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Volume 5, Issue No. 10                                                                            October, 2007

Colorful Leaves and Characters Punctuate Ocoee Rangers October Shoot

The day started like any other: folks were shootin’ the Buffalo Shoot. Outrider won the .22 cal. competition and the Lever Action Rifle shoot. Sundance McNeyman showed he could handle Long Range Pistol shootin’ by winning that event. And Marshal Too Tall, after goin’ toe to toe with Outrider in a shoot-off, won the Long Range Single Shot Rifle shoot. And while they were busy, folks started driftin’ in to register. Attendance was down because of special event competition at a couple of other area shoots.  Hootin’ Old Town was hosting a 2-day Black Powder State Championship Shoot, and there was some sorta big whing-ding shoot in the Atlanta area. So, lots of cowboys and cowgirls shot elsewhere. All totaled, we had 49 shooters, plus Sundance shootin’ in the Buffalo Shoot: he was moving and had to leave.

L-R: Front – Mesquite Millie, Tellico, Calico Nicole. Middle – Ben Shot, Mr. Pistol, Horseshoe John, Unpleasant, Purly. Back – Tennessee Jake, Squire Shooter Josey Buckhorn, Tenn Smoke, Bad Eye Tom, Sledge.

Festus D. Deputy had a memorable day. We shot black bats / plates off the Texas Star rotating target, leaving white bats / plates in place. That is all of us except Festus left the white plates in place. While the Star was spinning with the white targets in place, Festus grabbed his rifle and began blazing away at the rifle targets – and he managed to hit 1 of the white bats on the Star. That means he missed his rifle target (rats?#!?) – and he also was the only shooter in the entire match who hit 1 of the good, white bats.

Roy Orbison used to sing a song called ONLY THE LONELY.  This lonely bullet mark, the only 1 on any of the white bats / plates in the Texas Star rotating target frame, was put there by good ol’ Festus D. Deputy.  Of course he was shootin’ at something else, namely 1 of the round targets you can see way in the background.

Bad Eye Tom had his granddaughter, Calico Nicole, with him.  She plans to shoot the November match: she’s a real live SASS member. And Tin Pot had his gang with him: son Outlaw Tracker and his grandsons.

LR :Outlaw Tracker, Tin Pot , grandsons

The TOP GUN for the day was S.A. Pondwater The Top 10 Shooters were(1) S.A. Pondwater (2) Marshal Too Tall (3) Unpleasant  (4) Festus D Deputy (5) Ocoee Red (6) Widowmaker (7) Pleasant (8) Mr. Pistol (9) T–Bone Angus (10) Tabasco JOT.  8 cowboys had no miss matches: Widowmaker, Mr. Pistol, Pleasant, Cool Waters, TN Jake, Deadman, Sledge and Josey Buckhorn.

Someone (not Deadman) suggested we try an experiment to see how shooting results among folks shooting Big Guns would look. Big Guns would be folks shooting pistols in.44 cal. with 200 gr. bullets or above and medium loads or above and .45 cal. with 230 gr. bullets or above and medium loads or above. Here’s the top 10 Big Gun Shooters: (1) Limp Along Charlie (2) Horseshoe John (3) Hey Duke (4) Deadman (5) Tellico (6) Bad Eye Tom (7) Makers Mark (8) Tenn Smoke (9) Coffee Joe (10) Tio Don.

Mr. Pistol Draws A Bead With His ’73 Win.

Classic

1. Lightning McCoy

Here are the category winners:

49er

1. Marshal Too Tall

2. Festus D. Deputy

3. Ocoee Red

Silver Senior

1. Mr. Pistol

2. Tabasco JOT

3. Outrider

Modern

1. S.A. Pondwater

Duelist

1. Horseshoe John

2. Ziggy the Kid

3. Awful Close

Gunfighter

1. Widowmaker

2. Pleasant

3. Keystone

Black Powder

1. Coffee Joe

Senior

1. T-Bone Angus

2. Purly

3. Tin Pot

Traditional

1. Unpleasant

2. Slater

3. Yankee Dutchman

B-Western

1. Dusty Camino

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The Ocoee Ranger page 2                                                                      October 2007

The Reel West, The Real West & The West of Our Imagination

Martha Hyer

The Reel West – Martha Hyer

Well, it’s time to look at a movie cowgirl: that means a Hollywood gal who made Western movies.  So, let’s take a gander at Martha Hyer.  And she was worth the view.  Martha was born in Texas, in 1924.  That makes her a legitimate Western gal. During high school she studied drama, and after she matriculated (how’s that for a professor Owlhoot Hardin word?), she hit the trail to Pasadena, CA. She did some summer playhouse stuff. And then she got into the movies. Her dream had come true.

During her career, which lasted from the ‘40’s until she retired in the late ‘60’s, she was in lots of movies.  And while she didn’t become a big name actress, she was very busy. Shucks, she even got an Oscar nomination.  But let’s get to the important stuff. Among the movies she made were some Westerns. Ta-ta.  Some of her first horse operas were with Tim Holt (Too Tall’s saying, “Who?”) and Rocky Lane, and Charles “the Durango Kid” Starrett, and other cowboys.  But she also appeared with the big boys.   She was the gal with John Wayne and Dean Martin in THE SONS OF KATY ELDER. And she was Clint Walker’s wife in THE NIGHT OF THE GRIZZLY. I told you she appeared with the big boys: both Wayne and Walker were 6 Ft. 4-6 in. tall, depending on who’s telling the tale. And then she was with Ben Johnson in WILD STALLION, and so on, and so on.

Martha retired in the late ‘60s. She was still busy, but she retired to spend time with her other half.  How ‘bout that? 

The West of Our Imagination – Killin’ Time

How well does she shoot? Killin’ Time won this buckle in 2003. How many Ocoee Rangers have won 1 of these?

Killin’ Time – Lady Duelist

Killin’ Time has been cowgirl shootin’ since Nov. 2001.  As she said, “My gosh, that’s 6 years. Jerry (Rusty Spur Slim) found it on the internet and said that it looked like fun. So, I said, ‘Let’s go. I’ll take pictures.’ After a while, he said, ‘Why don’t you shoot?’ And I said, ‘I might as well. I’m just killin’ time. That’s how I got my alias.

 “I shoot .32 cal. Rugers and a .357 mag. Marlin rifle.  When I first started, I called it a .36 cal. rifle.  That’s how much I knew when I started. That’s how far I’ve come. I used to be afraid of guns. Now, I’m not. I think education = gun control.”

What category does she shoot in? “I shoot Lady Duelist. I started in Traditional, but I started shootin’ Duelist. I like that better.  And I shoot my rifle with my thumb. There are 4 of us who shoot our rifles with our thumbs: Yazoo City Gal, Last Kiss, Dagnabit Deb, and me.”

Who’s her favorite movie cowboy?  “Robert Duval, as Gus McCrea.” That’s the word from a Lady Duelist.

The Real West – Jack McCall (1850 -1877)

Jack McCall – Assassin

Jack (John) McCall was born about 1850 in Jefferson Co., KY, but he drifted west as a young man. In 1876, he showed up in Deadwood, South Dakota. About a month after he arrived, James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok arrived in Deadwood. At that time, Deadwood was experiencing a gold rush and an avalanche of thieves, prostitutes, and general land pirates.

McCall did little, except consume great quantities of alcohol. (How ‘bout that phrasing, Owlhoot?) Then on the afternoon of August 2, he wandered into the No. 10 Saloon.  Bill Hickok was playing poker with several other players, and uncharacteristically, he was not sitting with his back to the wall.  Mc Call walked up behind Hickok, pointed a pistol at Hickok’s head and shot him dead, saying, “Take that.” Then he ran out the door and down the street. A short time later, he was apprehended, without incident.

On August 3, a miners’ court was convened, a judge, prosecutor, and defender were elected and a jury was selected. McCall pled not guilty, although as he’d run through the street of Deadwood before he was caught, he’d yelled that he’d shot Wild Bill Hickok. Witnesses testified that they’d seen him shoot Hickok, and the jury listened to all the evidence, and they found him not guilty.  (Their ancestors probably were on OJ’s jury.) So, McCall was released.  He hung around town for a few days. Then 1 of Hickok’s friends showed up and wasn’t pleased with the verdict. McCall quickly left town.

On August 29, McCall was arrested for Hickok’s murder by a Deputy US Marshal in Laramie, WY. Deadwood wasn’t officially a town and wasn’t officially civilian US territory, so the miners’ trial wasn’t legal. McCall was indicted for Hickok’s murder on October 18, in Yankton. He tried to turn states evidence against Deadwood resident John Varnes: McCall said Varnes hired him to kill Hickok.  But Varnes had vanished. On Dec 4, McCall’s trial began. On Dec 6, the jury found him guilty of murder. On January 3, 1877, he was sentenced to hang, and on March 1, he was hung.  His last words, as he fell through the floor of the scaffold were, “Oh god.” Jack McCall was 26 years old.

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The Ocoee Ranger page 3                                                                         October 2007

Ocoee Rangers Annual Christmas Shoot & Family Event – December 15

Double Eagle – Designated Shopper

On Dec. 15, we’ll have our Ocoee Rangers Annual Christmas Shoot & Family Event.  We’ll start the day with an abbreviated shoot (3 stages). Then after we take down and store the targets & stuff, we’ll adjourn to a local restaurant and have a Dutch treat lunch. Then, we’ll award the Annual Spirit of the Game Award and Annual Shooting Awards: Top Gun, and Top 3 places in each Shooting Category, etc.   Then, we’ll award prizes by random drawing. (There won’t be a gift swap this year.)

During this shooting year, we’ve had a collections jar on the registration table at each shoot through September.  And during this year, we’ve collected $681.41 to use to buy prizes to give away in the drawing. A Great Big Thank You to All the Cowboys & Cowgirls Who Contributed. So far, we have 5 packages of 100 rounds of .45 cal. Starline Brass (we bought), and 6 gift certificates with music CD provided by Starline Brass: certificates are good for $50 toward the purchase of Starline Brass. Other than Starline Brass, and maybe a few local sponsors, we will be awarding only prizes that good Ol’ Double Eagle, our designated shopper, will buy to be awarded. To be eligible to win a prize, one must have shot at least 1 match with us in 2007, including the December shoot.

What will Double Eagle purchase with shopping money? Whatever strikes his fancy.  If you have suggestions, tell him. But do it fast, ‘cause he’ll be out shopping early. His email address is doubleeagle3@hotmail.com

This year, the after shoot event should not take nearly as long as it has in the past, and it should be better than ever. So, plan on attending.  And bring your better half or significant other and the youngsters with you to meet your shootin’ pals.

A NEW WESTERN MOVIE IN THE THEATERS

Russell Crowe as Outlaw Ben Wade

Have you seen the new version of 3:10 TO YUMA? If not, it’s worth a look.  Shucks, there aren’t many Westerns made anymore. And when a good one comes along, it’s worth seeing … for 2 reasons (1) ‘cause it’s a Western and (2) so the movie producers will fork up the loot to make more. Granted Russell Crowe doesn’t have the smooth charm that Glenn Ford had in the original flick. But Mesquite Millie thinks he did very well.  And there are a couple of scenarios that if cut you wouldn’t miss at all.  1 involves an Apache ambush and the other Chinese railroad workers: gotta get them politically correct coverages in. But all in all, it’s a pretty good Western. Some of the dialogue was right from the original movie. But every producer and director have to put in their own tid-bits.  So, it’s a little different.

Now before you say, “How can I take Russell Crowe seriously as a Western outlaw?” Remember that in THE QUICK AND THE DEAD, the Sharon Stone version, he was a pretty convincing gunslinger turned preacher turned gunslinger turned Marshal. And he’s been in at least 1 other Western.

What was the single most regretted missing element? It was Frankie Lane’s 3:10 To Yuma ballad from the original movie: not the thing he recorded on a record of his supposed Western movie songs – it had nothing to do with the movie or a Western theme. Give the 3:10 TO YUMA a look. It’s worth the time and cash, if you like Western movies.  If you don’t, shame on you.

WHAT MAKES A COWGIRL SHOOTER?

Deadeye Daisy Sportin’ Her Stylish Cowgirl Hat At The October Shoot

What makes a cowgirl shooter? A pair of pistols? Yep, that goes with the game. How ‘bout a slick as, well, a slick handling rifle? Yep, that helps too.  What about a shotgun that’s easy to break the action and reload without having to wham it over one’s knee? Yep, that sounds very reasonable. But the single most essential ingredient is a spiffy looking cowgirl hat.

Last Kiss & Yazoo City Gal Sportin’ Gunfighter Hats

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Volume 5, Issue No. 9                                            September, 2007

Ocoee Rangers Celebrate Gene Autry’s 100th Birthday

100 years ago this month, Gene Autry, America’s Favorite Singing Cowboy, was hatched. And while he may not now be the icon that John Wayne became, in his day he was bigger than John Wayne. Yep. And he was 1 of America’s top movie stars in popularity for many years.  In September, we honored Gene’s memory by including him in our stage designs. Nope, none of us will give him a run for the money in the singing department, especially not Widowmaker, but in the shootin’ department … well, that’s a different story.

Gene Autry & Champion

Widowmaker on the Range, ready to sing or shoot. He shoots better

We started the day with 69 shooters, but Tinker Chapley’s health has been challenging him since he had a stroke, back in May, and he had to leave after the 2nd stage.  But ole Tinker said he’ll be back next month.  Rawhide Rex had to call it quits after 3 stages.  His scores are shown because he shot more than half the match:  but his misses show that he wasn’t too perky even before he quit shooting. And Horseshoe John couldn’t shoot, although he dropped by for a few minutes.  Horseshoe’s a farrier: that means he shoes horses. A couple of months ago, a dog spooked a horse he was shoeing, and it trampled him – twice.  He ain’t been normal since that time.  Well, he hasn’t been healthy: he wasn’t normal even before the incident. Hopefully all our ailing cowboys will get better and be back with us in October.

L-R: Bourne Sassy, Yazoo City Gal, Killin’ Time and Last Kiss

But the day wasn’t all somber.  Before the shoot, the Ocoee Ranger Gals, Yazoo City Gal, Bourne Sassy, Killin’ Time, and Last Kiss, earned $43 for Double Eagle to use to buy prizes for our Christmas Event. How?  They sold “huggins” and “dippins” and “droppins”. I know what a huggin is, but I don’t have a clue what a dipin is, and “droppin’s” – well, I thought folks stepped around them in the barn yard.  Anyway, these lady shootists contributed to our pot for Christmas event prizes.  So did Sheriff Donald and Deadeye Daisy.  They contributed several leather ammo bags, that ol’ Donald made, to be given to folks who contributed $10 or more to the Christmas Event Prizes fund. And they all went fast. This was the last shoot during which contributions to buy prizes will be taken.  Throughout the year, we raised $681, and $241 of it was raised at the Gene Autry – September Shoot. All the money raised will be used to buy prizes to be awarded by drawing at the Ocoee Rangers Annual Christmas Event after lunch and the awarding of Annual Shooting Awards. More info about that later.

Keystone Times as Tucson Tuco Shoots Steel Cowboys

The day started with the Buffalo Shoot, as usual.  And Tin Pot and Fast Harley had a face-off.  No, they didn’t shoot at each other.  But after 1 shot in the 100 yard pistol competition, they were tied at 1 hit each.  So they each fired a 2nd shot, and both missed. Being game to the bone, they each fired a 3rd shot, and they missed again. So, they solved the problem like gentlemen cowboys: they flipped a coin, and Fast Harley won.

The TOP GUN for the day was Unpleasant. The Top 10 Shooters were(1) Unpleasant (2) Marshal Too Tall (3) Festus D. Deputy (4) Ocoee Red (5) Rusty Spur Slim (6) Widowmaker (7) Cherokee Maddog (8) Tucson Tuco (9) Pleasant (10) Tabasco JOT

3 cowboys shot perfect matches with no misses: Rusty Spur Slim, TN Hoss and Owlhoot Hardin.

(Continued on page 3)

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The Ocoee Ranger page 2                                        September 2007

THE REEL WEST – GENE  AUTRY

(1907 – 1998)

Gene Autry & his horse, the original Champion

Gene Autry would have been 100 years old in September. And while his influence isn’t seen a lot in Cowboy Action Shooting, he was 1 of the pioneers of the popular Western movie.  I know there were silent movie cowboys.  And Tom Mix made the transition easily from silent flicks to sound movies. And neither Gene’s movies nor Tom’s were very realistic. But Gene Autry really put Western movies in the limelight and kept it there for many years. Even in the Great Depression, audiences flocked to see his movies.

Gene was born in Tioga Texas in 1907, but he didn’t learn to ride a horse until he got into the movies. And he didn’t start out to be a Western movie actor. Nope.  He was a telegrapher, who strummed his guitar and sang a bit to entertain himself, when he wasn’t sending and receiving messages. Will Rogers happened by, heard him sing, and suggested that he try his hand as a radio singer.  And Gene did.  And he became a hit. Eventually, he had his own radio show, Melody Ranch. And it stayed on the air until the mid “50’s. But that ain’t all he did.  Not by a long shot.  He wrote songs, and had lots of hit records as a singer, and then he got into the Movies and became America’s Singing Cowboy on the silver screen.

During his career, Gene appeared in 93 feature films and made 635 record recordings, more than 300 of which he wrote or co-wrote. Look at his movies and you’ll notice that they showcased his records that were popular at the time. In effect, he was the first music video person.  Unlike the movies of the other singing cowboys who came after him, his movies had good songs in them, not just music to have music. But his movies also had action, and horses, and shooting, and the public flocked to see them. Back In The Saddle was 1 of his movies, and it introduced the song that became his theme song on his radio program and elsewhere.  Gene recorded 13 versions of that song on his records, and a few years ago, National Public Radio listed Gene’s version of Back In The Saddle as 1 of the 100 most significant songs of all time. (It was written by Ray Whitley for 1 of Gene’s movies, and later modified by Gene for his records.)

In WWII, the big one, Gene volunteered for duty in the Army Air Corps and became 1 of the Flying Sergeants, Non Commissioned Officers who flew airplanes.  Gene flew transports over the hump in the Indo China Theater.  His military experience taught him that when he was released from active duty, he wanted to be able to make a living without having to work himself. He said in 1 interview that the year before he went in the Army he made more than $60,000. And when he was an NCO in the army, he made about $600 a year.

In the 1950’s, Gene saw the potential of TV and jumped in as a producer and an actor.  He produced and appeared in the Gene Autry Show.  He also produced Annie Oakley (Gail Davis), The Range Rider (Jock Mahoney), Buffalo Bill Jr. (Dick West), and The Adventures Of Champion (his horse Champion, 1 of them).

This Statue of Gene Autry and his horse Champion stands in front of the Autry Museum

Gene’s song Silver Haired Daddy was the 1st record that ever went gold. And he had many others. He wrote and recorded Santa Claus Is Coming To Town and Peter Cottontail, and they both went platinum.  And he wrote and recorded Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, and it’s still 1 of the most recorded singles of all time. It eventually went double platinum.

Gene became fabulously wealthy as a businessman. He has 5 stars on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame: (1) radio (2) films (3) live performances (4) TV and (5) records. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Nashville Song Writers’ Hall of Fame, The National Cowboy Hall of Fame, and lots of other stuff. Gene also left his mark on Western history. In 1988, he established the Museum of the American West (formerly the Autry Museum of Western Heritage) in Los Angeles. It’s a terrific museum.  If you’re ever in the Los Angeles area, it’s well worth a visit, but plan several hours to see it.

Gene joined the posse in the Sky in 1998. Riding with that crowd, he’s Back in the Saddle Again.

The West of Our Imagination – Yazoo City Gal

Yazoo City Gal has been a cowgirl shooter for about 18 months. She was dating Judge’m All Duncan and went with him to a Cowboy Shoot with the River Bend Rough Riders. “After watching him shoot, I knew I had to shoot. I’ve been shooting ever since then.” She wasn’t a shooter nor familiar with firearms handling before she started shooting with Judge’m All.  But he was a good teacher, and she was a good student. “He reloads, and he helped me pick my guns. I started out shooting Traditional, and then I shot Duelist.  But my goal was to shoot Gunfighter.  That’s what I shoot now.” And she does it well, shootin’ her .32 Cal. pistols.

How’d she get her alias? “I was born in Yazoo City, Mississippi. That makes a great alias.” Yep.  It does.

What does she think about Cowboy Action Shooting?  “I’ve always been competitive. I played softball and went to the nationals in 1976.  I like the competition. But the people come first.  I’ve made a lot of new friends.  And I like dressing up, especially in the winter, more than the summer.” Yazoo’s a good cowgirl.  Just ask anyone in the Outlaw posse.

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The Ocoee Ranger page 3                                             September 2007

SHOOT RESULTS  (Continued from page 1)

TOP GUN – Unpleasant …

BUFFALO SHOOT – Long Range Pistol – Fast Harley … Long Range Single Shot Rifle … Colonel Mortimer … Long Range Lever Action Rifle – Last Kiss

Badlands Beck times Bourne Sassy, shooting Lady Duelist

L-R: Kenesaw & Cactus Red, Modern Range Riders

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Volume 5, Issue No. 8                              August 2007

ROADKILL COWBOY VISITS AUGUST SHOOT

Sundance – the Roadkill Cowboy

Sundance McNeyman showed up for the pre-shoot side-match looking … Well, looking like he’d driven into a herd of chickens on the way to the shoot.  And he evidently left a bunch of ‘em in the road, judging from all the different feathers in his summer hat. It appears the chicken drovers took 5 for coffee, and our boy hit the herd … vigorously. At least that’s what it looked like. Then Oracle spouted some words about Cowboy Shooting: “Think about it.  Cowboy Shooting is the only man’s sport where a man can walk up to another man, reach out and feel the texture of the material of his vest, and say, “Man, that’s a nice vest.” And nobody will think anything about it.”  Both these fellers sound sorta weird. But we’re all a little different:  we all go out in public dressed like the folks we pretended to be when we were young’uns playing cowboys and cowgirls. 

Then, the shoot began.  And Tio Don gave Sundance and Oracle a run for their money in the unusual department.  He’d decided to make blue smoke fly when he shot his pistols.  So, he put blue stuff in his cartridge cases. But there wasn’t much gunpowder in them cases.  So, the blue stuff mixed with the other stuff and the result was sub sonic projectiles going sorta down range, but not more than a few feet.  They didn’t even make it to the pistol targets.  He ain’t gonna do that again.

Lightning McCoy times Tio Don as he shoots at bar-flies. He’s Shootin’ real ammo at this point.

Our attendance was down. Several weeks of 90+ degrees temperatures kept lots of folks away.  But 48 brave souls, plus Sundance, ventured out to shoot. Ol’ T-Bone did a good job writing the stages. They were fast and not too complicated.  Shucks, Tellico even managed to shoot a clean match, as did Lightning McCoy, Josey Buckhorn, Horseshoe John, Wildcat Wilkey and Tennessee Hawk.

S.A. Pondwater was the Top Gun of the day. Last Kiss was the top shootin’ cowgirl. The Top 10 Shooters were: (1) S.A. Pondwater (2) Marshal Too Tall (3) Festus D. Deputy (4) Unpleasant (5) Ocoee Red (6) Widowmaker (7) Dustin Clays (8) T-Bone Angus (9) Pleasant and (10) Fast Harley.

Tellico , shooting, and Lightning McCoy, timing, both shot no-miss matches

Shoot Results – Top Gun .. S.A. Pondwater

Buffalo Shoot – Side Match

o   Long Range Single Shot Rifle – Colonel Mortimer o   .22 Cal. Lever Action Rifle – Marshal Too Tall o   Long Range Pistol – Sundance McNeyman

Linc and Dagnabit Deb:  We miss you and look forward to you being able to rejoin us on the range.

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The Ocoee Ranger page 2                             August, 2007

THE REEL WEST, THE REAL WEST & THE WEST OF OUR IMAGINATION

THE REEL WEST – ROD CAMERON

 ( 1910 – 1983)

Do you remember Rod Cameron? Odds are most of you’ll say, “Nope.” He was a silver screen cowboy back in the 30’s, 40’s, 50’s and some in the 60’s. Rod was hatched in Calgary, Canada, but he exercised good judgment: some years later, he looked south and then hit the trail for the U.S.

Rod Cameron

Rod started his movie career as a stunt man.  That means he got tromped on, run-over, hit, smashed, and generally abused for a few dollars, while the more prominent movie folks stood in the wings and said, “Wow! My fans will think I’m great when they see me doin’ that.” But eventually, he got a speaking part, not in a Western, but he got one. And the rest just sorta happened. Most of his films were Westerns. And most of his Westerns were B films.  His most memorable Western, at least by title, was RIDE THE MAN DOWN.  You can still catch it

occasionally on the Westerns Channel. But he was in lots more.  He even did a TV Bonanza. In his career he appeared with Tex Ritter, Rory Calhoun, Fred McMurray and lots of other folks. Late in his career, Rod went modern and played cops in 3 different TV series.  Rod died in 1983 in Gainesville, GA, current home of rootin’ tootin’ cowgirl, Mesquite Millie.

Now before you write Rod off as a “so what”, remember this. At 1 time, some significant movie personalities had comic books about their movie adventures. John Wayne did. So did …. Rod Cameron.  Yep. There were 20 issues of ROD CAMERON WESTERNS. How ‘bout that?

Badlands Beck

THE WEST OF OUR IMAGINATION –

BADLANDS BECK

Some folks are influenced to do stuff by childhood chums.  Take Badlands Beck for instance.  He’s known Rawhide Rex since they were in the 6th grade. And ol’ Rex led him into Cowboy Shooting. Rex had been shooting sporting clays with Badlands, so it was 1 of them I’ll do your stuff, if you’ll do mine.  And away they rode.

What’s Badlands shoot?  “I started shooting .45 Vaqueros.  Now, I shoot 2nd generation Colts. They’re .45’s too.  And sometimes, I shoot S&W Schofields. They’re also .45’s.”  When asked if he shoots mouse / butterfly loads, here’s what he said: “No.  I shoot standard loads. I like to hear a good boom.  I read what a guy said once.  He said, ‘Why do I shoot .45 Colts?  Because they don’t make .65 Colts.’ ” Badlands sounds like a real cowboy to me.

Here’s how he became Badlands Beck.  “I really wanted Equalizer.  When I was growing up, my dad said I was his equalizer.  He said he couldn’t have stood the other 2 if it wasn’t for me.  But someone already had Equalizer.  My wife suggested Badlands Beck.  Beck has always been my nickname.”

Badlands is an Outlaw shooter. “The 1st time I shot Outlaw was in Cleveland. Tombstone had been shooting it about 6 months, and I was tired of Traditional.  I’d shot Duelist a little, and so, I tried Outlaw and loved it.  I shot Traditional 1 time after that and hated it.  Of course you have to get used to missing a lot, when you shoot Outlaw.”

Badlands Beck sports about 7 cowboy hats. Cowboy hats + .45’s + real loads = a real fine cowboy.  He’s real friendly too.

THE REAL WEST – TOM JEFFORDS  ( 1832 – 1914)

Everybody who’s a Western movie fan knows the story of Tom Jeffords. Sorta. We all know that he became blood brother to Cochise, the Arizona Apache leader, and brought an end to hostilities in the area. How do we know?  Because we watched BROKEN ARROW, the movie and the TV series. Here’s the real story, in a short flippant version.

Thomas J. Jeffords was born in New York in 1832. Sometime before he arrived in the southwest, he operated some sort of small boat and became known as “Captain” Jeffords, and the name stuck: “Captain”.  The Jeffords part wasn’t up for grabs.  In 1862, he arrived in Arizona, and in the ensuing years he became a U.S. Army Scout, Superintendent of a Mail Line, Indian Agent, Deputy Sheriff, and desert rat Miner.

“Captain” Tom Jeffords

In His Later Years

The movie told the basics of the story: Jeffords met Cochise alone, established a friendship, and stopped the raids against and death of his mail riders. While hostilities continued in the area, his mail folks were not bothered.  Then in 1872, President Grant sent General O. O. Howard to stop the warfare in the Tucson area.  And Howard, learning about Jefford’s friendship with Cochise, convinced him to introduce him to his friend. Ultimately, a peace treaty was signed.  In the process, Cochise sought and received approval for 2 things: (1) his (not all) Apaches were to be allowed to stay in their mountains and (2) Jeffords was to become their Agent. (Jeffords wasn’t thrilled about that.)

The treaty and the peace lasted a little over a year. Cochise died. The local folk in the Tucson area didn’t care much for “Indian Lover” Jeffords, and they wrote stacks of letters to Washington and had him removed as Indian Agent.  They also convinced the politicians in D.C. to move the Cochise Apaches to San Carlos Reservation.  That broke the treaty. The main reason the Tucson folks wanted the changes was so they could go copper and silver hunting on the Indian land. They did. The Indians resumed hunting white folks, and the hostilities didn’t end until 1886 when Geronimo surrendered for the last time.

What became of Jeffords? Well, he did other things: drove a stagecoach, served as a deputy sheriff, and mostly became a hermit miner, making a living digging holes and getting copper and silver in small amounts.  The Tucson folks, had shunned him because of his dealings with the Apaches, and because of that, he evidently discovered that he didn’t like them any better than they liked him.  So, in his final years, he lived with his best and most reliable friend: himself.  Tom died in 1914.

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Volume 5, Issue No. 7                                July 2007

What Happens When It Rains?

What happens?  Shucks, cowboys & cowgirls get wet.  And before the July Shoot, it rained buckets – it really poured. But it stopped just before a delayed registration, and it didn’t rain during the shoot.  It looked like it would, but it didn’t. And Ol’ T-Bones’ scenarios were good, even if several of us had procedurals.

There was a bit of oratory from that silver-tongued devil Owlhoot Hardin. He made his pitch thusly (How’s that for a lead-in Owlhoot?): “Several of us would like to shoot black powder duelist and have it recognized.” Then he said that the illustrious shooters for that day included himself, Kenesaw & Long Gulch. Impressed by his oratory, and by the fact that there were 3 shooters who would shoot BP Duelist, Deadman spouted an eloquent answer: “Ok.”

And following the 3 P’s, shooting began: (Pledge, Prayer & Posse Assignment). All totaled, 47 shooters participated. There would have been 2 more, but 2 had to leave just before shoot time.

L-R: Owlhoot Hardin & Kenesaw demonstrate deadly determination as Black Powder Duelists

The Buffalo Shooters gathered, as usual, but it was raining. Either they didn’t shoot, didn’t bother to record results, or didn’t report results. S.A. Pondwater was the Top Gun of the day, shooting Modern.  Only 2 cowgirls participated in the shoot, Yazoo City Gal and Last Kiss, both shooting Lady Gunfighter:  Last Kiss placed 1st. The Top 10 Shooters were as follows: (1) S.A. Pondwater (2) Rusty Spur Slim (3) Marshal Too Tall (4) Unpleasant (5) Ocoee Red (6) Judge’m All Duncan (7) Pleasant (8) Double Eagle (9) Tabasco JOT (10) Lightning McCoy. Did you note that there are 2 father-son teams in the Top 10 shooters: S.A. Pondwater and Tabasco JOT; Unpleasant & Pleasant.

12 cowboys shot no-miss matches, and 4 of them were in the Top 10 Shooters: S.A. Pondwater, Marshal Too Tall, Judge’m All Duncan, and Lightning McCoy. The other no-miss cowboys were: T-Bone Angus, Grey Rider, Wildcat Wilkey, Tennessee Hawk, Deadman, Owlhoot Hardin, Calibre .45, and Outlaw Tracker.

Did any other significant event happen? You bet. Big was back.  He’d had a heat related injury at an Oak Ridge shoot a couple of months ago and had to be hospitalized.  But he’s back in the saddle.  Ol’ Linc was present, although he’s scheduled for surgery on Aug. 7. Keystone reported that Dagnabit Deb is making progress in her chemo treatment, although she couldn’t be present. And then to consider something a bit more light-hearted: Pleasant showed up WITHOUT HIS BEARD! Yep! He’d had

Pleasant –

The Beardless Cowboy

it 14 years and then said, “Good bye Beard.” Why? Here’s how he explained it: “My wife said it scratches.” He may not be macho, but he sure knows his priorities.  Mesquite Millie commented: “You look a lot younger without it.” And getting rid of it didn’t hurt his shooting: he placed 7th in overall competition and 1st among the Gunfighters

Good Bye, Buckshot

L-R: Pleasant & Buckshot

Shortly before the July Shoot, we learned that Buckshot, AKA James Allen Ware, joined the posse in the sky on February 5, 2007.  Buckshot’s been an Ocoee Ranger in spirit for years, but his health hasn’t allowed him to shoot with us since 2000. He’s kept up with us through our newsletter.

Buckshot’s wife, Jean, informed us about his passing and said that she has his gun cart that he never got to use in competition, and she’d like to sell it.  If you’re interested in buying it, call Jean at 423-472-4336.

Good bye, Buckshot. You were a good cowboy.

Linc – Ailing Cowboy

Linc – Miracle Cowboy

Linc has received bad news from his doctor.  He’s scheduled to have cancer surgery on August 7th.He and his better half, Nancy, have asked that they be remembered in your prayers

Linc is 1 of our Miracle Cowboys. That means that he is a regular cowboy who sets up the range on Fridays, before we shoot on Saturdays.  Some folks probably think every month a miracle occurs, and the targets just appear on the range.  Well, it ain’t so. Linc and his pardners perform the Miracle.

SHOOT RESULTS

TOP GUN – S.A. Pondwater

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The Ocoee Ranger page 2                                 July 2007

THE REAL WEST   –  Lillie Langtry   (1853 – 1929)

Lillie Langtry

What do you know about Lillie Langtry?  If you’re like me, probably not much beyond that she was English, an actress and the apple of Judge Roy Bean’s eye. So, here’s the scoop, briefly and a bit flippantly told.

Lillie Langtry was born Emilie Charlotte Le Breton on the Isle of Jersey in 1853. Her papa was a high-level minister, religious type.  Her mama was an attractive lady with good social skills, who supported Lillie’s papa in his socializing church duties. And Lillie? Well, she was the only girl among 6 brothers.  So, she grew up a scrapper with a mind of her own.  She read a lot. So, not only was she educated and smart, she had lots of opinions and wasn’t shy in sharing them with others. And she was attractive.  Shucks, when she was 14, she received her 1st marriage proposal.  But she was too young, and her suitor was out of luck. 

In 1874, when Lillie was 20, she married her favorite brother’s wife’s brother-in-law, Edward Langtry. Ed was a plump and pompous widower and not the greatest of folks, but he had a real nifty yacht. And he appeared to be wealthy. He was husband material.

It didn’t take long for Lillie to discover that she really didn’t care much for Ed. After a personal illness, she convinced ol’ Ed that she’d be much healthier in London. So, he sold his boat and took her to the big city, where she plunged into London society and the whing-dings that went with it. All the guys noticed her, and she became a hit.  Shucks, several artists convinced her to model for them, and she appeared in several of their paintings. One of them, John Everett Millais, painted her holding a Jersey lily and titled his portrait, The Jersey Lily.  And from that she acquired her famous title, the Jersey Lily.

The Jersey Lily –

by John Millais

Artists weren’t the only fellers who noticed Lillie. Several rich fellers also noticed her. And she had several flings.  That means she messed around with fellers that weren’t her husband. Before long, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, son of Queen Victoria, and future King Edward VI, took a shine to her, and she became his mistress for a time.  When that ended, she became the companion of other wealthy fellers. In 1880, Ed Langtry declared bankruptcy.  But that didn’t matter.  Lillie had been using her likeness in early day commercials, selling soap and stuff, and doing a little theater.  Then, she took up with Prince Louis of Battenberg, and sometime thereafter, she got pregnant. Of course in them days, unwed births weren’t as acceptable as they are now a days.  So, Lillie’s daughter was raised by Lillie’s mother and grew up thinking Lillie was her aunt. She only learned the truth shortly before she was married.  But that didn’t matter.  Evidently she didn’t cotton to Lillie as and aunt and didn’t like her any better as a birth mother.  Such is life.

Remember, Lillie was a smart gal.  She became an actress, banking on her looks, figure, and fellers hoping for a glimpse of her legs when she was in costume.  Later, she went to acting school and became a real, talented actress.  And over the years, she grew wealthy.  She managed theaters, had her own theater company, bought racehorses and California vineyards.  And she even broke the bank in Monte Carlo.  From her enterprises, Lillie became a multi-millionaire.

Somewhere along the way, Lillie divorced Ed Langtry, and when she was 45, she married Hugo de Bathe.  Hugo, ain’t that a fine name, was 18 years younger than her and some sort of nobleman.  He convinced her to retire from acting and to sell her racehorses.  It just didn’t look seemly for his wife to be acting and racing horses.  Then he packed his gear and trotted off to fight in the Boer War in South Africa.  And Lillie, being an independent female, promptly came out of retirement and came back to the U.S. to do another very successful theater tour. Their marriage, such as it was, lasted for 30 years, with both largely going their own ways.  In 1907, Hugo’s pappy died and he inherited his pap’s title and became Sir Hugo. That made Lillie, Lady de Bathe.

In 1904, Lillie was on 1 of her American tours and stopped at Langtry Texas to meet Judge Roy Bean, who for years had sent her letters and had named his saloon after her: the Jersey Lilly.  Unfortunately, ol’ Roy had died about 10 months earlier.  He died with her memory, and she went away with his six-shooter: some friendly townsman gave it to her. Lillie died in 1929, the same year that Wyatt Earp died.  Both had lived exciting lives and are still remembered.

Ok.  Technically, Lillie wasn’t an Old West character. But you can’t consider Roy Bean and not hear about Lillie Langtry, the Jersey Lily.  And face it. Most of us know little or nothing about her.  But … she’s part of the myth of the West.