A Cigarette Clew

In Short

A high-stakes dime-novel mystery that pitches legendary detective Nick Carter and his young associates against an elusive ring of Western swindlers operating in the East. Beginning with a mysterious mine deal and an attempted murder on a Long Island Sound steamer, the action moves rapidly through high-class assay offices, low-end waterfront dives, and back-country auto chases. Driven by tight plotting and steady theatrical tension, it stands as a textbook example of early American pulp entertainment—a fast-paced yarn where disguise, quick wits, and physical grit ultimately win out over elaborate criminal schemes.

The Story

The story opens in New York's Grand Central Station, where master detective Nick Carter arrives alongside his main assistant, Chick, freshly back from an arduous Western assignment. Though Nick has successfully dismantled a ring of Montana swindlers, two dangerous members remain at large. His youngest assistant, Patsy, greets them with news that he is already on the trail of the fugitives.

The mystery deepens when a young man named John Lansing seeks help regarding a suspicious transaction involving his guardian and a dubious mining deal known as the Royal Ophir. Lansing recounts a fierce struggle on a night steamer, where a menacing Westerner named Yasmar—later identified as the fugitive crook Ramsay—tried to throw him overboard after Lansing accused him of swindling his family's estate. Ramsay is conspiring with a corrupt clerk named Gillman to "salt" ore samples, fooling investors into pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into a worthless venture.

Disguising himself to shadow the gang, Nick tracks Gillman to Boucicault's—a notorious three-story waterfront saloon on Hamilton Street where unsuspecting victims are regularly plucked and robbed. Nick confronts Gillman in a locked room, but the trap turns deadly when Nick and Chick are captured and left to suffocate inside a gas-filled cellar chamber beneath the dive. At the final moment of consciousness, Patsy discovers a rising floor stone and pulls his companions to safety.

Meanwhile, the swindlers shift their tactics to bank robbery, teaming up with a brutal crook named Clancy. Using high explosives, Clancy and his crew blow open the vault of the People's National Bank in Latimer, escaping with seventy-five thousand dollars. Posing as an auto mechanic named Charlie Gordon, Nick infiltrates the gang's confidence by offering to drive their red touring car, the "Red Spider."

Clancy eventually sees through Nick’s disguise, ambushes him, and ties him up in the automobile. However, Nick works himself free just as Chick and Patsy arrive in a second high-speed pursuit vehicle. The climax leads to a wild chase into the woods near the state line. Clancy makes a desperate last stand inside a rural blacksmith's shop, wielding a white-hot crowbar pulled directly from the forge. Nick disarms the villain in a fierce struggle, handcuffs him to an anvil, and successfully nets the final members of the Montana gang.

How It Unfolds

A return to little old New York Nick and Chick arrive at Grand Central Station after hunting down Montana swindlers, only to learn from young Patsy that the remaining fugitives have already made their way to the East Coast.

A night steamer assault John Lansing discloses how the mysterious Yasmar attempted to strangle him over the ship's railing after Lansing confronted him about a fake mining deal designed to defraud his guardian.

Trapped in the vault Pursuing Gillman into the underground vaults beneath Boucicault's waterfront dive, Nick and Chick are locked in a gas-filled room, escaping death only when Patsy discovers a hidden cellar door from below.

The Red Spider takes flight Following a seventy-five thousand dollar bank heist in Latimer, Nick assumes the disguise of mechanic Charlie Gordon to get behind the wheel of the robbers' escape car and track their movements.

Showdown at the forge Cornered near the state border, the desperate ringleader Clancy makes a violent last stand inside a country blacksmith shop, brandishing a sizzling-hot crowbar before Nick overpowers him and chains him to an anvil.

The People

• Nick Carter: The famous master detective whose sharp intellect, mastery of physical disguise, and sheer toughness enable him to unravel complex fraud schemes and outfight hardened criminals.
• Chick: Nick’s primary adult assistant; steady, reliable, and always ready to adopt a working-class disguise or handle the physical demands of a high-speed car chase.
• Patsy: The youngest detective on the team, whose street-smart instinct, quick agility, and knack for timely appearances rescue his chief from near-fatal traps.
• Yasmar (alias Ramsay): A cunning, physically imposing Western swindler wanted in Montana, who relies on charm, corporate fraud, and ruthless violence to line his pockets.
• Clancy: A hardened, vengeful criminal who specializes in high explosives and cold-blooded ambushes, harboring a deep grudge against Carter for sending his former partners to prison.
• John Lansing: An honest but outmatched young man who risks his life to protect his family's money from being drained by the Royal Ophir mining scam.

In Its Own Voice

“Well, Chick, it’s good to strike little old New York again.”

Nick arrives at Grand Central Station after pursuing a band of Montana swindlers across the country.

“In a sudden flash of anger Yasmar, who is a taller man than myself, made a jump for my throat.”

John Lansing describes the violent confrontation aboard the night steamer over the fake mine assay.

“I guess it’s all day with us,” thought Nick. “To think that we are to be done to death like this, and die like rats in a trap!”

Nick reflects on his grim chances while trapped inside a gas-filled room beneath a waterfront dive.

What It's Really About

Beneath its rapid series of violent traps and high-speed pursuits, the story taps into turn-of-the-century anxieties regarding speculative wealth and financial deception. The central plot revolves around "salted" mines—worthless land tricked out with genuine gold samples—illustrating how quickly modern swindlers could prey on Eastern capital using Western myths. It pits honest, methodical detective work against the chaotic, lawless methods of yeggmen and confidence tricksters. Ultimately, the story argues that no matter how sophisticated a crime ring becomes—whether using state-of-the-art automobiles or high-explosive bank robberies—practical teamwork, unwavering discipline, and plain physical courage will always dismantle it.

Why Read It Today

This book offers an authentic, unvarnished look at early 20th-century American popular fiction at its most kinetic. Readers who enjoy vintage mysteries, historical pulp thrillers, or the mechanical novelty of early automobile chases will find plenty to love in its brisk, theatrical pace.

It reads fast, relying on theatrical dialogue, vivid period slang, and short, action-packed chapters designed to keep the reader turning pages. While modern audiences may find its characterizations simplified and its plot reliant on convenient coincidences—typical of the weekly dime-novel format—its crisp streetwise humor and historical details remain genuinely engaging. It stands as a fun, energetic period piece that captures the pure entertainment value of cheap newsstand fiction.

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