Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 512

# "Captain Velvet's Big Stake; or, The Gold Goths of No Man's Ground"

This serialized romance by Captain Howard Holmes opens in Sacramento during a gold rush excitement over a reported discovery in the remote Shasta wilderness region called No Man's Ground. The story centers on Colonel Bluff, a wealthy but paralyzed Sacramento resident confined to a wheeled chair, who secretly possesses knowledge of the lost mine. When the eccentric Johnny Jumpup—a small, flamboyantly dressed adventurer with twin revolvers—visits Bluff seeking employment as his secret agent to acquire claims in No Man's Ground, Bluff agrees to a follow-up meeting. Jumpup reports his success to a mysterious "Captain" at a hotel, revealing Bluff's reputation extends into distant gold camps. Nina, Bluff's deaf-mute attendant, warns against trusting Jumpup. Meanwhile, other men plan visits to Bluff, suggesting competing interests in the mine discovery.