 | #061 "Spoils of the Shadow"
Vol. 11, No. 1 Published: 09/01/34 Submitted: 11/03/33 as "Plundered Mansions" Author: Walter Gibson Review date: Feb 23, 2001 |
SPOILS OF THE SHADOW was originally published in the September 1, 1934 issue of The Shadow Magazine. Riding the rails across Virginia, The Shadow spies a suspicious signboard at it flies past. That leads him to a seemingly innocent magazine advertisement which contains a secret message to The Shadow. He doesn't know who has placed the ad; the identity of the person seeking to contact The Shadow remains a mystery. But he decides to go to the address in the secret message and meet the unknown personage who seeks a meeting with The Shadow.
When he arrives at the Washington hotel mentioned in the message, he meets a suave man of shrewd appearance named Mark Tyrell. He stands there cloaked in black as Tyrell tells him that he is honest... for now. But he plans on turning to crime, and warns The Shadow not to interfere. His plans are made, and if The Shadow interferes, innocent people will die. There's nothing The Shadow can do to prevent it. He must either let Tyrell commit his astounding crimes unmolested, or be responsible for the death of innocent bystanders.
All this makes for an interesting premise. What is The Shadow to do? One by one, crimes are committed. The Shadow is present at each of the social events where the impossible crimes take place. He appears to do nothing. Is there something up his sleeve? Is he taking secret action? Or is he abiding by the terms that Tyrell originally gave? Believe me, this story will have you guessing.
The crimes themselves are most original and clever. First an ancient and valuable Sicilian tapestry disappears from the home of Sebastian Dutton. How it is accomplished is most ingenious. The Shadow is present at the party at Dutton's home, yet is powerless to prevent the robbery. The second crime involves rare Chinese screens from the Forbidden Palace in Pekin. They are stolen out from under the watchful eyes of old Rudolph Brockthorpe. Again, The Shadow is present at the robbery but is unable to stop it. Ferrell Gault's gem-encrusted gold Buddha is next. And again, The Shadow is present when it disappears. What will be next? And what will The Shadow do about it? Ya just gotta read this one!
As you read it, you will notice a reference to a cigarette as a "fag." I think this is the first time I've seen such a reference in a Shadow pulp. The slang is something I've come to expect in stories published in England; it was apparently common usage there. But I don't recall seeing the slang in American published works. And the character who uses the term isn't English, so that possibility is eliminated. Just a note of interest. Ah, how the language changes...
Another brief note of interest is the appearance of The Shadow's suction cups. They appear in this story, as he attaches them to his hands and feet and climbs up a sheer wall. I always love it when those suction cups appear. They're so cool!
It all makes for a great early Shadow pulp mystery.