Tag: Fort Smith

Defendant Jackets, Legal Abbreviations, and Aliases, Oh My!

by US National Archives, posted in Crime, Justice, and Intelligence

Today’s post is written by Stephanie Stegman, the special media projects volunteer at the National Archives at Fort Worth. What exactly is a “defendant jacket”?  What does the charge “RLD” stand for?  How do you find the records of a defendant if he or she had an alias or was charged with multiple co-defendants? These … Continue reading Defendant Jackets, Legal Abbreviations, and Aliases, Oh My!

Legends in the “Twin Territories”

by US National Archives, posted in African American History, Crime, Justice, and Intelligence

This post was written by Katy Berube, who was a summer intern in textual processing. When Deputy Marshal Bass Reeves began to sing softly to himself, people who knew him ran for cover.  An uncommon reaction, you might think, but from many accounts it was best to steer clear of a singing Bass Reeves as … Continue reading Legends in the “Twin Territories”