This story, from the Oct. 19, 1929 issue of Detective Fiction Weekly, has long been thought to be the work of Samuel Dashiell Hammett. Up until ten years ago, though, it had never been reprinted, so few living humans had actually read it.
I was NOT one the few, and wanted to be. So, ten years ago, I got a muddy copy of the thing on microfilm from the Library of Congress and transcribed it, correcting several typos and making an educated guess at one mysterious word. I then posted it - with some reservation as to its true authorship - here on my blog. Soon after, it appeared in a couple of books and became even more accepted as Hammett's.
Unfortunately, the all-seeing eye of Mr. Will Murray somehow missed it back then, and the story did not come to his attention until I posted a link on Facebook a couple of weeks ago. He wrote me immediately saying, "Not Hammett." How did he know? Well, Will just seems to know these things, and usually has a fistful of facts to back them up.
In this case, he promptly pounded out an article for the prestigious internet mag Black Gate, and you're invited to peruse it for yourself. He presents a mighty strong case. What do you think?
You can read the story, as originally posted, here: "The Diamond Wager"
Will's article is here: A (Black) Gat in the Hand: Will Murray and the Diamond Wager Caper - Not Dashiell Hammett?
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