drayton dunster – SMB Noir

October 15, 1923 issue ~ cover art by Lewis Kennerly

October 15, 1923 issue

cover art by Lewis Kennerly

~ Edwin Baird, “Keep it Dark” short-short, last of 3 stories in BM

~ Eustace Hale Ball, “Little Miss Muffet – 1923”, 9^th of 13 stories in BM

~ Royce Brier, “The Thirteenth Tack”, ‘Spider Klein, criminal’, 2^nd of 5 stories in BM

~ Ray(mond King) Cummings, “T. McGuirk Tries the Luck Charms”, ‘7th of 14 McGuirk stories, billed as “the quaintest character in the Underworld” & honest, more of less’, 7^th of 15 stories in BM

~ Drayton Dunster, “Aided and Abetted by the Law”, 8^th of 9 stories in BM

~ ‘Peter Collinson’ (Hammett), “Slippery Fingers”, 1st story in this issue, ‘see p. 127 for letter by DH & discussion of story’, last of 4 stories under this name in BM, though Hagemann doesn’t note it, 2^nd of 25 Op stories reprinted in The Big Book of the Continental Op (Vintage, 2017), reprinted in Zigzags of Treachery: The Complete Black Mask Cases of the Continental Op, Vol. 1 (Steeger, 2023), though Hagemann does not list this as an Op story, 4^th of 51 total stories in BM

~ Dashiell Hammett, “Crooked Souls”, the Op [3rd of 25], 2nd of 2 stories in this issue but 5th of 51 total stories in BM, reprinted in The Big Book of the Continental Op (Vintage, 2017), reprinted in Zigzags of Treachery: The Complete Black Mask Cases of the Continental Op, Vol. 1 (Steeger, 2023)

~ Robert Lee Heiser, “Fifty Dollars a Peep”, ‘alleged to be true’

~ Jones Jones, “The Talented Burglar”, author’s sole appearance in BM [hard to believe that name is correct]

~ J. Fortune Reade, “At the Bottom of It”, ‘A Strange Detective Problem’, 2nd of 3 stories in BM

~ Charles Somerville, “The Riddle of Room 14”, 17th of 47 articles in the ‘Manhunter’ series, 18^th of 49 total articles in BM

~ J. Paul Suter, “Beyond Justice”, ‘daytime story’, 2nd of 19 appearances in BM

~ Joe Taylor, “The Doublecross”, 10th of 12 tales in ‘My Underworld’ series, 11^th of 13^th appearances in BM

~ Merlin Moore Taylor, “The Young Squirt”, ‘advertised as “A Complete Mystery Novelette”’, 4th of 8 appearances in BM

~ Edward Parrish Ware, “The Snitch”, 1^st of 9 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

February 15, 1923 issue ~ cover art by A. Rose

February 15, 1923 issue

cover art by A. Rose

better image than previously posted

~ Eustace Hale Ball, “The Trail of the Scarlet Fox”, part 3 of 6 parts with various subtitles, 3rd of 13 appearances in BM

~ Russell Arden Bankson, “The Ghost of Joe Speck”, 1^st of 2 stories in BM

~ Drayton Dunster, “The Conscientious Grave-Digger”, 3^rd of 9 stories in BM

~ Jack J. Gottlieb, “The Strength of the Weak”, 7th of 8 stories in BM

~ Francis James, “Sinister Images”, Prentice, Harvard-trained criminologist turned policeman (‘the young Central Office Man’) with Police Chief Shannon, 2^nd of 4 parts, 4th of 20 appearances in BM

~ George B. Jenkins, Jr., “Business and Pleasure”, last of 5 stories in BM

~ Wilson Clay Missimer, “Torn Fingers”, 2nd of 2 stories in BM

~ C.S. Montanye (Carleton Stevens), “The Jewel of Blood”, 15th of 29 stories in BM

~ Harford Powel, Jr., “The High Jackers”, 1^st of 6 appearances in BM

~ Walker J. Scott, “Fatal Fridays”, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ Charles Somerville, “The Clue of the Tattooed Arm”, 2nd of 47 articles in the ‘Manhunter’ series, 2^nd of 49 total articles in BM

~ Joe Taylor, “Stumbling Feet”, 5th of 12 tales in ‘My Underworld’ series, 5^th of 13^th appearances in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

February 1, 1923 issue ~ cover art by A. Rose

February 1, 1923 issue

cover art by A. Rose

~ Eustace Hale Ball, “The Trail of the Scarlet Fox”, part 2 of 6 parts with various subtitles, BM debut, 2nd of 13 appearances in BM

~ Drayton Dunster, “Her Gold and Her Pearls”, 2^nd of 9 stories in BM

~ Eliza Mae Harvey, “The Last Snow”, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ W.H. Holmes, “Creeping Death”, ‘A Complete Mystery Novelette’, 1^st of 3 stories in BM

~ Francis James, “Sinister Images”, Prentice, Harvard-trained criminologist turned policeman (‘the young Central Office Man’) with Police Chief Shannon, 1st of 4 parts, 3rd of 20 appearances in BM

~ A. Kandel, “Eulogy on a Rare Theme”, ‘brief-brief’, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ Roy L. McCardell, “A Million A Year”, last of 4 parts, 4^th of 5 appearances in BM

~ Marr Murray, “Hades and Return”, ‘South Sea story‘, author’s only appearance in BM

~ Charles Somerville, “After Ten Thousand Miles”, 1^st of 47 articles in the ‘Manhunter’ series, ‘(see pp. 38-39 for data on CS); no effort has been made to sustain the supposed veracity of series; see also under Joseph Gallomb, Glenn G. Gravatt, & Robert Lee Heiser’, 1^st of 49 total articles in BM

~ Horace Winston Stokes, “The Devil’s Hollow”, author’s only appearance in BM

~ Joe Taylor, “The Fixer”, 4th of 12 tales in ‘My Underworld’ series, billed as fiction, 4^th of 13^th appearances in BM

~ N.H. Wilson, “The Head of Clampini”, ‘Daytime story’, author’s sole appearance in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

March 15, 1923 issue ~ cover art by A. Rose

March 15, 1923 issue

cover art by A. Rose

~ John Baer, “The Three Witnesses”, ‘”Compete Mystery Novelette”; set in Pittsburgh suburb’, 23th of 24 stories in BM

~ Eustace Hale Ball, “The Trail of the Scarlet Fox”, part 5 of 6 parts with various subtitles, 5th of 13 appearances in BM

~ Charles Phelps Cushing, “A Tassel of Black Yarn”, ‘Mammie Skaggs, policewoman’, author’s only appearance in BM

~ Meredith Davis, “The Lower Law”, ‘innocent victim burned at the stake by a lynch mob’, 2^nd of 3 stories in BM

~ Drayton Dunster, “The Tombstone Babette”, ‘A Cemetery Tale’, 4^th of 9 stories in BM

~ Francis James, “Sinister Images”, ‘Prentice, Harvard-trained criminologist turned policeman (‘the young Central Office Man’) with Police Chief Shannon‘, last of 4 parts, 6th of 20 appearances in BM

~ C.S. Montanye (Carleton Stevens), “A Shock for the Countess”, ‘Countess d’Yls steals some pearls; set in Paris’, reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Pulps (Vintage, 2007), 16th of 29 stories in BM

~ Charles Somerville, “The Big Surprise”, ‘Capt. Fay, German spy in USA during WWI’, 4th of 47 articles in the ‘Manhunter’ series, 4^th of 49 total articles in BM

~ Willett Stockard, “A Dead Girl in the Moonlight”, ‘rural setting; dead girl avenged by badman’, 1^st of 5 stories in BM

~ Joe Taylor, “Playing Both Ends”, 6th of 12 tales in ‘My Underworld’ series, fiction, 6^th of 13^th appearances in BM

April 15, 1923 issue ~ cover art by John Decker

April 15, 1923 issue

cover art by John Decker

better image than previously posted

~ Raymond J. Brown, “Phantom Bullets”, part 2 of 5, only work in BM

~ Ray Cummings and Gabrielle [2^nd wife], “Haunted”, only story by this pair in BM

~ Carroll John Daly, “It’s All in the Game”, ‘1^st-person narrator, preying on “leading lights of the underworld” e.g., Ed, The Killer’, 3rd of 71 appearances in BM

~ Drayton Dunster, “The Fruit of the Tomb”, ‘A Cemetery Tale’, 5^th of 9 stories in BM

~ H.M. Hamilton, “Vanishing Gold”, 2nd of 2 stories in BM

~ Charles Somerville, “The Vengeance of the Dead”, 6th of 47 articles in the ‘Manhunter’ series, 6^th of 49 total articles in BM

~ Joe Taylor, “The Meanest Thief”, ‘brief-brief’, 7^th piece of 13 tales in BM

~ Joe Taylor and G[eorge] W. Sutton, Jr., “Burnt Hands”, part 2 of 2 (subtitled, “A Splinter of Steel”), ‘GWS was then editor of BM’, 2nd of 2 appearances by this team in BM

~ Juliette Van, “At the Dragon’s Dip”, ‘Billed as “A Complete Double-Length Detective Mystery Novelette”’, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ Harold Ward, “The Turning of the Worm”, last of 29 stories under this name in BM [last of 46 stories in BM under three different names – Ward Sterling and H.W. Starr]

~ J.A. Young, “The Meanest Thief”, ‘brief-brief’, author’s sole appearance in BM

June 15, 1923 issue ~ cover art by H.C. Murphy

June 15, 1923 issue

cover art by H.C. Murphy

~ ‘Peter Collinson’ (Hammett), “The Vicious Circle”, ‘see pp. 126-127 for letter by DH’, 2^nd of 4 stories under this name, 2^nd of 51 total stories in BM

~ Anthony Crittenden, “Spike McCready’s Exit”, only appearance in BM

~ Ray(mond King) Cummings, “T. McGuirk Juggles the Pawn Tickets”, ‘4th of 14 McGuirk stories, billed as “the quaintest character in the Underworld” & honest, more of less’, 4^th of 15 stories in BM

~ Wyona Dashwood, “Out of the Fog”, ‘Human weirdities’, only story in BM

~ Meredith Davis, “Beyond the Chair”, last of 3 stories in BM

~ Drayton Dunster, “Sabotage”, ‘A Cemetery Tale’, 6^th of 9 stories in BM

~ Newton A. Fuessle, “Hoodwinked”, ‘KKK story but not in special issue’, 1^st of 2 stories in BM

~ Peter Grumble, “What Happened at Flanders”, ‘Western yarn’, author’s only appearance in BM

~ W.H. Holmes, “Scrambled Motives”, ‘A Complete Mystery Novelette’, 2^nd of 3 stories in BM

~ Charles Somerville, “The Clue of the Hatband”, 9th of 47 articles in the ‘Manhunter’ series, 10^th of 49 total articles in BM