The Yellow Hoard

"The Yellow Hoard" is the 2nd pulp magazine story to feature The Avenger. Written by Paul Ernst, it was published in the October 1, 1939 issue of "The Avenger” magazine.

Publishing history

This novel was re-published under its original title by Paperback Library on July 1, 1972.

ummary

Smitty sees a house explode, and grabs a suspicious character and takes him to Mac's drugstore. Drugged and hypnotized, the man reveals that a small, peanut-shaped bomb was used in a plot to get 5 clay bricks originally from southern Mexico. The bricks are archeological artifacts found by Professor Archer Gray, distributed among some of the expedition members for safekeeping. Gray is killed for his 2 bricks, and the gang murders and uses the small bombs to cause other explosions. Gray's daughter, Nellie, is slow to trust Benson, but helps the trio pursue the criminals. She also acts on her own, roughing up criminals independently. The bricks each contain a segment of golden belt inscribed with directions to huge Aztec treasure. Both Justice Inc. and the criminals have enough information to take them to the vicinity of the treasure in Mexico. In a battle involving hidden temples, Aztec gold, secret passageways, traps, escapes, etc., the criminals are thwarted and fall into their own traps. Justice Inc. ends up with the largest amount of gold in the world to finance its activities.

Notes

* Benson has the respect and support of law enforcement.
* Benson reads Aztec, and speaks native Central American dialects: quite a few years before, he had “charted most of the lower peninsula for the Mexican government.”
* Benson can touch the nerves on a person’s neck and make them unconscious.
* NYC police know Benson very well, perform arrests at his request, and overlook his traffic violations.
* Smitty has developed a cutting-edge television.
* This novel introduces Nellie Grey, deceptively fragile-looking, but actually strong, brave and trained in martial arts.
* The Justice Inc. headquarters, located on Bleek Street in New York City, is described.
* Benson refers to his organization as “Justice & Co.”
* The Justice Inc. members function as a true team, with skills that complement one another.

External links

* [http://members.aol.com/macmurdie/covers/3910_cv.html Magazine cover for "The Yellow Hoard"]