Fred Fearnot and the Little Drummer

This June 3, 1904 issue of Work and Win leads with "Fred Fearnot and the Little Drummer," by Hal Standish. The serialized adventure follows Fred Fearnot and his companion Terry Olcott accompanying Broker Middleton to Kentucky to survey land inherited by Middleton in the mountains. Middleton falls in love with Martha, the landlord's sixteen-year-old daughter, and extracts a promise she won't become engaged during his absence.

The party encounters hostile moonshiners throughout their expedition of the property. Moonshiners capture Fred and brutally torture him by sealing him in a whisky barrel with both ends removed, fastening it with deerskin thongs, and rolling it down a mountainside, intending to kill him. The periodical also advertises Frank Tousey's instructional pamphlet series covering mesmerism, palmistry, hypnotism, sporting activities, magic tricks, athletics, and letter-writing guides.