Wilsonian
From Plastic Tub
The Wilsonian was the first in a series of dime-store cowboy novellas published from 1885 to 1914 by HJ Hornrather & Sons, Ltd. Including such classics as Gunfight at Goob's Gully and Showdown in Poobsville, the series involved a rotating stable of hacks and dilettantes writing under the pseudonym "Slim Chance."
The Wilsonian of the title was your typical cowboy hero, a nameless doer of good of which little was known except that he hailed originally from Ft. Wilson, Kansas. The Wilsonian broke from the norms, however, insamuch as the hero was a gluttonous devourer of pancakes, which in many installments nearly got him killed. "The flapjack," wrote William Flintrock, "was his Achilles heel and Kryptonite rolled up into one."
The series was abandoned after the onset of the First World War, during which period Honrather & Sons changed its fare from penny westerns to hygiene manuals and patriotic jingo. The rights were purchased by a myterious figure in 1927. Since that time copies have been very hard to come by and any reproduction requests stringently denied. Editions which come on the market are quickly snapped up. In the 1980's several editions were stolen from various university collections and none has ever been recovered.
Excerpted
He [The Wilsonian] brought the barrel of his Remington to bear upon Dirty Jake's brass belt buckle. "One move, Jake, and I'll have you pantsless faster'n you can say your name." Jake glanced down, then up, then down again. He was stymied and knew it. Navajo Gulch Hijinx (1905)
