Beadle's Dime Library, No. 847

Hiram Hawk, the Harlem Detective This issue features "The Man with the Missing Finger," a serial by Capt. Howard, centered on Hiram Hawk, a Harlem-based detective described as a clever gentleman and skilled mystery-solver. Chapter 16 opens as a well-dressed visitor arrives at Hawk's residence, then departs before the detective returns home. His thirteen-year-old niece Mellie and housekeeper Lora Parker report the mysterious caller wore false whiskers and gloves that concealed a missing finger. Hawk discovers the man left behind a torn note. While investigating, Mellie enters a trance state and mysteriously traces on the wall a hand with three fingers and writes the name "Tilman Hoy"—whom she claims never to have heard of. Chapter 17 reveals Parker conferring with "Shamus," a young operative, suggesting Hawk conducts detective work with a network of assistants and that Mellie's trance abilities aid his investigations.