Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 1036

# Dandy Dick's Double: The Severed Head of Paradise Pocket

This 1897 Beadle and Adams serialized detective story by Robert Randolph Inman follows outlaw "Devil Duval" and his criminal gang, "Devil's Picked Dozen," terrorizing the mining camp of Paradise Pocket. The narrative opens with Devil Duval murdering an antagonist in a canyon knife-fight, beheading his victim, and depositing the severed head in the town square—a grim warning signed with the victim's name, "Dick Darrel." When citizens discover the head resting in a silk hat, accompanied by a threatening note, the camp descends into alarm, particularly when they recall Devil Duval's recent violent raid. Hard-head Hugh, an early-rising prospector, leads townspeople in investigating the gruesome discovery. The story proceeds to introduce "Hikey Hen," a Paradise Pocket resident who recently witnessed related events at the neighboring camp of Burnt Match, becoming a key witness and informant about the outlaw's activities and motivations.