Introduction
“Alleys of Darkness” follows the adventures of a sailor and boxer named Steve Costigan, who, after being swindled out of a boxing match win, takes matters into his own hands to seek justice. The story is set in the vibrant and gritty world of fight clubs and back-alley dealings.
“Alleys of Darkness,” originally written by Howard as a Sailor Costigan story but published under the pseudonym Patrick Ervin featuring Dennis Dorgan, is a gritty narrative set in the shadowy underworld of Singapore. The tale intertwines deceit, treachery, and personal betrayal, reflecting Howard’s flair for vivid, action-packed storytelling in the realms of pulp fiction.
Since Howard also had ‘The Shadow of the Vulture’ in the same issue, they used the pseudonym, Patrick Ervin. Alternate title ‘Alleys of Singapore‘. First published in Magic Carpet Magazine, January 1934. Howard wrote the story in around or it was completed around May 1933. The story sold for $54. After his agent, Kline, took his cut, Howard earned $45.90 for it.
Steve Costigan was changed to Dennis Dorgan, Mike was changed to Spike, and the name of the boat was changed from Sea Girl to the Python. Dennis Dorgan was not originally a distinct character but was used as an editorial alias for Steve Costigan, created to broaden the appeal and sales of Howard’s stories in different publications. This practice was a strategic move by Howard and his agent, Otis Adelbert Kline, to market the stories more effectively.
According to Paul Herman, no typescript exists where Howard himself rewrote a Costigan story as a Dorgan story. Though in fact, Bob did write some original Dennis Dorgan stories. More commonly, Kline would take an existing Costigan story he had in stock and pencil in the changes, and/or have his people completely retype the typescript to make all the changes cleanly.
The changes to “Alleys of Darkness” were likely made by Kline, with Howard’s implied approval, to help sell the story under a different character’s name. The edits were not done by the magazine but were part of a broader effort to market Howard’s works.
In 2014, The REH Foundation Press published the story in Fists of Iron Volume 3 with the restored text from Howard’s original carbon, featuring Steve Costigan. Both the first and second drafts of the story, which exist as carbon copies, clearly identify Steve Costigan as the protagonist.
From the letters
The story is mentioned in a letter (#265) to H.P. Lovecraft, on November 3, 1933:
Thank you very much for the kind things you said about the yarns in Magic Carpet. “Alleys of Darkness” isn’t much of a yarn, but I do like “The Shadow of the Vulture”.
He also refers to the story without naming it in a letter (#271) to August Derleth, ca. December 1933.
Recently — or rather a few months ago — an old stand-by of mine, Action Stories, returned to the wars on a bi-monthly basis, but I’ve been so busy trying to learn to hammer out detectives that I haven’t given it the consideration I intend to. So far, since coming back into circulations, I’ve landed only one yarn with them, but I hope to work out a series, as I used to in the past with Steve Costigan, the fighting sailor. (Whom, if you read the latest Magic Carpet, you encountered under the cognomen of Dennis Dorgan.)
It can be mentioned that Action Stories was inactive from volume 12, number 4, December 1932 through volume 12, number 5, November-December 1933. The story that Action Stories took was “Mountain Man“, a Breckinridge Elkins tale.
We can also learn something from a letter (#296c) to HPL, circa July 1934 where he mentioned the Magic Carpet with the Dorgan story, converted from a Costigan one:
My Costigan stories, which used to appear in Fight Stories and Action Stories, and one of which you read in Magic Carpet, in an altered guise, are now running in the new sport magazine, Jack Dempsey’s Fight Magazine.
The story
The story begins with Steve Costigan finishing a ten-round boxing match against Kid Leary at the Sweet Dreams Fight Club in Singapore. Though Costigan clearly dominates the latter rounds, the referee, Jed Whithers, controversially declares Leary the winner. The crowd erupts in anger, and Costigan, confused and enraged, chases after Whithers, but the referee vanishes amid the chaos.
Costigan retreats to his dressing room, where his shipmates, including Bill O’Brien and the captain of their ship, the Sea Girl, express their fury. The captain, referred to as the Old Man, is especially distraught as he had bet a thousand dollars on Costigan—a sum needed to settle debts with creditors who threaten to seize his ship.
While the crew searches for Whithers, Costigan is left alone in the dressing room with his bulldog, Mike. Mike’s behavior leads Costigan to discover Whithers hiding in a locker. Overwhelmed with anger, Costigan grabs Whithers, who begs for his life and explains that he was forced to throw the fight by a man named Ace Bissett, who is blackmailing him over a false confession signed by Whithers’ sister, Constance.
Costigan, moved by Whithers’ plight, agrees to help recover the confession. Following Whithers’ plan, Costigan kidnaps Bissett from his gambling hall, the Diamond Palace. However, Bissett’s girlfriend, Glory O’Dale, sees the abduction and follows them to an old building by a deserted wharf.
Inside the building, Costigan meets Whithers and a group of thugs led by Diamond Joe Galt. Costigan quickly realizes that the situation is more complicated than Whithers let on. Bissett regains consciousness and, despite being tied up, maintains his composure.
Glory O’Dale bursts into the building, frantically searching for Bissett. She accuses Galt and Whithers of manipulating Costigan. It becomes clear that Whithers lied about the existence of his sister and the confession. The real scheme was orchestrated by Galt, who wanted to get rid of Bissett to obtain a valuable formula from him.
A chaotic brawl ensues between Costigan, Galt, and his thugs. Costigan and his bulldog, Mike, manage to subdue the gang with help from Glory and Bissett. After the fight, Costigan learns from Bissett that the so-called valuable formula was actually a nonsensical scribbling from a deranged scientist.
With the truth revealed, Costigan takes the money Whithers received for throwing the fight and plans to use it to save the Sea Girl. Determined to set things right, he resolves to organize a rematch with Kid Leary, ensuring a fair fight this time.
Characters
- Steve Costigan: The main character, a robust and straightforward boxer wronged by a rigged match.
- Jed Whithers: The corrupt referee who is manipulated through the falsehood of a blackmailed sister.
- Ace Bissett: Initially believed to be the antagonist, later revealed as a victim of a larger scheme.
- Glory O’Dale: Bissett’s determined and loyal girlfriend, who plays a crucial role in revealing the truth.
- Diamond Joe Galt: The real villain, orchestrating the deceit for personal gain.
- Mike: Dennis’s loyal bulldog, integral in the physical confrontations.
- Kid Leary: The boxer who was declared the winner in the rigged match.
- The Old Man: Dennis’s ship captain, financially ruined by the fight’s outcome.
- Various Thugs (Limey Teak, Bill Reynolds, Dutch Steinmann, Red Partland): Hired goons involved in the plot’s execution.
- The Sea Girl: The ship owned by “The Old Man”, which he almost loses due to financial troubles stemming from the rigged boxing match.
Published in:
- THE MAGIC CARPET MAGAZINE Volume 4 Number 1, (published as a Dennis Dorgan story), Popular Fiction Publishing Company, January 1934
- THE INCREDIBLE ADVENTURES OF DENNIS DORGAN, FAX, 1974 (as “The Alleys of Singapore”)
- THE INCREDIBLE ADVENTURES OF DENNIS DORGAN, Zebra, December 1975 (as “The Alleys of Singapore”)
- THE MAGIC CARPET MAGAZINE, Odyssey Publications, 1977
- THE IRON MAN, WITH THE ADVENTURES OF DENNIS DORGAN, Ace, October 1983 (as “The Alleys of Singapore”)
- DENNIS DORGAN, NeO, July 1987 (French, as “The Alleys of Singapore”)
- WATERFRONT FISTS AND OTHERS, Wildside Press, May 2003
- WATERFRONT FISTS AND OTHERS, Wildside Press, December 2004
- THE EXOTIC WRITINGS OF ROBERT E. HOWARD, Girasol Collectables, October 2006
- WINDY CITY PULP STORIES #7, Black Dog Books, May 2007
- PULP REPLICA: THE MAGIC CARPET MAGAZINE V4N1, Girasol Collectables, November 2007
- THE ROBERT E. HOWARD READER VOLUME 1, Wildshade Books, 2007
- PULP FACSIMILE: THE MAGIC CARPET MAGAZINE V4N1, Wildside Press, January 2008
- ALLEYS OF DARKNESS, AND ALLEYS OF PERIL, Dodo Press, February 2008
- THE COMPLETE MAGIC CARPET MAGAZINE, Girasol Collectables, April 2008
- THE COLLECTED BOXING STORIES OF ROBERT E. HOWARD, Halcyon Press, Ltd., December 2009
- THE ROBERT E. HOWARD OMNIBUS: 99 COLLECTED STORIES, Halcyon Press, Ltd., May 2010
- SHANGHAIED MITTS: MORE TALES OF SEA-FARING BOXING CHAMP STEVE COSTIGAN, Nuelow Games, November 2011
- ROBERT E. HOWARD’S COLLECTED WORKS, Jame-Books, February 2013
- DUNKLE GASSEN, Jazzybee Verlag, April 2014 (German)
- THE COLLECTED BOXING FICTION OF ROBERT E. HOWARD: FISTS OF IRON ROUND 3, REH Foundation Press, November 2014 (story & synopsis)
- THE MAGIC CARPET MAGAZINE VOLUME 4 NUMBER 1, Fiction House Press, July 2018
- STEVE COSTIGAN. PUGNI, PUPE & PERICOLI, Providence Press, December 2018 (Italian, Dennis Dorgan was changed to Steve Costigan)
- STEVE COSTIGAN. PUGNI, PUPE & PERICOLI DELUXE EDITION, Providence Press, April 2019 (Italian, Dennis Dorgan was changed to Steve Costigan)
- ROBERT E. HOWARD’S SAILOR STEVE COSTIGAN, Pulp-Lit Press, July 2019
- ROBERT E. HOWARD’S SAILOR STEVE COSTIGAN, Audible Audio, July 2019 (audio)
- PULP FACSIMILE: THE MAGIC CARPET MAGAZINE V4N1, Adventure House, November 2021