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From the exhibition

The Boy Runaway; The Buccaneer of the Bay

· December 7, 1880

The Boy Runaway; The Buccaneer of the Bay
This issue of the pulp magazine contains "The Boy Runaway; The Buccaneer of the Bay," a serial by Lieutenant Harry Dennies Perry, U.S.N., set during the War of 1812 around New York and Staten Island. The narrative begins with eighteen-year-old Carl Manners confronting wealthy Talbot Trevor at the Keel and Anchor Inn, accusing him of lying. Trevor insults Carl's father's patriotism during the Revolution; Carl strikes him dead in the resulting fight. Fleeing arrest, Carl escapes on horseback toward Ben Buntline's sloop with help from Agnes Benedict, the innkeeper's daughter. Constable Dick Dawes pursues him with posse members firing shots as Carl commandeers the fishing vessel. The narrative includes backstory explaining that Carl's father, Mark Manners, allegedly was a traitor during the Revolution, though his widow disputes this. She reveals that Captain Trevor (Talbot's father) commanded her husband's ship, which sank under suspicious circumstances while Trevor profited mysteriously. Carl, determined to prove his American loyalty despite his father's reputation, had sought naval service before the killing forced him to flee.

Public domain (pre-1929), restored and presented by comicbooks.com public-domain