Pulp Gold - Sonny Tabor Rides Again

The Eleventh Notch
Paul S. Powers
Originally published 1929 in Wild West Weekly as by Ward M. Stevens
Currently available in Desert Justice from leisure Westerns, alongside three other Sonny Tabor novellas

It's kind of special for me reading these stories as I've become friendly with Laurie Powers, granddaughter of Paul Powers and indeed it was through Laurie that I first became aware of pulp western writer Paul Powers. When in 2007 Laurie was responsible for publishing her grandfather's memoirs - The book Pulp Writer: 20 Years in the American Grub Street is still available and is a detailed peek into the life of these guys who churned out word after word for the pulp magazines. Check out an earlier interview with Laurie HERE. Anyone with even a passing interest in the pulps will want to know what this lovely lady has to say.

The Eleventh Notch was the first Sonny Tabor story and the writer, who had already seen 36 stories published in Wild West Weekly, could not have known how popular the character would become. The story was published under the house name Ward M. Stevens. The name had been used by other writers but soon, given the success of the Sonny Tabor character, it would be reserved solely for Paul Powers. There would eventually be 130 Sonny Tabor stories and the author would also use the house name for his Kid Wolf and Freckles Malone stories. The stories have been forgotten over time and so not only does the Desert Justice collection mark the long overdue return of these classic westerns but also the first time they have seen print under the author's real name.

And so the story:
The Eleventh Notch

The story opens with a search part coming across a body atop a perilous hill on the Sonora border - leading the search is Ed Stewart of the Triangle Cross, father of the man they are searching for - the dead man has been crudely buried, rocks placed upon the body to provide a makeshift tomb and upon that tomb is pinned a note - Rob't Stewart, died April 11 Sony Tabor NO.11.

The dead man is Bob Stewart, son of Ed. Sonny Tabor is a notorious outlaw who has killed ten men - the note lay claims to his eleventh victim. Meanwhile back at the Stewart ranch a posse are in hiding waiting for Sonny Tabor to come past. When the young outlaw makes an appearance he is immediately set upon and a shoot out takes place. Outnumbered, outgunned, Sony is aided by Ma Johnson and managed to steal the sheriff's horse. However in his escape he is shot in the back and then, gravely wounded he runs into the returning search party and shot in the chest. Close to death, Sonny lurches forward in the saddle.

No one think Sonny has a chance and that by dying now he will cheat the hangman's rope but Ma Stewart sticks by him and insists he is taken into her home for her to nurse him. Even when she is told that Sonny is the man responsible for killing her son, she refuses to turn against the injured man. She feel she knows Sonny well enough to believe him when he denies knowing anything about her son's killing. Eventually Sonny heals and he is taken to the town jail to await trial.

Which leads to the explosive climax - the sheriff's out of town and a lynch party are on the way to the jail to spring and hang the young outlaw. But Ma Stewart and a friend are also on their way to the jail in order to spring Sonny and give him his freedom. There is much excitement, pure pulp style, as bullets fly and the story moves to the conclusion where things will be tied up nicely and the real killer of Bob Stewart revealed.

These stories are pure pulp fun - each chapter ends with a cliffhanger, designed to keep the readers hooked and coming back week after week for their Wild West Weekly fix. The heroes are whiter than white and even Sonny Tabor, outlaw, is a good man forced to operate outside the law. And reading these now they still haven't lost to power to provide pure excitement. Wild West Weekly was read by both kids and adults and the stories delighted them all with their themes of independence, courage and the wide open spaces of The West was a million miles from the daily grind of city life. The Great Depression was raging when these stories were first released and they must have offered a welcome temporary escape from a grim reality.

Part two of this review will be posted later in the week when I will look at the remaining three stories and the lengthy introduction from Laurie Powers.


Desert Justice can be bought here