The Gold Bug Detective

The Gold Bar Detective: Iron Ike, the Solid Man This story by Major E. L. St. Vrain follows Christopher King, a sixteen-year-old boy working as a miner in Gold Bar, California. While excavating an old river bed, Chris and other miners discover a skeleton buried beneath a flat stone. Chris detects evidence of foul play: a broken knife blade embedded in the skeleton's ribs. Examining the ground further, he recovers the knife's handle, which bears the engraved name "A. G. Ransom." When Chris announces he will investigate the apparent murder, Judge Josiah Mendick—Gold Bar's leading citizen and chief judicial officer—demands the knife as evidence. Chris refuses, declaring himself a "Gold Bar Detective" and vowing to solve the crime and claim any reward. Mendick grows enraged and attempts to seize the knife by force, but Chris escapes. Chris suspects Mendick has undisclosed knowledge about the case. The excerpt ends as Chris encounters a commotion involving a young girl, two rough men, and Ralph Mendick (the judge's son).