Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 743

# "The Red Riders of the Rio Grande"

This serial novel by Col. Prentiss Ingraham, published in Beadle's Half Dime Library (October 1891), follows Ruth Redmond's troubled life in the Texas borderlands. The opening chapters establish Ruth's marriage to the mysterious "Devil Dick" Drummond, a skilled gunman and gambler. After her father's death at Comanche hands years earlier, Ruth inherits her uncle's Texas ranch and a mining fortune through Marks the Miner. Drummond squanders her wealth and becomes a fugitive in Mexico.

Five years later, Ruth returns home alone to bury her aunt at an old Spanish mission cemetery. The funeral party—Ruth, two enslaved workers, and twelve cowboys—comes under attack by approximately sixty Comanches positioned between them and the ranch. Ruth assumes command, demonstrating courage and tactical judgment. Bible Bill, a converted former outlaw cowboy, emerges as her steadfast lieutenant, combining piety with frontier toughness. The narrative emphasizes Ruth's capability and leadership despite being vastly outnumbered.