Summer Crime Parade (circa 1947)

This is one of those “odd” publications that baffles me. It is undated, unnumbered, and, it is not clear whether the title is simply Crime Parade or Summer Crime Parade. One would traditionally believe that Summer simply denotes when it was released or set forth to be displayed on the book racks.

So, I also scanned the Table of Contents page, which is full of useful data. Again, the title appears to be Summer Crime Parade. More interesting, we are given the names of the editors: E. L. Childs and A. J. Saunders.

Besides being listed as editors, Edmund L. Childs and Andree J. Saunders were married in England, mid-1947 in Westminster district. Edmund was born in 1916, Pontefract district. Not sure about the lady. I could not locate any children, nor death records on either one. However, looking at the contents page, one will note that the lady is credited with one of the “Fact” articles.

The book was distributed by Todd Publishing.  Knowing their marriage date and whom distributed this odd publication, you can safely estimate this digest magazine to having appeared sometime between 1947 and 1948. There are only 3 advertisements present (one for Afrikander pipe tobacco, Peek Frean and Company [biscuit makers], and a Ferguson Radio ad covers the rear cover. With this latter ad, I found an exact copy in an English newspaper, dated October 1947 with the slogan “Fine Sets These Ferguson’s”

There are only four short stories present in this volume.
“Murder on the Metro” – Francis Grierson
“Thursday is My Unlucky Day” – Michael Hervey
“Justice Isn’t So Blind” – Allan K. Taylor
“Maudie Gets Her Own Back” – William Norman

The remaining titles present are articles labeled as “Fact.” There are some additional features NOT quoted on the contents page.

“Murder on the Metro” by Francis (D.) Grierson takes place in Paris. A woman is murdered on the metro. The famous detectives Patras and Latour are on the case, and seeking someone disguised as a nun, having discovered a dislodged crucifix belonging to a rosary at the scene of the crime. After interviewing various suspects, the whole case unravels all too easily, leaving me quite disappointed.

Michael Hervey, once regarded in the Book of World Records as having the most published short stories, supplies “Thursday is My Unlucky Day.” The story recounts a forger whom has partnered with a safe cracksman. The forger investigates a target, so that the cracksman may later break in and out and nobody will be the wiser. All that the forger requires is that some blank checks be stolen, each time. This he does, and the forger goes to the local bank to cash a check. On entering, he notes the bank desk calendar says: Thursday. Immediately he decides to cancel out on the deception. All of his worst life experiences occurred on Thursdays. Today was cursed! And today is no different. He finally works up the courage to cash the forged check, when, to his dismay, the banker notices the large but irregular amount. The forger claims that he completed a deal with the man that morning, but the banker calmly proclaims that perhaps the forger should have read the local newspaper. If he had, he’d know the man was died “yesterday morning” in a car wreck.

Allan K. Taylor supplies “Justice Isn’t So Blind.” A simple tale of a criminal foolishly copping to a break-in, asserting that he knew he was busted when a young child caught him in the act. He was dumbfounded by this, since it was the middle of the night, and being a cat burglar, he was super quiet. In confessing to the crime, we learn that the girl’s hearing is indeed quite astute, in fact, heightened beyond the norm, for, she is blind!

In “Maudie Gets Her Own Back,” William Norman details one man’s greed. While in an unsavory joint, a dame approaches him, looking for a favour. Can he get her a decent pearl necklace, for a cheap price? Able to procure stolen goods from various “sources,” he accepts the challenge and lucks eventually into a criminal looking to unload a pearl necklace. After a failed haggle, he finally pays the top price to the seller and returns to offer it to the girl. She isn’t amused; this pearl necklace happens to be the very same that was stolen recently from her!!! Worse yet, she assumes that HE stole it from HER !!!