The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1896-03-31

Now and then a bad II an tries 20
cultivate something which be mistakes
Tor humor. One II these tevoices q lev
ity used 20 haunt tho cattle range %
western Kansas. and every fall and
spring he appeared Ia Dodge City at the
general roundup" Every time he
came to town ho left some Trouf u a
facctiurs mind, and was very sure u be
ing talked about hy every idle man and
most u the busy ones who remained
when tie rush was over.
His name was Eck Turner. though
Dodge City viii best remember him hy
the title Doublc-L Eek. - the duplicated
capital being Lcunard a. LCuglruin's
hraIfi. aud he being one II their lsst
riders In fact. Turner might have tecn
foreman II lac had cared for tho position.
for he cuuld ride well. and there were
few more expert with the rope and Iirub-
ably none who could bar fatigue aud
hardship more patiently than he.
But ne trouble was he wanted recon-
pcnse for the dull life u a cuvbuy. He
didn't care for money. ANY wages going
were acceptable 20 him But when the
cattle got rounded up and there was half
a days escape from the tesiium of labur
Eek Turner wanted his fling An3hc al
ways went into town and had a.
Now, a foreman c1uuu; do these
things. Hc must stay lly the herd al the
time, preserve clear head and firm
place in the saddle. He l. the represent
ative ~ the uwner-the custodian of
much wcslth-and dissiratiuu is not 10
b. Thought vi.
One u Ell Turner 3 pCt bits q hu-
NOR was % lex ont people whose ap-
Tearance disp ctS'd him and shoot Just
near enough 70 them 60 cxpu,-s his scu-
,imentS He particularly dislikcd 10 go
hurscnien 90 hy "a tho trut. Il wa iu n
cowboy country. and cuwhoys FAllopcd.
whether on not they were in a hurry.
And II the rider lad habit uf ''ris-
ing in the stirrups. n conventiouai
trutters often do. Eek Turner hated him
violently. ~ that when d. came down
Main street uuc day and saw a rather
well dressed man ~ hy trutting and
rising with tire mutiuu uf his horse
Tx called general attention tothc sIp,c-
iacle
Really the trutter was not very god
hnrseman- Il was possible. rs Eck ub-
served. to 'seo daylight under him. -.
cry time nc rre~c i'm the saddle And the
glimpSgS uf tlst recurring daylight %
provoked Erk o. a hit ~ pistol practice
II bet. 80 said hr watching thc rider
and reaching fur large revolver. lirr,ty
veil back ga las bclt. Il lst can shoot
ictwecu him and tho saddle and never
touch feather. "
He had becn drinking in 50 dcc0rous
q manner as tO b. dangrruus. and m no
one iutcrfcrCd. Tho rider was half o
block away when Tx nred. and tho
bullet must have Eune truc. Tor the rider
passed un uncunscious. while a sign di
agunally acruss the street was shattered
10y the shot.
Hc tried u again later in the day s,nG
Crtunately-miTaculu uluusly-,e.-aprd thr
inflictiun uf injury. D.dgc City talked
about Duuble-L Eek and his new joke
al summer. and in the autumn he came
in and tried II again.
The first shot hc made hc hit maii
i'm the Lex and was very indignant lc-
cause they would not give him another
chance. assuring the crippled victim II
was an arridcnt. aud urging him g.
mount and trut past just one time morr.
rising NO higher than he had done. and
guaranteeing q put three shots dut of
five between him and the saddle ur huy
the drinks Tor tho crowd.
But IL was the uncertainty abont the
other two shots that if.terfCrcd with nc
gutiatiuns-that and the trotting ans
persistent endoavor to enjoy the ire dom
Of his own pistol arm while Egk re-
manned in his presence.
Eek thought il was funny. AMI that
hallucination grew on him till he got
into trouble. When the wave of Texas
fever swept over Kansas IN 1850. kill
ing of 80 many u 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 sUuth and tried "a shoot
the top OF a mans plug hat in Colorado
Springs beCanse he insisted the fashion
was two inches shorter than the man
was wearing.
At In Vcta he tonk exception % the
sputtering sound occasionally made hy
am electric lamp and went about shoot
ing the carbuns in two till the city
marshal engaged in repartce and shot
OF the end of Eck's thumb. alleging rs
a sufficient reason the fact that no man
with two gond thumbs could be real
" bad man " Eek replied in kind. and
there were no applicants for the position
the marshal's demise left vacant until u
was known that Eek had left that region
and gone to Arizuna-
At Fost Wingate he had the misfor
tune TO shoot into an ambulance drivcn
by very mild mannercd private sol
dier. who pulled up a winchestes and
crippled Eel for life. destroying the usc.
fulneSs of both shoulders and incidental