Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 808

Museum Catalog Note This issue of *Beadle's Weekly* (No. 808, January 17, 1893) features the opening installment of "The Great Detective's Celebrated Case: A New York City Sensation" by Colonel Prentiss Ingraham, author of the "Dashing Charlie" and "Dick Doom" series. The detective story concerns artist Wallace Conwallis, who arrives at detective Dick Doom's residence during a violent storm seeking aid. Conwallis claims a deadly enemy has committed suicide in his rooms while drugging Conwallis with brandy, deliberately staging the death to frame Conwallis for murder. The enemy left written proof of guilt and a bullet wound to the heart. Despite circumstantial evidence against him, Conwallis insists he did not kill the man. Dick Doom accepts the case for one thousand dollars and advises Conwallis to surrender to police while Doom investigates independently, using a clergyman as intermediary for communication. The narrative emphasizes the detective's methodical reasoning and Conwallis's mysterious past connections to his enemy.