Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 569

This issue of Beadle and Adams' serialized detective story, published June 19, 1888, features "Ned Chester's Very Bad Case: A Tale of the Two Cities" by Jo Pierce, author of detective serials. Franklin Damon, a wealthy Brooklyn resident, is discovered unconscious in his locked bedroom with severe head wounds. Police investigate a household of eight: Damon's ward Rosalthe, his nephew Ned Chester, distant relative Percy Grayson, aged Hannah Damon, bookkeeper Samuel Eagan, servants Jules Lefranc, Lois Beauvais, Kittie Miles, and coachman Timothy Killion. Percy Grayson hints to Rosalthe that he witnessed her leaving her room during the night and knows Ned Chester was involved in the attack—then extorts her love as payment for his silence. When police officers arrive led by Brodby, they discover Damon's key inside the locked room, suggesting the assailant possessed keys to the house.