Beadle's Dime Library No. 742

Museum Catalog Note This issue of Beadle and Adams' weekly (No. 742, August 1848) features "The Clean Out of the Night Hawks" by Harold Payne, author of Detective Burr novels. The serial continues Chapter II of this crime fiction, titled "A Ghastly Discovery." Detective Thaddeus Burr discovers the murdered corpse of Shang Maher, a frequenter of Hell's Kitchen, near Fortieth Street and Eleventh Avenue. The victim bears signs of violence—congealed blood pooling nearby. Burr obtains the inspector's assignment to the case and investigates the notorious two-story building housing criminal elements. He locates Sarah Womelsdorf, Maher's sweetheart, questioning her about the victim. When a man in her room flees through a window, Burr pursues but encounters obstruction from "Bull" Anderson, eldest son of the den's leader, and later from two more thugs—old Lum Hawkins and a younger man. The narrative breaks mid-confrontation as Burr attempts to reach the courtyard and apprehend the fleeing suspect. The OCR becomes increasingly garbled toward the conclusion.