UNTITLED STORY (The night Sailor Steve Costigan fought Battling O’Rourke . . .). 700 words fragment
Appeared as THREE PERILS OF SAILOR COSTIGAN which consists of this story and two others:
UNTITLED STORY (“I had just hung by sparring partner, Battling O’Toole…”) and UNTITLED STORY (It was the end of the fourth round.).
Sailor Steve Costigan is a fictional character created by American writer Robert E. Howard. He is a merchant sailor on the Sea Girl and is also its champion boxer. His only true companion is a bulldog named Mike (after his brother and fellow boxer, “Iron” Mike Costigan).
Sailor Costigan and the Destiny Gorilla. Featuring Steve Costigan.
Alternate titles: SAILOR DORGAN AND THE DESTINY GORILLA and THE DESTINY GORILLA.
In the synopsis for “Sailor Costigan and the Turkish Menace,” Steve Costigan lands in the bustling city of Singapore and inadvertently gets entangled in a case of mistaken identity and crime. As Steve walks down a back street at night, he witnesses a robbery where a bulky man assaults another man and steals his briefcase. Steve chases the assailant but loses him in the maze of dark alleys.
UNTITLED STORY (A sailorman ain’t got no business … ). Featuring Steve Costigan. In a thrilling, whirlwind tale, Steve Costigan finds himself inadvertently wreaking havoc in the South American republic of Puerto Grenada. What starts as an innocent trip to catch up with his ship, the Sea Girl, escalates into a series of unexpected events involving a damaged airplane, a bullfight gone awry, and an impromptu boxing match.
Three Perils of Sailor Costigan consists of three untitled stories: untitled story (“I had just hung …”), untitled story (“It was the end …”), and untitled story (“The night Sailor Steve …”).
Outline of Sailor’s Grudge.
Sailor’s Grudge. Featuring Steve Costigan. First published in Fight Stories volume 2 number 10 march 1930 as ‘Sailor’s Grudge’. It was published again in Fight Stories volume 5 number 7 in 1938 under the name Mark Adam and with the changed title.
Howard sent Otis Adelbert Kline a finished typescript entitled “Sailor Costigan and the Yellow Cobra.” This typescript was first corrected, and then later changed into the Dennis Dorgan story “Sailor Dorgan and the Yellow Cobra” by Patrick Ervin. It was sold to MAGIC CARPET MAGAZINE, but never published by them. The typescript at the Cross Plains Library is Howard’s, but correction tape has been used to change Howard to Ervin, Costigan to Dorgan, Mike to Spike, The Sea Girl to The Python, etc.) Still, later, a “clean copy” was produced that incorporated all the changes and corrections.
Step into the mysterious Shanghai waterfront where Sailor Steve Costigan finds himself unwittingly entangled in a violent robbery, a gritty underground fight, and a dangerous mix-up with the law in “Sailor Costigan and the Turkish Menace.” The story was received by Howard’s agent, Kline, on April 29, 1933.
