Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 567

# "The Wild West Detective Among the Crooks" by Edward L. Wheeler

This installment of the Deadwood Dick series features Deadwood Dick Jr. arriving in Philadelphia and learning of a gang of burglars terrorizing the wealthy districts for two months. Offered a reward by prominent citizens, Dick proposes an audacious plan to Police Chief Bristol: he will pose as "Jake Short," be arrested as the notorious Chicago burglar Pete Plummer, then infiltrate the criminal gang from inside. The chief, impressed by Dick's confidence despite the danger, agrees to keep the scheme secret and manipulate newspapers to publicize the arrest. Dick's young street companion Rats assists him. The narrative establishes that victim Hoyt Hylton—a millionaire commission merchant—possesses the famed Hylton diamonds, valued at over one hundred thousand dollars, inherited from his brother-in-law Da Costa. Dick privately reflects on whether Hylton suspects his true purpose while planning to gather more intelligence on the wealthy victim before executing his infiltration scheme.