The Frontier Detective

This issue of The Frontier Detective features "Sierra Sam's Scheme" by Edward L. Wheeler, author of "Deadwood Dick." The serial begins with Lady Lil, a mysterious road-agent of ambiguous gender, robbing a stagecoach in the mountains. The bandit holds up the coach carrying elderly Judge Berkley and his daughter Louise, extracting jewels and hidden money from them before escaping. The narrative then shifts to Bowieville, where the rough giant Jake Gouger enters the Galoot's Goal saloon, bellowing challenges to fight. He encounters Capitola (Cap), an eighteen-year-old girl who runs the establishment and wears white duck clothing. She demands Gouger leave, refusing his money and declaring she knows his reputation. The story ends with Gouger refusing to depart and hinting at confrontation. The tale mixes frontier action, robbery, and mysterious characters in the standard pulp idiom.