All True Crime #40

In "The Highway Massacre," written by an unknown author and illustrated by an unknown artist, a man wronged by a criminal named Pelley is forced into a deadly cycle of betrayal and revenge. Once a victim of robbery and suspicion, Larry finds himself drawn back into Pelley’s world—first as a worker, then as a husband trying to build a new life—until the past erupts in violence.

In "Death at the Auction!" from All True Crime #40 (1950), Jo, a man with no luck and even less sense, stumbles into a wild chain of events after accidentally bidding too high on a relic—Billy the Kid’s gun—at an auction. When his ill-fated purchase leads to a failed pawn shop scam and a sudden, desperate decision to go straight to crime, his luck runs out in the most final way.

In "Matches Mangin, the Crook Who Couldn't Act," a thief with delusions of grandeur tries to pull off a perfect disguise, impersonating the reclusive art collector Dane after murdering him and his butler. When a sharp-eyed collector named Gentry starts questioning the new "Dane," the fraud begins to unravel—especially when a man named Johnson arrives with a warning that the police are on their way.

In "The Crown Jewel Theft," bloodthirsty thief Jo teams up with the seemingly trustworthy Talbot to pull off a daring heist on the Crown Jewels—only to find their plan derailed when Talbot’s long-lost son unexpectedly returns home during the robbery, putting everything at risk.

In "Tut" Newsome, a man released from prison quickly spirals into violence, killing a bartender before a crippling injury silences him. After escaping custody, he stumbles through a frozen wilderness, seeking shelter in a remote cabin—only to find its deaf inhabitant unable to hear his desperate pleas. The story unfolds with quiet dread, tracing Tut’s final, futile journey through isolation and silence.