Beadle's Dime Library No. 713

This issue of *Beadle's Dime Library* No. 713 (June 22, 1892) contains "The Mystery of No. 48" by Harold Payne, opening a detective serial featuring protagonist Thaddeus Burr. Detective Burr investigates a Greenwich Village brownstone, "Ghost Hall," after neighbors report mysterious cries. Inspector Byrnes assigns him to penetrate its secrets. Burr gains entry through an upper-story window and discovers a luxuriously appointed bedroom of obvious female occupancy. Exploring further, he encounters a tall, stern woman in black robes who emerges from the mysterious carriage neighbors had described. While concealed, he witnesses her unlocking a hidden wall panel—revealing what appears to be a corpse within. The woman vanishes inexplicably after leaving the room. A woman's blood-curdling scream follows, sending Burr downstairs in pursuit, though he finds only silence. The mystery deepens as the serial continues.