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Scene idea, abandoned towns, and the telegraph
In The Reluctant Bandit, Wanted posters aren’t giving Sheriff O’Donnell the answers he’s looking for or needs. He has to find a different way to procure information that’s quick. Enter the telegraph. It may seem odd or somewhat implausible that the telegraph would make its way into a vast and sparsely populated expanse such as the Arizona territory, but it did. It was a boon for both the military as well as for the territory’s growing economy. Mail could take months to arrive but with the telegraph there were instant or nearly instant responses. The news could change by the time a piece of mail arrived. In many cases it…