Beadle's Half Dime Library, Vol. XIV, No. 351

This issue of Beadle and Adams's weekly dime novel (#351, April 15, 1884) features "The Terrible Vendetta: A Nevada Tale" by Edward L. Wheeler, author of the popular Deadwood Dick series. The story opens in the mining camp of Nowhere on the morning of Deadwood Dick's scheduled execution for crimes as a road-agent and assassin. A local newspaper, The Stuff, announces the hanging as a public spectacle, noting fears that Dick's organized band of allies may attempt a rescue. Governor Snelling and candidate Daniel G. Stafford have arrived in town with Stafford's daughter Estelle and the Governor's secretary. The narrative details the carnival atmosphere surrounding the execution and introduces the comic relief characters Soaker and O'Gall, two chronic drunks seeking free drinks, before shifting to Stafford's concerns about the execution's unseemly public nature and his conversation with the Governor about the matter.