Kit Bird, Beadle's Pocket Novels No. 122

# Kit Bird, King of the Mountains

This 1871 Beadle & Adams dime novel by W. J. Hamilton follows artist-naturalist Ethelbert Grandison and mountain trapper Pete Burns as they encounter a legendary terror in the Rocky Mountains north of the Missouri—a gigantic, hair-covered creature wielding a club. Called the "Wild Man of the Hills," this being apparently kills criminals and villains: Pete links its sightings with deaths of "rascals of the worst kind," including a Mexican brigand found with a crushed skull. The narrative combines adventure and naturalist observation as Grandison sketches the mountainous landscape while his pragmatic companion warns of danger. The men encounter the creature's victim, bury the dead Mexican despite Pete's racial prejudice, and proceed toward their camp as darkness falls. The story establishes the creature as judge and executioner against mountain outlaws.