Belford's Magazine, Vol II, No. 10, March 1889

In Short

This volume of Belford’s Magazine serves as a snapshot of the American cultural landscape in March 1889. It functions as both a political broadsheet and a literary journal, featuring sharp editorials on the corrupting influence of unchecked wealth, the decline of church attendance, and the failures of urban governance. These serious inquiries are paired with a serialized gothic romance involving a physician, a mysterious trance, and a haunting spiritual possession. It remains a fascinating record of an era grappling with rapid modernization, economic disparity, and the shifting power of institutions.

The Story

The magazine’s non-fiction content establishes a grim diagnostic of the American Republic. The opening argument posits that while slavery was the defining crisis of the mid-19th century, the post-Civil War era is threatened by a new, more insidious danger: the concentration of immense wealth in the hands of a few. The contributors argue that this disparity is not merely an economic issue but a moral rot that has closed institutions like churches and art galleries to the poor. The political commentary is equally cynical, portraying the government as a hollow structure where police forces act as private security for corporations, further alienating the common citizen.

Interwoven with these social critiques is the narrative of A Covenant with Death, a serialized gothic drama. The story centers on Loyd Morton, a physician who saves a young woman named Romaine Effingham from a death-like trance. Following the rescue, Romaine exhibits a strange, dual nature; she is haunted by the presence of Paula, Morton’s deceased wife. Morton, convinced that his beloved Paula has reincarnated within Romaine’s body, becomes obsessed with maintaining this "fool’s paradise." He isolates Romaine from her family and her former suitor, Colston Drummond, using deceit and psychological pressure to keep her under his influence.

As the story progresses, Morton’s sanity frays under the strain of his secret. He is dogged by anonymous notes that taunt him regarding the death of the original Paula, suggesting he may have been responsible for her demise. He moves Romaine across the country to escape this perceived spectral pursuit, but the "Nemesis" of his past follows him to every city, from Chicago to Salt Lake City. Eventually, the cycle of obsession and possession reaches a climax back at the Effingham estate. Romaine, caught between her own identity and the encroaching influence of Paula, eventually seeks the protection of Drummond. The narrative concludes in a state of finality: Morton, having been confronted by his own hubris and the unraveling of his grand delusion, is found in his office, his life concluded in a somber, quiet resignation that mirrors the "unintelligible" nature of the world he tried to manipulate.

How It Unfolds

The diagnosis of inequality The magazine opens with a scathing assessment of American wealth, arguing that the concentration of capital is a greater threat to the Republic than the historical institution of slavery. It posits that the "ignorant poor and the no less ignorant rich" fail to see that history marks wealth, not poverty, as the primary cause of national collapse.

The medical miracle The narrative introduces Dr. Loyd Morton, who performs a delicate procedure to bring the comatose Romaine Effingham back to life. This event marks the inception of a "covenant with death," as Morton becomes fixated on the idea that the woman he saved is the vessel for his dead wife's spirit.

The campaign of intimidation Interspersed with social commentary, the story follows Morton as he is stalked by a shadowy figure. He receives threatening notes that accuse him of strangling his first wife, Columbine, and he flees across the country, eventually realizing that he cannot outrun the psychological consequences of his past.

The breaking point Back at the estate, Morton’s control over Romaine falters as her true self struggles against the influence of the phantom. The tension culminates when Colston Drummond intervenes, leading to a final confrontation that leaves Morton broken and defeated in his study.

The People

Loyd Morton is a brilliant but dangerously arrogant physician. His desire to possess the object of his affection leads him to experiment with the human psyche, ultimately trapping him in a web of his own making. He ends the story as a hollowed-out figure, defeated by the reality he sought to ignore.

Romaine Effingham is the beautiful, fragile subject of Morton’s obsession. Caught between a forced, otherworldly identity and her own fading will, she serves as the battleground for Morton’s delusion. She ultimately finds the strength to seek protection from her past suitor.

Colston Drummond acts as the traditional hero and rival to Morton. He represents the sanity and order that Morton has rejected. His role is to expose the physician’s deceit and rescue Romaine from the "covenant" that threatens to destroy her.

Serena Effingham, Romaine’s mother, initially trusts Morton due to his perceived medical expertise. Her journey from blind gratitude to confused alarm highlights the way Morton’s charm and status mask his true instability.

In Its Own Voice

"It is a question now of far greater magnitude than that which was settled by the sword, and that is the question of the enormous wealth, and its increase in the hands of the few."

The opening essay frames the primary political thesis of the magazine.

"The policeman's club is in the pay and under the control of the corporations, and it decides."

This blunt observation from the editorial section encapsulates the magazine's distrust of Gilded Age municipal governance.

"He evidently felt that some eye was on him, and he could not tell when or where."

This line tracks the mounting paranoia that defines the protagonist’s narrative arc.

What It's Really About

The central theme is the peril of unchecked power, whether exercised by the corporate elite over the laboring classes or by a solitary individual over the life and mind of another. The magazine argues that a nation which allows its churches and galleries to become exclusive preserves of the rich is fundamentally broken. Similarly, the fiction explores the "heavy and the weary weight" of hidden secrets and the danger of living in a "fool’s paradise." It asks a fundamental question: when the structures of law and religion fail to provide justice, what remains of the individual’s moral agency? The book suggests that both society and the individual are prone to self-destruction when they prioritize vanity over truth.

Why Read It Today

Readers interested in the history of American social thought will find this volume particularly compelling. It captures a specific moment when the optimism of the American experiment was colliding with the harsh realities of the Industrial Age. The political essays are refreshingly direct, lacking the polished, sanitized language of modern editorializing, while the gothic fiction provides a visceral look at 19th-century melodrama.

The prose is often ornate, reflecting the period's love for expansive description and moralizing, which may challenge readers accustomed to leaner, faster-paced narratives. The dialect and the occasionally jarring, archaic perspectives on "papists" and labor strikes offer an unfiltered view of the prejudices of 1889. However, the underlying anxiety—the fear that the average citizen is being left behind by an indifferent political and economic machine—will feel strikingly familiar to a contemporary audience. It is a dense, sometimes difficult read, but it succeeds as a time capsule, delivering the authentic voice of a nation at a crossroads. Those who appreciate historical context and the darker, more psychological side of Victorian storytelling will find it a rewarding, if unsettling, experience.