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The Adventures of the Adventurers' Club: A Shocker in Six Shocks by Five Men & a Woman
THE ADVENTURERS' CLUB This 1890 British periodical contains "The Adventurers' Club: A Shocker in Six Shocks," authored collectively by Five Men and a Woman, with illustration by G. A. Storey, A.R.A. The frame narrative establishes an exclusive London club whose five members meet monthly, then disperse nightly through the city seeking adventures guided by knight-errant principles—to redress wrongs and aid the afflicted. They reassemble to report findings. The first account concerns Julian Strachan, youngest member. His cab collides with another vehicle in a residential quarter; the other occupant dies with a broken neck, carrying only a purse and a "Caliban Club" membership card. Following his pocket-compass northeasterly, Strachan enters an ornate establishment using the dead man's card. A wizened doorman admits him, addressing him as a new member. Inside, he discovers a luxuriously furnished space suggesting some clandestine institution, with fellow members apparently gathering for supper. The story breaks mid-narration as Strachan describes the room's "barbaric magnificence." The OCR becomes increasingly degraded thereafter.
