Minute Mysteries [Detectograms]
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Play Sample
53
Murder in the Swamp
‘We’d better walk along the edge,’ said Professor Fordney, as they started down the only path leading through the swamp.
‘I never thought of that.I was on the porch when Barton left,’ said Bob, as he trudged along.‘Ten minutes later, I heard a shot.I ran down the path and found him about five hundred yards from the house, bleeding terribly from a wound in the head.I dashed back for the first-aid kit and bandaged him as best I could.He died shortly afterwards.Then I returned and telephoned you.’
Reaching the body of Barton, he explained, ‘I turned him over so that I could dress his head.’
‘He must have been shot from over there, because those three sets of footprints are yours and the other one Barton’s,’ said Fordney, after a careful examination.‘Let’s look in that underbrush.’
Walking into it a few yards, he said, ‘Here’s where the murderer stood, all right.See those powder-marks on the leaves?’
While removing the branch, Fordney cut his finger.
‘Better sterilize that, Professor.’
Back at the cottage, as he was about to pick up a mercurochrome bottle from the kit Bob had used, he observed a spot of blood on the label.Walking over to the basin, he saw Bob in the mirror above it, furtively slip a pair of scissors into the kit.
Turning slowly around, he said, ‘I’ll have to hold you on suspicion of murder.’
Why?
54
Death by Drowning
‘We were just getting into our boat,’ said the elder Carroll brother, ‘when we happened to notice Ridge out there in the middle of the river, opposite Wolf’s old abandoned dock, acting very queerly.He jumped up and down in the boat, and then, all of a sudden, grabbed an oar, threw it up in the air, and jumped in.
‘We rowed to the spot, and I dived after him while my brother secured his boat.The current’s fast there, but I’m a strong swimmer.I swam around while my brother rowed about, but we could find no trace of him,’ he concluded.
‘We found the oar all right, in the weeds at Wolf’s dock,’ interjected Riley, of the River Patrol.
‘How wide is the river at that point?’asked Professor Fordney.
‘About half a mile,’ said Carroll.
‘Pretty lonely, too, isn’t it?’
‘It is that,’ replied Riley.
‘The coroner’s report says Ridge had received a blow of some kind on the chin. Know 108 anything about it, Carroll?’ inquired Fordney.
‘No, I don’t.Might have hit a rock or the side of the boat when he went over.’
‘Were you up or down river, from Ridge?’
‘Up river, about three hundred yards, on the west side.’
‘Did you and your brother have on bathing-suits at the time?’
‘I did, but my brother didn’t.’
‘Are there any blood-stains in Ridge’s boat, Riley?’
‘Well, there are stains all right, and they look like blood to me.’
‘I’m not surprised.Hold them both.’
Why was the Professor suspicious of the Carroll brothers?
55
Tragedy at the Convention
The Convention was in an uproar!The Drys were making a determined stand and showing some unexpected last-minute strength.
The Wets were shouting, clamoring, and stamping.The Chairman was vainly trying to restore order amid a scene of wild confusion.
As the excitement reached its pitch, Hurlenson, a powerful leader of the Wets, told a companion seated next to him that he felt a heart attack coming on and was going back to the hotel.
An hour later, the Convention was stunned to learn he had committed suicide in his room.
Professor Fordney, a guest at the Convention, went immediately to the hotel.
In Hurlenson’s room he found the police, the doctor, and Pollert, an influential delegate, who had discovered him.
‘The last time I saw Hurlenson was at the party last night, and he seemed in excellent spirits,’ said Pollert. ‘I arose late this morning—my room’s down at the other end of the corridor—and I was just leaving for the Convention 110 hall when I heard a shot. I dashed directly here, but it was too late. He must have died immediately.’
‘He did,’ said the doctor.‘He apparently stood in front of the mirror, took aim, and blew out his brains.There are powder-burns all around the wound.’
Learning that none of the maids or any of the other guests were on the floor at the time, Fordney advised the police to hold Pollert on suspicion of murder.
Why?
56
A Murderer’s Mistake
‘Look, Professor!That’s how the murderer got in, all right,’ said Tracy.
As Fordney walked over to the ladder standing two feet from the back of the house, he knelt down and carefully studied the heavy footprints around it.
‘Whose room is that?’he inquired, pointing to a second-story window against which the top of the thirty-foot ladder rested.
‘That’s Uncle’s study,’ replied Tracy.
Going into the house, Fordney first questioned Withers, who had discovered the body of Lane, Tracy’s uncle.
‘I was reading in my room,’ he said.‘About two o’clock I heard a noise, so I armed myself and crept out into the hall.Then I heard it again, apparently in the study, so I stole down the corridor, opened the door, and rushed in.I turned on the lights, ran over to the open window, looked out, and saw a man scurry down the ladder, jump off, and run.I fired twice, but evidently missed him,’ he concluded.
‘Were you home all evening, Mr. Tracy?’
‘No.I had just put up the car when I heard the shots and saw a figure dash around the house.’
‘I’ll take a look at your car later, Tracy.
‘Withers, show me exactly how you found Lane before you lifted him to the divan.’
As Withers righted an overturned chair, fitted its legs carefully to four impressions in the rug at the right of a smoking-stand, sat down, and slumped over to the left, Fordney said, ‘That’s enough.Which one of you killed him?’
Why did Fordney make this startling accusation?
57
Babe Comes Through
‘Strike two!’shouted Umpire Starlen.
‘Kill the Umpire!You big bum!Thief!’
Professor Fordney turned in his place directly behind the plate to look at the excited man in the next box, waving an empty pop-bottle. He smiled. Couldn’t blame a chap for getting excited. Starlen did seem to be calling them wrong today. That last one was wide!
What a ball game!Six to three in favor of Philadelphia, last half of the ninth, three on, two out, and three and two on the mighty Babe.The crowd was on its feet, yelling and stamping.
The excited pitcher delivered the next throw quickly.Just as Babe connected with it for a home run a bottle hurtled through the air with terrific force and caught Starlen on the back of the head.He went down like a shot.
Pandemonium broke loose.Women screamed, and a panic was threatened.
‘That’s him! That’s him!’ shouted several people, as a policeman ran down the ramp 114 and grabbed the man who had attracted Fordney’s attention.
‘Tryin’ to get away, are you?’bellowed the cop.
‘I didn’t do it!Let go of me!’he cried, as the officer dragged him to the office.
Fordney followed.‘May I ask a few questions?’he inquired.
‘Let’s see your score card, young man.H’m, why didn’t you record that last hit?Everything else is here.’
‘Why, I was running at the time.I had an engagement.’
‘I see,’ said Fordney.‘Officer, you have the wrong man.He didn’t do it.’
How did Fordney know?
58
A Soldier of Fortune
‘You’ll find Walter Briggs interesting, Fordney.He’s been all over the world,’ said Attorney Hamilton over the telephone.‘He’s turned up after two years, claiming his uncle’s fortune.Better dine with us tonight.’
‘Thanks, I’ll be glad to.See you at eight.’
As the three men sat around the dinner-table, Fordney remarked: ‘You’re a fortunate chap, Briggs.What have you been doing in the thirty-two years you have been away from America?’
‘Well, lots of things.Mr. Hamilton, no doubt, told you I went to the Congo with Father when I was three.When he died, I attended school in England.Then I traveled for a while; did a bit of tiger-shooting in Africa, killed elephants in India, and became an ivory-trader, roaming over the Orient four or five years.I finally drifted into Russia, where I was a technical advisor to the Soviet.’
‘What a jolly life you’ve had, Briggs!’
‘Not altogether, Professor. I was in Manchuria, where life was anything but jolly. And 116 then, being in sympathy with the Chinese, I took an active part in the Sino-Japanese War. It was in China I learned of my uncle’s death, so I came to New York immediately.’
‘Are you remaining here?’asked Hamilton.
‘No.Me for Paris as soon as things are settled.’
After a pleasant evening, the three men parted. Reaching home, Fordney hesitated about telephoning Hamilton. After all, it was his duty to advise him to check Briggs’s story carefully before turning over the inheritance. As for him, he was frankly skeptical!
Are you?Why?
59
Number Twenty-Six
‘You fellows must remember that more often than otherwise the little, seemingly inconsequential trifles, placed together, lead to the solution of crime. Never take anything for granted; examine thoroughly what appear to be the most unimportant details. You didn’t do so well with your last lesson,’ said Professor Fordney, addressing his class. ‘Now try your wits at this one.
‘“I know it sounds fishy, Inspector,”’ continued he, reading from a paper, ‘“but I was walkin’ along Sixteenth Street mindin’ my business.When I gets in front of number 26 I hears a dame scream ‘Help!Murder!’so I dashed up the steps to the house, pushed open the door, and rushed in.As I was halfway through the hall, a big guy steps out of a room and says, ‘Ah, there, Mr. Farrell, just in time!’I asks him what’s goin’ on, and just then three coppers came in and takes me, this guy, and a woman, in.Neither one of them would talk to me on the way, so I don’t know what it’s all about.”
‘“I’m going around myself,” replied the Inspector.“I’ll talk with you when I get back.”
‘As Kelley turned the knob at number 26, the door was violently pushed open in his face.
‘“Sorry,” said Detective Bradford.“Just going back to Headquarters.Found plenty of dope all right.Here’s something you’ll be interested in,” showing Kelley a man’s hat initialed “D.F.”“There are three packets of cocaine under the sweatband.”
‘This story, of course, is fictitious,’ said Fordney, putting down the paper, ‘but it illustrates my point. There’s just one, small, unimportant detail that’s wrong. To repeat, you must learn to detect inconsistencies quickly, however insignificant. Quickly, now!’
Do you get it?
In the next few anecdotes you will see the Professor at work and at play, on cases both serious and amusing, involving pure deduction.
As in the preceding cases, however, every fact, with the clue necessary to the solution, is given.There is only one right and logical answer to each—to be deduced from the evidence presented.
Time yourself; see how long it takes you to deduce the answer. And then, after you have solved or missed them, try them on your friends. They make a fascinating game—and there are lots of people who don’t play bridge.
60
The Pullman Car Murder
‘Tell your story to Professor Fordney,’ said the superintendent, introducing the conductor.
‘Well,’ said Jackson, ‘last night just after we left Albany, lower eight let out a terrifying shriek.I was standing at one end of the car, the maid, porter, and brakeman at the other end.We met at the berth as Briggs was gasping his last from a knife wound in the heart.I immediately had both doors of the car guarded as well as the doors to the washrooms. Every berth was occupied, and by this time the passengers were milling around in the aisle.
‘I began to look for the missing knife with which Briggs had been killed.Every passenger, even the maid, brakeman, and porter, every inch of the car and all baggage, were searched, but still we failed to find it.
‘The window-sills were covered with freshly fallen snow and an examination proved that none of them had been opened.No one had left the car and no one had entered either washroom.I knew the knife must be in the car—but where?
‘Washington, our old Negro porter, really discovered the murderer’s identity by “scrutinizin’ ’em all.”
‘I know your reputation, Professor, so you will probably have little difficulty in determining how Washington located the assassin, but I’ll bet you can’t tell me where I found the knife.’
Jackson’s face fell as Fordney quickly replied, ‘As there was only one possible place it could have been, you found it....’
How long did it take you to discover the knife?
61
Forgery
‘Can it be possible that this has happened to me!’thought Everett Taber, as he stood in the National Bank of New York ready to deposit his fortune.Having completed his arrangements late the day before with the bank’s executives, he was the first patron of the morning.Standing alone in the bank’s commodious quarters, he regretted he had no one with whom to share his happiness.
Suddenly, as he was making out his deposit slip, he decided to use his own name, Everett Mead, instead of his stepfather’s name, by which he had been known most of his life.It would be a simple matter to arrange this with the officials later.As he blotted the deposit slip, Everett Mead felt a new sense of poise and self-assurance take possession of him.He gazed fondly at the name which proclaimed him a wealthy man.By changing it he could completely sever former associations and start life anew.What a wonderful day it was!
The cashier, impressed with the amount of 124 the deposit, was very obliging and wondered, as he thought of his own meager salary, how it would feel to have so much money.
‘I see you are left-handed, Mr. Mead,’ he said, in an effort to appear interested in such an important personage.
‘Yes,’ smilingly.
He left the bank without further conversation.Less than an hour later his name had been forged to a check for five thousand dollars, despite the fact that no one knew he had changed his name and no one had seen him make out his deposit slip.
Professor Fordney, acquainted with the facts, knew immediately how the forgery had been accomplished.Do you?
62
The Christmas Eve Tragedy
‘Professor Fordney,’ said Sheriff Brown, of Lake Dalton, ‘I came to New York to ask your help in clearing up the murder of Horace Perkins at Luckley Lodge.’
‘Sit down and tell me about it,’ invited Fordney.
‘The family chauffeur, returning from the station at ten o’clock on Christmas Eve, found Perkins lying in a field, five yards off the Lodge drive, with his skull bashed in.’
‘He telephoned me immediately and I instructed him to see that nothing was disturbed.Arriving fifteen minutes later, I personally examined the ground so no clues would be destroyed.
‘The only footprints to be found were six of Perkins’s leading from the drive to the spot where he lay. Around the body were a number of deep impressions about two inches square. It had been snowing all day until half an hour before the discovery of Perkins.
‘Leading away from the body and ending at the main road, two hundred yards distant, 126 were four lines of these same impressions, about three and a half feet apart in length and about fourteen inches in width. In some places, however, they were badly run together.
‘A stranger in our parts is quickly noted and investigation failed to reveal a recent one.There were absolutely no other clues and I could find no motive for the crime.It has me stumped, Professor,’ concluded Brown.
‘Give me a little time,’ said Fordney.‘Perhaps I can help.I’ll call you at your hotel.’
An hour later, he said over the telephone, ‘Sheriff, look for a man who....Such a person only could possibly have committed the murder.’
What did Fordney say to Brown?
63
A Knight of the Bath
‘You’ve heard me speak of my eccentric friend, Joe Leimert, haven’t you, Professor?’inquired Jud.‘Great character!His costly new Los Angeles penthouse is the despair of architects, but it reflects Joe, who cares little for the opinions of others.Particularly in the matter of baths is his independence reflected.While he has six of them, he is fondest of the one leading off his own room.
‘It is a large all-tile bath twenty-four feet long, fifteen wide, and seven high, without a single window. He went in to bathe a few days ago, locked the door on the inside, as was his habit, and turned the cold water full on. When he went to turn it off, he found to his dismay that the mechanism controlling the drain and the taps was out of order. He couldn’t let the water out and he couldn’t turn the tap off. Neither could he unlock the door, and it was impossible to make himself heard. What a predicament! There he was in a locked bath with no window, couldn’t open or break down the door, couldn’t let the water out, or 128 turn it off, and he had no way of attracting attention.
‘Such a situation might have disturbed most people, but not Joe.He leisurely proceeded with his bath and, when finished, nonchalantly departed.’
‘My dear Jud,’ smiled the Professor, ‘your friend was indeed eccentric.Of course, there was only one way out for him.’
This one’s easy, don’t you think?
64
Murder in the First Degree
‘Well, Inspector, we have your man,’ said Fordney as he walked into the office.‘He gave us a merry chase, though.
‘What a cool one this murderer is!He calmly ate his dinner while planning the crime.He didn’t give the cashier a chance—just brutally shot him down in cold blood—and all for thirty dollars.I tell you, Inspector, a man doesn’t need much incentive to commit murder these days.After shooting the cashier, he made a fast get-away in a waiting car.
‘Fortunately, there was a policeman having dinner in the restaurant at the time, and he gave orders that nothing was to be disturbed at the table where the suspected murderer had eaten.
‘There are several witnesses who will identify him, including the waitress who served him, but no jury will convict on that alone.
‘While I found none of the suspect’s fingerprints, personal effects, or physical traces at or on the table, I did find there a sure means of 130 conviction. I am positive he calmly premeditated this outrage while eating his dinner.’
‘I hope you’re right, Professor,’ said Inspector Kelley, ‘but both he and his attorney seem confident.They claim the gun was discharged accidentally.’
‘They’ll never get away with that.The Prosecuting Attorney will be able to prove that this man deliberately planned the crime while eating his dinner.It’s murder in the first degree!’
How did the Professor know the crime was premeditated?
65
A Rendezvous with Death
‘One runs into unique conspiracies in my work,’ said Professor Fordney over his after-dinner coffee.‘Here is the clue to that Stone case you are all interested in,’ he continued, passing the following newspaper advertisement:
WANTED.Competent private secretary.Unusual salary and opportunity for young man speaking Spanish.Culture and refinement necessary qualifications.Address KR 164.
‘I don’t see how that gave you a lead.Looks innocent enough to me,’ remarked one of the guests.
‘Well,’ said the Professor, ‘that ad furnished the strongest link in my chain of evidence.I had information that Jack Carroll was infatuated with Stone’s wife.At the suggestion of his wife, Stone answered this ad and received a reply requesting him to call for a personal interview.That interview was with death!
‘Mrs. Stone, when questioned, said she and her husband had not been on particularly friendly terms recently and that the last she saw of him was when he left for White Plains to see about the position.
‘I called at the newspaper office and was informed that the ad had been inserted by Jonathan Gills, Pomeroy Hotel.They remembered it because Mr. Gills had telephoned asking if there were any replies to his ad.Despite the affirmative answer, they had never been called for.I found Jonathan Gills was unknown at the Pomeroy Hotel.
‘I learned from Mrs. Stone that her husband had answered the ad in long-hand and that he was left-handed and a very poor penman.
‘Pondering the matter, though puzzled at first, I finally hit upon the manner in which Stone had been led to his death,’ concluded Fordney.
How do you think it was done?
66
A Rum Regatta
‘Here’s a story that should amuse you, Jean,’ said Professor Fordney to his efficient and charming secretary.
He laughed heartily as he handed her a letter from his old friend, George Collins, government investigator in Florida.
Jean read the following:
An old sailor sitting on the sands of Nassau mending his fishing net was approached by three rum-runners shortly after the break of dawn.They came seeking his advice in connection with a wager they had made among themselves the night before.
The three of them, having sampled too freely of the liquor they were to take the next day to Miami, had put up three thousand dollars as a prize for the owner of the last boat to reach Miami.The fact that their boss was in a hurry for the liquor had been completely forgotten.
Sobered, they realized the ridiculousness of the wager but while anxious to reach Miami as quickly as possible, they all agreed it was not to be changed.
The old sailor continued weaving the cords into his net with slow deliberation.In a few minutes, calling them to his side, he whispered exactly the same advice into the ear of each.
A smile spread over his weather-beaten face and he chuckled as the three rum-runners raced to the boats and started for Miami at top speed.
‘It is amusing,’ laughed Jean, ‘but he forgot to say what the old sailor whispered!’
‘That’s for you to figure out, young lady.I’ve never been a rum-runner, but I’ve got the answer.’
What advice did the old sailor whisper to the rum-runners?
67
Who is the Heir?
‘As the Île de France slipped from her berth, Europe-bound, John Morgan, the brother of New York’s largest theatrical producer, waved good-bye to his family on the dock,’ said Professor Fordney.
‘Arriving in Paris a week later, he registered at the Hôtel Crillon.At two o’clock next morning, he called the office and demanded he be given another suite immediately, saying he didn’t like the view from his present rooms. This, despite the fact that he had occupied—in fact, insisted upon—this suite many times in the past.
‘Because of his prominence and wealth, he was accommodated at once.
‘Moving on to Berlin four days later, he registered at the Hotel Adlon.The manager, anxious to please a brother of the internationally known producer, greeted him personally.He afterward remarked how worried Mr. Morgan appeared at the time.
‘At two o’clock in the morning a repetition of the Paris occurrence took place.
‘From Berlin he went in turn to London, Copenhagen, Brussels, Vienna, Bucharest, and Sofia, spending exactly four days in each place.He then went to Teheran, Persia.He explained to the American Consul there that he had come to Persia to sample at first hand the celebrated wines of Shiraz, and also to continue his search for one Mirah Svari, a mystic he had met in New York, and for whom he had sought vainly all over Europe.
‘On the fourth day in Teheran, he was found dead of an overdose of hashish, in a squalid house in an unsavory quarter.
‘Receiving news of his death, his attorney in New York, acting on previous instructions, opened his will, in which he had left his entire fortune of five million dollars to the producer.
‘But, strange as it may seem, it was found John Morgan never had a brother.What a situation!
‘Under the circumstances, and according to law, who received the huge fortune?’smiled Fordney to his dinner guests.
68
The Professor Stops a Blunder
At four o’clock Thursday afternoon, Louis Mundy unexpectedly received a telegram requesting him to return home immediately, as his brother was ill.
At eight that evening, he alighted from the plane in Washington.He had not been in the city during the past two months.Hurrying to his suburban home, he found his brother greatly improved.At ten o’clock he set out on a hike through the country, returning at midnight.
These facts were all verified.
Between eleven and twelve o’clock that night, John Skidder was murdered, and the only thing missing from his house was a note for ten thousand dollars signed by Mundy.
Skidder’s secretary said the note was habitually kept at the office and that she was very surprised when he took it home that evening.
Mundy declared he saw or passed no one on his hike, but under severe questioning admitted having been near Skidder’s house shortly after eleven o’clock.
A thorough investigation revealed that Skidder had no known enemies and no one, other than Mundy, had the slightest reason for wishing him dead.
Mundy was consequently arrested.As he knew Skidder lived with only an old man servant (who was out until after twelve that night), the police believed he had gone unobserved to the house, demanded the note, and, when refused, had murdered Skidder.No one but Mundy could possibly profit by the disappearance of the note.As it was due in ten days and he was in no position to meet it, they anticipated little difficulty in obtaining a conviction due to the strong motive and weak alibi.
Asked his opinion, Professor Fordney surprisingly said he DIDN’T believe any American jury would convict Mundy.
He was right— Now, don’t argue!There’s only one answer.Don’t peek!Figure it out.
69
The Perfect Crime
Peter Johannes had one burning ambition—to commit a perfect crime.After much thinking and careful planning, he chose burglary for his experiment and a large brownstone mansion for the scene of his action.
Learning its occupants had left town, he arrayed himself in a business suit of conservative cut, flung a light topcoat over his arm, picked up a Gladstone bag, covered with foreign labels, and set out.
He had ascertained, of course, when the policeman patrolling that beat was farthest away.At such a time he drove up in his swanky sport roadster, swung jauntily to the sidewalk, skipped up the steps, and fitted a skeleton key into the lock, which yielded easily.So far so good, he thought.
Inside, he adjusted a black mask to his eyes and silk gloves to his hands: the former for a bit of local color he couldn’t resist; the latter for more practical purposes.What a jolly thing this burglaring was!
He quickly filled his Gladstone with silver 140 and other valuables. Hurrying out, he removed his gloves after closing the door.
‘Done, and not a single clue left!’he said to himself.
As he was about to descend the steps, he saw out of the corner of his eye the policeman rounding the corner.Feigning disinterest, he quickly pushed the bell-button and stood there whistling.
‘Hey, you!’shouted the policeman, now standing at the bottom of the steps.‘What are you doin’ there?Them people ain’t home.’
‘Howdy, Officer.How goes it?’said our hero blithely as he turned to greet the bluecoat.‘I know they’re not home; been trying to raise someone for five minutes.Annoying, too, after running out to see them.Oh, well,’ he continued, ‘I’ll be going along,’ as he unconcernedly picked up his bag.
‘You bet you will—right to the hoosegow,’ bellowed the guardian of the peace.‘Your story I might have believed, but....Come on, now, I’m takin’ you down.’
Alas for the perfect crime!‘What caused our hero’s arrest?’asked Professor Fordney of his class.
70
The Professor Sees Through It
‘Let’s go in to dinner—it’s twenty minutes after six, and I’m starved,’ said Hawkins.
‘Right!’responded Professor Fordney, his train companion, ‘I’m hungry, too.’
The two men had met only a few minutes before, as casually as travelers do, but already seemed to find each other agreeable company.
At dinner Hawkins explained he was a conductor on another railroad and bemoaned the loss of passenger traffic.Fordney, too, decried the depression and its effects.
When the conductor came through, Hawkins tendered a pass with a friendly remark, and Fordney, who said he had boarded the train in such a hurry he didn’t have time to purchase a ticket, paid a cash fare.Neither he nor the conductor having proper change, he borrowed fourteen cents from Hawkins.
After an enjoyable dinner, they went back to the club car for a smoke and continued their chat.
‘Ever been in Savannah, Mr. Hawkins?’asked Fordney.
‘Why, yes.Several times.Why?’
‘Oh, nothing in particular.Charming city, isn’t it?’
‘Yes, it is, but I like the quaintness of New Orleans better, myself.’
And so they chatted through a pleasant evening until Hawkins, with a yawn, said: ‘Well, it’s a quarter to eleven.Bedtime for me.See you in the morning.Good-night, Professor.I’ve enjoyed knowing you.’
‘Good-night,’ responded Fordney.‘I’ll give you the fourteen cents in the morning.Don’t let the fact that I’m aware of your deception keep you awake!’
‘What?’cried the amazed Hawkins.
What did Fordney mean?
71
The Kidnapers’ Cleverness
‘There are times,’ mused Professor Fordney from the depths of the most comfortable chair in the lounge of the University Club, ‘when the criminal does show ingenuity of a high order.I recall a most interesting and baffling case on which I worked ten years ago.
‘A wealthy man whose daughter had been kidnaped had been warned that, if he appealed to the police, she would be killed.Consequently, it was difficult to get his coöperation in running down the criminals.However, upon receiving the following note delivered in an express package 12″ × 12″ × 12″ he sought my advice.
Send us, by the means herein given you, $5,000 in cash, at exactly midnight tonight.If you do so, your daughter will be returned unharmed.
‘My client did as directed and his child was returned safely next day.
‘Do you know, Jim,’ asked Fordney of his 144 fireside companion, ‘what means the kidnapers employed that made trapping of them, or discovery of their whereabouts, absolutely impossible? There’s a nice little problem in deduction for a rising young attorney,’ he laughed.
After ten minutes of deep silence on Jim’s part, he said, ‘I can’t figure it out, Professor.What was it?’
SOLUTIONS
1. A Crack Shot
It was a dark, starless, moonless night.The nearest habitation was five miles.The eyes of no animal ever shine in the dark unless there is a light by which they can be reflected, and a man’s eyes never shine under any circumstances.
Therefore, Butler could not possibly have seen any eyes shining at him in the dark.It was clearly murder.
And thy deep eyes, amid the gloom,
Shine like jewels in a shroud.
Longfellow.
2. On the Scent
Not even a prohibition agent would use alcohol in an automobile radiator in or about Miami!
The oil and wine of merry meeting.
Irving.
3. Fatal Error
The Professor knew it would take a keener pair of eyes than Bronson’s to see a nod in the dark.
The lights had not been turned on.Remember?
Darkness visible.
Milton.
4. The Poison Murder Case
Unless Bob Kewley had returned home after telling the Professor he was going to the theater, he could not have known the library door was locked.The fact that he did, coupled with the strong motive, naturally directed suspicion to him.He inadvertently gave himself away.
Error will slip through a crack, while truth will stick in a doorway. Shaw.
5. A Strange ‘Kidnaping’
Had Johnson wound his watch immediately before 2 A.M. Friday, the time of his alleged 147 kidnaping, it would not have been running Sunday afternoon when he recovered consciousness and said he heard it ticking.
No standard-make watch will run sixty hours without winding.
This act is an ancient tale new told;
Being urged at a time unseasonable.
Shakespeare.
6. A Valuable Formula
In a small room the intruder would unquestionably have heard Hyde dialing Headquarters, and therefore could not have been unaware of his presence.
As Hyde had obviously lied about this, Fordney was convinced he had fabricated the entire story in order to sell the formula twice.
Don’t tell me of deception; a lie is a lie, whether it be a lie to the eye or a lie to the ear. Dr. Johnson.
7. Strangled
There had been a dry, hot spell at that place for twenty-two days. Irene Greer’s hair was 148 matted with mud; therefore, she must have been attacked elsewhere.
The face of things appeareth not the same far off and when we see them right at hand. Euripides.
8. Death in the Office
Gifford could not have been shot at the time he called Fordney, as he was found with a bullet through his heart.The Professor’s theory was that Gifford wanted his death to appear as murder in order to protect his heavy insurance.
The heart does not lie.
Alfieri.
9. They Usually Forget Something
The note, although misspelled, poorly expressed, and written by a seemingly illiterate hand, was punctuated properly, in two places.A semicolon and a comma would not have been used had the writer been an uneducated man.
Force of habit had betrayed him!
You write with ease to show your breeding,
But easy writing’s curst hard reading.
Sheridan.
10. The Professor Gives a Lesson
Cardoni said he saw the kidnapers around a table as he peered through the keyhole.Yale locks do not have keyholes.
Kelley was justified in throwing him out, don’t you think?The class found this an easy one—did you?
Since your eyes are so sharpe that you cannot onely looke through a milstone, but cleane through the minde. Lyly.
11. Upstairs and Down
The policeman ran through the hall and unlocked the kitchen door.
The doors to the porch and cellar were locked on the inside.Had the old lady committed suicide, she could not have locked the door leading to the hall from the outside.
The murderer, in leaving, locked this door and forgot to remove the key.The inevitable slip!
A blockhead cannot come in, nor go away, like a man of sense. Bruyère.
12. Class Day
The student readily recognized the absurdity of the Professor’s story which he had given to his class to test their quick detection of a glaring inconsistency.If it must be explained, an orchestra under personal leadership does not play during the showing of a ‘talkie.’Right?
Wit marries ideas lying far apart, by a sudden jerk of the understanding. Whipple.
13. A Hot Pursuit
Smith said he ran after the burglar. Had he done so he could not have known the cellar window had been chiseled open. Therefore, his story was obviously faked.
A lie never lives to be old.
Sophocles.
14. A Question of Identity
As Diana Lane was walking down the corridor with her back to Nora, it was impossible 151 for the servant to know Diana was wearing her famous emerald pendant.
There is an alchemy of quiet malice by which women can concoct a subtle poison from ordinary trifles. Hawthorne.
15. A Yachtsman’s Alibi
As Picus said there was no breeze, the distress flag would have hung limp against the mast, and the Captain could not have seen, at that distance, whether or not the flag was upside down.
That’s all the Professor needed to determine the falsity of his alibi.However, Picus was a poor sailor.While the International Distress Signal is a flag flown upside down, it is by custom and regulation always flown at half-mast.
...And the sea charm’d into a calm so still
That not a wrinkle ruffles her smooth face.
Dryden.
16. Murder at Coney Island
Jasper said he found the woman sitting up in the middle of the chariot. The motion of 152 the merry-go-round would have made it impossible for a dead body to remain upright in the middle of the chariot.
Sir, you are giving a reason for it; but that will not make it right.... Johnson.
17. Too Clever
The murderer tried to give the impression that Dawson had died before finishing the incriminating note.Had he written it and died before completing it, he could not have put the pen back in the tray where it was found.
In his effort to incriminate Lynch, the murderer had been too cautious.A costly oversight.
Man’s caution often into danger turns,
And his guard falling crushes him to death.
Young.
18. Bloody Murder
The Professor knew it was not suicide, because Thompson’s coat, which was flung 153 across the room, was blood-stained. Quite impossible if he had taken his own life.
Blood, though it sleep a time, yet never dies.
Chapman.
19. Death Back-Stage
There were no finger-prints on the gun which killed Claudia Mason. She could not have shot herself in the temple and then wiped off the revolver.
The murderer neglected to get her fingerprints on the gun.
A fool cannot be an actor, though an actor may act a fool’s part. Sophocles.
20. An Easy Combination
It would have been impossible for Fellows to have hastily dialed a number in the darkTry it!
Haste trips up its own heels, fetters and stops itself. Seneca.
21. A Modern Knight
The fact that the bullet was found in the body and the only trace of its firing was the hole in the curtain below the window-sill proved conclusively the shot could not have been fired from within the room.
Rocca entered at the moment his sister shot Chase from outside.Grabbing the gun from her hand, he chivalrously protected her.
But, friend, the thing is clear—speaks for itself. Aristophanes.
22. The Jewel Robbery
The butler said that, as he called for help, Dudley, a stranger, rushed in.
Owings had locked up before leaving and, therefore, Dudley could not have rushed in through a locked door.The robbery was obviously framed by Stuben and Dudley.
Absurdities die of self-strangulation. Haliburton.
23. Before the Coroner’s Inquest
Curry could not possibly have ‘looked up’ while rowing upstream and seen the action 155 he described which took place fifty yards behind him.
The eyes of other people are the eyes that ruin us. Franklin.
24. The Fifth Avenue Hold-Up
Baldwin said, ‘Mr. Cross tried to call my attention to it [safe] with a jerk of his thumb’ at a time when Cross was unconscious.Obviously impossible.Baldwin was lying, which there was no reason for doing had he been innocent.
When all sins are old in us, and go upon crutches.
Covetousness does but then lie in her cradle.
Decker.
25. Behind Locked Doors
Kingston thought his boldness in calling attention to his own footprints in the carpet would distract Fordney’s attention from their significance.
The room had been locked for three months. Of the three men, only Watkins rushed into the room; Fordney and Kingston halting over 156 the threshold. Therefore, the fact that Kingston’s footprints were found near the chair in which his uncle sat dead pointed directly to him as the murderer.
Cunning differs from wisdom
As twilight from open day.
Dr. Johnson.
26. Lost at Sea
It would have been impossible for Mrs. Rollins to have seen a man pick up from the deck the bag of diamonds.On a dark, moonless night at sea one literally cannot see his hand before his face.
The repose of darkness is deeper on the water than on the land. Victor Hugo.
27. A Suave Gunman
Taylor said the bandit wore a silver belt-buckle.This he could not have seen, for he stated: ‘As the robber passed through the door, he unbuttoned his coat and slipped the revolver in his back pocket.’
It would have been impossible for Taylor to have seen the man’s belt-buckle when his coat was buttoned.
As this statement was false, the rest of his account was disregarded by the Professor.
He draweth out the thread of his verbosity
Finer than the staple of his argument.
Shakespeare.
28. Accidental Death
Had the man’s injuries been caused only by being thrown through the windshield, there would have been no blood on the front seat of the car.Therefore, the Professor knew the blood on the seat had been caused by injuries to the man, with probable murderous intent, before he was thrown through the windshield.
His assailant had killed him, started the car, and had then hopped off the running-board, hoping the wreckage would cover the murder.
Forethought we may have, undoubtedly, but not foresight. Napoleon.
29. Easy Money
Wilkins said he saw the burglar pick up a stack of ten- and twenty-dollar bills from the table in the center of the large library.
Had he not been guilty, he could not have known what the denominations of the bills were.It would have been impossible to have determined this from the doorway.
An unconscious slip on his part.
If you are doubtful, just try to determine the denomination of a stack of bills on a table in the center of a large room, from the doorway.
For any man with half an eye,
What stands before him may espy;
But optics sharp it needs I ween,
To see what is not to be seen.
John Trumbull.
30. Robbery at High Noon
He was suspicious of John, the nephew, of course.Upon being asked where he was at the time of the robbery, he stated he was ‘hauling in a muskie.’
Unless he had guilty knowledge, he could not 159 possibly have known at what time the robbery was committed.
He fell neatly into the Professor’s trap, don’t you think?
Let guilty men remember, their black deeds
Do lean on crutches made of slender reeds.
John Webster.
31. The Wrong Foot Forward
Paslovsky, the witness, who could not understand or speak enough English to make a simple statement to the court, yet knew exactly what the conductor yelled to the motorman.
This was so patently impossible that the Judge was entirely justified in dismissing the suit.
Liars are verbal forgers. Chatfield.
32. Death Attends the Party
Had Dawes fallen on the table after being shot, the jar would have knocked over the ‘crazily balanced glasses.’ As the Professor 160 found the glasses on the table, balanced, it was obvious Dawes had been shot, then carefully placed at the table to give the appearance of suicide.A bad slip!
There is nothing insignificant, nothing! Coleridge.
33. No Way Out
The note was written with pencil, yet there was no pencil found in the room.Apparently the murderer wrote the note to resemble the dead man’s handwriting and through force of habit put it in his pocket.
Men are men; the best sometimes forget.
Shakespeare.
34. Midnight Murder
Day said he got the blood on his muffler when he bent over Quale’s body. As blood coagulates and dries in a short time, it would have been impossible for him to have stained his muffler unless it had touched the blood of Quale shortly after his death. 161 Therefore, Fordney knew he must have been with Quale soon after he was stabbed.
Murder, though it have no tongue,
Will speak with most miraculous organ.
Shakespeare.
35. Speakeasy Stick-Up
Sullivan, the bartender, said that, as he worked the combination to open the wall safe, he heard the hold-up man behind him. As he was not permitted to move, he could not have known the gunman was a big, tough-looking mug, as he described him.
As there would be no other motive in telling this impossible story, the hold-up was faked.
Inspiring, bold John Barleycorn,
What dangers thou canst make us scorn.
Burns.
36. Behind Time
The engineer said he had not seen Nelson until he was practically on top of him. That, of course, is impossible. An engineer of a train 162 running on a straight-away can see nothing as close as ten yards in front of him.
You cram these words into mine ears,
Against the stomach of my sense.
Shakespeare.
37. A Broken Engagement
Molly said she had retired at ten, after locking her door, and had not awakened until Fordney had aroused her.
Yet a few minutes after Dot had been murdered, the Professor idly ‘shaped the wax’ of the candle on her desk.This would have been impossible had not the candle been burning within a few minutes before he entered.
Her insistence that she had been asleep, together with the strong motive, convinced Fordney she was involved, as was later proved.
Love can make us fiends as well as angels. Charles Kingsley.
38. The Holden Road Murder
Had the butler dashed in the front door as he said he did, there would have been foot-tracks in the vestibule.
Remember, the Professor ‘splashed his way through the mud and rain, to the door of 27 Holden Road,’ and found the vestibule spotless. Therefore, Wilkins was lying, and as Cannon corroborated his story, he was also necessarily involved.
Nay, her foot speaks.
Shakespeare.
39. Fishermen’s Luck
Holmes could not have seen the bag on the bottom of the lake during a cloudburst.The agitation of even crystal clear water under such conditions would have so disturbed the surface that an object on the bottom could not be seen.
A man so lucky is rarer than a white crow. Juvenal.
40. The Unlucky Elephant
Holman was lying face down with his topcoat buttoned; therefore, if his watch crystal 164 had been broken by his fall, none of the glass could have been found on the floor.
For never, never wicked man was wise.
Homer.
41. The Professor Listens
The notice of the bank failure, appearing in the Jacksonville Herald, was dated July 5th.This could not have reached Delavin at a remote part of Cuba, unserviced by planes, in time for him to get back to New York on the 6th.
His alibi, therefore, was completely broken, as he said the newspaper clipping brought him back.
Time is the herald of truth.
Cicero.
42. Ten-Fifteen
The secretary said he heard Waters talking to Fordney over the telephone.As Fordney’s name was not mentioned during the conversation, the secretary could not have known to whom Waters was talking.
It’s the little things that count—in crime detection.
Take care lest your tongue cut off your head. Persian.
43. Rapid Transit
The driver could not possibly have seen from the front seat anyone standing on the tail-gate of the big van.
If common sense has not the brilliancy of the sun, it has the fixity of the stars. Fernan Caballero.
44. The Professor is Disappointed
Fordney pointed to the raindrops glistening on a leaf in the shoe impression.
According to Vi Cargo’s statement, the burglar had jumped from her window after it had stopped raining.
The shameless have a brow of brass. Hindu Proverb.
45. A Dramatic Triumph
Sibyl Mortimer said Boswell had telephoned her shortly after nine. As he was on the stage 166 continuously for forty-five minutes after the curtain rose, he could not have telephoned her.
Obviously she had some reason for stating he did.Fordney was quick to detect the flaw in her alibi.
It is not wise to be wiser than is necessary. Quinault.
46. Murder at the Lake
A strong east wind blew off the lake; therefore, regardless of the direction in which he was walking, Rice’s hat could not possibly have blown into the lake.
The Professor was naturally suspicious of him when he told such a ridiculous lie.
Is’t possible?Sits the wind in that corner?
Shakespeare.
47. The Professor Studies a Coat
As the man had removed his overcoat on entering the Professor’s living-room, it was perfectly patent he had not been handcuffed.
He said he ran over to Fordney’s immediately after the bandits left.
Truth has not such an urgent air.
Boileau.
48. Too Late
Fordney doubted Palmer’s innocence because of his statement, ‘I’d got there not more than five minutes behind him.’
There was, of course, no way he could have determined when Frank had arrived at the cabin.
In general, treachery, though at first sufficiently cautious, yet in the end betrays itself. Livy.
49. Sergeant Reynolds’s Theory
The Professor told Reynolds, ‘There was no blood between the road and the boulder.’
Had the man rolled down the embankment, there would have been some blood on the rocks along the path his body took.
How hast thou purchased this experience?
By my penny of observation.
Shakespeare.
50. Daylight Robbery
As no safe locks unless the combination is turned, Shaeffer’s story of banging it closed 168 and then the robbers working on it five minutes was ridiculous!
He cometh unto you with a tale which holdeth children from play, and old men from the chimney corner. Sir Philip Sidney.
51. A Simple Solution
Had Smith committed suicide, the window through which he jumped would not have been closed as Fordney found it.
Every crime has, in the moment of its perpetration, its own avenging angel. Coleridge.
52. Who?
Kelley arrested Weeds, the butler.He said he dropped on the bed the blood-covered towel with which he was trying to arrest the flow from the maid’s wrist as Jones struck at him.
Yet Kelley and Fordney found the bed coverlet immaculateHad Weeds done as he said, there would have been blood-stains on the bedcover.
Blood follows blood.
Defoe.
53. Murder in the Swamp
The three sets of Bob’s footprints in the path told Fordney the story. Had Bob been at the house when his friend was shot, as he contended, there would have been four sets of his footprints.
That is to be wise to see that which lies before your feet. Terence.
54. Death by Drowning
Had the accident occurred as explained by Carroll, the oar of Ridge’s boat could not have been found, as it was, at the dock opposite the point where he jumped in. The current would have deposited it downstream. Therefore, the Professor recommended the detention of the brothers.
More water glideth by the mill, than wots the miller of. Shakespeare.
55. Tragedy at the Convention
Fordney suspected Pollert because of his own statements that he did not know Hurlenson 170 had returned to the hotel. Yet, when he said he heard a shot, he ran directly to Hurlenson’s room.
As his own room was down the corridor, he could not have known from what room the shot came, and he had no reason to assume it came from Hurlenson’s room.
Politics, as a trade, finds most and leaves nearly all dishonest. Abraham Lincoln.
56. A Murderer’s Mistake
These murderers, like many others, betrayed themselves by a simple oversight. One look at the ladder and Fordney knew no man could have climbed up or down it. The thirty-foot ladder was placed two feet from the house. Any person ascending or descending the ladder in such a position would have fallen backwards before reaching the top or bottom.
To all facts there are laws,
The effect has its cause,
And I mount to the cause.
Lord Lytton.
57. Babe Comes Through
There is a screen on the grandstand behind the home plate.
Fordney had noticed a few seconds before, in the box next to him, the man whom the policeman had caught running down the ramp.As he could not have thrown a bottle through the screen, and, in the time at his disposal, could not have reached either side of the screen, Fordney knew he was innocent.
He had noticed the man after two strikes and three balls had been called, and the pitcher delivered the next ball quickly.
We must have bloody noses and crack’d crowns,
God’s me, my horse!
Shakespeare.
58. A Soldier of Fortune
Hamilton knew the real Walter Briggs had gone to Africa as a child.So, when this chap said he had shot tigers in Africa, Fordney was very, very skeptical.There are no tigers in Africa.Oh, well—look it up yourself!
A traveler without observation is a bird without wings. Saadi.
59. Number Twenty-Six
The inconsistency is this: Farrell said he pushed open the door. Yet Bradford, inside the house, pushed the door in Kelley’s face as the Inspector was entering.
If Bradford pushed the door in Kelley’s face, Farrell must have pulled the door to open it.
The smallest hair throws its shadow.
Goethe.
60. The Pullman Car Murder
Every piece of baggage had been examined and every inch of the car inspected.All passengers, even the maid, porter, and brakeman, had been searched.The knife was still in the car.
Remember?—there was nothing said about the conductor being searched.The knife was found in his pocket.
He was in logic a great crytic,
Profoundly skilled in analytic;
He could distinguish and divide
A hair twixt south and south-west side.
Butler.
61. Forgery
The forged signature was copied from the blotter which Mead had used.
Thou strong seducer, opportunity.
Dryden.
62. The Christmas Eve Tragedy
The Professor said to Brown, ‘Sheriff, look for a man in your community who is skilled or adept in the use of stiltsOnly a man on stilts could have made the marks in the snow you described.’
P.S.The Professor was right.
Be the first to say what is self-evident,
And you are immortal.
Ebner-Eschenbach.
63. A Knight of the Bath
You recall that Leimert was eccentric. No mention of bath room was made. Leimert’s bath had no top, so he climbed out!
Silly, what?
If anything is spoken in jest, it is not fair to turn it to earnest. Plautus.
64. Murder in the First Degree
The fact that none of the suspect’s fingerprints were on the dishes or silver used while eating convicted him of first-degree murder.
In wiping his own prints from the things he had handled, he destroyed all prints—those of the waitress, cook, etc.
A damning bit of evidence that proved premeditation.
The weakest spot in every man is when he thinks himself to be the wisest. Emmons.
65. A Rendezvous with Death
No one called at the Times for the answers to the advertisement, yet Stone received a reply to his letter of application. The ad was inserted by Carroll under the fictitious name of Jonathan Gills and answered by Stone at his wife’s suggestion. She acquainted her lover, Carroll, with this fact, and he wrote Stone, arranging the meeting at which he disappeared.
When any great design thou dost intend,
Think on the means, the manner, and the end.
Denham.
66. A Rum Regatta
The old sailor whispered to each, ‘Run the other man’s boat.’ As the owner of the last boat to reach Miami was to get the money, each one raced the boat he was driving. By doing so, he hoped to beat his own boat, which was being driven by one of the others.
Lookers-on many times see more than gamesters. Bacon.
67. Who is the Heir?
John Morgan’s sister, of course!
Let us consider the reason of the case. For nothing is law that is not reason. Powell.
68. The Professor Stops a Blunder
Mundy had been unexpectedly called to Washington. Skidder’s secretary said the note was habitually kept at the office. Mundy, therefore, could not possibly have known of Skidder’s intention of taking it home. That was exactly the weakness in the case of the police. Despite the damning circumstantial evidence, motive could not be proved unless it 176 could be shown that Mundy knew the note would be at Skidder’s house.
How little do they see what is, who frame
Their hasty judgments upon that which seems.
Southey.
69. The Perfect Crime
Alas!Peter Johannes had forgotten to remove his mask on leaving the house!
Whoever thinks a perfect work to see,
Thinks what ne’er was, nor is, nor e’er shall be.
Pope.
70. The Professor Sees Through It
When Hawkins said, ‘it’s twenty minutes after six’ and ‘it’s a quarter to eleven,’ Fordney knew he was not a railroad man.
No railroad worker ever speaks of the time in any other manner than, ‘it’s six-twenty’ and ‘it’s ten-forty-five.’
Ask the next conductor!
There is nothing more nearly permanent in human life than a well-established custom. Joseph Anderson.
71. The Kidnapers’ Cleverness
The express package contained a carrier pigeon.
A bird of the air shall carry, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter. Ecclesiastes.
Transcriber’s Notes
- Copyright notice provided as in the original—this e-text is public domain in the country of publication.
- Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard spellings and dialect unchanged.
- In the text versions, delimited italicized text by _underscores_.