The Ocean Vampire; or, The Heiress of Castle Curse

About this issue

This issue of The Weekly (Vol. XV, No. 184, May 3, 1882) features "The Ocean Vampire; or, The Heiress of Castle Curse" by Colonel Prentiss Ingraham, a romantic adventure serial and sequel to "The Black Pirate." The narrative centers on Leon St. Vale, a naval lieutenant celebrated for destroying the pirate ship Gallows and its captain. At a Halifax ball, St. Vale meets secretly with Lady Eve Alstone, daughter of the King's Commissioner, who warns him that a jealous brother officer—Lieutenant Kent Lomax—plots his murder out of rivalry for Eve's affections. Later, St. Vale encounters a young sailor claiming to be "Number Thirteen," a crew member St. Vale thought dead from a shipwreck lottery at sea. The sailor, now named Frank, recounts his miraculous survival by swimming to a passing vessel. The narrative develops around romantic entanglements involving multiple characters, naval intrigue, and hints of the supernatural through references to the cursed "Castle Curse."