Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 94

This 1879 dime novel by T. C. Harbaugh concerns two criminal figures: Timon Moss ("Old Tanglefoot"), a whisky-smuggler transporting contraband from the Missouri to Deadwood in Dakota Territory, whose wagon breaks down in a dangerous valley; and Midnight Jack, the notorious road-agent (highwayman) operating the trails between government stations and the Black Hills. When Moss encounters a boy named Gopher Gid at his damaged wagon, he attempts to murder the witness. Midnight Jack intervenes, announcing himself theatrically from above. The narrative establishes Jack as a skilled, young, handsomely dressed brigand operating the freight routes, while Moss is a gruff, alcoholic smuggler of vile whisky and miscellaneous cargo. The story emphasizes the lawlessness and danger of the frontier setting.