penny dreadfuls
The Vestibule Limited Mystery
The Vestibule Limited Mystery This issue of Street & Smith's "Secret Service Series" (No. 39, January 1891) contains the opening installment of "The Vestibule Limited Mystery" by Alexander Robertson, M.D., author of "The Irish Monte Cristo" series. The detective story features protagonist Duncan Craig, a secret service operative who receives an urgent summons from his superior, Colonel Acton. Assigned to board the Chicago Limited Vestibule express departing at 10 A.M., Craig is given classified directions in a sealed envelope and expense money for an important case described as potentially lucrative if successful. Before departure, Craig assumes his preferred disguise—Hezekiah Broadbrim, a Quaker character—complete with drab clothing, wide-brimmed hat, spectacles, and pious demeanor. The narrative establishes the mystery's premise through Craig's briefing and preparations for travel on the famous express, though the specific crime details remain undisclosed at this point.
