Beadle's Dime Library No. 260: The Masked Mystery; or, The Black Crescent

Catalog Note "The Masked Mystery; or, The Black Crescent," by Anthony P. Morris, is a gothic mystery serial set in Baltimore, 1871. The narrative centers on young Austin Burns, a foundling of mysterious parentage, who is betrothed to Eola Forde. Harnden Forde, Eola's father, suddenly forbids the marriage, cryptically warning of a curse and prophecy attached to Burns. That evening, a masked visitor delivers an ominous note to Forde, while Burns simultaneously receives an anonymous message promising to reveal his true identity at Jones's Falls bridge. A woman in black observes the unfolding events, vowing to intervene at midnight. The opening chapters establish an atmosphere of supernatural menace and hidden secrets, with multiple mysterious figures manipulating events from the shadows, hinting at connections between Burns's unknown origins and the family curse.