Panhandle Cowboys Gazette September 2014 Bill of rights - Second amendment A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. Panhandle cowboys contacts President High Card gbaughman@juno.com Vice President Navajo Kid randypippin@cox.net Secretary Sammy Jo s.pitkin@att.net Treasurer Cassidy Jane bob15621@aol.com Match Director Mad Dane dlangley@gulftel.com Territorial Governor Alabama Shootist apippin357@aol.com Trophy Wrangler Grundy daliancesse@aol.com Webmaster Jeb Stuart bob15621@aol.com Gazette Editor Rocky Lane winchesteraa@cox.net FLORIDA STATE WILD BUNCH MATCH The Florida State Wild Bunch Match was held September 5 th and 6 th at Fort White, Florida, (near Gainesville). Several categories were offered, including Senior Traditional, which was the category chosen by our own Navajo Kid. At the conclusion of the match Navajo Kid was announced as the Florida State Wild Bunch Champion - Senior Traditional Category. Congratulations to Navajo Kid for some fine shooting.
PANHANDLE COWBOYS NEXT MATCH October 12, 2014 Match Set-up 7:30am-8:00am Match Sign-up 8:00am-8:45am Mandatory Safety Briefing 9:30am Match Fee - $15.00 Morning Waddie Match Fee - $10.00 SEPTEMBER MATCH Our September match was not as hot and humid as our summer months, but the weather was not exactly crisp fall weather either. Several cowboys and cowgirls brought fans and cords to help keep us cool. Chongo joined us for our September match. He is a new shooter to us but not to CAS shooting, as he shoots in Chipley with the Panhandle Cattle Company. Millside Mike also joined us for our September shoot. Of special note, Jimmy Rainsong joined us after a long absence. Recent tests show a marked improvement in his health, so much so he was able to shoot with us. We sincerely hope he continues to improve and is able to join us every month. We sure miss you cowboy. Let s keep those thoughts and prayers coming for Jimmy Rainsong. Thanks to Navajo Kid for bringing his trailer and golf cart for match set-up and take-down. Thanks to all the morning and afternoon waddies, and thanks to everyone who helped run the posies. Just a reminder, you cannot shoot in the relaxed summer dress in the October match, as the summer dress code only applies to the months of June, July, August, and September. OCTOBER SIDE MATCH Navajo Kid will be running a Wild Bunch Side Match after the October main match. A model 1911 pistol (or replica) and four or five magazines, and a model 1897 Winchester (or replica) shotgun, and a rifle/carbine will get you ready to shoot. The rifle/carbine can be your match rifle. The requirement for a rifle/carbine to be a.40-caliber, or larger, is waved. If you do not have a model 1911 pistol, or a 97 shotgun, just borrow one from the many that will be there. (Too bad we do not have access to the Wild Bunch machine gun. Talk about a Wild Bunch side match.) 2
AMBUSH AT CAVERN COVE 2014 This is the Alabama State Championship match presented by the North Alabama Regulators and being held October 2 nd 5 th. We do not have the match results at this time, as the match is going on as this is being written. We will have a report on how well our cowboys and cowgirls preformed in the October issue of the Gazette. SHOOTout ON THE SANTA FE Presented by the Fort White Cowboy Cavalry at the Fort White Gun Club, in Fort White, Florida, this is The Fourteenth Annual Shootout on the Santa Fe. The match will be held on October 11 th. It is probably too late to enter the match, but information is available at fwcc.net. SEIGE AT ST. AUGUSTINE This is a four day match for the 2015 Florida State Championship. The match is presented by The Ghost Town Gunslingers at the Ancient City Shooting Range. Match dates are January 8 th through the 11 th. Additional information is available at siegeatstaugustine.com. A DARK DAY ON THE SANTA FE The Fort White Cowboy Cavalry will conduct the 2015 SASS Florida State Black Powder Championship on March 7 th, 2015. Information is available at fwcc.net. GUN SHOWS Below is a listing of gun shows within a more or less reasonable driving distance from Pensacola. October 25 th & 26 th Robertsdale, Alabama Baldwin County Fairgrounds October 25 th & 26 th Panama City, Florida Bay County Fairgrounds November 1 st & 2 nd Pascagoula, Mississippi Jackson County Fairgrounds November 8 th & 9 th Mobile, Alabama Greater Gulf State Fairgrounds November 15 th & 16 th Pensacola, Florida Pensacola Interstate Fairgrounds December 6 th & 7 th Fort Walton Beach, Florida N.W. Florida Fairgrounds December 6 th & 7 th Dothan, Alabama National Peanut Festival Facility December 20 th & 21 st Biloxi, Mississippi Mississippi Coast Coliseum & Convention Center The Panhandle Cowboys will have tables at the Pensacola gun show. Mad Dane is our gun show coordinator, so if you are able to assist in manning the tables for either or both days, give Mad Dane a shot at dlangley@gulftel.com. And don t forget to dress up in your 3
cowpoke duds, and bring some gun leather and cowboy shootin irons. JULY COWBOY As I recall we did not identify the July Cowboy in our August issue of the Gazette, and I offered a reason (excuse) or two for the omission. Well I did it again, as this is the 6 th of October and I am working on the September issue of the Gazette. Seems like my brother was right when he said, Every day is a Saturday, when asked about his retirement. Anyway Our July cowboy was born on December 2 nd, 1922, in New York City, New York. Leo Vincent Gordon was raised by his father in dire poverty. He dropped out of school in the eighth grade, going to work in the construction and demolition industry. He then joined the Civilian Conservation Corps where he participated in public works projects. When the United States entered World War II, Leo Gordon enlisted in the U.S. Army. He was in the army two years before receiving an undesirable discharge. He then found himself in Southern California where he and a friend attempted to rob a bar and its patrons at gunpoint. He was shot by a patron, charged with armed robbery, convicted, and imprisoned at San Quentin Prison. While in prison he realized his life was going in a destructive direction, so he read every book in the prison library. After his incarceration he utilized his G.I. Bill benefits and enrolled in the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, established in 1884, in New York. Leo Gordon attended classes with future movie legends Grace Kelly and Anne Bancroft. Jason Robards was one of his instructors while at the Academy. He also met his future wife, Lynn Cartwright, at the Academy. He began working as an actor on the stage in New York City, appearing with Edward G. Robinson and Tyrone Power. He was discovered by a Hollywood agent while appearing in the stage play Darkness at Noon. His first non-stage role was in a 1952 episode of the Hallmark Hall of Fame. In 1953 he appeared in the following film/tv programs; My Hero, China Venture, City of Bad Men, Gun Fury, All the Brothers Were Valiant, and Hondo. In total, Leo Gordon appeared in over 170 films and TV programs. He appeared in the Jim Davis syndicated TV series Stories of the Century. Other TV programs and movies were; Tales of the Texas Rangers, Frontier Doctor (starring Rex Allen), the film Riot in Cell Block 11, shot at San Quentin and directed by Don Siegel who also directed John Wayne and Clint Eastwood. Siegel said about Leo Gordon, Leo Gordon was the scariest man I have ever met. He also appeared in the Don Siegel directed 4
Baby Face Nelson with Mickey Rooney. He had a recurring role in the TV series Maverick from 1957 to 1960. James Garner recalled in later years that during the filming of the episode Shady Deal at Sunny Acres Leo Gordon purposely punched him for real in one of the first scenes they did together. When filming the next scene James Garner hit Leo Gordon for real. Leo Gordon also appeared in four episodes of the James Garner TV series The Rockford Files. He played multiple roles in the TV series The Untouchables. He appeared on The Andy Griffith Show as an ex-convict bent on revenge against Sheriff Andy Taylor. The writers of this episode leaned heavily on Leo Gordon s brief criminal career when writing the script. You may recall the 1963 movie McLintock! starring John Wayne, Maureen O Hara, and Chill Wills when Leo Gordon receives this line from John Wayne, Somebody oughta belt you but I won t! I won t! The hell I won t. The Dude then belts him and the mudslide fight begins! There is no way we can list all of Leo Gordon s screen and TV appearance so we will just cherry pick some of the more notable ones; The Night of the Grizzly with Clint Walker, Laredo, Daniel Boone, Lassie, The High Chaparral, Bonanza, Alias Smith and Jones, O Hara, U.S, Treasury, My Name is Nobody, Gunsmoke, Magnum, P.I.. After appearing in the movie Maverick, starring Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, and James Garner, his final role was that of Wyatt Earp in a 1994 episode of the TV series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. Leo Gordon was more than an actor. He wrote scripts for movies and TV shows. His first successful film script was The Cry Baby Killer which featured an unknown actor named Jack Nicholson. He wrote You Can t Win Em All, a 1970 film starring Tony Curtis and Charles Bronson. Tobruk starring Rock Hudson and George Peppard was written by Leo Gordon. He also appeared in the film. Leo Gordon wrote nearly fifty scripts apiece for Bonanza, Cheyenne, and Maverick and those were for episodes in which he did not appear as an actor. He also appeared in and wrote scripts for the Jack Webb produced TV series Adam 12. Leo Gordon was highly regarded by fellow actors, and his directors, as being a well prepared professional. He was known as a quiet, thoughtful and intelligent person who avoided the Hollywood spotlight. In 1997, he received the Golden Boot Award for his years 5
of acting in westerns. When accepting the award, he flashed a smile and said, Thank God for typecasting, as he was usually cast as one on the baddies. Leo Gordon passed away in his sleep on December 26, 2000. COWBOY LEXICON Although we are going to use words and phrases from the book Western Words A Dictionary of the Old West by Ramon F. Adams, I would like to start this article by repeating the John Wayne quote from McLintock! Someone oughta belt you but I won t! I won t! The hell I won t! Self explanatory Bedded In the cowman s language, this means that a roped animal has been thrown full length with such force as to cause it to lie still. Band wagon A range-peddlers wagon, usually loaded with clothing, cinches, stirrup leathers, and other cowboy supplies. Apple A slang name for the horn of the saddle. Alkalied Acclimated to the country; said of one who has lived in the country a long time; also of one who drinks alkaline water. Most of the men considered old-timers had been living in the country so long that, in the language of the cowboy, They knowed all the lizards by their first names, except the younger set. Yellow bellies Cattle of Mexican breed splotched on the flank and belly with a yellowish color. Trail hand Another name for a man engaged in trailing cattle. Every Texas range-bred boy was ambitious to go up the trail. It gave him an opportunity to break the monotony of range life and offered a chance to see the world. Tucson bed Sleeping in the open without cover, or, in the cowboy s language, usin your back for a mattress and your belly for a coverin. Roll your bed! A command meaning that you are fired. Roll your wheels The term was used in the early days by freighters, bullwhackers, and mule skinners. It meant start your team, but by the time the cowman seized it for his own, it meant get goin in any sense. Ride like a deputy sheriff To ride recklessly, in a hurry. 6
Ride over that trail again A request to explain more simply and more fully. Lookin for someone An expression meaning that one is seeking an enemy to down. CHRISTMAS PARTY The Panhandle Cowboys Annual Christmas Party will not be held at Sonny s B-B-Q this year as was originally planned. The date we had chosen, December 13, the Saturday prior to our December 14 th match was not available. However, the Florida State Wild Bunch Senior Traditional Champion, Navajo Kid, graciously volunteered his newly built RV barn for our Christmas Party/Marine Corps Toys for Tots raffle/auction. We will have more information available at our next match and in the next issued of the Gazette. Also, we will need volunteers to help with setting up the barn for the party. We will be needing some help possibly on getting some tables and chairs. And doing some decorating might need a couple of hands also. (Wonder if white-washing the barn is on the agenda.) The meal will still be catered by Sonny s BBQ. Folks seem to like their food. And we will be able to BYOB, but I believe ice tea will be provided. Also, soft drinks and water should be available. More on the menu later. Cassidy Jane said the quilt is just about ready for this year s auction. This year s quilt is larger than in previous years and it will be available for viewing at the October match. Cassidy Jane said the quilt is worth $300.00 and suggested it be auctioned this year instead of being raffled. Good idea! SEPTEMBER COWBOY Our September cowboy was born in Arizona. The photo at left shows our cowboy in one of his personal appearance outfits. He said, My Dad was a fiddle player. He used to play for all the dances and stuff, and I learned to play guitar when there was nobody to accompany him. And then I sang in all the church choirs and glee clubs in the school. Basically, all I ever wanted to do was try to be a singer and make a living at that. And then, went into radio and the recording field, and had a few hit records. Roy Rogers was getting ready to leave Republic Pictures and get into television, and they were looking around for another poobah in a white hat, so I got my foot in the door there. He was the last of the singing cowboys. If you know who our September cowboy is, give a shot to Rocky Lane at winchesteraa@cox.net. 7
ADIOS Due to my exceptional organizational skills (HA!), I have lost (OOPS!) an email from the first cowboy who emailed me (Rocky Lane) with the correct identification of our July Cowboy. I think I know who it was, but you who emailed me know who it is, so please email me again. By the way, I know who the second cowboy is who emailed me with the correct answer. (Some folks wonder how I get around by myself.) Apparently, I did a purge of emails and there it went. (And since I have about seventy emails in a holding pattern, it looks like another major email purge is coming up.) That s it for now. Be Safe and Shoot Straight 8