Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 651

"The Secrets of the Skull" by Jos. E. Badger, Jr. This Western mystery serial, published April 15, 1891, opens in Hard Cash, a California mining town. Don Felipe and Manuel Diaz, two Spanish-looking strangers, seek information about a "bonanza" connected to nearby ruins called the Haunted Hacienda. They eavesdrop on Jerry Black, a drunken old-timer prospector who claims to have visited the region fifteen years prior, when it was wilderness. Black cryptically alludes to searching for something valuable that he never found. When questioned, he becomes evasive and suspicious. Following Black into the gambling hall, the two men watch as he loses his money at faro before collapsing drunk in a corner. Don Felipe instructs Manuel to monitor the old-timer, suggesting Black may be feigning intoxication. Don Felipe then takes Black's seat at the card table, producing a pouch of gold.