Beadle's New Dime Novels: Hunter Ham

Museum Catalog Note *Hunter Ham; or, The Outlaw's Crime* by J. Edgar Iliffe presents a frontier melodrama set along the Ohio River in early Kentucky. The narrative follows Eustace Everard, a vain frontiersman obsessed with his brother Allen's romantic involvement with a woman named Edna Wheeler. Consumed by jealousy, Eustace ambushes Allen in his canoe at dusk and shoots him, believing him dead. However, Allen survives the attack—the text reveals Allen still grips his paddle as his canoe drifts downriver. The story emphasizes Eustace's cowardice despite his frontier dress, noting his fastidious concern for his appearance contrasts sharply with his willingness to commit fratricide. The excerpt establishes classic pulp elements: wilderness setting, passionate conflict, and violent action.