Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 785

The Sons of Thunder by Leon Lewis

A serial adventure set in Nevada's Ruby Valley during summer 1886, centered on rivalry between Mormon and Gentile mining camps near Franklin and Ruby Lakes. Colonel Hatton leads the Gentile camp; his deputy is young Bert Tabor, barely twenty-one. The camps oppose each other militarily, both searching for legendary ruby deposits. The Mormons, organized as "Sons of Thunder" under coarse leader Gummidge and Mormon bishop Ruddle, have turned violent. Colonel Hatton worries over his missing wife and silent daughter in the East, suspecting Mormon interference with mail. He reveals to Bert a personal history: thirty-three years earlier he was adopted by Piute chief Mee-an-kah after delirious illness, learning tribal secrets about genuine ruby deposits. Hatton fears Gummidge will capture the elderly chief and exploit knowledge of hidden rubies kept in a leather bag on Mee-an-kah's chest, determining to find the chief first.