The New York Dime Library, No. 1040 (September 1900)

Three-Fingered Jack, The Road-Agent of the Rockies; or, The Boy Miner of Hard Luck by Joseph E. Badger, Jr., is a western adventure serial in Beadle's Dime Library (September 1900). The story follows a young miner called "Little Volcano" who is captured by the notorious outlaw Manuel Garcia, alias Three-Fingered Jack, a scarred killer known for murdering indiscriminately, including women and children. Garcia forces Little Volcano to rob the next traveler on the trail to Hard Luck or face execution. An elderly prospector appears, and Little Volcano robs him as ordered, but the old man reveals himself as a fellow miner sympathetic to the boy's plight. The two escape together down a hillside, evading gunfire from Garcia and his gang—Mountain Jim, Cardoza, and others. The narrative emphasizes action and suspense, contrasting the boy's youth and courage against Garcia's brutal villainy.