Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 403

About this issue

This dime novel serial installment, "A Queer Case" by Charles Morris, presents a melodramatic murder mystery. Two street boys, Jack (nicknamed Firefly Jack for his quick fists) and Hans (a slow-witted Dutch boy), are fishing on the Delaware River near Philadelphia when they hear strange cries among the water plants. Investigating, they discover a small boat containing an unconscious woman with bound hands and feet, a gag in her mouth, and a crying infant clinging to her. The boat has been deliberately scuttled with heavy stones intended to sink it. The woman bears a head wound suggesting she was struck unconscious before the attempted drowning. Jack deduces someone plugged a hole in the boat's bottom, hoping the water would cause it to sink, but her clothing apparently slowed the leak enough for the vessel to drift and lodge among the dock weeds. The boys rescue both victims and row to Philadelphia, where they report their discovery to police. Hans is shown pocketing something from the woman's person. The narrative suggests investigation and revelation will follow.