The Brand Burners of Cimarron

About this issue

This 1897 Beadle and Adams dime novel by John W. Osborn features a foot-race competition in the Oklahoma town of Tiptop City on election day. Luke Lightfoot, the local champion, races against Pawnee Bill, a quarter-blood stranger. Spanish John, a one-eyed gambler, and his associate Dandy Dave attempt to sabotage Pawnee Bill's victory by forcing a horse into the course. Hercules Redrock, a red-bearded sport newly arrived from Brimstone Butte, intervenes with a lariat to stop the interference, shoots Dandy Dave's hand, and wins bets against Spanish John. Redrock then lodges at Burton King's livery barn, where he discovers a corpse—one John Brown, ostensibly dead from heart disease. Upon examination, Redrock suspects poison and foul play, noting Brown died while alone with Spanish John and Rupert Belmont. The narrative promises further investigation into this mysterious death.