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Exact textual stateDraft

The Peaceful Pilgrim

Part of The Peaceful Pilgrim

StateDraft 1Surviving witnesses1TSS catalogue units18
Textual identity is not textual authority. “Catalogue primary/default” selects the default catalogue representation; it does not mean that this wording is automatically Howard’s most authoritative text.

Characters in this exact text

Blink WiltshawBlink Wiltshaw — War Paint acquaintance of Breckinridge; miner hiding his gold in Teton GulchOn Pagefirst: First Cuts: Rough Trails 2, p. 157Breckinridge ElkinsBreckinridge ElkinsOn Pagefirst: First Cuts: Rough Trails 2, p. 157BucknerBuckner Elkins — Breckinridge's brother named Buckner in Draft 2Mentionedfirst: First Cuts: Rough Trails 2, p. 166Cap'n KiddCap’n Kidd — Breckinridge Elkins's horseOn Pagefirst: First Cuts: Rough Trails 2, p. 159Jake RomanJake Roman — yellow-whiskered gunman in Rattlesnake Harrison's gangOn Pagefirst: First Cuts: Rough Trails 2, p. 160Polecat RixbyPolecat Rixby — black-whiskered outlaw who lures Breckinridge to a mountain hide-outOn Pagefirst: First Cuts: Rough Trails 2, p. 163Rattlesnake HarrisonRattlesnake Harrison — outlaw chief operating around Teton GulchOn Pagefirst: First Cuts: Rough Trails 2, p. 159

Surviving manuscript evidence

The records below describe surviving physical typescripts, carbons, manuscript material and documentary catalogue evidence for this exact textual state. TSS numbers identify physical catalogue units; they are not story or draft IDs.

Draft 1 — surviving Howard typescriptHoward typescript
Extent17 pagesCompletenessComplete

Physical extent: Complete 17-page Howard draft, preceded by a Glenn Lord title card ('page 0')

TSS: 62696–62704, 24864–24871, 62705

Untitled original typescript. A Glenn Lord title card precedes the 17-page Howard typescript; the reverse of that card lists Red Nails (8 pages).

Additional documentary notes

  • Verso reference: A non-authorial Glenn Lord title card precedes the draft; its reverse lists Red Nails (8 pages). (Glenn Lord title card ('page 0'))
  • Howard handwritten insertions: Howard penciled “Don't yell so loud” above the typed “Don't let nobody...”; the wording is used in Draft 2. (First Cuts p. 161)
  • Insertion Above Line: The words “wide enough for” are inserted above “so wide”; First Cuts marks the displaced wording with editorial strikethrough. The insertion medium is not specified in the source note. (First Cuts p. 164)
  • Insertion Above Line: “French” is inserted above “Blackfoot Injun” as a replacement; First Cuts marks the displaced wording with editorial strikethrough. The insertion medium is not specified in the source note. (First Cuts p. 169)
  • Later Insertion: The sentence “Later he tried to shoot me and the bullet glanced off my head.” was added later after the original sentence and before the following line. (First Cuts p. 169)

Source: First Cuts: Breckinridge Elkins — Rough Trails 2, The Peaceful Pilgrim, Editorial Notes; Draft 1 transcription

Published in

Breckinridge Elkins - First Cuts: The Drafts and Fragments - Rough Trails 2REH Foundation PressMarch 2026↗First Cuts: The Drafts and Fragments Breckinridge Elkins: Rough Trails Volumes 1-4 4 Volume Collector's Box SetREH Foundation PressMarch 2026↗