Buffalo Bill's still hunt

In Short

This fast-paced 1907 dime novel follows frontier scout Buffalo Bill Cody and his ally, the Surgeon Scout Dr. Frank Powell, as they defend the Western border against the notorious outlaw Silk Lasso Sam. Blending range action with melodrama, the plot turns on a sequence of stagecoach hold-ups, clandestine prisoner swaps, forged legal papers, and desperate rescues centered around Pioneer Post and Pocket City. The book endures as a vivid sample of turn-of-the-century American popular fiction, showcasing the mythic, idealized version of Buffalo Bill that captivated millions of serial readers.

The Story

The narrative opens along the turbulent borderlands near the Rio Grande and Pioneer Post, where the reign of terror established by Silk Lasso Sam—the leader of a ruthless gang of road-agents—has paralyzed local travel. Behind the outlaw’s masking neckerchief and deadly lasso lies Arden Leigh, a fugitive who abandoned his past, forged documents, and turned to robbery. His sister, Ruth Leigh, arriving on the frontier under the name Bonnie Belle, seeks to turn her brother from his criminal life. Concurrently, another figure named Nina de Sutro pursues her faithless husband, Austin Marvin, across the territory, entangling her fate with military officers and outlaws alike.

When Silk Lasso Sam holds up an Overland stagecoach, a brave passenger fights back, wounding the outlaw chief and killing his mount. Exploiting the chaos, Sam sneaks into Pioneer Post disguised as an innocent traveler. He ingratiates himself with the garrison and orchestrates a plot to kidnap Clarice Carr, the daughter of a prominent figure, intending to hold her for ransom in his hidden mountain lair. However, Buffalo Bill Cody and Surgeon Frank Powell, working alongside army units and local vigilantes, track the gang to their retreat. With the help of Bonnie Belle, who secretly acts as a government scout while trying to protect her brother from immediate death, the lawmen capture Sam and his key lieutenants.

Sam is court-martialed at Pioneer Post and sentenced to hang on the gallows in Hangman’s Gulch. Desperate to save her brother’s life without endorsing his crimes, Ruth uses forged requisitions, masquerades in military garb, and leverages her influence in Pocket City—where she runs the Frying Pan hotel and Devil’s Den—to engineer an escape. She misdirects the authorities, forcing the fort to transfer Sam under the guard of eastern detectives rather than executing him locally.

During the transport, Buffalo Bill and Surgeon Powell suspect foul play regarding the transfer papers. Bill embarks on a high-speed ride across the plains to intercept the coach and verify the orders. Though Sam temporarily breaks custody through his sister's interventions and flees toward Hangman’s Gulch, Buffalo Bill and his allies close the net. In the final movement, Ruth confronts her brother amid the shadowy graves of the gulch, realizing he cannot escape his destiny, while Buffalo Bill and the garrison permanently dismantle the outlaw network, restoring order to the frontier.

How It Unfolds

The border threatened Silk Lasso Sam and his gang strike the Overland stage line, sparking terror near Pioneer Post and drawing Chief of Scouts Buffalo Bill and Surgeon Frank Powell into a hunting expedition.

Treachery inside the fort Disguised as a stage passenger, the wounded outlaw chief infiltrates Pioneer Post, plots the abduction of Clarice Carr, and leads her into a secret mountain trap.

Capture and court-martial Buffalo Bill, Dr. Powell, and vigilantes track the bandits to their hideout, free the captive, and bring Sam to Pioneer Post, where a military court sentences him to the gallows.

Plots of rescue Ruth Leigh, posing as hotelkeeper Bonnie Belle, uses disguises and intercepted communications to construct a plan to free her brother before his scheduled execution.

The fake transfer Using forged legal documents from eastern authorities, allies scheme to remove Sam from military jurisdiction under the pretext of taking him East for trial.

The mad ride Suspicious of the sudden transfer papers, Buffalo Bill rides at breakneck speed across the territory to catch the outbound stagecoach and expose the deception.

Confrontation in the gulch The fugitive outlaw is cornered in Hangman’s Gulch among the graves of past criminals, bringing his long career of border crime to an inevitable end.

The People

• Buffalo Bill Cody: The chief of army scouts at Pioneer Post. Cool under pressure and unmatched on the trail, he seeks to enforce border justice while remaining fair to captives.
• Surgeon Frank Powell ("White Beaver"): An army surgeon and frontier scout known as a dead shot. He works side-by-side with Cody to unravel outlaw plots and verify military orders.
• Silk Lasso Sam (Arden Leigh): A bitter, refined man turned ruthless outlaw leader. He manipulates those around him and refuses spiritual repentance, driving the central conflict.
• Bonnie Belle (Ruth Leigh): The sister of Silk Lasso Sam and owner of the Frying Pan hotel in Pocket City. Torn between moral duty and sisterly loyalty, she secretly serves as a government scout while trying to save her brother.
• Nina de Sutro: A determined woman tracking her treacherous husband across the frontier, using disguises and strategic secret-keeping to navigate the post's political circles.
• Colonel Dunwoody: The commanding officer of Pioneer Post who maintains strict military law over the lawless territory.
• Horseshoe Ned: A colorful, plain-spoken stagecoach driver who repeatedly braves the dangerous trail through Deep Dell Brook.

In Its Own Voice

When the stagecoach rolls into a dangerous mountain pass, the veteran driver reflects on the legendary scouts protecting the trail:

“Ther’ ain’t no squarer and better man in the wild West than White Beaver, as the Injuns call him, nor a better surgeon, scout, and all-around man, either.”

Facing trial before a improvised miner's court in Pocket City, the frontier justice system moves with grim efficiency:

“Well, if they are all you say they are they deserve hanging, yet I suppose it would have been better for me to have taken them to the fort to get justice.”

In his cell before his scheduled execution, the condemned outlaw chief expresses his cold refusal to seek mercy:

“I will ask no mercy of a God whose laws I have outraged, and I ask nothing of man.”

What It's Really About

Behind its rapid gunplay and dramatic disguises, the story explores the tension between formal law and border necessity. It examines how family loyalty conflicts with public duty, as demonstrated by Ruth Leigh's desperate attempts to shield her brother from the gallows without condoning his violent lifestyle. The narrative contrasts the self-serving deception of outlaws like Sam with the honorable strategy of scouts like Buffalo Bill, suggesting that true authority on the frontier rests on personal integrity, sharp observation, and unyielding self-control rather than mere brute force.

Why Read It Today

This text offers readers a direct look into early 20th-century popular American sensational fiction. It delivers fast dialogue, theatrical twists, and vivid frontier archetypes that defined the dime-novel era. Readers who enjoy classic Western lore, historical pop-culture artifacts, and melodramatic plotting will appreciate its energetic pace and colorful staging.

The prose reflects its period through stylized vernacular and theatrical dialogue. Modern readers should note the romanticized depiction of the West, sharp moral binaries, and dramatic contrivances typical of serial fiction produced for weekly newsstand audiences. It remains a historic example of how American myth-making transformed real figures like William F. Cody into larger-than-life fictional heroes.