Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 138

# "The Border Bandits: The Old Trail"

This installment of a serialized western adventure by Francis Johnson follows a band of horse thieves fleeing through Arkansas. Led by the disguised criminal Brother Rawson, four outlaws have stolen horses from farmer Hatfield and escape by canoe downriver. When a Native American woman (Alapaha) discovers their theft, Rawson wounds her with a tomahawk to silence her. His fellow thieves—Cotton and Weston—grow anxious as they float with the stolen horses, particularly the squeamish Weston who objects to bloodshed. After Rawson rejoins them with provisions, they reach shore and sink the canoe, continuing overland. Meanwhile, Hatfield and pursuing farmers—including Curtis and Cook—track them on horseback, following hoof-prints and planning to overtake the thieves. The narrative shifts to Pittstown ferry as the pursuit intensifies. Serialized by Beadle & Adams.