A complete, restored issue of Pulp Fiction from 1896 — all 16 pages of painted-cover fiction magazines that launched science fiction, horror, and hardboiled crime, free to page through at ComicBooks.com.

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A complete issue · 16 pages · 1896

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 978

1896 · Free to read

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 978 — page 2 of 16 — 2 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 978 — page 3 of 16 — 3 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 978 — page 4 of 16 — 4 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 978 — page 5 of 16 — 5 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 978 — page 6 of 16 — 6 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 978 — page 7 of 16 — 7 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 978 — page 8 of 16 — 8 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 978 — page 9 of 16 — 9 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 978 — page 10 of 16 — 10 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 978 — page 11 of 16 — 11 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 978 — page 12 of 16 — 12 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 978 — page 13 of 16 — 13 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 978 — page 14 of 16 — 14 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 978 — page 15 of 16 — 15 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 978 — page 16 of 16 — 16 / 16

About this issue

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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