Drunk History

[janroc]

Somebody posted a few months ago about an episode that was filmed in T town. They played it tonight. Pretty fvcking funny. If you haven't dvr'd it you should, or watch it. Bass Reeves-never heard of the guy, but that dude was pure bad ass. Supposedly was the inspiration for the Lone Ranger. Former slave that ran away after fvcking up management in a fist fight and became the first black Marshall west of the Mississippi.

Should be a movie. Morgan freeman/Denzel

 

[Orange Jennyslipper]

Majorly disappointed in Kat Dennings' wardrobe. Everything buttoned up to the jawline is not her best look.

Still debating whether I want Urkel popping into my head when I think of Bass Reeves.

Colin Hanks as Gordo Cooper was pretty funny reading his Mercury capsule CO2 meter as "You're f@@ked!"

 

[hollywood]

My stepdad's grandfather (on his mother's side), George Washington "GW" Edmon was one of Judge Parker's Deputy Marshals based out of Ft. Smith, AR but who worked almost exclusively in the Indian Territories. I remember my grandma (step) telling me stories, she had heard from her family about his exploits.

He apparently spent much of his time near or around Robber's Cave which served as a hide out for many of the gangs working the territories. If I recall correctly, he played a role in capturing some of Belle Starr's gang members.

BTW, Reeve's story was already made into a movie, a very low budget one which was released in 2010. But I read recently that HBO was working on a project to do something with his story.

 

[Deepfork]

Ha, my great great uncle was a man named Henry "One Armed Henry" Donathan. He was also a Federal Deputy Marshal out of Judge Parker's court and worked the Indian Territory around the Porum area. His picture can be found in the museum is Ft Smith. Side note to Belle Starr. My Great Great Grandparents had the farm next to Belle. She was a friend of the family and put the first diaper on my Great Grandfather while acting as a midwife during delivery. When Belle was shot, they took their turn staying with the body, which was a tradition at that time. They felt that her son shot her.

 

[hollywood]

Deepfork,

Belle Starr's death has always been a mystery, with some thinking it was a gang member while many others thought her son Edwin had killed her. Interestingly, among those who suspected the son of killing her, was Starr's daughter Pearl Starr (aka: Rosie Lee Reed, Pearl Reed, & Pearl Younger).

Pearl ran a high dollar bordello in Ft Smith for years and owned and operated a number of other bordellos throughout OK and AR. When the states enacted laws outlawing them she retired to Arizona.

BTW, I found an brief article in the Shawnee (OK) newspaper from 1914, reporting the return to the city of Mrs. G.W. Edmon, from her task of burying her husband and mentioned that he was very well known in the community. I believe at one time, he may have been in law enforcement in the early days in Shawnee or surrounding environs, having been a former US Deputy Marshal for the Territory previously.

My grandmother was born in 1893, and participated as a very young girl (she was in the family wagon while some of her older brothers were on horseback) in one of the latter "land runs." I wish I had paid more attention to her stories and learned more about it, but I was just a stupid kid who didn't really appreciate how meaningful that sort of history really is.

 

[Ostatedchi]

Bell Star is a relative of mine. Great great great aunt or something.

 

[hollywood]

At one time, I had a handcuff? (they were of this design) http://www.antiquesnavigator.com/ebay/images/2013/171061158821.jpg so it wouldn't be correct to refer to them as handcuffs and a small .32 nickel plated 5 shot revolver which Deputy Marshall Edmon carried in a boot as his back-up weapon of choice. My grandmother had left them to me at her passing.

Before my step-father passed, I asked him to send them to my cousin (step) as he was actually a blood relative, the great-grandson of Mr. Edmon, and I knew that he would pass them down to his grandchildren when the time came. As much as I wanted to keep them (heck, I knew my "Grandma" from age 4 and was much more of a grandson to her than I was to my blood grandmother) I just didn't feel right about keeping them.

I remember when I was about 13 or 14 my grandmother showed the cuff to me and I laughed at it and said I didn't see how that could hold someone, especially a bad guy. Grandma was about 80 at that point, and probably weighed about 110 lbs and was 3 inches shorter than me, and she asked me if I would like a demonstration? She just slapped those on my wrist and in about 2 seconds she had me on the ground begging for mercy. She told me that I was lucky she was just "playing" because it wasn't uncommon for the LE who carried those to snap wrists routinely. It was amazing how little leverage had to be applied with that style of cuff to control someone.

 

[Deepfork]

Great story. Henry brought my great great grandfather to OK after getting him out of jail in Texas for killing the guys that shot and killed his father and brother around Magazine Mountain in Arkansas during the Civil War. They are buried in Booneville AR under a big Masonic headstone. And yes, my great great Grandfather was pretty sure her son shot her.