Beadle's Dime Library, Vol. III, No. 29

Museum Catalog Note *The Cashier's Crime* by Philip S. Warne is a serialized dramatic narrative set in a Mississippi river town. Part One, "Hand and Glove," introduces Florence Goldthorp, courted by two rival suitors: the passionate but rejected Cecil Beaumont and the victorious Frederick Powell, a man of means. After Florence accepts Powell's marriage proposal, Beaumont retreats into bitter fantasies of revenge, resolved to ruin his rival through drink and scandal. Chapter Two shifts to Beaumont's workplace at a bank where he serves as cashier. Desperate financial losses from grain speculation have driven him to embezzle thousands in client funds, hoping to recoup losses. Facing discovery, mounting debts, and permanent rejection, Beaumont oscillates between suicidal despair and murderous intent toward Powell, vowing that if he cannot have Florence, his rival shall not either. The narrative establishes themes of financial crime, romantic triangulation, and moral degradation among respectable society.