Harper's Round Table, November 19, 1895

Fresh out of college but forced by his family's financial strain to forego further study, Fred Hallowell lands a reporter’s job at the Gazette. His sharp work quickly earns the trust of the city editor, who soon entrusts him with a delicate assignment: track down a French anarchist rumored to have slipped aboard a school‑ship in the North River. The task promises both a chance at a big story and a test of Fred’s tenacity.

Fred boards the vessel, gathers a hazy description of the suspect, and learns the ship will soon set sail for Haiti. Determined, he follows the trail into the bustling French quarter and the notorious “Zum Groben Michel,” a tavern known for its radical gatherings. There he confronts a maze of suspicious characters, trying to separate rumor from fact while the clock ticks toward Thanksgiving.