Beadle's Dime Library, No. 494

Catalog Note *The Invisible Rook: A Tale of the Mysteries and Miseries of New York*, serialized serial by Jackson Knox (byline "Old Hawk"), begins in Chapter II. Detective James Westcott arrests gang member Niel MacWalters on suspicion of burglary, then releases him when the actual perpetrator is apprehended. Westcott urges MacWalters to abandon his life under the mysterious criminal mastermind known as "the Rook," emphasizing MacWalters's wasted talents as an iron-molder and his impact on his young wife Mary. MacWalters later mutinies against the Rook's authority during a gang meeting, vowing to unmask his leader and demand fair division of spoils. The Rook responds by proposing a profitable burglary of a Park Avenue mansion, offering MacWalters generous payment. Mary senses a trap as Niel departs with burglary tools for the midnight job, but he dismisses her concerns.