Beadle's New Dime Novels: The Bear-Hunter

About this issue

This issue contains two principal items. The first is a collection titled Little Folks' Speeches and Dialogues (Dime Dialogues No. 17), comprising over forty brief dramatic pieces and recitations for children, including dialogues such as "To Be Happy You Must be Good," "The Little Peacemaker," and "Martha Washington Tea Party," plus standalone speeches like "A Little Girl's Rights Speech" and selections from Josh Billings on various animals. The second major feature is The Dime Base-Ball Player for 1876 (Centennial Edition), containing professional club records from 1875, descriptions of notable games, amateur club records, and batting and pitching averages compiled by Henry Chadwick. The issue's dime novel serial is The Bear-Hunter; or, Davy Crockett as a Spy by Harry Hazard. Chapter One describes Crockett traversing Texas prairies near the Trinity River when an ambushed assailant shoots his horse. After the attacker flees, Crockett hunts wild turkey, discovers a grizzly bear track, and encounters and kills a massive grizzly with a single rifle shot. Immediately afterward, a second grizzly emerges from nearby den thickets, confronting Crockett at close range.