R.V. Gery’s The Dutchman series

Yet another of the many largely overlooked pulp writers, R.V. Gery (1889-42) had a pretty decent career.

Reginald Vivian Gery was born in the U.K. and studied at Oxford (no idea what subject). He joined the army in World War I, becoming a captain in a machine-gun company. What little I’ve found was he was stationed in Malta and later discharged due to medical reasons. It’s not clear for what, but it was due to the service. Injured? Or picked up some disease?

Married, he later moved to Canada in 1923, which is where he died at age 53. I have no idea of any descendants.

As to his pulp career, he wrote about 100 stories, mostly for high-end pulps, so clearly a better-than-average author. He wrote from 1927 until his death. Looking at his output, thanks to Galactic Central, he started out mainly in Adventure, then appeared in Argosy in the ’30s, and later shifted almost exclusively to Short Stories. I’m not sure about the types of stories. He did get a couple of stories in the western pulps, and a handful in Detective Fiction Weekly. I have no idea if he got stories in other magazines in the U.S. or Canada, or even the U.K. There’s no indication of any novels written, and other than High Adventure, no one has reprinted his works.

His only series is The Dutchman, or Inspector Kappie De Vries, series that ran 18 stories, mainly novelettes, in Short Stories. These are set in the Dutch East Indies, in particular, Makassar on Sulawesi, before and during World War II and star the titular character and his crime-fighting abilities. They are a mix of exotic mystery and adventure, with the growing war causing political intrigue.

I checked and it seemed that during the run most of the stories were noted on the cover; either R.V. Gery was mentioned, a couple of times as having a “Dutch East Indies Yarn” and several with the story title. The character was cover featured twice. High Adventure has reprinted a total of nine stories, using the cover of one for one of the issues.

• “Fightin’ Irish” (March 10, 1937)
• “The Dutchman’s Hat” (Dec. 10, 1937; High Adventure #180)
• “The Dutchman Picks a Winner” (May 10, 1938; HA #180)
• “The Dutchman’s Wedding” (June 25, 1938)
• “The Dutchman Lays a Ghost” (Oct. 10, 1938)
• “The Dutchman Swears Off” (Nov. 10, 1938; HA #180)
• “The Dutchman Takes a Walk” (Feb. 25, 1939; HA #180)
• “The Dutchman Meets the Devil” (April 25, 1939)
• “The Dutchman Laughs Last” (Aug. 10, 1939, cover featured; HA #189, cover)
• “The Dutchman and the Rising Sun” (Sept. 10, 1939)
• “The Dutchman Meets a Queer One” (Nov. 10, 1939; HA #189)
• “The Dutchman’s Holiday” (Jan. 10, 1940; HA #189)
• “The Dutchman Goes Stag” (Feb. 10, 1940; HA #189)
• “The Dutchman Pulls a Fast One” (April 25, 1940)
• “The Dutchman Goes A-Hunting” (Oct. 10, 1940)
• “The Dutchman’s Little Lesson” (Jan. 25, 1941)
• “The Dutchman’s Own Affair” (Aug. 25, 1941, cover featured)
• “The Dutchman Mounts Guard” (Jan. 25, 1942; HA #189)

As noted, two issues of High Adventure reprinted these. The cover from the Sept. 25, 1936, Short Stories was used as the cover for HA #180; HA #189 used the cover from Aug. 10, 1939, for “The Dutchman Laughs Last.” Certainly, there’s plenty left over for a couple of more volumes, plus another cover feature to use.

The star of our series is Inspector Kappie De Vries, the titular “Dutchman.” He is described as a large, clean-shaven man, often wearing a pith helmet. The story artwork makes him look a little rotund, with a mustache, always in a jungle suit often topped with a pith helmet. Interesting, I never see mention of a mustache in the stories. In the third story we learn of Micaela Van Ryhn, whom he has known for years and whom he marries in the next one! By the sixth story, they have a boy, who in the seventh is a year old. She doesn’t play a part in most stories, though she is no simple housewife, being the granddaughter of Dyak pirates! So woe is those who do drag her into things! Pretty much the only other reoccurring character is Sergeant Jan. This allows for the new characters who come in for that mystery or adventure.

In “The Dutchman’s Hat,” our proxy hero is Chet Hargraves, a member of the American consular staff recently brought in from Japan. He gets involved in trying to protect another American, a freelance journalist named Sandra Gail who seems set on interviewing Kato, who is viewed as a Japanese spymaster. Things quickly get out of hand with the disappearance of defense plans and the kidnapping of Gail, and the Inspector needs to get them all out of it.

In “The Dutchman Picks a Winner,” the inspector drafts an American doctor to assist him. At a family farm, they find the overseer and owner dead, the house burned, the housekeeper alive in the cellar, and Micaela gone. They are after the bad guys and also save Micaela. But what is it all about? A famous red diamond. Who has that? There will be a bit of back and forth, bad guys getting killed, good guys being hurt before it’s all said and done.

“The Dutchman Swears Off” starts off a little strangely and tells us of the birth of Kappie’s son. Due to this, Kappie swears off alcohol. But a new matter involves him: the return of a criminal, Wong-Fu. There is a lot of action, including the kidnapping of Piet, Kappie’s son, before it’s all done.

In “The Dutchman Takes a Walk,” Kappie gets upset about his treatment by the police commissioner off at the capital and quits. Well, you can imagine what happens as the new inspector isn’t able to keep things in line and crime gets out of hand, in the person of Yung-soo McGinnis and others. But Kappie, with the aid of his American friend, Clint Bradley, puts things to right, with the commissioner there, wounded, to see it all. Thus his resignation is forgotten, and all is well in the world.

The last story, “The Dutchman Mounts Guard,” appears in 1942, but we are told it occurred the previous summer. We get hints of the Dutch falling and the war with Japan. In this one, Kappie is tasked with watching over a visiting dignitary: a British major general. He isn’t happy about it. And the general isn’t either, especially when Kappie claims they shouldn’t be telling too much about their defenses. That’s a good thing, as his wife, Micaela, reveals that the general and his pilot are really imposters. And she gets in on the action, and not in a good way. Thankfully it’s all wrapped up.

These are not your regular police or detective stories. I found the added element of the main character being married, and to a wife who is quite capable of giving as good as she gets, a welcomed change. It’s too bad the series wasn’t continued, though the author did pass away in 1942. We would probably have gotten only two or three more at best.

So do check these two issues out. Hopefully, we can get reprints of more stories.