Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 235

Red Lightning, the Man of Chance This issue contains the opening installment of "Red Lightning, the Man of Chance; Or, Flush Times in Golden Gulch," a frontier adventure serial by Colonel Prentiss Ingraham (author of "Merle, the Mutineer" and other Border tales). The narrative follows Blonde Bill and his outlaw band operating in a lawless Borderland region. After a failed highway robbery and forced oath of reform, Blonde Bill abandons his duty to guard Echo Gap, planning instead to escape with his mysterious, red-gold-haired companion Helen. Meanwhile, Bender and his seven-man gang (the "Seven Stars") have split off to rob the isolated cabin of the Kid Glove Miner, who possesses bags of gold dust. The story involves competing criminal factions, vigilante pursuers including the enigmatic "Magic Doctor" Frank Powell, and frontier gunplay with mentions of executed bandits and ongoing conflict.