The Fastest Gun Dead

"The Fastest Gun Dead" by Julian F. Grow is a science fiction story where the Wild West collides with futuristic technology. Dr. Hiram Pertwee and a meek ribbon clerk named Jacob Niedelmeier stumble upon a strange skeleton and an umbrella-like gun that seems to read minds and predict deadly actions. Niedelmeier takes possession of the weapon, and transforms into "Dirty Jake", a feared gunslinger. His sudden rise to infamy eventually leads to his undoing when he faces an opponent who outsmarts the weapon before it can even be drawn, leaving Pertwee to ponder the unsettling influence of a gun fueled by violent thoughts.