A Taxicab Tangle

In Short

Originally published in 1909 as part of the Brave and Bold Weekly series, A Taxicab Tangle is an early twentieth-century American juvenile adventure story. When Arizona cowboy Joe McGlory inherits an order for two valuable gold bars, a scheming black sheep named Tibbits devises a complex plot to impersonate the boys and intercept the fortune at a New York bank. Kidnapped and whisked away to a secluded Long Island estate, Joe and his mechanically gifted chum, Motor Matt, must use their wits, courage, and a battered red touring car to break out, race against time, and foil the heist.

The Story

The adventure opens in New York City, where young mechanic Matt King—famously known as Motor Matt—and his cowboy chum, Joe McGlory, are taking a break from their travels. While in the city, McGlory receives a letter containing an official order for two gold bullion bars, a fortune left to him from a mining venture in Arizona. However, their good luck attracts immediate danger. A slippery criminal named Tibbits overhears the news in a hotel lobby and hastily recruits a ruined Wall Street financier named Dimmock, Dimmock's daughter Pearl, and a hired driver named Sanders to steal the gold.

To ensure the real heirs cannot claim the bullion, the gang executes a coordinated deception. A young woman disguised as a messenger lures Matt into a taxicab, while McGlory is tricked into a separate automobile under the pretense of meeting his partner. Both boys are surreptitiously abducted and driven out to a sprawling, gated estate on Long Island owned by Tibbits's absent uncle. Locked together in a grand library, the chums compare notes and realize they have been ensnared in an elaborate trap. Tibbits openly boasts to his captives that Pearl will disguise herself as McGlory, head to the Merchants' & Miners' National Bank with the stolen order, and collect the nine-thousand-dollar gold delivery before anyone suspects foul play.

Refusing to sit idly by while the swindlers clean out the safe, Matt plans a daring escape. Early the next morning, the boys break out of their room, locate the gang's red touring car in the estate garage, and fire up the engine. With guards giving chase, Matt accelerates the vehicle to full speed, charging headlong into the heavy iron perimeter gates. The car smashes through the barriers, tearing one gate completely off its brick pier, and rockets out onto the main road.

Though their vehicle is heavily damaged and the pair presents a bizarre sight—McGlory still wearing a discarded waiter's apron and evening clothes—they press on toward the nearest town. Their getaway hits a temporary snag in Leeville, where a local constable traps them with a road chain after receiving a telephone call from the estate claiming the car was stolen. Outsmarting the local law enforcement, the duo escapes onto a passing train bound for Fall River. From the train, Matt hastily writes a urgent telegram on the back of McGlory's original letter and has it sent from the Stoughton station directly to the bank cashier.

The message arrives in the nick of time. Just as Pearl, having disguised herself and presented the written order, stands at the bank counter awaiting the gold, the cashier receives the warning telegram and quietly summons the bank policeman. Pearl escapes just before the net closes, but the treasure remains secure. When Matt and McGlory finally arrive at the bank at three o'clock to prove their identities, the cashier confirms the gold is safe in the vault, bringing their chaotic ordeal to a triumphant conclusion.

How It Unfolds

The fortune revealed Joe McGlory receives a letter confirming he has inherited two valuable bars of gold bullion from an Arizona venture. Overhearing the conversation in a hotel rotunda, the rogue Tibbits immediately plots to steal the paper order and claim the gold for himself.

Separated and snatched Tibbits hires a disgraced broker named Dimmock and his daughter Pearl to assist in a double kidnapping. Pearl disguises herself to lead Motor Matt into a taxicab trap, while McGlory is hustled into a red touring car under false pretenses.

Imprisoned on Long Island The boys end up locked together in a library on a secluded Long Island estate. Tibbits boasts of his scheme to dress Pearl as McGlory so she can present the order to the Merchants' & Miners' National Bank before the boys can escape.

Storming the gates Matt and McGlory break out of the room, commandeer the red automobile from the estate's garage, and speed directly toward the locked iron barriers. The vehicle smashes through the iron gate and breaks onto the public road, leaving their captors behind.

The race to the wire After being briefly detained by a small-town constable who was alerted by telephone, the boys escape onto a northbound train. Matt writes a hasty "rush" telegram on the back of an old envelope to warn the bank cashier.

Foiling the heist The telegram reaches the bank clerk just as Pearl attempts to pick up the bullion. The cashier alerts security, forcing the impersonator to flee empty-handed, and the real Motor Matt and McGlory arrive safely to secure their gold.

The People

Motor Matt (Matt King) A practical, level-headed young mechanic from the Berkshires with an intuitive command of automobiles and engineering. Matt acts as the steady anchor of the pair, analyzing every puzzle with cool logic, picking locks, and executing a high-speed vehicle breach to save his friend's fortune.

Joe McGlory Matt's loyal cowboy chum, whose sudden windfall triggers the main conflict. Brash, expressive, and quick to voice his frustration through colorful Western vernacular, Joe relies on Matt's mechanical ingenuity to navigate the unfamiliar dangers of the metropolis.

Tibbits The central villain of the tale, an unrepentant "black sheep" who abuses his absent uncle's estate to host a kidnapping. He is a opportunistic thief who coordinates the impersonation plot purely for quick financial gain.

Pearl Granger (Miss Dimmock) The sharp, reluctant accomplice pressed into service by her father and Tibbits. She possesses considerable acting skill and boldness—going so far as to cut her hair to play a young male messenger—though she ultimately garners a degree of sympathy from the boys.

Mr. Dimmock A gentleman of fallen fortunes who was ruined by Wall Street speculation. Driven by financial desperation, he willingly orchestrates the logistics of the kidnapping alongside his former chauffeur, Sanders.

In Its Own Voice

“For its size, pard, I reckon this is about the biggest town on the map.”

Joe McGlory marvels at the overwhelming size and sensory overload of New York City while sitting in the hotel rotunda with Matt.

“You’re a young man with a mission, and the mission is to get to where we’re going, and find Mr. McGlory.”

Pearl Granger, maintaining her evasive front during the long drive, coolly taunts Matt as he attempts to figure out why he is being taken into the country.

“Order for two bars bullion, given to Joe McGlory by Colonel M. A. Billings, of Tucson, Arizona, stolen. If presented, hold bullion until you hear from me.”

Matt frantically scribbles this urgent message on the back of an old letter while riding the train, hoping it reaches the bank before the swindlers.

What It's Really About

At its core, A Taxicab Tangle explores the friction between rural innocence and urban deception during the dawn of the industrial age. The story contrasts the straightforward loyalty of Western cowboys and country mechanics against the cynical, opportunistic schemes of big-city swindlers and ruined Wall Street speculators.

The plot also highlights the rapid modernization of early twentieth-century America. Technology functions as a double-edged sword throughout the narrative: while automobiles, telephones, and high-speed trains provide criminal opportunists with new ways to trap victims, those exact same mechanical innovations—when mastered by honest, skilled hands like Motor Matt's—become the very tools required to conquer adversity and secure justice.

Why Read It Today

A Taxicab Tangle offers modern readers a delightful, unvarnished window into the golden age of American dime novels. Written for a youth audience in 1909, it moves at a breakneck pace, capturing the excitement surrounding early gasoline engines, aviation talk, and the rapid pace of urban life at the turn of the century. Reading it feels like stepping directly into a antique nickelodeon serial, full of exaggerated villainy, earnest heroism, and dramatic escapes.

The prose carries the distinct charm and period attitudes of its era. Readers should expect heavy amounts of colorful early-1900s slang, dramatic dialogue, and rustic regional dialects—such as McGlory's enthusiastic cowboy idioms ("Sufferin' brain twisters!") and the small-town constable's abrupt colloquialisms. The plot relies on traditional adventure tropes and straightforward characterizations rather than complex psychological depth, making it a breezy, highly entertaining historical artifact. Fans of vintage Americana, early automotive lore, and classic pulp fiction will thoroughly enjoy this energetic adventure.