Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 892

# Catalog Note

"Bowery Ben in Chinatown: Sam-Ling, His Bad Side Spork" by Harold Payne is a detective serial appearing in Beadle and Adams' weekly publication (No. 892, August 28). Ben Gaylord, an eighteen-year-old boy detective known also as Lung Foo and Bowery Ben, assists his friend Billy Brooks search for Billy's sister Fanny, missing three days in New York's Chinatown neighborhood. Suspecting involvement by Hung Lee, a notorious operator of opium joints and fan-tan gambling dens with connections to San Francisco highbinders, Ben disguises himself and infiltrates Lee's establishment. Posing as a regular customer with Billy, Ben questions the attendant Hop Sing about a pretty girl brought in recently, receiving evasive denials. When Hop Sing becomes suspicious and accuses Ben of lying, the detective violently seizes the Chinaman by the throat, the scene cutting off mid-action.