Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 673

The Lightning Express Detective: Black Bart's Death Run This weekly Beadle and Adams publication contains "The Lightning Express Detective; or, Black Bart's Death Run: A Romance of the Rail" by A. F. Holt. The story opens aboard the Lightning Mail and Express, where young engineer Ralph Renwood, aged twenty-three, and his teenage fireman Headlight Harry discuss railroad dangers and bandits. Renwood carries advance knowledge of a $100,000 gold shipment in the express car destined for Richville, expressing anxiety about notorious outlaw Black Bart and his Brotherhood, who terrorized the line a year prior. The train's coupling suddenly parts, separating engine from cars. Meanwhile, a mysterious middle-aged man with sandy hair and limping gait boards at Cross-Cut station, introducing himself to a commercial drummer in the smoking car by forcibly clearing seats. The stranger appears ordinary but commands respect through blunt demeanor. The drummer recounts previous encounters with Black Bart's robbers. The narrative combines train adventure with crime elements and bandit lore.