The Black Mask

# Catalog Note: "A Magazine of Mystery, Thrills and Surprise," December 1921

This issue contains fifteen short mystery and thriller stories. "The Prisoner Speaks" by J. Frederic Thorne is the lead novelette; it concerns Samuel Smith, charged with murdering his wife Hattie. The prosecution builds a circumstantial case based on jealousy and conflicting witness accounts of the couple arguing near railroad tracks. Investigation reveals Hattie's body discovered by church fundraiser Mrs. Garford on November 13th, found in the Smith home. Other stories include "Ananias, Ltd." by Elizabeth Dudley, "The Weeping Killer" by Harry M. Sutherland, and "The Trap Thief" by H. S. Watson and Asa Steele. Additional pieces: "The Mystery of the One-Legged Man" by J. B. Hawley, "Hear Not, See Not, Speak Not Evil" by Walter Deffenbaugh, and "Fear" by Pettersen Marzoni. Further contributions include Harold Ward's "The Woman Who Cursed a Man," David Morrison's "Thornton Smiled Significantly," and others. The issue includes a book review column by Capt. Frank Cunningham.