Harold Ward

1879–1950

Harold Ward (1879–1950) was an American newspaperman, public official, and prolific pulp fiction writer. Born in Illinois and active in his hometown of Sterling for much of his life, Ward balanced civic service—including roles as city clerk, postmaster, and Illinois National Guard major—with a remarkably productive writing career. Publishing more than one hundred stories between 1917 and 1939, he contributed extensively to magazines such as The Black Mask, The Argosy, and Weird Tales. Writing under his own name as well as pseudonyms including Ward Sterling, H. W. Starr, and “Zorro,” he is remembered in weird fiction circles for his numerous contributions to Weird Tales, beginning with “The Skull” in its inaugural issue in 1923.

Themes

Psychological Horror (1)Supernatural (1)Revenge (1)Atmospheric (1)Death & Dying (1)Curse (1)Guilt (1)Tropical Island (1)

Stories (1)

The Skull

Harold Ward·1923·13 min read

"The Skull" is a tale of tropical colonial violence and supernatural retribution set on a remote island plantation. When a drunken overseer murders his partner with a poisoned arrow, he disposes of the body only to have it discovered and desecrated by a native he had brutalized. What begins as a calculated cover-up becomes a descent into paranoia and madness as Kimball encounters the skull of his victim—and a woman he loves—arriving just as the murder's poisoned consequences catch up with him. The story explores themes of guilt, class violence, and the inescapable weight of hidden crimes.

Psychological Horror Supernatural Revenge Atmospheric Death & Dying Curse Guilt Tropical Island