"Black Julie" is a brownish skinned, short cheerful man of about 25 years. The illegitimate son of a literate household servant and the owner of an isolated Texas homestead near El Paso, Julius was taught his three R's, and could hardly help but acquire a passing familiarity with firearms due to his father's enthusiastic passion for them. Still, his living situation left much to be desired and when a massive fire swept the homestead, he seized the opportunity to scrounge a few essentials and strike out for a better life. He found his chance by hopping a train to the Arizona Territory, where he won an apprenticeship to a gunsmith and has comfortably settled into a trade in which he is competent and respected.