Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 494

The Black Bluff Mystery This issue features the opening installment of "The Black Bluff Mystery" by Jo Pierce, author of Bob O' the Bowery and other adventure serials. In the village of Black Bluffs, an old squire named Nathan Barnard is found murdered in the Old Stone House on the hill, shocking the quiet town. Surly Sim, a fifteen-year-old orphan ferryman known for his taciturn nature, provides the crucial clue: he rowed a mysterious stranger wearing a cape-covered overcoat to the squire's house the previous night. The stranger asked for directions to Barnard's residence. Later, Sim discovers a letter near the riverbank revealing that Barnard had completely rejected his estranged son-in-law, Erwin Redmond, and his daughter, dead for years. The recovered letter suggests Redmond may be the murderer. The narrative introduces supporting characters including Constable Gray, the village authorities, and Adelbert Abbott and his wealthy uncle Cyrus Bigelow, visiting Black Bluffs amid the scandal. The serial mystery follows Sim's reluctant detective work as the town seeks answers.