Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 978

1896 · 16 pages

Catalog Note *The Chinaman's Circus* by J. C. Cowdrick is a detective serial appearing in this 978th issue of Beadle and Adams' weekly dime novel series. The opening chapters introduce Pat Mahon, a seventeen-year-old Irish telegraph messenger, who witnesses a mugging on a New York street at midnight. Two thugs—apparently Nig Branty and Con Keller—attack a well-dressed gentleman named Thaddeus Stackwood with a sandbag. When Pat intervenes, he is also struck down. He awakes in the home of his Chinese friend Fan-tan Tom, who found him unconscious. Pat discovers a gold card case at the scene containing visiting cards bearing the victim's name. When a policeman questions him, Pat recounts the assault truthfully; they find blood evidence confirming his story. The narrative establishes a mystery surrounding the victim's fate and sets Pat on an amateur detective path.

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