Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 591

This issue of Beadle & Adams' publication (No. 591, February 19, 1890) features "Caging the Innocent Birds: A Story of the Baffling Russelford Mystery," by J.C. Cowdrick, an author of crime and adventure serials. The story begins as Duke Daniels, a prominent "Society Detective," accepts a case from wealthy Henry Russelford: his four-year-old daughter Eulalie has vanished from a locked bedroom. Both doors—to the hall and bathroom—were locked from inside; mosquito netting seals the windows intact. The child left no trace despite thorough searches. Daniels interviews the household servants and examines the room's fastenings, finding substantial locks and bolts a child could not reach. He grows suspicious of Mrs. Russelford's knowledge. The detective prepares to question her directly as the narrative continues.