Young Wild West's Leap in the Dark

# Wild West Weekly, No. 843, December 13, 1918

"Young Wild West's Leap in the Dark" by An Old Scout is the featured story in this issue. The narrative follows Young Wild West, a teenage gunfighter and mine owner known as the Champion Deadshot of the West, who arrives at Hard Scratch, Arizona. At the Red Hot Tavern, he encounters Tombstone Tom, a drunk brawler and local terror who attempts to force Wild West from the street. After Wild West refuses to back down, an altercation ensues: Wild West defeats Tom through hand-to-hand combat, later disarms him when Tom draws a knife, and ultimately incapacitates him. In a display of marksmanship and dominance, Wild West shoots the spurs from Tom's boots while the man stands helpless. Wild West then secures lodging at the tavern for his party of six, plus two Chinese servants, before departing to inform his companions of suitable accommodations. The narrative emphasizes frontier conflict, combat prowess, and martial codes among mining-camp characters.