{"id":1518,"date":"2017-06-23T10:00:12","date_gmt":"2017-06-23T14:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thepulp.net\/thatspulp\/?p=1518"},"modified":"2017-06-30T01:32:13","modified_gmt":"2017-06-30T05:32:13","slug":"tmm-7-the-death-token-of-kublai-khan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thepulp.net\/thatspulp\/2017\/06\/23\/tmm-7-the-death-token-of-kublai-khan\/","title":{"rendered":"TMM #7: The Death Token of Kublai Khan"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"A<\/a>
A series of puzzlers starring a classic pulp figure<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Here is another in this rotating series of The Shadow<\/strong> two-minute mysteries. Okay, so it may take a bit more than two minutes… but it’s close. Read it, then test your sleuthing skills to solve the mystery.<\/p>\n

This mini-mystery originally appeared on my Shadow in Review<\/em>” website. The one presented here today was one of those. Did you read it the first time? Do you remember the solution?<\/p>\n

This mystery is based upon the original 1930s pulp character, The Shadow. Not the radio version. No clouding men’s minds, here. Just a black cloak and slouch hat.<\/p>\n

The solution, not necessarily the only solution, but the one the author had in mind, will appear (below) next Friday. That gives you time to mull over the crime.<\/p>\n

Feel free to leave your solution in the comments section below. It may well be better than mine!<\/p>\n

Finally, there are some background notes at the end of the story. They’ll explain a bit more about the characters and situations in this mini-mystery, and their part in the larger universe of the pulp Shadow.<\/p>\n

You are about to enter the pulp world of the 1930s. Join The Shadow as he dons his black cloak, slouch hat, and gloves, and prepares to battle crime. It\u2019s time for action and mystery. The Shadow knows!<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/thepulp.net\/media\/the-weed-of-crime.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

<\/div>\n
\u25a0 \u25a0 \u25a0<\/strong><\/div>\n

The Death Token of Kublai Khan<\/h3>\n

The rear of the taxi appeared empty, but from that black void came a sibilant whisper:<\/p>\n

\u201cPull over.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Secretly,<\/a>
Secretly, the taxi was owned by The Shadow.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Moe Shrevnitz, Manhattan\u2019s cleverest hackie, pulled the taxi up to the curb where an elderly gentleman bent over a prone body on the sidewalk. The man straightened up as Moe approached.<\/p>\n

\u201cI warned him something like this would happen,\u201d came his high wavery voice. \u201cBut he wouldn\u2019t listen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWarned him about what?\u201d asked Moe, looking down at the still form.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was always jingling that death token in his pocket, as though it was a lucky charm,\u201d the old man continued. \u201cI warned him it would draw danger.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know this man?\u201d Moe queried.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, his name\u2019s Dunward. Stanton Dunward. My name\u2019s Cooper. Winthel Cooper. I live in the rooming house, here.\u201d He gestured to the brownstone behind him.<\/p>\n

\u201cDunward lived in the apartment across the hall. I warned him, but he wouldn\u2019t listen. Just 10 minutes ago I heard him leave his apartment, still jingling that death token in his pocket.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I came out, just now, I found his body here. I was bending over to examine him when you drove up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is this \u2018death token\u2019 you mention?\u201d asked Moe.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a rare 13th-century silver talisman approximately the size and weight of a half-dollar. It was a gift to Marco Polo from Kublai Khan.<\/p>\n

\"<\/a>
The Death Token justified its name.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s called the \u2018death token\u2019 because Kublai Khan mysteriously died shortly after Marco Polo left China. It\u2019s claimed the magic that protected Kublai Khan left with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes this talisman have any value?\u201d Moe asked, as he bent down to search the body.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh yes, it\u2019s quite valuable. But the old skinflint wouldn\u2019t part with it for any price. He\u2019d rather live in this shabby old rooming house, than sell it and live in luxury.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moe found the death token in the right pocket of Dunward\u2019s shiny trousers. It hadn\u2019t been stolen. The only other articles in his pockets were a week-old laundry ticket, a worn-out handkerchief monogrammed with the letter \u201cS,\u201d and a thin, leather wallet containing a single dollar bill.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe called it his lucky piece,\u201d said Cooper bitterly. \u201cBut it signified death!\u201d<\/p>\n

The cloaked shape of The Shadow appeared from the blackened interior of the taxi. Glowing eyes looked deep into Winthel Cooper. \u201cIt may signify the death chair… for you!\u201d<\/p>\n

WHY DOES THE SHADOW SUSPECT COOPER OF COMPLICITY IN THIS CRIME?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u25a0 \u25a0 \u25a0<\/strong><\/p>\n[learn_more caption=”Click here for the solution.”]\n

Cooper claimed he heard Dunward jingling the death token in his pocket as he left his apartment ten minutes earlier. But there was nothing metal in his pockets for it to strike against. Cooper\u2019s story was fabricated. The Shadow knows!
\n[\/learn_more]\n

\u25a0 \u25a0 \u25a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Background notes<\/h3>\n

This story is rooted in historial fact. Marco Polo<\/strong> actually did visit China during the reign of Kublai Kha<\/strong>n. When he was a young lad of 21, he arrived in China. He was employed by Kublai Khan for 17 years before he left in 1292. During Polo\u2019s voyage back to Venice, Kublai Khan died at the age of 79. The mini-mystery presented here, however, takes some liberties. Khan\u2019s death was not mysterious. He was quite old for those times, and died a natural death. And the silver talisman \u2014 the death token \u2014 is fiction, pure and simple.<\/p>\n

\"<\/a>
Moe Shrevnitz, Manhattan’s cleverest hackie.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Moe Shrevnitz<\/strong>, the taxi driver featured in this story, was another of The Shadow\u2019s many agents. He was a major player in the pulp novels, appearing in over a 140 stories. He was described as one of the cleverest hackies in New York. He knew the city like the back of his hand.<\/p>\n

The Shadow owned the taxicab that Moe drove. Moe\u2019s duties for The Shadow could be many. Sometimes he would chauffeur The Shadow from one place to another. With his knowledge of Manhattan, he could get his master there faster than anyone else. Other times, he would be needed to follow a suspect. He had the uncanny ability to tail another vehicle without losing it, even if it were trying to shake him off its trail.<\/p>\n

Moe Shrevnitz first appeared in the 1934 story \u201cThe Chinese Disks.\u201d Moe was another person who had originally been saved by The Shadow and then later enlisted into his service. Moe proved to be a valuable and trusted agent over the years, making his final appearance in the 1948 story \u201cDead Man\u2019s Chest.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moe was one of the few characters to appear both in the pulp series and the radio series of The Shadow. On the radio show, The Shadow needed a male assistant in addition to his female aide, Margo Lane<\/strong>. So Moe was brought over from the pulp magazines. But, unlike in the pulps, on the radio he was given the nickname \u201cShrevvie.\u201d<\/strong> His actual last name of Shrevnitz was only mentioned on the air once or twice.<\/p>\n

In the pulp magazines, Moe went without nickname until 1941 when the radio character of Margo Lane was added to the pulp stories. At that time, Moe began to be called Shrevvie and the nickname seemed to stick. In subsequent years, Moe was called by his given name less and less, and increasingly he was just Shrevvie.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here is another in this rotating series of The Shadow two-minute mysteries. Okay, so it may take a bit more than two minutes… but it’s close. Read it, then test your sleuthing skills to solve the mystery. This mini-mystery originally appeared on my Shadow in Review” website. The one presented here today was one of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":793,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_has_post_settings":[],"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"That's Pulp! presents TMM #7: The Death Token of Kublai Khan. #pulpmags","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[1,62,166],"tags":[228,227,34,229,230,27],"hashtags":[],"class_list":["post-1518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pulp","category-the-shadow","category-two-minute-mystery","tag-kublai-khan","tag-marco-polo","tag-margo-lane","tag-moe-shrevnitz","tag-shrevvie","tag-the-shadow"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thepulp.net\/thatspulp\/files\/2016\/08\/Clock.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6SOGR-ou","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepulp.net\/thatspulp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepulp.net\/thatspulp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepulp.net\/thatspulp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepulp.net\/thatspulp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepulp.net\/thatspulp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1518"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/thepulp.net\/thatspulp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1518\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1542,"href":"https:\/\/thepulp.net\/thatspulp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1518\/revisions\/1542"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepulp.net\/thatspulp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/793"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepulp.net\/thatspulp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepulp.net\/thatspulp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepulp.net\/thatspulp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1518"},{"taxonomy":"hashtags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepulp.net\/thatspulp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtags?post=1518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}