Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 898

# Deadwood Dick, Jr.'s Double Drive

This installment of Ed. L. Wheeler's Deadwood Dick, Jr. serial, published by Beadle and Adams, depicts labor tensions at the Marguerite Mining Company in Hardscrabble, a rough mining camp. Mine-president Van Bascomb discovers his workers have struck for a dollar daily raise, arguing they deserve profit-sharing for extracting the ore. Though Bascomb insists they already earn ten cents more than other district mines, the strikers—led covertly by superintendent Henry Keefer—demand increased compensation. Bascomb refuses and threatens to replace them with Italian or Hungarian workers. The situation escalates, drawing political complications involving Jim McKnight, the usurping mayor backed by the town's rougher element, and the legitimately elected Zeke Hummingbird. When Bascomb consults McKnight, the mayor offers weak advice to compromise, worsening the deadlock.