Beadle's New Dime Novels: Bald Eagle

This issue of Beadle's Dime Novels (No. 158) contains *Bald Eagle; or, The Last of the Ramapaughs*, a Revolutionary War romance by Mrs. Elizabeth Oakes Smith. The narrative opens in Ramapo Valley, New Jersey, the site of intense Revolutionary conflict and marauding activity. The story centers on the brutal family of Black Dick, a vicious youth seeking revenge for his father Claudius Smith's execution by patriots. The opening chapters depict a domestic scene between Black Dick's mother and his wife Maggie, interrupted by Black Dick's return from a murderous raid. The gang has killed David Gurney, a patriotic young man married to a golden-haired woman of exceptional beauty, stabbing him in front of his bound wife and mother during a storm. The narrative emphasizes the brutality of the Cowboys—marauders who preyed on both armies without principle.