sent to bring him in! This is the story of that manhunt from its dastardly beginning to the finality of its end.