Stephen King's the Dark Tower: The Complete Concordance Revised and Updated (27 page)

DA’:
When the blacksmith’s da’ was a boy, Debaria still had a fire department. W:99

CROW GANG:
When HIGH SHERIFF HUGH PEAVY was still a deputy, the people of Debaria and the surrounding area lived in fear of the predations of the murderous CROW GANG. Led by PA CROW, the gang robbed ranches, citizens, and trains, but their main business was the coward’s crime of kidnapping for ransom.

According to Peavy, at the apogee of the gang’s nefarious activities, STEVEN DESCHAIN happened to be doing his gunslinger rounds in the area. Hence he was in town the day after the Crows had stolen a rancher’s wife named BELINDA DOOLIN. Leading a posse of seven, plus Peavy and the old High Sheriff, Deschain followed the Crows’ trail north through the hardpan toward the abandoned salt-houses where the Crows had their hideout. Rather than approaching the hideout directly, Steven Deschain wanted to circle to the east so that the posse could come at the gang from the HIGH PURE, but the old High Sheriff, PEA ANDERSON, would have none of it. Saying that
sai
Doolin would be dead by the time they arrived, he set off along the straightest path, his posse in tow. Within half an hour, Deschain and Peavy heard gunshots. PA CROW had seen the sheriff’s men coming, and
from the high rocks of AMBUSH ARROYO, he and his gang had poured lead on Anderson and his possemen.

Figuring that the Crows would be celebrating their apparent victory, Peavy and the elder Deschain circled in from the east, and the two lawmen ambushed the gang and rescued
sai
Doolin. Being honorable,
sai
Deschain woke up the gang before shooting them. “Wake up, Allan Crow,” he said, “unless you’d go into the clearing at the end of the path with your eyes shut.” The only member of the gang to survive Deschain’s first fusillade was Allan Crow himself. Pa Crow only got off one shot before he died and the bullet went wild, but it richocheted against the wall and hit Steven Deschain just above the crook of his elbow. Hugh Peavy dug the slug out with his skinning knife. W:56–61, W:290

CROW, ALLAN (PA CROW):
Despite the fact that Allan Crow was a thief, a murderer, and rapist, he was very trig. A stroke had left one side of his face snarled up and frozen, but he could still move as fast as the devil. When STEVEN DESCHAIN arrived at the Crows’ hideout to slaughter the gang, Pa Crow (still wearing his long johns) reached for the gun stuck in the top of his boot. Although he only got off a single round before Steven Deschain shot him dead, Pa Crow’s bullet ricocheted against the wall and hit the gunslinger’s
dinh
in the arm, just above the elbow. W:58, W:59–61
(shot Steven Deschain)

FOURTEEN-YEAR-OLD GUARD:
This guard was asleep when STEVEN DESCHAIN and HUGH PEAVY ambushed the Crow gang in their hideout. Later Peavy saw him with a rope around his neck, a trapdoor under his feet, tears running out of his eyes, and a mess in his pants. Peavy didn’t mourn the boy since he had raped
sai
DOOLIN along with the rest of the men, even though she was old enough to be his grandmother. W:58–59

DOOLIN, BELINDA:
Belinda Doolin was kidnapped by the CROW GANG and then saved by STEVEN DESCHAIN and HUGH PEAVY. Unfortunately, she was raped by the gang before she was rescued. W:56, W:57, W:59, W:60

DOOLIN (RANCHER):
After the CROW GANG kidnapped his wife, BELINDA DOOLIN, this rancher managed to untie himself and call the sheriff on the jing-jang. This was the Crows’ undoing, since they didn’t know how swiftly this telephone could send and receive messages.

HOSTLER:
As the winds of the simoom picked up, Roland left his horse, and YOUNG BILL STREETER’s mule, in this hostler’s livery. Roland gave the man half a gold knuckle for his trouble. The hostler told Roland where to find the town BLACKSMITH. W:98

JEFFERSON RANCH CHARACTERS:
Soon after ROLAND DESCHAIN and JAMIE DeCURRY reached Debaria, the SKIN-MAN struck again. This time he massacred the people of the Jefferson Ranch. All told, the monstrous shapeshifter killed sixteen proddies, the COOK (BILL STREETER),
sai
JEFFERSON, Jefferson’s WIFE, and his two DAUGHTERS. The few members of the Jefferson Ranch who survived the skin-man’s rampage are listed below. YOUNG BILL STREETER is listed separately. The rest of the characters are listed under SKIN-MAN: SKIN-MAN’S VICTIMS: JEFFERSON RANCH CHARACTERS.

ARN:
See
CANFIELD, BILL:
FRIENDS/TRAILMATES,
below

CANFIELD, BILL (BILL CANFIELD OF THE JEFFERSON RANCH):
When we first met Bill Canfield we thought he was a pokie—which is to say a wandering cowboy not signed to any particular ranch. However, we soon discovered that he had put his mark on Jefferson’s wall the month before, and so he was a proddie, or steady ranch-hand.

At the time of the SKIN-MAN massacre, Canfield and his two mates, ARN and SNIP, were camping out on the PURE so that they could round up strays. In the middle of the night they were woken up by screams, snarls, and gunshots. The three men mounted up and galloped to the ranch.

Canfield arrived first, since he was riding a ranch horse and the other two men were riding mules. He began his investigations at the big house where he found the body of JEFFERSON’S WIFE. Following the bloody tracks outside, he discovered the two Jefferson DAUGHTERS, whose backs had been carved open right down to their spines. Next, Canfield went to the bunkhouse which had been turned into an abattoir by the skin-man. Unfortunately, Canfield and his friends had to shoot the two ranch dogs, ROSIE and MOZIE, since they were lapping up the blood and the brains of the victims. W:69, W:70–73
(70–71 described),
W:84, W:270–74
(at Busted Luck),
W:277–80
(watching salties)

FRIENDS/TRAILMATES:
W:70–73, W:85

ARN:
Arn and Snip were camping out on the PURE with Canfield when the SKIN-MAN struck, so they survived the massacre. W:71
(named),
W:72–73
(named),
W:270–73

SNIP:
Snip and Arn were camping out on the PURE with Canfield when the SKIN-MAN struck, so they survived the massacre. W:71
(named),
W:72–74
(named),
W:270–74, W:277–80

COOKIE (BILL STREETER, YOUNG BILL’S FATHER):
See
SKIN-MAN
: SKIN-MAN’S VICTIMS: JEFFERSON RANCH

JEFFERSON FAMILY:
See
SKIN-MAN
: SKIN-MAN’S VICTIMS: JEFFERSON RANCH

JEFFERSON (RANCHER):
See
SKIN-MAN
: SKIN-MAN’S VICTIMS: JEFFERSON RANCH

DAUGHTERS:
See
SKIN-MAN
: SKIN-MAN’S VICTIMS: JEFFERSON RANCH

SONS:
See
SKIN-MAN
: SKIN-MAN’S VICTIMS: JEFFERSON RANCH

WIFE:
See
SKIN-MAN
: SKIN-MAN’S VICTIMS: JEFFERSON RANCH

NUTTER, ELROD (FOREMAN):
See
SKIN-MAN
: SKIN-MAN’S VICTIMS: JEFFERSON RANCH

ROSIE and MOZIE (dogs):
Rosie and Mozie were the ranch dogs. CANFIELD, ARN, and SNIP shot them after they discovered the animals lapping up the blood and brains of the SKIN-MAN’s victims. W:69, W:72

PRODDIES:

FREDDY TWO-STEP:
See
SKIN-MAN
: SKIN-MAN’S VICTIMS: JEFFERSON RANCH

ROSCOE:
See
SKIN-MAN
: SKIN-MAN’S VICTIMS: JEFFERSON RANCH

TINY BRADDOCK:
See
SKIN-MAN
: SKIN-MAN’S VICTIMS: JEFFERSON RANCH

UNNAMED COWBOY (face ripped off):
See
SKIN-MAN
: SKIN-MAN’S VICTIMS: JEFFERSON RANCH

SNIP:
See
CANFIELD, BILL:
FRIENDS/TRAILMATES

STREETER, BILL (COOKIE):
See
SKIN-MAN
: SKIN-MAN’S VICTIMS: JEFFERSON RANCH

STREETER, YOUNG BILL:
See
STREETER, YOUNG BILL
,
listed separately

DEBARIA SALOON AND WHOREHOUSE CHARACTERS:
According to KELLIN FRYE, DEBARIA’s saloons were whore-holes and he didn’t want his son to enter them. But compared to the saloons of LITTLE DEBARIA, Debaria’s drinking holes were high-class establishments. Little Debaria was the destiny of whores who had grown too old or too diseased to work in Debaria. When the SALTIES were drunk on White Blind, they didn’t care whether or not their women had noses as long as they had their sugar-purses. W:272

BIDDER-WEE:
When the whores of DEBARIA’s Bidder-Wee grew too old or diseased, they ended up in the wrecked saloons of LITTLE DEBARIA.

WHORES:
W:62

BUSTED LUCK SALOON AND WHOREHOUSE:
The Busted Luck was one of Debaria’s saloons-cum-whorehouses. Although KELLIN FRYE disliked the place, it was a sight better than the saloons and whorehouses found in LITTLE DEBARIA. It was in the Busted Luck that Roland gave all the horse-riding SALTIES a final drink before making them take off their boots. (Roland wanted to discover how many had spent time in BEELIE STOCKADE.) W:272, 277–280

BARTENDER:
When Roland asked the SALTIES to take off their boots so that he could see how many had BLUE RINGS around their ankles, the bartender couldn’t take the smell. He left, holding his nose. W:279

WHORES:
When Roland asked the SALTIES to take off their boots so he could see how many had BLUE RINGS around their ankles, the whores were driven away by the stench. W:62, W:272
(whorehouse),
W:277, W:279

CHEERY FELLOWS SALOON AND CAFE:

MAN IN FRONT OF THE CHEERY FELLOWS SALOON:
When ROLAND and JAMIE DeCURRY arrived in DEBARIA, a WOMAN WITH A BASKET asked them if they’d come to kill the SKIN-MAN. Much to the merriment of the surrounding spectators, this fellow replied that the two boys weren’t old enough to kill a bottle of rye. W:54

WHORES:
Like the other whores in Debaria, these women had a short working life. When they grew old or diseased to attract customers, they were sent to the saloons in LITTLE DEBARIA. When the salties drank enough White Blind, they didn’t care what their women looked like. W:62

LITTLE DEBARIA CHARACTERS:
The poor and depressing town of LITTLE DEBARIA was situated in the foothills of the SALT ROCKS, northeast of DEBARIA. Although Debaria was a dusty, hide-smelling railhead town that had seen better days, compared to Little Debaria it was a rich and thriving settlement. Little Debaria’s saloons, whorehouses, and company
store served the needs of the dirt-poor SALTIES, or salt miners, who worked for the DEBARIA SALT COMBYNE. The Combyne was owned by big bugs in GILEAD, but the store, saloons, whorehouses, and even the skiddums (or shacks) where the miners lived were owned by a greedy crook named SAM SHUNT. Although the shapeshifting SKIN-MAN was actually a transformed saltie, he did not spare his fellows any more than he spared the other people of Debaria.
For page references, see individual entries listed below.

LITTLE DEBARIA WHORES:
When DEBARIA whores grew too old or diseased to attract custom in the big town’s whorehouses, they ended up in the Little Debaria saloons, which served the poor SALTIES. When the salties were drunk on White Blind, they didn’t care whether a whore had her nose, as long as she still had her sugar-purse. W:62, W:275, W:276, W:277

WHORES WHO ACT AS AMMIES:
SAM SHUNT (or Shunt the Cunt) owned all of LITTLE DEBARIA except the mine itself. (That belonged to big bugs in GILEAD.) Twice a year, Shunt ran races for the miners to enjoy, though he paid for the event by taking entrance fees out of the miners’ wages. When the SALTIES got injured during the games, some of the whores acted as AMMIES, or nurses. W:276

SALTIES:
See
SALT MINE CHARACTERS:
SALTIES,
below

SHUNT, SAM (SHUNT THE CUNT):
Sam Shunt didn’t own the LITTLE DEBARIA SALT COMBYNE—that belonged to big bugs in GILEAD—but he owned the company store, the bars, the whores, and the skiddums, (or shacks) where the miners slept. Twice a year, he set up races for the miners—footraces, obstacle course races, and horse races. He took the entrance fees out of the miners’ wages to pay his expenses. The winners got a year’s worth of debt forgiven at the company store. However, the interest was so high for the other miners that Sam never lost out. W:275–76

WEGG, WILL:
Will Wegg was the constable in LITTLE DEBARIA. Thanks to his sand-colored handlebar mustache, yellow duster, and brass knuckle-dusters, he was easily recognizable. Wegg always bet on the SALTIES’ biannual races, so he knew which miners could ride horses and which ones couldn’t. This piece of information was critical when it came to rounding up SKIN-MAN suspects. (Roland and JAMIE DeCURRY knew that the saltie responsible for the skin-man murders could ride a horse.) When the skin-man was finally forced into revealing his identity, he turned into a man-sized POOKIE and bit Will Wegg on the arm. Wegg died from the poison. W:270–77, W:281–92
(291 bitten),
W:299

SADDLETRAMP (DRUNK):
See
WIDOW BRAILLEY,
below

SALT MINE CHARACTERS:

MINE BOSSES:
The men who owned the LITTLE DEBARIA SALT COMBYNE didn’t come from DEBARIA; they were rich men from GILEAD. Unfortunately, these greedy men didn’t care about their workers, only their profits. W:282

BANDERLY (FOREMAN):
Banderly was the SALTIES’ bull foreman. When an eerie, bitter green light was seen shining through a crack in the salt plug, the salties told Banderly about it. Banderly saw the light for himself—the way it shone bright then dim, like a heartbeat, and the way it seemed to beckon the miners to enter it—but he knew that the MINE
BOSSES would refuse to close the plug. Instead, he had the crew block up the crack with rocks. This was a mistake. The ancient evil artifact that gave off this light transformed OLLIE ANG into a
skin-man
. W:282