The Story Behind the Story — Why the Mask?

We have two family members who are hard to read. They’re in their own world, and wear invisible masks. They have the potential to succeed far beyond the family’s expectations.

I have a feeling they perceive their own capabilities and are scared of the responsibility. They are hard on themselves and hard on everyone around them. They’ve been entrusted with a difficult row to hoe. The family has learned how to maneuver around them, when to ask questions and when to be quiet and when to stay out of their way.

These two don’t want attention, they’re very uncomfortable when they get it, but underneath they crave it. They give the appearance of being confident, knowing what they want and where they’re going. Underneath they are uncomfortable in their own skin.

On a road trip, I was giving one of our daughters a life lesson. I asked if she knew why the Lone Ranger wore a mask?

She said, “No, Why?”

What if I told you the world wasn’t ready for the man behind the mask, or the man behind the story. There was nothing wrong with him, but the world was not prepared for him. I told her this was a long stretch, but maybe she could understand our family members if she knew the story. I told her I was reading about Bass Reeves.

Bass Reeves could have been the real-life inspiration behind one of America's most beloved fictional characters, the Lone Ranger. Like the character, a masked hero of the Wild West, Reeves disguised himself by dressing as a preacher, a tramp, and even a woman. As a legendary deputy U.S. marshal, he used his disguises to capture more than 3,000 criminals.

Art Burton, author of Black Gun, Silver Star: The Life and Legend of Frontier Marshal Bass Reeves, believes Reeves' personal attributes and techniques in catching these criminals were similar to the Lone Ranger.

Behind the mask was always Bass Reeves. Burton told CNN, "Reeves was bigger than the Lone Ranger. He was a combination of the Lone Ranger, Sherlock Holmes and Superman."

Why the mask? Reeves was a black man. Born a slave in Arkansas in 1838, he went to the Civil War front line in the 1860s. He worked as a servant for his master in the Confederate Army.

He was a large man with great detective skills, extraordinary strength, and was a supreme horseman. He hid his own identity and never received the recognition he deserved. Even today, it’s still up for grabs if he actually wrote the story of the Lone Ranger.

Bass Reeves, one of the country's first African American marshals, was born almost 100 years before the Lone Ranger made his radio debut. The Lone Ranger first appeared on a Detroit radio station in 1933. He was the masked man on a white stallion who brought bad guys to justice in a series running for over two decades. Novels, comic books and an eight-year TV show starring the most iconic Lone Ranger of all, actor Clayton Moore, were all apart of the masked man.

Reeves’ disguises were similar to that of the character. He used the knowledge of the American Indian trackers, and gave people a silver dollar to remember him by, just as the Lone Ranger left silver bullets.

When the Lone Ranger first appeared in comic books he wore a black mask that covered his entire face. The iconic black mask was more symbolic than the audience realized at the time.

Burton says, "I haven't been able to prove conclusively that Reeves was the inspiration for the Lone Ranger, but he was the closest person in real life who had these characteristics."

“Reeves was a big guy for his time," said Burton. "He was also an excellent horseman. The Indians taught him how to make himself appear smaller in the saddle, helping him with disguises. Such was the skilled rider's love of horses. He even bred them on his farm. Indeed, many of the first U.S. jockeys were African American slaves who had originally worked in their master's stables.”

“Reeves died in 1910, at the impressive age of 71, just as segregation laws were starting to take effect in his home state of Arkansas. He's one of America's most important heroes and it's sad his story isn't known more than it is," said Burton. "But unfortunately, the majority of black history has been buried. Even today, nobody knows where Reeves is buried. I like to tell people he's still in disguise."

As I told my daughter about Bass Reeves’, she said, “That’s really interesting. I know what you’re saying. In their minds, they want to stay hidden. They have to work out their own stories.”

Final Brushstroke! We have no idea the burden that lies underneath and what weight another person carries. They perceive how the world will perceive them. Not always accurate, but it’s their story. Oh, to be wise and give those of unique gifts the space to let them be who they are made to be. For family members, it’s more comfortable to make them a round peg in a round hole, but they don’t fit just because it makes us comfortable. For them, it might take a lifetime to be comfortable in their own skin. They just want us to love them and understand.