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A complete issue · 32 pages · 1887

Beadle's Dime Library No. 465: The Actor Detective

1887 · Free to read

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About this issue

"The Actor Detective" by Albert W. Aiken opens in post-Civil War New York, circa 1867, focusing on the Old Bowery Theater's opening night. The protagonist Edmund Keene, a gentlemanly actor of twenty-eight, performs opposite a mysterious young actress known only as "Miss Estelle," who makes her theatrical debut in the Indian drama Nick of the Woods. When Estelle suffers stage-fright, Keene offers encouragement and she successfully delivers her lines. The play goes well, earning applause from manager Billy Freebigh and his associates, including the powerful East Side politician Judge Anaconda Fitzgerald—a former fireman and alderman who earned his post through political connections and financial backing from his deceased father's fortune. The narrative establishes the theatrical setting and introduces elements of mystery surrounding Estelle's background and apparent pursuers.

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