The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1895-06-20
TURNER AND HIS GUN
DOuBLE-L Eek, THE COWBOY, AND
HIS MODEST RECORD CLAIM.

Now and then "bad man tries 70 /
cultivate something which he mistakes /
for humor. One If these deyotccs Of lev /
itv 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 /
facetious mind, and was very sure of be- /
ing talked about by every idle man and f.
most of the busy ones who remained
when the rush was over.
His namo was Eek Turner, though
Dodge City VIII bes- remember him 10y
the title Doubled Eek, the duplicated
capital being Leonard & Louglrain's 5
brand and he being one Of their Lest
riders In fact, Turner might have been
foreman if Ike had cared for the position,
for lie could ride we'll, and there were
few more expert with the rope and prob
ably none who could bear fatigue and
hardship more patiently than he.
But the trouble was he wanted rec n
pense for the dull life of a cowboy. He
didn't care for money. ANY wages going
wele acceptable to him. But when the
cattle ;,at roand"d up and there was half
a day escape from the tcdium Of labor
Eek Turner wanted his fling. And he al
wavs went into town and had it,
Now, foreman cannot do these
things. He must stay hy the herd all the
time. preserve clear head and firm
place in the sad = He Is the repgeseut-
ative Of the o. er-the custodian uf
much wealth "a dissipation Is not to
be thought Of.
One Of Elk Turner : pet hit, II hu-
NOR was t. ltiol, ont people whose ap-
pcarance displeased him and shoot just
near enough TO item to express his seu-
timents. He parti .ularly disliAgd to.>ce
horsemcn 70 by oE lie tr,t. 1t WAS In Il
cowboy country, and cowboys galloped,
whether or not thy were ia hurry.
And if the rider had 4 habit If ''ris-
ing in the stirrups. as conventional
trotters often do, + \ Turnc- hated E;m
violently. So ,hat when Ee cainc down
Main street one day and saw q rather
well dressed man go hy truttinS and
"rising" with the notion of his horse
Eek called general attention to the spec
tacle
Really the trotter was rot a very good
h0seman. Ii was possible, a. Eek ob-
served. to "sce daylight under him cv-
cry time llC rose in the saddle. And the
glimrSes uf that recurring daylight -
provoked lex % a bit Of pistol practice.
Il bet, sad hc, watching tine rider
and reaching for large revolver. pretty
well back uu his belt, Il Lct can shoot
betW e,n hill and the saddle and never
touch Il feather. -
He had been drinking in 80 decnrOus
manner Is To bC dangerous, and 50 no
one intcrfcrcd. The rider was half u
block away when Eek fired. and the
bullet must have gone true. fcr thc rider
passed ON unconscious, while a sign di-
agonally across the street was shattered
by the shot.
He tried it again later in the day and
fortunately-miraculouSly-cSaped the
inhiction of injury. Dodge City talked
about =" Doubled Eek and his new joke
all summer. and in the autumn he came
in and tried it again.
! The first shot ne made he hit a man
{ III the leg and was very indignant be-
cause they would not give him another
chance, assuring the crippled victim ii
was an accident, and urging him tC
; mount and trot past Just one time more,
rising no higher than he had done. and
guaranteeing to put three shots ont OF
five between him and the saddle or buy
t the drinks for the crowd.
But it was the uncertainty about the
other two shots that interfered with ne
I gotiations-that and the trotting man
g persistent endeavor to enjoy the freedom
1 of his own pistol arm while Eek re
manned in his presence.
: Eek thought it was funny, and taa'
hallucination grew ON him till he go
: into trouble. When the wave of "TexM
: fever swept over Kansas in 1850. kill
+ ing off so many OF the Kansas cattle,
. state law stopped those drives whicl
{ had been the life of western Kansas, ant
+ Eek Turner lost his occupation. He wen
D farther west and south and tried 10 shoe
, the top off mans plug hat in Colorado
c Springs because he insisted the fashion
G was two inches shorter than the MAJ
i was wearing.
{ At La Neta he took exception to tn
i sputtering sound occasionally made b,
= AN electric lamp ard went about shoot
ing the carbOns III two till the cit,
marshal engaged III repartee and sho
off the end of Eck's thumb. alleging a
: a sufficient reason the fact that no maj
with two good thumbs could be real
a " bad man. Eek replied in kind. AM
there were no applicants FOR the position
the marshal's demise left vacant until j
@ was known that Eek had left that regiol
and gone TO Arizona.
d At Fort Wingate he had the misfor
{ tune to shoot into an ambulance drivel
by very mild hammered private sol
dier, who pulled up a winchester an
crippled Eek for life. destroying the use
= fulneSs of both shoulders and incidental
/ ly putting ont his right eye.
After that Eek Turner went to Flag
u staff and developed remarkable habi