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. 205

1881 · Free to read

Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 205 — page 2 of 16 — 2 / 16

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About this issue

This 1881 Beadle and Adams publication presents "Deadwood Dick's Doom; or, Calamity Jane's Last Adventure," written by Edward L. Wheeler, known for the "Deadwood Dick" series. The story follows Miss Virgie Verner, a young actress-vocalist from New York, and Nicodemus Johnsing, a Black banjo-player and comedian, stranded in Death Notch—a lawless Nevada mining camp ruled by the gambler Piute Dave. The town earned its name from an Indian chief's curse after his tribe was displaced; he has carved notches in a council-pole for each settler killed. Missing their stage to Helena, the entertainers must lodge at the Poker House. A gang, including the rough Hank Shakespeare, discovers their theatrical backgrounds and resolves to force them to perform. A secondary scene introduces an unnamed Indian princess gathering wildflowers in a gulch near town. The narrative emphasizes the camp's dangerous atmosphere and hints at pursuing danger following Miss Verner.

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