The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1926-08-20
DEADWOOD DICK is
NOT DEAD, HE YELLS
Famous Dime Novel Char
acter Indignant at Tale.

Deadwood, S. -"Deadwood
Dick" the old hero of a hundred dime
novels, who was recently reported
dead in California, is yelling his head
off denying that he is dead. He has
| just written his old friend, Diamond
Dick" saying he's just as much alive
as he ever was. He is now living on
a ranch near Whitewood, S. D., at
the north end of the Black hills, the
scene of all his Activities
"The fellow who died in California
was 'One-Eye Dick not Deadwood
Dick writes the latter gentleman.
"One-Eye Dick" was Dick Bullock.
Deadwood Dicks name is Richard
Clark. Dick Bullock was gold guard,
and with his winchester he brought
down millions and millions of dollars
in gold dust from the Black hills gold
mines to the refinery at Omaha, and
never lost an ounce of "dust."
But Deadwood Dick. Of all the
popular dime-novel heroes, Deadwood
Dick stood at the very head when he
was In his prime about 40 years ago.
Every Saturday for years there was a
new Deadwood Dick novel out in
Beadle's Dime Library.
Splendid Fellow-Our Here.
All the boys of those years remem-
Der what splendid character was
Deadwood Dick; how he galloped his
black stallion across the pages of
Beadle's with fire and bullets stream
ing from the muzzle of his two guns,
killing Indians, knocking out outlaws
like champion bowler knocks down
tenpins, rescuing beautiful maidens
from deep-dyed villains, only to have
the maidens promptly fall in love with
him. discovering fabulously rich gold
mines in long-lost gulches, defending
the ''tenderfoot," righting the wrongs
Of the, weak and wearing immaculate
linen and patent-leather top boots in
a country Of red-fannel shirts and In
dian moccaSfns.
Edward L. Wheeler made Deadwood
Dick famous and Deadwood Dick
made Edward L. Wheeler rich. AS
fact there were dozen or so Dead
wood Dicks but only one Edward L.
Wheeler. Wheeler and Beadle got a
copyright on the name in fiction and
kept the hero to themselves. After
Wheeler had made the name famous,
every fellow in the Black hills whose
name was Richard" took the name
''Deadwood Dick to himself. But
while many claimed the name, Dick
Clark was the man upon whom Dead
wood bestowed the title "Deadwood
Dick"
In the early days Deadwood Dick
was really quite character. He was
a miner, like everybody else in the
Black hills in those days. Gold was
the most plentiful thing in Deadwood
gulch and along Gold run in that Pc
riod.
Drove Stagecoaches Awhile.
Deadwood Dick drove a stagecoach
for q while, too, over division of the
Deadwood- Sidney line. The railroad
was at Sidney, $50 miles away. But
Dick Clark never was "in it" for a
minute with that Deadwood Dick hero
created by Wheeler. There was fel-
low who could drive six horses DOWN
the mountainside, yelling and shouting
at the top of his voice, shooting right
and left-handed at the trees or at
birds on either side of the road and
bringing his team up short in front
Of the Spread Eagle saloon. Dick
Clark was pretty good driver and
his name was Deadwood Dick, but he
couldn't drive like that dime-novel
neadwood Dick could drive.
After the glamour had worn off,
gold mining in the Black hills had got
down to rich mans proposition and
railroad had been built to the hills,
Dick Clark gave UP mining and "hero-
ing and went to work for the rail-
road trucking freight at the depot. But
Edward L. Wheeler refused to recog-
nize the changed conditions and kept
right on with his "untamed" and fun
tamable" hero, Deadwood Dick.
Clark is now an old man and bears
mighty little resemblance to the dash
ing character created for him by
Wheeler.