Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 527

# Museum Catalog Note

This issue of Beadle's Dime Novels (No. 98, August 30, 1887) features "The Jack of Hearts" by Philip S. Warne, author of multiple Western dime novel series. The story begins with the elegant gambler Jack Downing arriving at Paddy's Flat mining camp via stagecoach, where he hears about a young girl named Miriam, daughter of the Jewish merchant Abraham. A legal case has been brought by Isaac Salomans, who claims Miriam as his child and charges Abraham with abduction and unlawful detention. In the previous court session, the camp's Three Jolly Pards (Tom Murphy, Dick Johnson, and the boy deputy marshal Harry Keene) had driven Salomans from camp to protect Miriam. Now Judge Maglochlin reconvenes court for a second sitting, where Miriam must testify and choose whom to follow. The narrative depicts the courtroom's dramatic tension as Salomans pursues his claim.