Lone Ranger Was A Black Man?

If true, a Black man was the real life Lone Ranger, there will be some explaining to do.
From the New York Daily News:
The Lone Ranger was a beloved all-American hero, the gun-slinging, bandit-catching arm of justice for the dangerous and wild west. His adventures kept eager little boys glued to the radio for two decades. He inspired novels, comic books, and a TV show starring the venerable Clayton Moore. Disney recently got in on the action, releasing its own glamorous version of the tale in theaters this July.
But who was that masked man anyway?
An Illinois scholar is convinced that he’s tracked the legend to his lair.
Art Burton, a researcher and author of "Black Gun, Silver Star," believes the Lone Ranger was a flesh and bones hero—an African American man named Bass Reeves....
Born an illiterate slave in 1838, Reeves went on to become a volatile mixture of Superman and Sherlock Holmes, with a little bit of Chuck Norris’ invincibility thrown in. At 6 foot 2, 190 pounds, he was a sharp shooter who could handle a gun in both hands. He would gallop into a thicket full of dangerous outlaws and escape unharmed, his mustache still perfectly curled. It was a life worthy of a movie script....
At this point in American history, a large amalgamation of Native American tribes had been pushed into a 75,000 square mile space that would later become the states of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska. Some Native Americans owned slaves, Burton said, so the area had a significant population of African Americans as well.
Reeves lived with the Seminole and Creek Indians, learning their language and their customs. When the federal government began looking for people to police that large region, Reeves was chosen to bridge the gap between the Indian Territory’s multiracial population.
Reeves worked as a U.S. deputy marshal between 1875 and 1907. His bosses at Fort Smith, Arkansas would give him the names of people who were on the run from the law. Reeves would memorize the warrants, then ride out onto the prairie on his grey-white horse.
Nothing could stop him from getting his man.
He would dress up as farmers, preachers, cowboys, and even women—just to get close to his prey.
“One time, he dressed up like a tramp and walked 23 miles to some outlaws’ home,” Burton said. “He convinced their mom that he was an outlaw, too, and that he needed shelter and food. He met the sons later that night and the next morning, he pulled his guns out on them.”
“The mother got so mad, she followed him for three miles, cursing every step of the way.”
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/lone-ranger-unmasked-researcher-claims-man-slave-article-1.1421920#ixzz2bSaNkPgt
If this is true, it would be nice if they make a movie of Reeves- he certainly lived an exciting and interesting life, besides being a hero and a folk hero.