Tales of Thubway Tham. Johnston McCulley

Thubway Tham is a small, short-tempered gnome of a man, a professional pickpocket with an annoying lisp. But he is no mere thief…he is the king of his chosen profession, a master «dip» who works only in the subways of New York City. Like all such villains, he faces a cunning adversary in Police Detective Craddock, who is always half a pace behind. Craddock has sworn to put Tham behind bars, where he belongs. But Tham is clever enough to always remain one step ahead of Craddock – and everyone else.<P> Despite being a criminal, Tham always comes off well: the people whom he relieves of their wallets are often deserving of it, and he has a tendency to take on other, much worse crooks to give them their just desserts.<P> And, of course, there are scoundrels aplenty in his world: a rival pickpocket who moves in on his turf in «Thubway Tham's Baggage Check;» Shifty Shane, the holdup man, who calls Tham a coward because he doesn't use a gun; and Mr. Clackworthy, a slick grifter from Chicago, who looks down on «dips» as the lowest of thieves.<P> Call him an early antihero. Tham endears himself to readers because he has a moral compass. He knows his place is in the gutter of the world, but that doesn't mean he can't strive to better himself – or others.<P> Included are:<P> Introduction, by John Gregory Betancourt<BR> Thubway Tham's Inthane Moment<BR> Thubway Tham's Thanksgiving Dinner<BR> Thubway Tham's Understudy<BR> Thubway Tham's Baggage Check<BR> Thubway Tham, Philanthropist<BR> Thubway Tham's Chrithtmath<BR> Thubway Tham's Glorious Fourth<BR> Thubway Tham's Holdup<BR> Thubway Tham Meets Mr. Clackworthy<BR> Thubway Tham's Inthult<P> All stories originally appeared in Detective Story Magazine.