Hagar of the Pawn-Shop: 'Don't cross a dying man''

Ferguson Wright Hume was born on the 8th July 1859 in Powick, Worcestershire.

When he was three the family emigrated to New Zealand, to the town of Dunedin, where he attended Otago Boys' High School before studying law at the University of Otago.

Hume gained admittance to the New Zealand bar in 1885 but decided to relocate to Melbourne in Australia and take up the position of a barristers' clerk.

In his spare time he began writing plays but none were accepted by any of the local theatres although a play he had written 'The Bigamist' was stolen and passed off as the thief's own work as 'The Mormon'.

He turned his attention to novels and wrote 'The Mystery of a Hansom Cab' and although self-published, was a great success. Unfortunately, rather than take royalties he sold it off for a single payment and, of course, it became one of the best-selling mystery novels of Victorian times.

With the success of the sequel, 'Professor Brankel's Secret' he returned to England in 1888 settling first in London and a few years later in Thundersley, Essex at Church Cottage. He would remain there for three decades and publish a staggering 130 novels as well as several short story collections.

Hume regularly travelled to Italy, France, Switzerland and other parts of Europe. He was reputed to be deeply religious as well as exceptionally private. Despite his aversion to publicity he did, in his later years, lecture at young people's clubs and debating societies.

Fergus Hume died at Thundersley on 12th July 1932.

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