Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 557

This issue of Beadle and Adams' weekly (March 27, 1888) features the serial "Broadway Billy's Death Racket" by J.C. Cowdrick, author of the "Broadway Billy" and "Sandy Sam" stories. The narrative follows William "Broadway Billy" Weston, a former bootblack turned corner-stand merchant and amateur detective, and his thin partner "Skinny." Witnessing a woman struggling against a man in a carriage on Broadway, Billy suspects foul play and clandestinely follows the vehicle to a house in lower Manhattan. He enters through an unlocked basement door and cautiously explores the interior, avoiding servants in the kitchen. Ascending to the upper floors, he observes several people—including a beautiful girl appearing drugged—being led upstairs by two masculine-featured women and two men. Billy follows, suspecting the girl is a prisoner held against her will, attempting to uncover the mystery unfolding within the house.