“The Old West” was teeming with colored people. American history has neglected and/or eliminated many black Afro-Indian contributions, records, and lifestyles. Slavery and indentured service were at the forefront of African American adventures and suffering.

The Old West, like many regions of our country, had its share of the criminal element, be it black, white, red or brown. Billy the Kid, Jesse James, and gangs like the Daltons roamed and raided the plains, farms, and towns of Western civilization. Cherokee Bill was one of those people. Frank and his brother Jesse James were sometimes beloved by medieval heroes like Robin Hood. Columbus is continually celebrated as a hero. The invasion of 1492 is heralded as the great American discovery. It doesn’t matter if he sailed to an occupied land with three ships full of criminals. It is called the discovery of a new land and it will be called America. The invading forces came to make their fortunes and wealth at the expense of non-whites. They set all the legal and economic rules of the game. Land grabbing and support and importation of slavery. This practice was legal. Opposing was illegal. These people who took over and/or destroyed everything were hailed as pioneer explorers and heroes. They were identified as law-abiding citizens. People who were forced to live by means other than their own, mainly dark people, were considered outlaws.

Cherokee Bill, Dick Glass, and the young Rufus Buck Gang arrived “at a time of deep political frustration for their kin, the Black Cherokees and Creeks.” William L. Katz and others have documented this fact. Historical documentation recorded criminals coming west from the north, south, east, and west of the country. The people who resided there called their soil “The Land of the Six Shooter”.

Law enforcement officers also emerged to stifle the practice of outlaw activities. Judge Isaac Parker, a white male, demonstrated intent for illegal activity by him. Parker vowed to smash, with sardonic encouragement, the reckless and recalcitrant presence of the outlaws. The “Hanging Judge” hired two hundred deputy constables when he arrived at Fort Smith in 1875. He didn’t care what color or race his recruits were. He seemed to be color blind in his battle against the criminal element. For about five hundred dollars (or less) a year, dark-skinned deputy sheriffs could also earn money by collecting bounties. Men like Bill Colbert, Bob Fortune, Neely Factor, John Garrett, John “JJ” Joss, Robert “Bob” Love, Eugene Walker, Ike Rogers, Grant Johnson, Morgan Tucker, Dick Roebuck, the legendary and doggedly intrepid Bass Reaves became in deputies. Bailiffs under Judge Parker. 1907 saw the departure of Judge Reaves and Fort Smith. Katz recorded that Brother Reaves spent thirty-seven years of his life enforcing the law. According to his book, “Black Indians,” he claimed that during Reaves’ tenure in law enforcement, only one man, Hellubee Smith, slipped the nets he cast.

Recorded American history has not been kind to the exploits of Native American African American men. A friend of mine, Mr. Robert Moore, provided enlightenment with his new book, “The President’s Men: Black United States Marshals in America,” which will be available on November 1, 2010. These esteemed dark complexioned United States Marshals managed, of course, to somehow, escape recognition and inclusion in the contemptuous, inextricable, sung and non-sequitur list of the records of the “History Book of the Bailiffs Service”. Now I wonder why. You are not?

Robert Moore, a retired United States Marshal appointed by President Clinton in 1994, is one of 62 black men in the United States who have been appointed to the position of United States Marshal by only nine presidents. Frederick Douglass was the first Black Marshal. His fight began 117 years after the appointment of Marshal Douglass. The 62 Prestigious Black Men Who Were Recommended by United States Senators to Nine Presidents, Went Through Extensive FBI Background Checks, Were Nominated by the Presidents, Approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee, Confirmed by the United States Senate and appointed by the President to administer a Judicial District: the names and accomplishments of these great men are omitted from the Book of History of the Bailiff Service.

Frederick Douglass was the first black United States Marshal, appointed by President Rutherford B. Hayes. It would be 85 years before President Kennedy appointed the next Black Marshal, Assistant US Attorney Luke Moore. Marshal Luke Moore would later, in October 1962, be appointed to oversee the 127-man detachment that protected James Meredith when he joined the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). His involvement in the integration of OLE Miss was never mentioned. John Marshall, the youngest son of Thurgood Marshall, who became the first African-American to be appointed director of the agency. President Clinton appointed him.

Mr. Robert Moore states “Marshals and Deputy Marshals appointed by the Negro President from 1875 and 1877”, “The President’s Men”, “Negro Marshals in America”, “Members of the most prominent and elite Negro families in the United States” – (Fredrick Douglass and Thurgood Marshall Families) have been appointed by the President as the first Black Marshals since 1877 and Director 1999 respectively.

United States Senators recommended these Prestigious Black Men to nine Presidents:

Frederick Douglass1877-1881 AD Rutherford B. Hayes

Luke Moore1962-1967 AD John F Kennedy

Marvin Washington1969-1973 WD/WI Richard M. Nixon

Benjamin Butler1969-1974 ED/NY Richard M. Nixon

George McKinney 1973-1977 DC Richard M. Nixon

Arthur Wilson1975-1977 ED/IL Gerald Ford

Andrew Chisholm 1977-1979 D/SC Jimmy Carter

Frank Anderson1978-1981 SD/AL Jimmy Carter

Tyree Richburg1978-1981 MD/AL Jimmy Carter

Glen Robinson1978-1990 ND/CA Jimmy Carter

Kernan Bagley1978-1981 D/O Jimmy Carter

Lee Limbs 1977-1981 AZ Jimmy Carter

Franklin Payne1977-1981 ED/MO Jimmy Carter

Rufus Lewis1977-1981 MD/AL Jimmy Carter

Jerome Bullock1977-1981 DCJimmy Carter

James Byrd1977 – 1981 D/WY Jimmy Carter

Harry Marshal1977-1982 SD/IL Jimmy Carter

Thaddeus Coney1977-1982 SD/TXJimmy Carter

Howard Turner1977-1981 WD/PAJimmy Carter

Willie Turner 1977-1981 WD/TN Jimmy Carter

Andrew Metcalf1977-1981 WD/MI Jimmy Carter

Jerome Perkins1981-1986 NA/EN Ronald Reagan

Williams Vaughn1981-1986 ED/MO Ronald Reagan

Herbert Rutherford1982-1985 ED/VA Ronald Reagan

Reginald Boyd1989-1990 AC George H.W. Bush

Willie Gleason1991-1994 ED/MO George HW Bush

Todd Dillard1990-1994 George HW Bush Superior Court

Albert Moore1990-1994OH George HW Bush

Robert Moore1994-2002 CD/IL William J. Clinton

John Marshal1994-1999 ED/VAWilliam J. Clinton

Frank Anderson1994-2002 SD/IN William J. Clinton

George McKinney 1994-2002 D/MD William J. Clinton

Glen Cunningham1996-2000 D/NJ William J. Clinton

Ike Durr1994-2001 SD/MS William J. Clinton

Todd Dillard1994-2002 Superior Court/DC William J. Clinton

Floyd Kimbrough1994-2000 ED/MOWilliam J. Clinton

Cleveland Vaughn1994-1996 D/NB William J. Clinton

Alan Lewis1994 -2001 ED/PA William J. Clinton

Israel Brooks1994-2002 D/SC William J. Clinton

Norris Batiste1994 -2002 ED/TX William J. Clinton

William Edwards1994-2001 NA/AL William J. Clinton

Herbert Brown1994 -1996 D/NV William J. Clinton

Conrad Pattillo 1994-2002 ED/AK William J. Clinton

James Lockley1994 – 2002 NA/FL William J. Clinton

Herbert Rutherford1994-2006 AD William J. Clinton

Donald Horton1996-2002 AD William J. Clinton

Robert McMichael1994 – 2002 N/A William J. Clinton

James Wigham2000-2002N/AWilliam J. Clinton

Flowers of Nehemiah2002 – Present SD/MS George W. Bush

Ronald Henderson2002 – Present ED/MO George W. Bush

RobertGrubb 2002 – Present ED/MI George W. Bush

David Thomas2002 – Present D/DE George W. Bush

Lafayette Collins2004 – Present WD/TX George W. Bush

Jesse Seroyer2002 – Present MD/AL George W. Bush

Duroncelex Theophile2002 – 2006 ND/LA George W. Bush

John Gibbons2010 – Present D/MA Barack H. Obama

Willie L. Richardson2010 – Present MD/GA Barack H. Obama

Kelvin Washington2010 – Present D/SC Barack H. Obama.

In 1875, Judge Isaac C. Parker, District Judge for the Western District of Arkansas, opened the ranks of the United States Marshals Service to African-American men. Bass Reeves, a former slave, was appointed Deputy US Marshal by Judge Parker in 1875, but it wasn’t until 1877 that an African-American man was allowed to serve as US Marshal. That year, Rutherford B. Hayes, the 19th President of the United States, appointed Frederick Douglass, also a former slave, to serve as United States Marshal for the District of Columbia, a position he held until 1881.

Would you believe that the United States of America could be safer with men like these watching over us? I do not think so. Now “go tell the mountain.”

Until next time.