Time jump from the end of "Evil Takes No Holiday" to the beginning of "The Puzzle of the Moss-covered Stone" Version 1.1
January 1871
Thursday, 12 January: Besides what happens to the adventurers, in London, the Half-Penny Marvel Library publishes chapter one of "The Trump of Doom: Atlas O'Flaherty Battles the Forces of Darkness" in which Atlas, while dining with a retired antiquities professor and his unmarried daughter, discovers that an old artifact with Biblical connections has been stolen from a museum in London; the clues lead him to a battle with a band of mysterious men who summon a demon to fight Atlas while they make good their escape. While over in the pages of the Weekly Companion chapter one of "Kid Rocket and the Golden Calf: the American Outlaw's Supernatural Adventure" begins with Kid Rocket and his companions Lt. Smithers and Little Running Deer visiting Paris, where they learn that an artifact with Biblical connections1 has been stolen from a museum, before the chapter is over, they have must fight a small army of zombies, but are saved by the appearance of the mysterious Russian Swordswoman, Magda.
Friday, 13 January: someone got married.
Saturday, 14 January: The newly married Sir Cosmo and Lady Cowperthwaite depart from Goxhill parish, accompanied by Graves, Salmalin, and Tattvick. Before departing, Sir Cosmo meets with various members of the League to discuss their activities for the next two months. Nigel Graham, Fong Chigwidgeon, and Miss Mitzi depart for London this day. Miss Whitnell has a talk with her brothers about Certain Matters. Meanwhile, Mrs John Whitnell (Victoria's sister-in-law) attempts to strike up a conversation and comfort Insp. MacGreggor.
Sunday, 15 January: Mr Balderstoke, Edward, and George depart for the construction site in Scotland. Miss Whitnell and Mrs Whitnell discuss travel plans. Mrs Frazer begins evaluation Humphrey's educational needs. Mr Frazer, Lt. Wooster, Mr Caine are among the many guests departing Goxhill that evening. In Hampshire, Mrs. William Moriarty composes a letter to her husband.
Monday, 16 January: Lord Greyminster and the Earl and Countess Shaftesbury leave Goxhill on an early morning train. The various Whitnells depart Goxhill, leaving on the same train to Hull, where they split up. The elder Mrs Whitnell, Miss Betty Whitnell, and Miss Bertilde head to London. Mr and Mrs John Whitnell go to Cheshire. Mr James Whitnell goes to Oxford. Miss Whitnell goes to West Dalston in Derbyshire. Miss Whitnell is surprised to be met at the train station by her distant cousin, Maj. Walter Heywood, and his widowed sister, Mrs Russell. In London, a coronor's inquest returns a verdict of Willful Murder in the case of Mr Wroth, based on the confession in a suicide note from the footman, Mr Franklin Bower. Meanwhile, the society pages of every London newspaper includes some item on the wedding of Sir Cosmo to Miss Namaste Chigwidgeon. Most of them mention only the prominent guests (Duke and Duchess Balmoral, Earl and Countess Shaftesbury, Earl of Sidcup, Lady Yvonne Blakeny daughter of the Duke of Exeter, Lord and Lady Rufford, Lady Ottoline Cornwall daughter of the late Earl and Countess Cambourne), all manage to mention the gift from Queen Victoria. A few of the Liberal- and Radical-leaning papers mention some of the unorthodox elements of the guest list, but as is often the case on the Society pages when covering weddings, the notices are primarily positive. And finally, Lt. Wooster meets his new boss, Capt. Robert Hall, C.B.
Tuesday, 17 January: Having been awakened the previous night by an unusual howling, Miss Whitnell begins an investigation. She is later visited by Mrs Russell. Meanwhile, in Goxhill, Mrs Frazer has completed her evaluation and prepares to return to London. Mr O'Flaherty offers to accompany her so she won't have to travel alone. Meanwhile, the New Year's Honours list is published in various papers, and members of the League notice a couple of familiar names: Col.(or Brigadier) George Peacock is named a Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, Capt.William Moriarty is named Companion of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath. The York Herald's society page publishes a glowing report on the wedding of Sir Cosmo and Miss Namaste Chigwidgeon, including a list of the gifts that were on display at the Earl's home prior to the ceremony.
Wednesday, 18 January: In West Darlston, Miss Whitnell goes shopping. Meanwhile, in London, Mr and Mrs Frazer leave for Liverpool on a very early train. Later in the day, Mr. O'Flaherty meets with a solicitor. Various papers publish reports (reprinted from a Liverpool paper) about a mysterious police raid on a warehouse near the Liverpool docks. Witnesses claim a large engine of some kind was removed from the warehouse and taken away by police. A Greek freighter, which was supposed to take cargo from the same warehouse, is also detained in the docks. Police will not comment. In Goxhill, Mrs. Earwig and her daughters call on Miss Pinker at Goxhill Hall. While there they inquire as to the inspector's health. Also, Sir Philip, accompanied by Mr and Mrs Godfrey Verinder and Mr Snape, arrives at Goxhill to arrange transport of Miss Maeve Brody, Mr Thomas Mannering, and other prisoners. In London, Vice Admiral Moriarty receives a letter from his wife, which he answers promptly.
Thursday, 19 January: In West Darlston, Miss Whitnell attends a dinner party hosted by her cousin, meeting more of her neighbors. Later in the evening she has a talk with Aunt Hethalyn. In Goxhill, the Goxhill Gazette publishes an interview with the famous boxer, Seamus O'Flaherty, about the future of the sport and the state of sporting competions. There is also a story about the generous gift of land to the church by Lord Greyminster in honour of the recent wedding. In London, the Half-penny Marvel Library prints the second chapter of "The Trump of Doom: Atlas O'Flaherty Battles the Forces of Darkness" in which chapter Atlas and his assistant, Dr. Jeffers the Wizard of Ballistics, and the aforementioned professor and his daughter, fight a daring battle on a boat which results in the destruction of a bridge; when all seems lost, Atlas' old pal, Big Roy McThorne, lends a hand. And in the Weekly Companion, the second chapter of "Kid Rocket and the Golden Calf" chronicles how Kid Rocket, Lt. Smithers, Little Running Deer, and Magda the Swordswoman, nearly die in battle with a revivified Goliath (yes, the Biblical character, complete with a ghastly hole in the center of his forehead). The Standard reprints almost verbatim the interview with the Duke and Duchess of Balmoral originally published in the Goxhill Gazette. In the following days, other papers publish a version of the story, often supplemented with interviews of retired constables or other witnesses involved in the original kidnapping case.
Friday, 20 January: In West Darlston, Miss Whitnell is awakened in the wee small hours of the morning to deal with a problem. After sunrise, she sends a telegram to Miss Mitzi. That evening, Miss Mitzi arrives in Darlston. Certain newspapers in London note the promotion of Captain William Moriarty to the rank of Vice Admiral, in charge of the Royal Navy's Department of Research and Ordinance. Mrs Frazer receives a letter from the Yorkshire Naturalist, seeking permission to publish her paper, "The Role of Moths in Pollination of Flowering Plants."
Saturday, 21 January: The Echo publishes an editorial about the "unjust" imprisonment of former reporter, Mr Richard Hawksworth, making particular mention of a "trial before a country Justice of the Peace on the ludicrous charges of shooting at a working dog and trespassing!" The Standard notes that it over in America, the Jefferson Bee (Iowa) reports several sightings of an "airship" north of the city. Meanwhile, Vice Admiral Moriarty recieves another letter from his wife.
Sunday, 22 January: In West Darlston, Miss Whitnell attends church with her cousin, Mrs Russell, and Mrs Russell's young daughter, Eliza. The society pages of both the Times and the Globe publish detailed accounts of the wedding of King Ludwig II of Bavaria to Princess Frieda of Ruritania, which occured on Wednesday, 18 January, in Munich. among those in attendance were their Grand Ducal Highnesses Prince and Princess Ludwig of Hesse (the Princess is better known in England as Princess Alice, second daughter and third child of Queen Victoria).
Monday, 23 January: Mr. O'Flaherty and his solicitor meet with the executor of the will of Mr. Gavaghan. Edward receives a letter from Albert. The trial of Mr Proctor Xanthus, accused of murdering six men in Southwerk last summer, begins.
Tuesday, 24 January: In London, representatives of the governments of Britain, France, Austria, Sardinia, the Ottoman Empire, and Russia meet to discuss possible alterations of the 1856 Treaty of Paris. In West Darlston., Miss Whitnell and her other cousin, Major Haywood, discuss family history.
Wednesday, 25 January: The gossip page of the Globe publishes a blind item about a rumoured boxing match which occurred recently between "a visiting Irish American sportsman" and an "itinerant Irish boxer of notorious and fantastic reputation" and which was attended by at least two gentlemen of substance. The jury returns a verdict of "guilty" of all six counts of murder against Proctor Xanthus. The judge postpones sentencing at the request of the Lord Chancellor, as other legal proceedings are pending. At Goxhill Hall, Mrs Earwig and her daughters call on Miss Pinker again. Insp. MacGreggor sits with them and listens politely to conversation between the ladies.
Thursday, 26 January: In Goxhill, Insp. MacGreggor composes a note to the senior Constable at Hornsea requesting a meeting. Meanwhile, the Half-penny Marvel Library published chapter three of "The Trump of Doom" in which Atlas O'Flaherty and his companions travel to Belgium, where the become involved in another fight, this time they are assisted by the sudden appearance of the mysterious French sword mistress, Lady Estelle2. Meanwhile, the Weekly Companion publishes the third chapter of "Kid Rocket and the Golden Calf" in which Little Running Deer is almost killed during a fight atop a careening carriage; Lt. Smithers manages to comically fall into mud pits on three seperate occasions.
Friday, 27 January: The Echo publishes a highly flattering eulogy of the Earl of Dovercourt.
Saturday, 28 January: The Echo publishes an article asserting that the Foreign Office is undergoing a thorough investigation by the Office of the Auditor Royal because of widespread misfeasance. Mr Ebeneezer Scrooge, the current Auditor Royal, refuses to comment upon the rumour. In Goxhill, Constable Boles meets with Insp. MacGreggor.
Sunday, 29 January: The Times publishes a sober and poignant article by Laurence Oliphant based upon an interview of Mr Richard Hawksworth and his attending physician at the Broadmoor Sanitarium. The article paints a picture of a gifted writer haunted by disturbing delusions which have completely unhinged his mind.
Monday, 30 January: Proctor Xanthus is tried for kidnapping and attempted murder in a private prosecution by Lord Robert St Simon, who as a child was one of the victims of the alleged crime. In Goxhill, Insp. MacGreggor sents his first supplemental report to London.
Tuesday, 31 January: The Times and the Standard both carry "back page" articles about the speaking tour of Lord Greyminster and Lord Shaftesbury, though the contents of the speeches are barely touched upon.
February 1871
Wednesday, 1 February: Miss Whitnell receives a letter from Lady Cowperthwaite, inviting her to come to Edenfield Court on February 18, and hoping she can stay "a good while after."
Thursday, 2 February: In London, the Half-penny Marvel Library publishes the fourth chapter of "The Trump of Doom" where Atlas and his companions fight atop a train with the dastardly Dr. Destiny and his faithful companion Max3. And in the Weekly Companion in chapter four of "Kid Rocket and the Golden Calf" while escaping a death trap in the catacombs4 beneath the city, Kid Rocket and his companions rescue a captive antiquities professor and his wife, who may hold the secret to recovering the artifact. Meanwhile, in Madrid, the Duke of Aosta (second son of King Victor Emanuel of Piedmont) is crowned King Amadeo I of Spain. The event is less jubilant than might be hoped, occuring just days after the assassination of Prime Minister Prim.
Friday, 3 February: The jury returns a verdict of "guilty" on two counts of kidnapping against Proctor Xanthus. The judge postpones sentencing at the request of the Lord Chancellor, as other legal proceedings are pending. The Echo publishes a report that Dr. Jebediah Wilson, a.k.a. Kid Rocket, was seen in North America--some rumours say New York City, others say Washington, D.C.
Friday, 4 February: Insp. MacGreggor, capable of longer walks and some conversation without unbearable pain, begins interviewing people at Hornsea and Goxhill regarding some the events of early January, hoping to tie up the remaining loose ends of the Earl of Dovercourt matter.
Sunday, 5 February: The Times publishes a disturbing article by Laurence Oliphant based on interviews with Proctor Xanthus and some witnesses called in his recent trials. The article portrays Xanthus as a hateful man, not quite sane, unable to resist his depraved criminal compulsions, and possibly addicted to opium.
Tuesday, 7 February: The Standard and the Globe both note that New York papers have recently published stories of many airship sightings in North America, including sightings in Kansas, Nebraska, the Dakotas, Indian Territory, Missouri, Iowa, and Minnesota.
Wednesday, 8 February: The Globe publishes an editorial worrying about the growing activity of anarchists and similar "extreme organizations."
Thursday, 9 February: In London, the Conference of London concludes, with the attendees announce a new treaty which lifts the naval restrictions placed on Russia by the 1856 Treaty of Paris. Meanwhile, the Half-penny Marvel Library publishes chapter five of "The Trump of Doom" in which Atlas and his companions meet British Navy Lt. Howarth who is battling the same mysterious cult as they; in the shocking conclusion of this chapter, Atlas' old friend, Big Roy McThorne, sacrifices his life to save the others, "Only you can stop them, Atlas!" And in the Weekly Companion's fifth chapter of "Kid Rocket and the Golden Calf" the wife of the just-rescued professor of antiquities performs a seance to find the location of the villains' hideout. In more serious publications, there is mention of the previous day's parliamentary elections in France, where it seems to be widely believed that parties which have traditionally opposed the Emperor will probably lose seats.
Friday, 10 February: Several newspapers observe that Mr Ebeneezer Scrooge, the Auditor Royal, has visited and interviewed Proctor Xanthus on two occasions in the previous weeks. In addition, the Globe publishes a letter from Karl Marx, angrily repudiating any connection between the International Workingmen's Federation and the anarchists editorialized against on Wednesday.
Saturday, 11 February: In London, the Daily News carries what is intended as a humourous editorial about the new career of Lord Greyminster, as an evangelist. While the author has more kind words for Lord Shaftesbury, it suggests that the "elderly Tory" should leave the rabble-rousing to those more suited.
Sunday, 12 February: In London, the Daily Telegraph takes a slightly more worrisome view of the speaking tour of Lord Greyminster and Lord Shaftesbury, reporting that many of their speeches have been delivered in traditionally Radical Liberal strongholds, where they have received more sympathy than might be expected. Specific passages of speeches by both men are quoted, with specific references to Radical Members of Parliament who failed to support Lord Shaftsbury's version of the Infant Protection Act.
Monday, 13 February: Mrs Frazers celebrates a birthday. Meanwhile, a cartoon in the Globe suggests that Gladstone is considering calling Pariliament into session before Easter purely out of fear of the damage to his party's reputation being caused by the speaking tour of Lord Greyminster and Lord Shaftsbury.
Tuesday, 14 February: Insp. MacGreggor sends a package containing all the information he has gleaned from his follow-up interviews, to Mr Frazer. In London, both the Daily News and the Daily Telegraph quote Prime Minister Gladstone as calling any suggestion that an early convening of Parliament is necessary as "pure twaddle." Meanwhile, the Times, Standard, and Globe all include at least excerpts from the Throne Speech of Napolean III, who was addressing a considerably friendlier parliament than last year. The Emporer's proposals for the year include completing reform of the military, more generous support of non-sectarian schools, expansion of existing pensions, and liberalization of labour laws. In West Darlston, Miss Whitnell meets Mrs Dobsin, an old friend of Aunt Hethalyn.
Wednesday, 15 February: Insp. MacGreggor, nearly healed from his ordeal, leaves Goxhill to visit his mother and sisters in Uffington.
Thursday, 16 February: In West Darlston, Miss Whitnell introduces Major Haywood to the dragon. In the pages of Half-penny Mavel Library one finds the sixth chapter of "The Trump of Doom" in which Atlas, Lt. Howarth, the professor and his daughter, Lady Estelle the Swordsmistress, and Dr. Jeffers the Wizard of Ballistics track one of the villains to an abandoned church where they must battle a spectral army. While over in the Weekly Companion, "Kid Rocket and the Golden Calf" chapter six chronicles the hair-raising battle between Kid Rocket and all his compatriots and the uncanny Agent von Dorst whose supernatural powers defy description5.
Friday, 17 February: In London, Mr. O'Flaherty recieves a letter from Mrs. Leslie Gallant, Sr.
Saturday, 18 February: Miss Whitnell arrives at Edenfield. She is met at the train station by Lady Cowperthwaite, Sir Cosmo, and Salmalin.
Wednesday, 22 February: Miss Whitnell and Salmalin have a conversation.
Thursday, 23 February: Sir Cosmo and Lady Cowperthwaite journey to Glasgow, accompanied by Miss Whitnell, Salmalin, and Tattvick. Meanwhile, in the Half-penny Marvel Library is published chapter seven of "The Trump of Doom" in which Atlas O'Flaherty and swordmistress Lady Estelle again battle the Dastardly Dr. Destiny, this time in the rigging of a sailing ship; while the professor's young unmarried daughter reveals her mystical powers6 and attempts to divine the next stop in the cultist's plot. While the Weekly Companion presents its readers with the seventh chapter of "Kid Rocket and the Golden Calf," wherein Kid Rocket, Little Running Deer, Magda the Swordswoman, Lt. Howarth, the professor of antiquities, and his wife board a train bound for Russia, and are beset by bandits.
Saturday, 25 February: Sir Cosmo, Lady Cowperthwaite, and companions arrive at the construction site to check up on Edward.
March 1871
Thursday, 2 March: The Half-penny Marvel Library publishes the eighth chapter of "The Trump of Doom" Atlas must battle ghostly creatures in the Black Forest, while Dr. Jeffers the Wizard of Ballistics attempts to disarm a bomb. And in the Weekly Companion's chapter eight of "Kid Rocket and the Golden Calf" finds Kid Rocket and his companions stranded in the cold, snow-covered countryside somewhere in Russia, where they are attacked by spectral beasts.7
Friday, 3 March: King Wilhelm of Prussia is received with great ceremony by Emporer Francis Joseph of Austria at Innsbruck. There is much speculation in the papers as the the purpose of this summit.
Monday, 6 March: While being transported to the Old Bailey where he was to face more murder charges, Mr Xanthus briefly escapes. One guard is killed, and two others wounded. Mr Xanthus is recaptured later that day by officers acting under the direction of the Deputy Superintendent Guardsman of the Tower. Xanthus is apparently severely wounded in the process of recapture.
Tuesday, 7 March: At the request of the Lord Chancellor, the judges in the earlier proceedings against Mr Xanthus pass sentence. Xanthus is sentenced to hang. All the papers cover the story in some detail, many republishing excerpts of the interview which the Duke and Duchess of Balmoral gave to the Goxhill Gazette. The Echo uses the event as a chance to rehash its claims of a conspiracy.
Thursday, 9 March: In London, Alfred Francois Byzantine Roundheels III is sent to Portsmouth. Chapter nine of Half-penny Marvel Library serial "The Trump of Doom" is published, in which Atlas and his companions, still trekking through the Black Forest, overtake a party of the cultists, whom they battle, only to discover the cultist had been holding captive Little Billy Callahan, a London street urchin who Atlas once saved, and who may somehow be the key to the cultists' evil plot. Meanwhile, in the Weekly Companion's ninth chapter of "Kid Rocket and the Golden Calf" Kid Rocket and his companions are still lost in the frigid Russian wilderness, where they are attacked by a horde of wolfmen, who carry off Little Running Deer only minutes before the professor and his daughter translate an inscription which reveals that Little Running Deer may be the key to the evil sorcerer's plot.8
Friday, 10 March: Mr Proctor Xanthus is put to death.
Saturday, 11 March: Miss Maeve Brody is put on a ship bound for Australia.
Sunday, 12 March: King Wilhelm of Prussia and Emporer Francis Joseph of Austria announce a new Concordat regarding religious liberty. The purpose of the agreement seems to be to repudiate the principle of papal infallibility promulgated months early by the Vatican council, though no specific mention of the pope is made. Clauses of the concordat affirm that der orden des Düschen huses (the Teutonic Knights) is a charitable institution independent of the Church of Rome. The concordat asserts the principle that servants of the Church should not impose penalties except in matters of strictly religious nature. And finally, each monarch promises to treat civil marriages equally with church marriages in all matters of the law.
Monday, 13 March: Insp. MacGreggor returns to London. He has meetings with both the Superintendent of the Detective Department and Sir Sebastion. Mr Frazer is assigned to assist him in pursuing a mountain of possible leads.
Tuesday, 14 March: members of the League begin receiving letters from Lady Cowperthwaite, post-marked Scotland, inviting them to visit Edenfield Court beginning March 31 "or shortly thereafter" and hoping they can stay through Easter (9 April).
Wednesday, 15 March: There is a burglary at a shop on Kennington Road.
Thursday, 16 March: Miss Whitnell does something in Glasgow. Telegrams are sent to Whitnell House in Cheshire, to Sir Cosmo's townhouse in London, to Sir Spencer's townhouse in London, and to Oxford. Insp. MacGreggor delivers some unpleasant news to Miss Bertilde. Meanwhile, the Half-penny Marvel Library publishes the tenth chapter of "The Trump of Doom," in which Atlas and his companions seek shelter in a small castle, where they meet Archduke Kuhlbert, an elderly and somewhat senile nobleman whose son, Prince Henrik, offers to lead them to the secret underground headquarters of Dr. Destiny; they successfully sneak into the cavern, only to be ambushed by Dr Destiny and his agents, who were somehow warned of their plan. Meanwhile over in the Weekly Companion, chapter ten of "Kid Rocket and the Golden Calf" depicts Kid Rocket's crew lost in the Russian wilderness, coming to the hunting lodge of the Grand Duke Grigori, who offers them shelter and assistance; Magda urges Kid Rocket not to trust the Grand Duke, though she won't say why, but since both Lt. Smithers and the professor's wife have been injured, Kid Rocket accepts the offered hosptiality. By the end of the chapter the Grand Duke's soldiers have taken the party captive, as it is revealed that the Grand Duke is in league with Agent von Dorst.
Friday, 17 March: In London, Mrs Whitnell is up all night, trying to compose a letter. Meanwhile, there is another burglary at another shop on Kennington Road.
Saturday, 18 March: Sir Cosmo, Lady Cowperthwaite, and companions return to England, with a short stop over in Cheshire before arriving in Edenfield. They have a brief conversation with Mr John Whitnell on the train platform. In London, Miss Bertilde's search for a former student takes an unexpected turn. Late in the evening, Miss Bertilde, Lt. Wooster, and Mr Caine are involved in a sword fight and a gun fight in Southwerk. Among the opponents is Count Rugin, who the league has not seen since they left the Netherlands. Count Rugin escapes.
Sunday, 19 March: There is yet one more burglary at a shop on Kennington Road.
Monday, 20 March: Several London papers publish wild tales of some flying monster being seen in various neighborhoods Saturday night or Sunday morning. The Times and the Globe both publish a story about a hot air balloon crashing in the Plumbstead Marshes in Woolwich. No passengers or bodies are recovered.
Tuesday, 21 March: Mrs Frazer receives a letter. Afterwards, she goes to see Mr Willoughby on some business, and then visits the seamstress and miliners. Elsewhere in London, Princess Louise marries John Campbell, Marquess Lorne, son of the Duke of Argyle.
Wednesday, 22 March: Insp. Bradstreet is taken ill. Insp. MacGreggor is assigned to the Kennington Road Burglaries.
Thursday, 23 March: Meanwhile, in the pages of the Half-penny Marvel Library, chapter 11 of "The Trump of Doom" includes the titanic fight between Atlas O'Flaherty and his companions and Dr Destiny and the cultists, including a mute giant who may be a match for Atlas in strength and skill! During fight, Lady Estelle accuses Prince Henrik of betraying them. The prince denies any involvement with the evil-doers. The chapter ends in the middle of fight. While over inside the Weekly Companion, we find the eleventh chapter of "Kid Rocket and the Golden Calf." Now a prisoner of the cultists, Kid Rocket learns that Magda is actually the sister of the Grand Duke, who has been estranged from the family since her brother became obsessed with finding the Golden Calf. Little Running Deer, under the Hypnogogic control of the Grand Duke, has begun performing a ritual which will bring about the end of the world. Lt Smithers provides a distraction, allowing Kid Rocket to get free, though he is nearly killed battling the uncanny Agent von Dorst! And the ritual is still in progress as the chapter concludes.
Friday, 24 March: Victoria and Mr Salmalin arrive in London on a late train. Some awkward introductions are made at Sir Cosmo's townhouse. The Standard, Times, and Globe all publish stories about a Papal letter to Bishops in Prussia, Austria, and Hungary declaring null and void any civil laws which deny or seek to undermine the divine sanction and authority of the Church.
Saturday, 25 March: Mr James Whitnell joins his relatives at Sir Cosmo's townhouse in London. Many conversations occur at No 12 and No 18 Charles St. Victoria and Salmalin return to Lancashire on an extremely late train.
Sunday, 26 March: The Times publishes an article by Laurence Oliphant collecting all the stories about airship sightings in America, also making references to similar stories in both the Bavarian Alps and the Appalachian Mountains in North America in the late 1850s. It points out that we know now that the Alps sightings were likely early experiments by Count Zeppelin and Baron Staffelstein. It is possible the sightings in North America represent similar experiments in America, as it is known that R. Porter and Company of New York was trying to raise money to develop it's "aerial locomotive" during the California Gold Rush of 1849. There is also a mention of Confederate Col. James Powell's infamous aerial scouts.
Monday, 27 March: Insp. MacGreggor makes an arrest in connection with the Kennington Road Burglaries, though the charge is "receiving stolen goods."
Tuesday, 28 March: The Bury Times (a weekly paper available in the region of Lancashire including Edenfield Court) publishes excerpts from the speeches of Lord Greyminster and Lord Shaftesbury, delivered on the previous Sunday in Lancaster. The article lists the locations and dates of upcoming appearances of the two in the immediate vicinity. In Longon, Insp. MacGreggor issues a bulletin for Algibert "Algie" Timson wanted in connection with the Kennington Road Burglaries.
Wednesday, 29 March: In Paris at the Hotêl de Ville, an assassin tries to shoot Emperor Napoleon III. The gunman is set upon by the crowd and nearly killed. The Emporer and Empress, it is reported, were unharmed. Meanwhile, in south Kensington (within London), Queen Victoria opens the Royal Albert Hall.
Thursday, 30 March: Manchester police wire MacGreggor: Algie Timson has been picked up on other charges in Manchester. MacGreggor sends a note to Mr Frazer, asking him to join him in the journey to Manchester. HMS Nightingale sets sail from Portsmouth, bound for India. Meanwhile the Half-penny Marvel Library publishes the climactic twelfth chapter of "Trump of Doom" In which Prince Henrik dies saving Lady Estelle, and with his dying breath affirms his innocence. Atlas must wrestle a spectral horde of giants. The professor's wife manages to complete a ritual that disperses the spectral horde, but Dr Destiny conjures a giant, black-skinned demon who nearly wrestles Atlas to a standstill. All seems lost, until a small force of troops, under the command of the Archduke, come to their rescue. Dr. Destiny is mortally wounded, and activates a bomb he had hidden under the altar. Dr Jeffers the Wizard of Ballistics is unable to disarm the bomb. The heroes barely escape (Atlas is carried Little Billy Callahan on one shoulder as he runs) before the cave complex (and the Trump of the Archangel) is utterly destroyed by the bomb. During denouement, it is revealed that Lady Estelle had been betrothed to Prince Henrik. The Archduke convinces her to stay in his household. While over in the Weekly Companion readers find chapter twelve of "Kid Rocket and the Golden Calf" in which Lt. Smithers and the antiquities professor manage to take control of a cannon, providing a much better distraction. Magda and her brother, the Archduke, engage in an epic sword fight. Agent Von Dorst, believing Kid Rocket has died, joins in the magical ritual. Kid Rocket improvises a new rocket weapon from two of his rocket belt rockets, the barrel of a rifle, and a length of chain. Van Dorst is hoisted into the heavens by the device, which explodes high in the air. Meanwhile, Lt. Smithers has accidently set fire to the armoury. Magda defeats the Archduke, he flees down a secret passage. Kid Rocket grabs the comatose Little Running Deer and flies out of the building just as the titanic explosion completely destroys it. In the aftermath, Magda is convinced by her cousin, the new Archduke, to stay and help repair the family reputation. Little Running Deer recovers, and our heroes depart Europe on a ship bound for America.
Friday, 31 March: Guests begin arriving at the country estate of Sir Cosmo and Lady Cowperthwaite, Edenfield Court, Lancashire. The Bury Guardian (another weekly paper in the region of Lancashire including Edenfield Court) publishes a cartoon satirizing Lord Greyminster's "recent conversion to the causes of the common people."
Footnotes:
1. For the record, a completely different ancient artifact with Biblical connections than the one Atlas O'Flaherty is seeking to recover. Atlas is looking for the Trump of the Archangel, believed to be the instrument which the Archangel Gabriel will sound to signal the end of the world. Kid Rocket seeks the Golden Calf, beliefed to be the very idol created by Aaron the brother of Moses during a period when the Children of Isreal considered returning to Egypt, which is believed to be capable of bringing about the end of the world. So they are completely different. Really.
2. Which is completely different than the sword-weilding woman appearing in the Kid Rocket serial. One is a mysterious, exotically beautiful French woman who is a master of sword fighting. The other is a mysterious, exotically beautiful Russian woman who is a master of sword fighting. How can they be more different?
3. Not to be confused with the American Dime Novel characters Dr. Fate and his assistant Fritz, who are purportedly based on the actual amateur inventor Dr. Fate and his servant Fritz.
4. All exotic foreign cities have catacombs beneath them, according to the dime novels.
5. Which didn't prevent the author from describing them, anyway.
6. It has been claimed that this is another instance of undue similarity to other serials, specifically a Kid Rocket adventure published in the Weekly Companion. That's silly. In "Kid Rocket and the Golden Calf" the mystic is the wife of the antiquities professor, and is described as a mature woman of ample frame, and she clearly holds a seance where she communes with the spirits of villains who have perished in earlier chapters. In "The Trump of Doom" the mystic is the daughter of the antiquities professor, is described as young, lithe, and doe-eyed, and she performs an eleborate ritual based on her father's study of the Kaballah in which she consults with higher beings. Again, clearly completely different!
7. This uncanny coincidence, where the hero of each serial is stranded in the wilderness again raised concerns. Let's examine the both series, shall we? Kid Rocket is a young, wiry, rocket-obsessed inventor who is also a crack shot. His two principle assistants are Lt. Smithers, of the Royal Navy, and Little Running Deer, a Red Indian boy who Kid Rocket saved and subsequently adopted during one of his American adventures. His other assistants in this adventure are a mysterious Russian swordmistress, a middle-aged antiquities professor and his spiritualist wife. Whereas Atlas O'Flaherty is a giant of a man, whose fists pack the punch of ten men, and whose skill in fisticuffs is matched by none. His principle assistant is Dr Jeffers the Wizard of Ballistics a gun-obsessed inventor. He is also aided in this adventure by a mysterious French swordswoman, an elderly antiquities professor, the professor's sorceress daughter, and Lt. Howarth of the Royal Navy. What similarities there are are superficial, at best.
8. Okay, I give up.
Proceed to
Contents this page copyright 2005 by Gene Breshears. All Rights Reserved.