Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 53

The Boy Phenix; or, Through to Death This dime novel by Edward L. Wheeler (author of "Deadwood Dick" series) follows Sam Morgan, a seventeen-year-old orphaned Bohemian living in poverty on Philadelphia's notorious Alaska Street. The opening chapters introduce a rivalry between Sam and his wealthy cousin Arnold Chelton over inheritance from their dying Uncle Jacob Morgan—worth approximately half a million dollars. When Chelton visits Sam's tenement room to intimidate him with a false burglary warrant, Sam counters with knowledge of Chelton's involvement in a woman's suspicious death. The cousins declare themselves bitter enemies in a contest combining force with cunning. Chelton subsequently courts Miss Louise Lester, a beautiful orphan heiress, seeking her favor before departing for New York. The narrative combines elements of street life, mystery, family intrigue, and romance across Philadelphia's social strata.