The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1895-09-23
TURNER AND HIS GUN
DOUBLED Eek, THE cowsoY. AND
HIS MODEST RECORD CLAIM.

man VINO hodc ht q Nrot EtnaAiy lis
Spirit wAs Conquered by Mia Man
nsred Soldier with = Winchester.
Now and then a bad man" tries 10
cultivate something which he mistakes
for humOr. One Of these devotces Of lev
ity used to haunt the cattle range Of
western Kansas. and every fall and
spring he appeared in Dodge City at the
general roundup" Every time he
came to town he left some proof Of n
fncetious mind, aud was very sure Of be-
ing talked about by every idle man and
most Of the busy ones who remained
when the rush was over.
His name was Eek Turner. though
Dodge City will best remember him by
the title 'Double-L Eek. - the duplicated
capital being Leonard d Loughrain's 5
brand. and he being one Of their hest
riders. In fact. Turner might have been
foreman IL he had cared for the position.
for he could ride well. and there were
few more expert with the rope and prob
ably none who could bcar fatigue and
hardship more patiently than he.
But the trouble was hc wanted recon-
pcnse for the dull life Of a cowboy He
didn't care for money. ANY wages going
were acceptable TO him But when tho
cattle got rounded up and there was half
a days escape from the teslium II labnr
Eek Turner wanted his fling Aud he al
ways went into town and had il.
Now, foreman cannot do these
things. He must stay by the herd all the
time. preserve clear head and firm
place IN the saddle He j. the represent
ative Of the owner-the custoflian II
much wealth-slnd dissipation Is not TO
be Thought of.
One uf Eek Turner = pet bits ~ hu-
NOR was to pick cut people Whose ap-
pearance displeased him and shoot Just
near enough to them 60 express his sen
timents He particularly disliled 20 see
horsemen 20 by on the trut. IL was in
cowboy country, and cuwbOys galloped.
whether or not they were in hurry.
And If the rider had a habit u iris
ing in the stirrupS. as conventional
trutters often do. Eek Turner hated him
violently. ~ that when he came down
Main street ON, day and SAW a rather
well dressed man ~ by trutting and
rising with the motion II his horse
Eek called general attention TO tho spec
taclc
Really the trOtter was not very good
horseman IL was possible. as Eek OBJ
served. TO "sec daylight under him ev-
cry time he rose IN the saddle And the
glimpscs Of that recurring daylight"
provoked Eek to bit ~ pistol practice.
II bet. " said he. watching the rider
and reaching for large revolver. pretty
well back Un his belt. Il bct can shoot
between him and the saddle and never
touch feather -
He had been drinking in 80 decurOus
u manner as 10 bc dangerous, and 80 no
one intcrfcrcd. The rider was half a
f'"ck away when Eek fired. and the
bu'' must have gone true. fur the rider
pass, 4 un unconscious. while - sign Iii
agunally acruSs the street was shattered
by the shot.
Hc tried IL again later in the day aud
Ortunately-miraculo culously-eScapcd the
infliction u injury. Dudgc City talked
about " Double-L Eek and his new joke
al summer. and in the autumn he came
in and tried il again.
The first shot he made he hit q man
in the leg and was very indignant be-
cause they would not give him another
chance. assuring the crippled victim 10
was an accident. and urging him to
mount and trut past Just one time more.
rising no higher than he had done. and
guara ltrcing to put three shots cut uf
five butvcgu him and the saddle or buy
the drinks for the crowd.
But il was the uncertainty abuut the
other two shots that iEterfercd with ne
gotiatiuns-that and the trotting man :
persistent cudcavor To- enjoy the freedom
Of his own pistol arII while lex re-
manned in his presence.
Eek thought it was funny. and that
hallucinatiun grew On him till hc got
into trouble. When the wave IT Texas
fever swept over Kansas IN l>Su. kill
ing of 50 many Of the Kansas cattle. a
state law stopped those drive" which
had been the life of western Kansas. and
Eek Turner lest his occupation. H. went
farther west and south and tried to shoot
the top of a man plug hat in Colorado
Springs because hc insisted the fashion
was two inches shorter than the man
Was wearing
At Ia Neta he touk exception to the
sputtcring sound occasionally made by
AN electric lump and went about shoot
ing the carbons IN two till the city
marshal engaged IN repartce ard shot
of the end Of Eck's thumb. alleging as
sufficient reason the fact that nu man
with two gupd thumbs could b. real
" bad man. - Eek replied in kind. and
there were no applicants FOR the POSITION
the marshal's demise left vacant until IL
was known that Eek had left that region
and gone TO Arizona.
At Fort Wingate he had the misfor-
tune 10 shoot into an ambulance driven
by very mild hammered private sol
L. MI. r..II...l -. -