Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 217

This 1881 Beadle and Adams dime novel by Edward L. Wheeler features "Captain Crack-Shot, the Girl Brigand; or, Gipsy Jack From Jimtown," a story set in the gold-rush town of Durango, Colorado. The tale concerns Gipsy Jack, a mysterious young frontiersman with a Chinaman companion named Shy Sam and a remarkably intelligent dog called Skip. Jack arrives to claim a mining lot allegedly willed to him by "Mexican Mag," but encounters John Metcalf, a greedy speculator who claims ownership. After confronting Metcalf in his office with threats, Jack departs to take possession of the claim. The narrative follows Jack's subsequent activities in town, including acrobatic performances on horseback with his dog to draw crowds at a saloon. The story combines frontier adventure, character eccentricity, and action.