Beadle's Dime Library No. 684

# Museum Catalog Note

This 1891 Beadle and Adams dime novel, issue No. 684, serializes "The Man in the Satin Mask: A Tale of the Dread Gray Clan" by Captain Howard Holmes. The melodramatic mystery opens when Mercy Sharp discovers her husband Toby has vanished after mysteriously entering their house late at night. Learning he's been found dead in the river, she enlists Velvet Van, a detective known as "the ferret," to investigate. The narrative interweaves Toby's death with the introduction of Halliday Hood, a wealthy, mysterious figure who habitually wears a close-fitting satin mask concealing his face entirely. Hood summons renowned physician Doctor Jules Jagger, who diagnoses him with a terminal illness lasting weeks to two months. The story establishes an atmosphere of urban intrigue involving murder, hidden identities, and a secret organization or "clan," with various characters shadowing one another through New York's streets and morgue.