Earlier, and somewhat longer, versions of this story appeared as follows: 1) Charles Morris, “The Gamin Detective; or, Willful Will, the Boy Clerk; A Story of the Centennial City,” New York Saturday Journal, A Home Weekly, vol. 8, nos. 365-373, March 10, 1877 through May 5, 1877; 2) Charles Morris, “Will Somers, the Boy Detective,” Beadle’s Half Dime Library, vol. V, no. 118, October 28, 1879.

Punctuation has been made consistent.

Variations in spelling and hyphenation were retained as they appear in the original publication, except that obvious typographical errors have been corrected.