10 Facts That Prove Isaac Rogers Was a Bad Ass

Isaac “Ike” Rogers, one of the newly introduced characters on the Paramount+ show, Lawmen: Bass Reeves, was a real person and my 2x great grandfather. He’s being awesomely portrayed by Justin Hurtt-Dunkley.

In the interest of sharing more about his story, and correcting the narrative about him that’s out there, here are some largely unknown facts about him. So, pull up a seat. It’s gonna get REAL interesting.

1. Ike was enslaved in the
Cherokee Nation

Ike was born enslaved between 1847 and 1853 in the Cherokee Nation (now northeast Oklahoma). He and his mother, Martha May Richardson, were enslaved by Alzira Price May, a Cherokee by Blood and her husband, Peter May, a white man. Alzira and her husband were Old Settlers, Cherokees who had removed voluntarily prior to the Trail of Tears. Many accounts have noted that he was tri-racial – Black, Cherokee, and white – which is true. On the other hand, many fail to name his parents or attribute his ancestry to the sexual assault of his maternal grandmother, Annie May Humphries, by Cherokee Chief John Rogers.

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2. Ike was a Civil War veteran

Ike enlisted on August 10, 1862 at Mound City, Kansas. His enlistment wasn’t entirely sanctioned. Sen. James Henry Lane (KS) moved swiftly following the Confiscation and Militia Acts of 1862 to recruit Black men to fight as part of the First Kansas Colored Infantry, the first Black unit to be enlisted, see battle (Battle of Island Mound), and have casualties in the Civil War. The unit later became the United States Colored Troops 79th Regiment and spent much of their service at Fort Smith, Arkansas, a central place in the storyline of Lawmen: Bass Reeves.

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3. Ike was one of several Black U.S. Deputy Marshals

While many have heard of Bass Reeves prior to the series, most don’t realize that he wasn’t the only Black U.S. Deputy Marshal who rode for Judge Isaac Parker and the Western District of Arkansas. Others include Ike Rogers as well as Rufus Cannon, Grant Johnson, Zeke Miller, Robert Fortune, Bill Colbert, Neely Factor, John Garrett, Crowder Nicks, and Daniel Walker.

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4. Ike captured Cherokee Bill, a notorious Indian Territory outlaw

On January 31, 1895. Ike Rogers, with the help of his third wife, Sarah, and neighbor, Clint Scales, apprehended Cherokee Bill, one of the most ruthless outlaws in the Indian Territory. Cherokee Bill was played by LaKeith Stanfield in the Netflix movie, The Harder They Fall, but the storyline in that film didn’t exactly follow how Bill’s demise actually happened. That involved a gorgeous young family member, a slumber birthday party, a Winchester rifle, and a fire poker.

Ike entertained Cherokee Bill at his house two weeks before Bill’s capture and they were said to be friends. To boot, Ike’s brother in law, Dunk Vann, shot and killed Wash Nave in a case of mistaken identity. Dunk thought Wash was Bill. This shooting happened three days before Bill’s capture.

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5. Ike survived 200 rounds of gunfire in an effort to capture Henry Starr

Ike and fellow deputy marshal, Rufus Cannon, were hot on the trail of the Starr gang in February 1893 when Ike telegraphed U.S. Marshal Jacob Yoes that “about two hundred shots were fired” in a shootout. Starr had already killed another marshal, Floyd Wilson, a few months prior. While Ike and Cannon were unsuccessful in capturing Starr, they wounded one of the members of his gang, Jesse Jackson.

Henry Starr was the nephew of famed outlaw Belle Starr. Belle was said to have turned herself in to avoid being arrested by Bass Reeves.

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6. Ike advocated for the rights of
Cherokee Freedmen

Ike testified in front of the Committee of Indian Affairs of the United States Senate on May 20, 1885. His testimony discussed how Cherokee Freedmen were being treated in the Cherokee Nation following the Treaty of 1866. While, he was able to vote, his children couldn’t go to Cherokee Nation schools. He also discussed racial violence against Freedmen, being unable to take advantage of services, and that Black men who intermarried with Cherokee women were not entitled to the same privileges was white men who did.

He consistently sent letters to the editor arguing for the rights of Cherokee Freedmen. His advocacy is likely one of the reasons why more than 20 of his living descendants are citizens of the Cherokee Nation today.

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7. Ike was charged with extortion

Ike arrested Charles Tongonoxie on August 23, 1893 for the crime of larceny on behalf of Judge Parker’s court. Tongonoxie alleged that he paid Ike $30 “upon the express understanding, condition, and promise of the said Ike Rogers that he would as Deputy United States Marshal…procure and obtain release” of Tongonoxie. It is believed that Ike lost his commission as a marshal due to this case although he was reinstated less than two years later. No oaths for the year 1894 are found for Ike, which confirms this theory.

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8. Ike was murdered by Clarence Goldsby on April 20, 1895

Retribution was on the menu as Goldsby sought revenge for the capture and eventual hanging of Cherokee Bill, his brother. It was morning at the train station in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma. Ike exited the train and was shaking the hands of friends and associates who had gathered for a payment of funds from the Cherokee Nation. Goldsby fired at least five shots, killing Ike instantly. Ike and Goldsby previously got into a dispute at Hayden, and some reports say Ike held a gun to Goldsby’s head or hit him and others that Ike threatened to take Goldsby’s life. Clarence Goldsby was never apprehended. He later died from pneumonia in St. Louis, Missouri in 1911.

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9. Ike’s legacy is part of the first ever exhibit on Cherokee Freedmen curated by the Cherokee Nation.

We Are Cherokee: Cherokee Freedmen and the Right to Citizenship is an exhibit that tells the story of Cherokee Freedmen from our origins within the Cherokee Nation to current day. It was my honor to submit photos and documents that were featured, one of which, is the only known studio portrait of Ike which is in the possession of his great granddaughter. This image has been replicated multiple times online as the only other known images of Ike were from the day of Cherokee Bill’s capture and of his dead body in the book, Hell on the Border.

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10. Ike has many living descendants.

While Bass Reeves has no known living descendants, Ike Rogers has many. A large segment of us live just north of the Cherokee Nation in Kansas City, others are in California, Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, and more. We are young, we are seasoned, and we carry his legacy on proudly.

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Selected Documents

The Coffeyville Weekly Journal
Coffeyville, Kansas • Fri, Jan 11, 1895, Page 3.
Source: Newspapers.com

The Coffeyville Daily Journal
Coffeyville, Kansas • Fri, Jan 28, 1895 Page 4.
Source: Newspapers.com