A complete, restored issue of Pulp Fiction from 1881 — all 16 pages of painted-cover fiction magazines that launched science fiction, horror, and hardboiled crime, free to page through at ComicBooks.com.

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A complete issue · 16 pages · 1881

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 185

1881 · Free to read

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 185 — page 2 of 16 — 2 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 185 — page 3 of 16 — 3 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 185 — page 4 of 16 — 4 / 16

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Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 185 — page 16 of 16 — 16 / 16

About this issue

Evil Eye, King of Cattle Thieves; or, The Vultures of the Rio Grande by Frank Dumont is a Western adventure serial. Lieutenant Harry Powell of Fort Duncan, stationed on the Texas-Mexico border, discovers a herd of cattle being stolen across the Rio Grande by Mexican bandits. After recovering his own stolen horse from Mexican ranchers and fleeing pursuers, Powell encounters the thieves crossing the river with a captive: a young American woman with golden hair, clearly distressed. When the woman escapes toward Powell's hiding place, he intervenes with his revolver against her pursuers. The leader reveals himself as Evil Eye, the notorious cattle-thief chief distinguished by a distinctive white, sightless eye—described as giving him a diabolical, hyena-like appearance. Evil Eye demands the woman's return; Powell refuses, declaring he will shield her even unto death. The narrative emphasizes the lawless border conditions where Mexican authorities allegedly collude with raiders, rendering pursuit futile.

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