Beadle's Pocket Library No. 242: The Denver Detective

The Denver Detective: or, Dainty Dot at Gold Gulch

By T. C. Harbaugh, this Western pulp serial follows detective "Buckskin Frank," a long-haired detective who infiltrates a stagecoach as a passenger to capture the notorious road agent Claude Crecy, "King of the Road." During the robbery at dawn near Denver, Frank disarms the stage driver Zack Dragon (killing him), collects mail sacks, and robs passengers, then deliberately flees, leaving a note revealing his true identity as a detective hunting someone named Dot.

In Chapter II, Frank—disguised as "Fancy Fred Holloway" in mining attire—arrives at Gold Gulch Camp, a gambling settlement controlled by proprietor Rocky Rod. There Frank befriends Catamount Luke, a roughened local, who offers gambling advice about the "Wheel of Fortune," the camp's rigged gambling den where players habitually lose their gold dust. Frank's pursuit leads him to Gold Gulch hunting for someone or something connected to the road agent.