"No Opportunity, Really, for a Flight of Fancy Brainwork”

WE'VE looked but couldn't find out anything about our next author, E. C. Marshall. Even so, we've randomly selected three of his stories, all of them different from each other, but each a prime example of how effective pulp writers could be with the short form. (See "Resources" below for three more.)

(1) "Murder After the Fact."

By E. C. Marshall (?-?).

First appearance: Ten Detective Aces, September 1945.

Short short short story (5 pages).

Online at The Pulpgen Archive (HERE).

   “The world of the brilliant, clever criminal never was,” he continued with an air of discovery. “All that stuff of LeCoq, and Poe, and Doyle—the scheming, cunning brain, quick, infallible, always two paces ahead of the police. Well, maybe in a London fog. But not in New York, not in Chicago, and not here in Westworth!”

Principal characters:

~ Professor Bayliss, Detective Tupps, Nick Cardini, Mike O’Grogan, Harry Capsan, Pete Cardini, Louisa Cardini, Scanlon, and the coroner.

(2) "A Snitch in Time."

By E. C. Marshall (?-?).

First appearance: Ten Detective Aces, November 1945.

Short short short story (4 pages).

Online at The Pulpgen Archive (HERE).

   “Let’s say rather that I knew the man who paid him to do his work—the second man in the room, the man with the mask. He was the real criminal. Dressed in a nondescript suit, muffled, absolutely disguised beyond recognition, except for one thing . . ."

Principal characters:

~ Bryant, Martin, Jackson, Hopkins, Goldwater, Schroeder, and Fownes.

(3) "The High-Powered Corpse."

By E. C. Marshall (?-?).

First appearance: Ten Detective Aces, June 1946.

Short short short story (3 pages).

Online at The Pulpgen Archive (HERE).

   "Lenihan whirled to see Wong Sung who had entered the room scream, clap his hands over his head and faint dead away on the floor. The cop’s eyes popped when he took in the spectacle of six pairs of pallbearers’ legs quaking dismally, while Chinese oaths broke out upon the air. The rattan chair stopped abruptly just before it hit the coffin top. Tom Ching grimaced with the effort, tossed the chair aside and drew his revolver."

Principal characters:

~ Detective Tom Ching, Lu Tai, Anna, K'ang Ho, Wong Sung, Patrolman Lenihan, and Ku Sui. 

Typo: "Tom Chang".

Resources:

- Here's the FictionMags list for E. C. Marshall (ss = short story; vi = vignette; lr = letter):

  "Lunacy Legacy," (ss) 10-Story Detective Magazine, April 1945

  "Jailbreak Jackpot," (ss) 10-Story Detective Magazine, June 1945 (online HERE)

  "Blaze of Gory," (vi) Ten Detective Aces, July 1945

  "Murder After the Fact," (ss) Ten Detective Aces, September 1945 (above)

  "A Snitch in Time," (ss) Ten Detective Aces, November 1945 (above)

  "X-Ray Justice," (vi) 10-Story Detective Magazine, April 1946 (online HERE)

  "The High-Powered Corpse," (ss) Ten Detective Aces, June 1946 (above)

  "Carve Me a Coffin," (ss) 10-Story Detective Magazine, July 1946

  "Chinatown Checkmate," (ss) 10-Story Detective Magazine, September 1946

  "Six Little Scoundrels," (ss) 10-Story Detective Magazine, January 1947 (online HERE)

  "Appetite for Homicide," (ss) 10-Story Detective Magazine, May 1947

  [letter from New York 14, NY], (lt) Astounding Science Fiction, May 1948

  "Foiled by Time," (ss) Cavalcade (Australia), September 1954.

The bottom line:

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.

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