The basic idea behind this story is a tontine. Modern readers might best think of this as a death lottery or a life insurance annuity. In the scheme, members each pay in an equal amount of money into the tontine. Different versions existed with subsidies being paid out of interest earnings, but in its most extreme version, the sole survivor received the entire amount left in the account, usually making the survivor a very wealthy person.
The name tontine is derived from the name of the originator, Lorenzo de Tonti (1602-1684).
One likely basis for the feud in the story is the famous Hatfield-McCoy feud. The fictional Raymond-Snow feud locale is in Kentucky. The real-life Hatfield-McCoy feud took place along the Tug Fork River which borders Kentucky and West Virginia.
Chelton Raymond obviously has a confederate who poses as the Squeaking Goblin from time to time. This is evidenced in the first chapter when the Goblin is seen shooting at Raymond’s yacht which is anchored a mile offshore. Raymond appears a few minutes later after the shooting. It would be impossible for him to arrive unnoticed from the shore in that short time period.
August 2, 1934 - The President of the German Weimar Republic, Paul von Hindenburg, dies.
August 8, 1934 - Adolph Hitler becomes absolute dictator of Germany.
August 13, 1934 – Comics: Li’l Abner by Al Capp debuts.
August 17, 1934 – Movies: Treasure Island opens.
August 15, 1934 – Movies: Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back premiers.
August 29, 1934 – Movies: The Count of Monte Cristo opens.
