Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 88

1879 · 16 pages

This 1879 Beadle and Adams dime novel, written by Edward L. Wheeler (author of "Deadwood Dick" and "Rosebud Rob" series), introduces "Photograph Phil, the Boy Sleuth," set in the mining town of Cascade City. The protagonist is a nineteen-year-old photographer and con artist who displays a rogue's gallery of four hundred photographs of wanted criminals and criminals from his traveling display. The narrative features Phil's boisterous street-corner pitch to crowds, his encounter with familiar characters including Baltimore Bess, and a mysterious drunk named "Bully Ike." Phil attends a local theater performance and subsequently encounters a young woman, Millicent Vere, claiming poverty and hardship. He generously provides her money despite suspecting potential deception. The story establishes Phil's resourcefulness, glib tongue, and moral complexity while exploring themes of frontier entrepreneurship and charity within the mining settlement setting.

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