Beadle's Dime Library No. 959

Catalog Note *The Diamond Dagger: A Story of the Queen City of the Ohio* is a crime narrative by the author of the "Joe Phenix Novels" and other dime-novel serials. The story concerns two English criminals—Tommy Powland ("the Rat"), a disgraced boxer, and Jeremiah Dalston ("Slim Jerry"), an all-around operator—who arrive in Cincinnati with plans to burgle the mansion of Stephen Carmanage, a wealthy retired distiller. After being kicked off the Carmanage estate for insolence, Powland seeks revenge by stealing Carmanage's silver. Jerry devises an elaborate scheme: they hide in an abandoned stable opposite a hidden door in the mansion's wall, then use dog barking to lure away the property's trained mastiff. Using a cord mechanism on the door, they successfully separate the dog from the grounds so it will not impede their break-in. The narrative emphasizes detailed criminal methodology, character backstories explaining their turn to crime, and the physical layout of the target property.