The Giant Horseman

This issue of *Beadle's Dime Novels* (February 2, 1887) features the opening installment of "Tracking the Red Cross" by George C. Jenks, a Western adventure serial. Josh White, a mysterious tenderfoot from Vermont, confronts Gila Jim, a rough Arizona miner, over a disputed horse. White proves superior in intelligence and weaponry—he knows Gila's name and exposes that the miner's revolver contains only blank cartridges. White alludes cryptically to "the Red Cross" marked on Gila's back, terrifying him into compliance. White forces the reluctant Gila toward Mezuto City, the true purpose of his journey unstated. As they traverse a mountain gorge, a red-whiskered man named Sandy ambushes White from above with a lariat, rendering him helpless. Gila and Sandy discuss dispatching their captive using "the usual" method—apparently their gang's standard execution. White remains impassive during his capture, calculating his options. The serial concludes with the bound Vermonter about to be transported to the outlaws' camp.