Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 660

1890 · 16 pages

This issue of *Beadle and Adams'* pulp weekly (No. 660, Vol. XXVI, dated March 18, 1890) features "Deadwood Dick, Jr.'s, Insurance Case" by Ed. L. Wheeler, author of the Deadwood Dick and Rosebuds Rob series. The serial follows Richard "Deadwood Dick" Bristol, a western detective, who comes to New York Inspector Byrnes' office. A mysterious letter from Louise Lester, a wealthy orphan living at the Murray Hill Hotel, requests his detective services regarding her wayward brother Frank. Frank squandered his fortune gambling, sold two ten-thousand-dollar life insurance policies to cover debts, then disappeared. Louise suspects foul play. Dick begins investigating, interviewing Fred Ferris (Frank's gambling companion at the Morton House) and questioning Louise repeatedly about the policy holders and her brother's whereabouts. Dick forms suspicions about Louise's involvement, wondering if she orchestrated Frank's disappearance to claim insurance money as his heir. The narrative combines detective mystery with themes of financial deception and urban vice.

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