Pulp Fiction, 1938 · page 89 of 116
10-Story Detective Magazine Cover — page 89: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Page Analysis: "Big-House Bait" This is a **story prose page** from a hardboiled crime pulp magazine, featuring dialogue between detectives and a witness named Joe. The text describes how police solved a gang killing through a phone call that led them to criminals Louis Delano and Carson, whom they killed in a shootout. The page includes an illustration showing two men firing weapons. The narrative concludes with Joe being dismissed, then heading to a park where he disposes of firearms into a lake—suggesting he was involved in the crime and is destroying evidence before his wedding.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
and you run into a guy named Louis Delano. Delano sees a chance to frame a stranger, and he stops you. Then another guy comes around the corner and Louis drills him and drives away. But another guy named Stacker pokes his long nose in—and yau beat it!” Joe nodded slowly. “I guess I have to tell you the truth—”’ “Sure you do,” Bill said enthusi- astically. “You was a witness! Trouble is these witnesses to gang killings are always scared and beat it. But you’re gonna do your part for law and order, ain’t you?” ‘Sure I am,” said Joe. “But—” “Attaboy! Well, this case is cleared up in a hurry. That’s all due to the phone call!” “Phone call?” said Joe, startled. “Sure. We was up there talking to Stacker, and he was giving us a line about you. But we kind of figured him in on the deal. He was supposed to be a pal of Slausen’s—the guy that got wiped out. But he really put him on the spot for Louis, see? Well, the phone call came for him and he went out and a couple of our boys tailed him and he went straight to a pal of Louis’ named Carson. Louis was there, too. And our boys got the lowdown on the whole thing. The hoods figured it for a pinch and started shooting. But they didn’t get away with it. Our men shot back, and Slausen.. Louis, Dh PME PS > im “tr ZY . SAL 9 ~ tj BIG-HOUSE BAI? —————————__—___—87 Carson—all of ’em were killed. Good thing. Saved the state trial costs.” He paused. “That phone call done it!” OE drew a long breath. “Here’s my address,” he said, writing on a piece of paper. “And my name. I been working for Mosen & Rand, Whole- salers, for the last year. You can get me any time you want me. Can I go now ?” The two detectives glances. “Okay,” said the one called Bill. “Any time after noon,” said Joe. “I’m getting married—” he looked at the cloek—“‘in six hours.” “Good luck. And don’t forget your handbag,” said Bill. Joe wasn’t forgetting it. “What’s in it?” asked the other officer. “History,” said Joe. “Aneient his- tory. In four volumes — three small and one large. Goodnight!” Outside he got in a taxi. The taxi took him to the entrance of the park. He walked in the park to the lake, stopped there, looked around. He unlocked the handbag, opened it. His hand went in four times, and each time it came out his arm made a swinging motion. Far out in the lake dropped three automatic pistols and a sawed-off shotgun exchanged cComicbooks (eo)