Raymond Adkins

Zeke Cooper: the Saga Continues Raymond Adkins

. The years following the civil war were tumultuous and especially so in the Arizona Territory. The emotional wounds from the late war festered in some men, driving them to the brink of madness. Many of these men found haven in Arizona. Some men moved west to find a better life for themselves in the territories and help build a nation. While other men found life outside the law more to their liking. Zeke Cooper, rancher, businessman and part time U. S. Marshal came across a woman who died as the result of a severe beating. She left five children ... all under the age of twelve. A few days later Zeke jailed the outlaw that beat the woman. With the help of others the outlaw broke out of jail, killing the sheriff in the process. Zeke went after the outlaws and came across a sinister plot that would have an adverse effect on the future of the Territory of Arizona. The information he uncovered took him into some of the remotest areas of the territory. He had to deal with outlaws, as well as honest men. The more he learned the more sinister the plot became. Believing that the army should deal with the situation, he reported what he knew to the interim post commander at Fort Lowell. The inept Major who was the interim commander met his report with derision and later challenged Zeke to a dual. With the aid of the new post commander, his partners and two men from Mexico, justice once again prevailed.