The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-07-03

''I BET CAN SHOOT BETWEEN HIM AND THE
SADDLE"
away when Eek fired, and the bullet must
have gone true, for the rider passed on un-
conscious, while a sign diagonally across
the street was shattered by the shot.
He tried 1t again later in the day, and
acknowledgements the
in6iction of injury. Dodge City talked
about "Double-L Eek" and his new joke
all summer, and in the autumn he came
in and tried it again.
The first shot he made he hit q man in
the leg, and he was very indignant because
they would not give him another chance,
assuring the crippled victim it was an ac-
cident and urging him to mount and trot
past just one time more, rising no higher
than he had done, and guaranteeing to put
three shots out of five between him and
the saddle or buy the drinks for the crowd.
But the uncertainty about the other two
shots interfered with negotiations.
In 1880 Eek Turner went farther west
and tried to shoot the top off mans plug
hat in Colorado Springs because he insist
ed the fashion was two inches shorter than
the man was wearing.
At La Veta he took exception to the
suffering sound occasionally made by
the carbons in two till the city marshal
engaged in repartee and shot off the end
of Eck's thumb, alleging as sufficient
reason the fact that no man with two good
thumbs could be really ''bad man. Eek
replied in kind, and there were no appli-
cants for the position the marshal's de-
mise left vacant until 1t was known that
Eek had left that region and gone to Ari-
zona.
At Fort Wingate he had the misfortune
to shoot into an ambulance driven by a
very mild hammered private soldier, who
| pulled up winchester and crippled Eek
for life, destroying the usefulness of both
shoulders and incidentally putting out his
right eye.
After that Eek Turner went to Flag
staff and developed remarkable habit OF
winning at faro and taking care of his
money. He confessed to record of five
men slain, but he was given credit for
twice as many ON account Of his well
known modesty, and when he finally
opened a boarding house for seamen in San
Francisco he permitted all the turbulent
habits Of his cowboy life to drift away tc
forgetfulness.
The real nerve of a "bad man" was
never so squarely tested as in that raid OF
the cattle kings from Cheyenne into the
grazing country west Of Fort Mckinney
In the winter of 1899. There was an or
ganized movement of rich men, with full
equipment of horses, provisions and mu
nitions of border war, against the ranchers
who had located on the range.
With the rich men went all the "killers
that could be enlisted from Texas to thu
Black Hills. And against them were mod
est ranchmen, who never had shot mar
for the fun of the thing in all their lives
Yet when the final meeting came th,
ranchmen surrounded the cattle kings ant
their meroenaries drove them for shelte
to an abandoned cabin and for two day
frightened the last brigand of them so Of
fectually that they dared not pull a trigger
The expedition, as will be remembered
ended ignominiously for the cattle kings
The 'bad men" they had hired were worth
less to them when confronted by mel
willing to fight for their homes Doubt
less any one Of the "killers" would hav
been more effective II he could have me
his man without warning.
But this deliberate ride of 200 mile
from Cheyenne to the place Of meeting
gave time to cool their ardor and whel
the time of collision came their nerve dc
serted them. There were enough of the In
vaders TO haze slain all the settlers o.
Powder river. But 1t Is the quick resolv
and the instant "draw and shoot" whio
develops the killer" He Is not soldie
by any means.