Cheyenne Ranger & Violet Peacock

True Story!!! I was born a long time ago but since I was very small at the time I don’t remember much of it. I misspent my youth developing a love of slow horses and fast women. This led to me leaving quite a few towns in a great hurry, many times, at night, on the back of someone’s "borrowed" horse. I gravitated to the area around Cheyenne , Wyo. At that time respectable work was hard to find which was fine with me. The best and easiest work was riding with a group of cowpokes that would search out "lost" cattle and the fellers that kinda helped them get lost. We were a semi-legal group that acquired the collective name of Rangers. Nowhere near the quality or style of our Texas brethren but we did provide some service to the ranchers in the area. We drank hard and rode easy—it was a good life and one that didn’t require much effort from me, other than not falling off the back of my mount after an especially hard night of drinking. Alas, all good things must come to an end. Several less-reputable members of our band decided that there was more money in helping the cattle get "lost" than finding them—it made perfect sense to me at the time. Once again, I found myself on the back of a fast moving horse with the lights of Cheyenne disappearing in the distance.

Figured about then, that since too make people knew my real name, I might want to be known by a different moniker—hence Cheyenne Ranger now rode the ranges of the West. Time passed and I ended up in No-Name City . Helped Ben Rumsfeld and Partner with their project to gather the spilled gold dust from under all the bars and stores. When the town literally disappeared into the ground, Lee asked me if he could model the character Kid Shelleen after me—I was flattered and agreed, though the most fun I had was singing with Nat King Cole and Stubby Kaye throughout Cat Ballou. Always hated that my part ended up on the cutting room floor.

Next I traveled south and stopped for a time in New Mexico ; Lordsburg seemed like a nice place. It had been a long and lonely trip and I was in need of female companionship. Word on the street was that a woman had come in from Kansas City , KS to bury her husband. I met "Violet Peacock", soon after his funeral. He had been on the stagecoach from Tonto to Lordsburg. He was wounded by an arrow and later died from the infection.

Here was a woman that a man could settle down with! Violet and I were married and began a quiet, simple life. Both she and I became teachers working for the local school district and live peaceably even to this day.

Most Memorable Moment was when my brother, Slashwood Whittler, joined up and has become my shooter partner. I hope to involve my wife, Violet Peacock, in CAS shooting in the coming months. She is getting encouragement from Tracker’s better half Kit O’Leary—a perfect reason for more guns, gear and get-ups.

Deep Dark Secret: Taught to me by an old cowhand, "If you count all the legs and divide by 4 you’ll know how many cows are in the herd."

Walter and Debbie Laich who had been "molders of young minds" (teachers) in Spring I.S.D. retired in 2008.  Debbie taught for 30 years in elementary and middle schools and Walter for 35, all at Ponderosa Elementary. They have seen FM 1960 as a two-lane road and remember deer crossing at 1960 and Kuykendahl—however, he doesn’t remember breakfast. 

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Lone Wolf & Lady Wolf

Lone Wolf--Alias: Well it's rather really simple. It's a combinations of the street I live on "Wolf" and the fact that I don't play well with others "Lone"...so there you have it..."Lone Wolf".

My interest in CAS: I started CAS about 4 years ago when it was the "latest sport" to be advertised. Guess I've been shooting since I was about 6 years old, so I thought I could keep my interest alive.

Most Memorable Moment: When my wife "Lady Wolf" decided to start shooting with me.

Lady Wolf--Alias: The fact that I am married to Mr. "Lone Wolf" made it simple for "Wolf". "Lady", well that was simple too...there you have it ..."Lady Wolf".

Hobbies: Aside from shooting, since it's in my blood, I also enjoy leatherworking.

My interest in CAS: I started CAS 3 years ago after watching my husband shoot. Now I am hooked too.

Most Memorable Moment: That would have to be when I "cleaned" ALL 6 stages at a monthly shoot.

Hobbies: I enjoy quilting, sewing CAS costumes, and reading.

Mike Rambos live in Spring, TX. Mike works in the Computer Department for Montgomery County . Patsy was the Director of Elementary Mathematics for Spring ISD.  She passed away November 20, 2010.

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                             The Welsh Rifleman... 

---- “The Beginning”

 My given name is George Edwards.  I was born in 1855 near Cardiff, Wales, and having enlisted in Her Majesty’s service in 1876 I was posted to B Company, 2^nd Battalion (2^nd Warwickshire), of the 24^th Regiment of Foot as a Rifleman.

In 1879, on the 22^nd and 23^rd of January, I took part in the battle of Rorke’s Drift on the Buffalo River in the Anglo-Zulu War.  For my service as a Rifleman in this action, I received the South Africa Medal with clasp.  The stand at Rorke’s Drift was immortalised in the 1964 movie “Zulu”.   If you watch the movie, you will observe that the Welsh Riflemen were using the 577/450 caliber, Mark II, Martini-Henry Rifle.  You will also observe that many of them were named George.

In July 1881 the 24th Foot became the South Wales Borderers and was relocated to the new regimental depot at Brecon in South Wales.  I continued to serve there until my discharge.  I competed for the Queen’s Prize in the Annual Rifle Competitions at Wimbledon just before my discharge and although I didn’t get a medal (or more importantly the money), I shot quite well.  At the match, I became friends with two American Riflemen who convinced me to immigrate to the United States and go west with them. After arriving in New York, we quickly traveled to the Oklahoma Territory to make our fortune in the Land Run of 1889.

The original Wild Bunch, also known as the Doolin Dalton Gang, was one of the names of a group of outlaws based in the Indian Territory, that terrorized Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma Territory during the 1890s—robbing banks and stores, holding up trains, and killing lawmen. They were also known as The Oklahoma Long Riders from the long dusters they wore. 

Evett Dumas Nix, often known as E.D. Nix, was a US Marshal in the late 19th century handling the jurisdiction that included the wild Oklahoma Territory, later to be the state of Oklahoma. He was first appointed in 1893, in the closing years of the Old West, during the last years of the “Hanging Judge Parker” tenure. He made his main priority the toppling of the Doolin Dalton Gang. Nix appointed one hundred Deputy Marshals to the task, insisting they hunt down all outlaws, but with a priority on this gang. Marshal Nix was staunchly supportive of his deputies and in the use of any means they felt were necessary to bring down the gang, and with him as their defender politically, his Deputy Marshals systematically hunted down the gang members.  I signed up and was sworn in as one of his Marshals.

Of all the outlaw gangs produced by the Old West, none met a more violent end than the Doolin Dalton gang. Being formed in the last decade of the 19th century, of its eleven members, only one would survive into the 20th century. All eleven would meet with a violent death in gun battles with lawmen.

As a Marshal I worked directly with three well know Marshals including Bill Tilghman, Hech Thomas and Chris Madsen. The trio were collectively known as the Three Guardsmen and were the most responsible for finally bringing law and order to the area and for the arrest and/or killings of many of the worst outlaws of the time.

After several years as a Marshal I had an opportunity to get into the oil well drilling business as a security guard and later as a working partner on a drilling rig.  The first commercial paying well, the Nellie Johnstone No. 1, was drilled in 1896 near Bartlesville , Oklahoma . Completed in 1897 as the discovery well for the giant Bartlesville-Dewey Field, the well ushered in the oil era for Oklahoma Territory and I was there.  I put my rifle over the fireplace and became the Welsh Oilman.

The Welsh Rifleman ---- “The Middle”

My ”real” given name is George Edwards.... my father was George Edwards...my grandfather was George Edwards, etc. Any of you familiar with Welsh names will immediately understand my heritage. As a side note, one of the Riflemen at the Battle of Rorke's Drift was named George Edwards. This is where I acquired my "alias" - Welsh Rifleman.

I have been active in shooting as far back as I can remember, but really got into it with my training on the "Known Distance" range at Ft. Hood, Texas in 1956 using my International Harvester M-1 Garand. After Ft. Hood , I was assigned to the 280mm Gun Crew (a really big gun nicknamed “Atomic Annie”) as a Forward Observer Radio/Telephone Operator and Fire Direction Instructor where I was promoted to the rank of Sergeant.  Following Infantry Officer Candidate School at Ft. Benning , Georgia , I was a Range Officer and Instructor on the U.S. Army Marksmanship Training Committee at Ft. Jackson , S.C. (1964-1966) training and shooting the M-14 and later the M-16 rifles as we transitioned over to silhouette targets and battle sight zeroes versus the KD targets. While at Ft. Jackson , I earned the Expert Infantry Badge and my Paratrooper Jump Wings.  I also received the Army Commendation Medal for my work in the development of the Rifle Marksmanship Training Program.  I spent some time in Asia from 1966 to 1968 (along with a lot of other folks) as an Electronic Intelligence Operations Officer and then left the active service at the rank of Captain to enter the world of offshore drilling - where I am still working full time for Well Control Schools as a Lead Instructor.  During my time in the drilling business, I have worked in the Gulf of Mexico, the North Sea, West Africa, the Middle East, South America, South East Asia and of course that other foreign country – Louisiana.

My wife Nancy and I met and married while I was at Ft. Benning , GA , in the Infantry Officer’s Candidate School .  We have been happily married for 46 years and live in the Memorial Northwest Subdivision near Champion Forest Drive and Louetta.

The Welsh Rifleman ---- “The End” (not even on my calendar)