Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 616

This issue of the detective pulp magazine features "The Romance of the Kernon Complication," a mystery serial by Jackson Knox (credited as "Old Hawk"), author of previous detective tales. The story centers on Mr. Isaac Grantby, president of Mount Kernon Bank in Westchester County, who summons detective Magnus—known as "the Touch Detective" for his ability to divine information through physical contact—to investigate a bank robbery and death. Young bookkeeper Randall Maycourt is found dead before the open safe, clutching a satchel containing thousands in stolen cash, along with disguise materials and railroad tickets. However, Magnus immediately questions whether Maycourt was truly the thief. The investigation involves the banker's daughter Grace (rumored close to the dead man and now fainting from distress), cashier Catesby Bartlow (who discovered the crime), and the mysterious housekeeper Madame Renaud, who hints at complex emotional entanglements within the household.