The Supernatural Writings of Stuart Palmer (1905-1968)

Stuart Palmer was a prolific mystery writer from the 1930s into the 1960s, and the 1954 President of the Mystery Writers of America. He is best known as the creator of Hildegard Withers, a spinster schoolteacher who solves murders with the reluctant help of Inspector Oscar Piper of the NYPD. The character first appeared in 1931, and was popular enough to spawn an RKO Pictures film series, from 1932 to 1937.

But Palmer's earliest writing was for Ghost Stories magazine. Writing under a variety of pen names, he contributed short stories, articles, and a five-part novella for the magazine, over the period 1928-1931. Of particular interest to me is a mini occult investigator series, comprised of two (possibly three) stories about Karl Brandt, "ghost-layer."

Here, I'm collecting as many of Palmer's Ghost Stories contributions as I can find.

Read my introductory comments about Palmer's supernatural writing here.

Stories and Articles for Ghost Stories #

(In progress)

The tales in Ghost Stories were all presented as true, first-person narratives, with the narrator credited as the author, sometimes "as told to" the actual writer. In keeping with the conceit of the magazine, when appropriate, I'll give a story as "by (narrator), as told to Stuart Palmer."

Stigma (September 1928)
A sinister man comes to physician Dr. Park Graham with severe, mysterious burns. Burns that heal within a day, only to appear the next morning.

A Sleeper Bewitched (October 1928)
Karl Brandt and his sidekick Stanley Horton investigate the case of a man who has been asleep for a month, with occasional visits from a disembodied hand. The first of the "Karl Brandt, ghost-layer" stories.

The Haunted Harem (November 1928)

Seven Gray Wolves (December 1928)
Duke the collie was a faithful friend to Frank Meadock's family, and the guardian of Frank's sheep. Duke takes his responsibilities seriously—even after death!

The Red Curse of the Mummy (February 1929 -- as Theodore Orchards)
Ted Orchards and Professor Beames join Lord Cairns' expedition to excavate the tomb of the Pharoah Amenophis. But Egyptian tombs always come with a curse—don't they?

Partners with the Beyond (March 1929)

Murder After the Dance (May 1929)

How a Spirit Corrected the Standard Dictionary (June 1929)
Non-fiction article relating how the ghost of Henry Ward Beecher recovered a lost coin, and corrected an error in Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary. Likely based on Isaac Funk's published account of the events.

The Specter in the New Hotel (August 1929)
Palmer's highly embellished account of a ghost cat haunting a New York hotel. Based on an actual incident.