Detective Comics #1

THE MURDERS OF CAP'N SCUM

Cyril 'Speed' Saunders works a case where the bodies of dead Chinamen are being found in the bay. Through some investigation work at the pier, Speed notices a cargo ship, The Maria, that never seems to come into port. He takes out a small boat and climbs aboard the ship only to find a group of no-good crewmen being led by a Captain Scum. The crew tosses Speed overboard, leaving him to swim the three miles back to shore.  With the help of a catboat owned by Jake, Speed trails the Maria to a place where it appears to be making an exchange with another vessel. He sneaks aboard, and overhears Scum negotiating a price with the man from the adjoining ship. Scum was smuggling Chinese laborers to potential buyers and had simply been tossing the sick ones out to sea! Speed successfully arrests Scum and his associate and the case is solved.

THE RHANGWA PEARLS

In a large mansion, gem-collector Gregory Dillingwater gains possession of the Rhangwa pearls, a priceless bunch of gems. Later on, he receives a note that says the pearls will be stolen from him on the week of the 15th. It is signed by "Taro", a well known thief. After being called, the police captain decides to call Cosmo, the Phantom of Disguise, to help with the case. Cosmo comes up with a plan and explains it to Mr. Dillingwater.  Meanwhile, Taro has easily slipped past the police, and overcomes Buckley the butler. Now disguised in a butler's suit, Taro attempts to poison Mr. Dillingwater by putting a pellet in his drink. Mr. Dillingwater instead lunges at Taro and knocks him to the floor. The "Gregory Dillingwater" that Taro tried to poison was really Cosmo in disguise! The police arrest Taro, and the Rhangwa pearls are now safe in Dillingwater's collection.

THE PERUVIAN MINE MURDERS PART 1

While vacationing in Panama, Bret receives a telegram from his friend, Tim Morgan, who is having some trouble at his mining camp in Peru.  When Bret arrives in Peru, two days later, Tim explains that there have been two murdered men found near the mine. Each victim had a small hole in his neck, but not from any bullet. Soon another body is found, that of the mining company's chief engineer, Fred Collins. An emerald is found next to Collins. The frightened and superstitious natives are refusing to work, meaning Tim may have to close up camp and lose thousands of dollars! Bret wants to search an old mine shaft in the Andes, where Collins was last working. He and Tim travel by horse through the thick vegetation, and into the cooler foothills. As they investigate the mine shaft, an Incan Priest watches from a high mountain-top, a look of malice in his eyes.

THE CLAWS OF THE RED DRAGON PART 1

Bruce Nelson was walking the streets of Chinatown one night, when he came across a restaurant sign that depicted a Chinese red dragon. His interest was especially drawn to the dragon's feet, which had seven deadly claws, just like the symbol on his ring. When he went inside, the restaurant was nearly deserted. None of the waiters would even give him a menu... Bruce grew more and more impatient as the minutes passed until he rose to his feet and confronted one of the Chinamen. The Proprietor only replied that they had no menu. Bruce got only a cold shoulder.  A car was suddenly heard parking outside, and Bruce watched as a couple entered. A pretty young woman with her father, both of them being treated as honored customers by the staff. Bruce noticed that the father wore the same kind of ring he himself had on! The Chinamen treated the pair to a grand feast at the table, but the woman complained of feeling eeriness about the place. The waiters were also now serving Bruce, though they seemed in a hurry to make him leave... But Bruce's curiosity now overwhelmed his hunger, and he continued to watch the couple. Without any more delay, the Chinese took action! Two Chinamen wrapped a sheet of silk around the father and daughter's faces, and proceeded to tie them up, while another did the same to Bruce!

THE GOTLOTZ JEWELS

Gus is a detective who isn't as good at his job as he believes. The police chief tells Gus to go to a party at Mrs. Gotlotz's house and keep an eye on the jewels. When he gets there, he accuses the butler of using an alias ("What other name do you use besides 'Butler'?"), and mistakes his reflection in a mirror for a suspicious character.  Meanwhile, Mrs. Gotlotz is dancing with a gentleman when the clasp on her jewel necklace breaks. Not wanting to abandon her duties as a hostess to put them away, she hands them to the man for safe-keeping. When Gus spots the gentleman walking away with the pearls in hand, he takes out his club and whacks him in the head, knocking him out. Gus asks the Butler who the gentleman is, and the butler replies in horror that it's the chief of police!

THE BALINOFF CASE PART 1

Bart Regan is a Federal Agent, who gets fired from his job, but in reality is recruited to be a spy with the Secret Service. Thus he must leave his past behind, including his fiancée, Sally Norris. But she won't give up so easily. She heads over to his residence, but she has to have the taxi driver chase him because he has just left on his first assignment, disguised as Captain Markham. The assignment is to go to a party hosted by Olga Balinoff, who is suspected of using her charms to worm valuable Army secrets out of young officers.  At the party Olga and Bart are talking and Sally enters. A common friend of Sally's and Olga's introduces the two and Sally pulls Bart away from Olga, and onto the dance floor. While she is confronting him, the butler (another secret agent) cuts in, freeing Bart to get back to Olga. After a discussion between Bart and Olga, in which he lets out that his superiors tell him everything, they go back to her apartment for drinks, again chased by Sally.  Upstairs, Olga slips a pill into Bart's drink while downstairs Sally is fighting with a taxi driver who won't let her go without paying even though she left her wallet at the party.

THE GOTROX PEARLS

Eagle-Eyed Jake takes a sleuth class by mail-order. Then Mrs. Gotrox's jewels, valued at $500,000, get stolen. All the best sleuths and local cops try to solve it but fail, so they hire Jake. He solves the case by realizing that the jewels never existed, and neither did the thief. Mrs. Gotrox had just wanted to see her name in the papers.

THE BAR S RUSTLERS

Buck Marshall is a range detective who gets an assignment for a sheriff he knows, but in an area he doesn't. Calves are being rustled by the Circle Bar 8 ranch from the Bar S ranch. Buck goes undercover as Sam Wilson on the Bar S Ranch, and after a quick shootout with a man named Rawhide, gets a job to mend a fence, which is on the border of the two ranches. He comes upon some hombres who are branding a calf. As he starts to follow, the sudden crack of a rifle shot stops him in his tracks.  Meanwhile the Sheriff and Sanders go to the Circle Bar 8, to confront Volk, about an accusation made by Sanders. That conversation breaks up when Volk punches Sanders in the jaw, and the sheriff arrests him.  At the other ranch, Buck follows the sound of the shot, and finds a dead man. He follows the horse prints and finds a broken bush, cut up ground, soft yellow clay, and a horseshoe. He takes the body back into town where Rawhide confronts him about being in cahoots with the rustlers. He says no, and takes them to the scene of the crime. He deduces that the killer's horse will be wearing a new shoe. Sanders wheels his horse and starts to run away, but the Sheriff shoots him out of his saddle. A reward awaits Buck when they get back to town.

THE STREETS OF CHINATOWN

While tangling with a Chinese mob, Slam Bradley is interrupted by some policemen and Sgt. Kelly, raiding the gang's hide-out. Captain Frawley has summoned Slam to take on Rita Carlisle's case, which turns out to simply be guarding her prize, pet dog, Mimi. Slam turns down the job, but outsources it to Shorty, who is desperately trying to become partners with him.While Shorty is on the job, driving with Rita, she sees an antiques store in Chinatown that she visits. After about an hour of waiting in the car, Shorty gets suspicious that Rita hasn't returned yet. Leaving the dog behind, Shorty checks the shop but does not find her and is told to leave by the very unfriendly Chinese owner. Shorty calls up Slam to tell him about the situation. They both make their way through the shop, and some hidden catacombs underneath it, and rescue Rita from the clutches of Fui Onyui and his China Mob. After Shorty stops Fui Onyui from making his getaway, by using tar to stick him to the floor, Slam officially declares Shorty as his new partner and rudely says goodbye to Rita, after they share a kiss.