# Joe Phenix's Mascot: The Gentleman Crook's Decoy
By Albert W. Aiken, this detective story centers on events at Peter Weekly's gambling club in Long Branch. Journalist Edward Bertram observes two gamblers: Howard Fitz Gerald, an English-Irish gentleman of aristocratic lineage claiming descent from Silken Thomas, and Captain Bernard McCracken, an Irish soldier of fortune and billiards expert. The pair met aboard ship to America. Fitz Gerald engages in high-stakes faro, initially winning over five thousand dollars before his luck reverses and he loses everything within an hour. McCracken, watching nervously, had advised stopping while ahead. After departing the club, the two friends discuss Fitz Gerald's poor judgment in continuing to play. The narrative promises further developments regarding these companions and hints at criminal intrigue through its title.
About this artifact
- Date
- April 21, 1897
- Rights
- Public domain — free to view, share, and reuse.
- Restoration
- Digitally restored and hosted by comicbooks.com.
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