In this Secret Service issue of December 1909, the Bradys row out into New York Bay and discover a "floating clew" in the form of a dead body. The outstretched arms of Young Brady retrieving the corpse provide an interesting contrast to the upraised arm of the Statue of Liberty, which holds a torch in welcome to all who enter the bay.
The Statue of Liberty was designed by the French sculptor F.A. Bartholdi (c. 1880) to commemorate the alliance of France with the American colonies during the American Revolution. It was shipped to New York in 1885, and assembled on Bedloe's Island the following year. For many millions of U.S. immigrants whose point of entry was nearby Ellis Island, the Statue stood as a powerful symbol of the political and economic freedoms possible in America.