New York, 1910. A mysterious criminal mastermind stages a daring escape from the courtroom where he is being tried, after having been arrested by Nick Carter, and challenges the world-famous detective to a contest of wits: Will the mysterious "Mr. Melvil" succeed in kidnapping the rich heiress, Helen Dodler, despite all the resources of Nick Carter and his men? This never before translated play, initially performed at the Theatre de l'Ambigu-Comique in Paris in 1910, was penned by two prolific French vaudeville writers, who had the extraordinary idea to Nick Carter against a villain just as cunning and resourceful: an enigmatic character, who is none other than Fantomas, the Lord of Terror. The play was translated by Frank J. Morlock, author of Sherlock Holmes: The Grand Horizontals. The book also features an extensive introduction by Jess Nevins on the history of Nick Carter.