Motor Matt's Daring

In Short

Motor Matt’s Daring is an early twentieth-century dime novel centered on Matt King, a young mechanical wizard known as "Mile-a-minute Matt," and his loyalty to his friends. When his chum Chub McReady discovers that his father has struck gold in the Arizona hills, a greedy gambler and his cronies try to intercept the claim through deceit, property destruction, and ambush. Driven by quick thinking and a high-powered motorcycle, Matt traverses rough trails and outmaneuvers his rivals to ensure the strike remains in the rightful hands, capturing the era’s fascination with early motoring and Western adventure.

The Story

The action begins in Arizona when Matt King stumbles across a dropped letter addressed to prospector James McReady. Matt recovers the letter from the unscrupulous gambling-house owner Dirk Hawley. The missive reveals that McReady’s father has made a rich gold discovery in the Phoenix Mountains. However, the elder McReady is stranded on his claim without official location notices, closely watched by a dishonest rival named Jacks who plans to jump the claim the moment McReady leaves.

Recognizing the danger, Matt immediately postpones a planned trip to Denver to assist his chum Chub McReady. The boys decide to use their motorcycles to rush the missing location forms into the mountains. As they prepare for the journey, they discover that their enemies are already at work: the wireless telegraph instruments connecting Phoenix to the nearby Bluebell Mine have been deliberately smashed to prevent communication.

Matt and Chub navigate narrow, cactus-lined burro trails and treacherous mountain ledges to reach the claim. Upon arrival, they find to their horror that they are too late. Jacks and Hawley have taken advantage of the elder McReady's absence, torn down his markers, and posted their own notice for a claim they call the "Pauper's Dream." To make matters worse, the villains trap Matt and Chub in a rocky ravine, intent on holding them until their accomplice, Dace Perry, can ride a motorcycle to the county recorder's office in Phoenix before the six o'clock deadline.

Matt refuses to yield. Under cover of dark, he slips out of the ravine, secures an empty motorcycle left behind by the villains, and hitches it to a horse using a hand-woven bridle. He transports the machine back to a source of fuel at the Bluebell Mine, repairs the mechanism, and sets off on a desperate, high-speed chase down the Black Cañon road to head off Perry.

Though Matt pushes his machine to its extreme limits, a series of delays—including rescuing Dirk Hawley’s daughter, Edith, from a runaway horse—causes him to reach the court-house two minutes after Perry files the fraudulent claim. Believing all hope is lost, Matt returns to the McReady home to deliver the grim news.

The story turns on a final twist when James McReady arrives in town alongside the gambler himself. Edith Hawley, moved by Matt’s selfless rescue during her runaway accident, insists that her father abandon his dishonest schemes. Conscience-stricken and unwilling to oppose his daughter, Hawley tears up the fraudulent filing, restoring full ownership of the lucrative gold mine to the McReady family and cementing Matt’s reputation for integrity.

How It Unfolds

The intercepted letter Matt finds a dropped note on a bridge revealing that his friend Chub’s father has struck gold, but is pinned down by a claim-jumper.

Sabotage at the station The boys discover that the wireless communication gear at both ends of the line has been smashed to block emergency messages.

The mountain trail Matt and Chub ride their motor-wheels over steep, cactus-choked pack-trails meant only for burros to reach the isolated peak.

Trapped in the notch Arriving to find the claim already stolen, the boys are held at gunpoint in a stone ravine so they cannot raise an alarm.

Night escape Matt creeps past the guards, hitches a broken motorcycle to a wild horse, and hauls it to safety to find fuel and make repairs.

The high-speed pursuit Matt races down the hard-packed Black Cañon road, eating up the miles in a desperate bid to catch the villain before the city office closes.

A final reckoning Though delayed at the court-house, Matt wins the day when a rescued girl convinces her father to abandon the stolen claim.

The People

• Matt King ("Motor Matt") wants to protect his friends and live by a strict personal code of honor. Guided by an extraordinary calm under pressure and a mastery of mechanical devices, he willingly sets aside his own plans whenever his companions are threatened.
• Chub McReady wants to secure his family’s financial future after years of living hand-to-mouth. Impulsive, hot-tempered, and loyal, his emotional reactions contrast with Matt's steady resolve throughout their crisis.
• Dirk Hawley wants wealth and influence through whatever dishonest means his money can buy. A wealthy gambling-house owner, his ruthless ambition is only bounded by his affection for his daughter.
• Dace Perry wants to ruin Matt out of bitter personal hatred. Envious and spiteful, he acts as Hawley's tool, carrying out sabotage and riding the stolen machine to execute the fraud.
• Welcome Perkins wants to act the part of a fearsome, reformed highwayman despite his peaceful nature and wooden leg. He offers comic bravado, constantly threatening enemies with an antique, broken revolver.

In Its Own Voice

"He's a two-faced schemer!" growled Clipperton. "They say he owes Hawley a lot of money. Mebby that's why he's trying to help him."

A frustrated companion exposes the desperate indebtedness driving the villain's accomplice.

"The biggest steal on record, that's what it is!" breathed Chub.

Chub reacts with bitter disbelief after discovering their gold claim has been stolen right out from under them.

"You've lost out, Matt," said she, "and if it's your fault, as you say, then there's a good reason why you lost out. Money isn't everything in this world."

Susie McReady offers comfort when Matt returns home believing his delay cost his friends their entire fortune.

What It's Really About

The book explores the tension between modern technology and frontier dishonesty. Written at a moment when motorcycles, wireless telegraphy, and motorcars were reshaping American life, the narrative tests whether speed and mechanical skill can defeat old-fashioned deceit. Beyond the machinery, it is an argument for loyalty over personal ambition. Matt repeatedly abandons his own goals to aid his friends, operating on the belief that fair dealing and honor ultimately outlast quick profits achieved through fraud. The story questions whether success built on corrupt bargains can withstand simple integrity and human decency.

Why Read It Today

Motor Matt's Daring offers a vivid look into early twentieth-century popular culture, capturing the exact transition point where the Western frontier met the industrial age. Readers who enjoy fast-paced vintage fiction will appreciate the clean, propulsive storytelling and historical novelties—such as gas-powered cycles competing against horse-drawn wagons and mountain burros.

The book moves at a breakneck speed characteristic of five-cent dime novels of 1909, keeping descriptions brief and action constant. While modern readers may find the dialogue dialect dated and the villainy somewhat exaggerated, the mechanical detail remains surprisingly precise. The narrative captures the genuine excitement of early motoring, making it a light, charming artifact of American pulp history that delivers straightforward adventure without pretense.