This edition had all images removed.
Title: The smear
Original Publication: New York, NY: Street & Smith Corp., 1929.
Series Title: Produced from the April 15, 1929 issue of Top Notch Magazine.
Credits: Roger Frank and Sue Clark
Summary: "The smear by John Beames" is a short crime fiction story written in the early 20th century. Set in the gold rush town of Dawson, the narrative unfolds within the rowdy yet tense atmosphere of a northern saloon, accompanied by lawmen from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The likely topic of the book revolves around solving a murder through clever psychological tactics rather than hard evidence. The story follows Finn Charley, a miner who has recently come into wealth and is attempting to celebrate in the Malamute Saloon. When news of a murder and robbery on the Klondike Trail arrives, the police interrogate the crowd. Though Finn Charley tries to mask his guilt, the corporal cunningly uses a fabricated clue—the mention of a "big black smear on his left cheek"—to provoke a telltale response. Charley's unconscious gesture gives him away, leading to his arrest. The twist is revealed when the corporal admits to his colleague that the dying man never spoke; the story of the smear was a clever ruse to catch the murderer by his own nervous actions. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
Reading Level: Reading ease score: 84.3 (6th grade). Easy to read.
Author: Beames, John
EBook No.: 75855
Published: Apr 15, 2025
Downloads: 127
Language: English
Subject: Short stories
Subject: Murder -- Investigation -- Fiction
Subject: Klondike River Valley (Yukon) -- Gold discoveries -- Fiction
Subject: Royal Canadian Mounted Police -- Fiction
Subject: Dawson (Yukon) -- Fiction
LoCC: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature
Category: Text
Rights: Public domain in the USA.
This edition has images.
Title: The smear
Original Publication: New York, NY: Street & Smith Corp., 1929.
Series Title: Produced from the April 15, 1929 issue of Top Notch Magazine.
Credits: Roger Frank and Sue Clark
Summary: "The smear by John Beames" is a short crime fiction story written in the early 20th century. Set in the gold rush town of Dawson, the narrative unfolds within the rowdy yet tense atmosphere of a northern saloon, accompanied by lawmen from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The likely topic of the book revolves around solving a murder through clever psychological tactics rather than hard evidence. The story follows Finn Charley, a miner who has recently come into wealth and is attempting to celebrate in the Malamute Saloon. When news of a murder and robbery on the Klondike Trail arrives, the police interrogate the crowd. Though Finn Charley tries to mask his guilt, the corporal cunningly uses a fabricated clue—the mention of a "big black smear on his left cheek"—to provoke a telltale response. Charley's unconscious gesture gives him away, leading to his arrest. The twist is revealed when the corporal admits to his colleague that the dying man never spoke; the story of the smear was a clever ruse to catch the murderer by his own nervous actions. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
Reading Level: Reading ease score: 84.3 (6th grade). Easy to read.
Author: Beames, John
EBook No.: 75855
Published: Apr 15, 2025
Downloads: 127
Language: English
Subject: Short stories
Subject: Murder -- Investigation -- Fiction
Subject: Klondike River Valley (Yukon) -- Gold discoveries -- Fiction
Subject: Royal Canadian Mounted Police -- Fiction
Subject: Dawson (Yukon) -- Fiction
LoCC: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature
Category: Text
Rights: Public domain in the USA.