The New York Sharps' Shadower

This issue of *Beadle and Adams* (No. 764, June 14, 1895) features "The Game Sport of Rusty Gulch" by Wm. H. Manning, a crime-and-scheming narrative in the Western pulp tradition. The story concerns five criminals—"the Fancy Five," led by Egbert Walton—who plot to defraud an elderly New York moneylender, Abram Hamilton, of $50,000. Their scheme involves recruiting Epsom Griggs, a recently released convict from Joliet prison, to demand payment of a debt Hamilton allegedly owes him. The gang plans to collect the money from Griggs afterward. Griggs confronts Hamilton, recounting how he once lent Hamilton capital to start his business, with the understanding Hamilton would repay or share profits. Hamilton claims he already repaid Griggs and offers to investigate the dispute further. The encounter becomes heated over whether this debt exists and whether a statute of limitations applies. The textual excerpt ends as Hamilton proposes examining the matter—the title illustration hints at violence to come, suggesting the dispute will escalate beyond negotiation.