Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 369

Shasta, the Gold King; or, For Seven Years Dead by J.C. Cowdrick

This serialized romance in three acts spans California and Ohio between 1853 and 1860. Four gold miners—James Raesoner, his sons Mark and John, and son-in-law Ralph Rowland—depart the goldfields wealthy after four years. However, masked assassins ambush them; Ralph Rowland survives the initial volley and kills one attacker before being subdued. The leader reveals himself as Henry Calley, Ralph's rival for Mary Raesoner's affection from five years prior, seeking revenge and her hand in marriage through deception. Ralph dies from a gunshot.

In Ohio, the family learns of the men's deaths. In 1856, Calley marries Mary under dark omens—thunder and lightning strike during the ceremony. By 1860 in California, hunters near Mount Shasta capture a wild, disheveled man who has roamed the mountains for years. When questioned, the being recognizes 1860 as the present year and recounts being shot down during the mining expedition, though details remain fragmented. He yearns to return to his wife Mary.