The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1895-11-01
TURNER AND HIS GUN
DOUBLED Eek, THE COWBOY, AND
HIS MODEST RECORD CLAIM.

nered Soldier wish = winchester.
Now and then bad man" tries TO
cultivate something which he mistakes
for humor One of these deyotces Of lev
ity used to haunt the cattle range Of
western Kane.ls. and every fall and
spring he appeared in Dodge City at the
general 81, r,.mtlup. Every time he
came to town he left some proof Of a
facetious mind, aud was very sure Of be-
ing talked about By every idle man and
most IF 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 " Doublc-L Eek, - the duplicated
capital being Leonard & L0ughrain's
brand, and he being one of their best
riders. In fact. Turner might have been
foreman if hc had cared for the position,
for he could ride we'll, and there were
few more expert with the rope and prob
ably none who could bear fatigue aud
hardship more patiently than he.
But the trouble was he wanted recon-
pense for tho dull life Of "A cowhoy. He
didn't care for money. ANY wages cuing
were acceptable 10 him. But when the
cattle got rounded up and there was half
q days escape from the telium of llbUr
Eek Turner wanted lis fling. And he al
ways went into town and had II.
Now, "A foreman cannot do those
things. He must say by the herd all the
time. preserve . clear head and firm
place in the saddle. He Is the represent
ative If the uwner-thc custodian #
much wcalth-and dissipation l. not 10
be Thought uf.
One II Eck Turner : Pet bits # hu-
NOR WA, 10 pick ont people whose APP
pcarance displcased HIM and shout just
near enough 90 thc;a 10 express his sen
timents. H. particularly disliLrd 10 Scc
horsemcn Z ~ un tic trDt. IL w.s i'm
cowboy couu ~, and cowboys galiuped,
whether ur not they ~c-c Ia hurry.
And if the rider had habit Of ''riS-
ing III the stirrups, as conventional
trotteIs oct.n do. Eek Turner hated him
violently 80 that when h. came down
Main .t.yct one day and saw rather
well dl,snl rlan 40 ly tyo.tin- md
rising with the mpi.,n ii his horse
Eek called general attention TO tine si.cc-
tacle
Really The trOtter was not a very good
hOrsemau. l. was possible. az Eek ub-
served, To ''sce daylight under him" cv-
cry time ho rose in the saddle And tEc
glimpses ii that recurring daylight"
provoked Ecl to a bit uf pistol practice.
Il bet said hc, watching Tire rider
and reaching for a Large revolver. pretty
well back on his belt. Il l,,.t J can shoot
r~-wecn him and the saddle and never
touch feather.
be had been drinking in 50 dccorIus
a manner as to he dangerous. and ..o no
one mtcrfcrcd. The rider Was half q
block away when Eek fired and the
bullet must have gone true. for the rider
pa >ed On unconscious, while u SIGN di-
agonally across the street was shattered
by the shot.
He tried IL again later in tho day and
fortunately-mir culouSlv-e>..apcd the
infiic;iou Of injury. Dodge City talked
about " Double-L Eek and his new jYkc
all summer. and in the autumn kc came
in and tried IL again.
The first shot he made he hit man
in the leg and was very indignant be
cause they would not give him another
chance, assuring the crippled victim IL
was an accident, and urging him 10
mount and trut past Just one time more.
rising no higher than he had dome. and
guaranteeing 20 put three shots cut IF
five between him and the saddle or buy
the drinks for the crowd.
But il was the uncertainty about the
other two shots that iEterf,rcd with ne
gotiations-that and the trottiug man 5
persistent eudcavUr 10 enjoy the freedom
Of his own pistol arm while Eek re-
manned in his presence.
Eek thought IL WAS funny. and that
hallucinatiun grew ON him till hc got
into trouble When the wave of Texas
fever" swept over Kansas IN 1850. kill
ing off so many Of tho Kansas cattle. a
state law stopped those drives which
had been the life Of western Kansas. and
Eek Turner lost his occupation. He went
farther west and south and tried % shoot
the top off 4 man plug hat in Colorado
Springs because he insisted the fashion
was two inches shorter than the man
was wearing.
AT La Neta he took exception 70 the
suffering sound occasionally made 10y
IN electric lamp and went about shoot
ing the carbons in two till the city
marshal engaged in repartee and shot
off the end Of Eck's thumb. alleging as
a sufficient reason the fact that no man
with two good thumbs could be real
ly bad man. Eek replied in kind. and
there were no applicants for the position
the marshal 5 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 to shoot into an ambulance driven
by very mild hammered private sol
dier, who pulled up winchester and
crippled Eek for life, destroying the use
fulness of both shoulders and incidental
ly putting ont his right eye.
1,.t