The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-11-11
CUT-AND-DRIED DEDUCTIONS.

Conan Doyle's detective stories have
served two useful ends They have lifted
so-called detective literature out of the
blood and mire of brutal incident to the
plane Of scientific study, and they have
brought into conspicuous relations with the
public a writer whose literary style entities
his work to a high rank in our modern
classics. But 1t is quite another thing to
assume that DR.. Doyle has ~exemplined. in
his Adventures Of Sherlock Holiness" a
practicable and infallible system for the
ferreting out OF all sorts Of hidden crimes.
1t seems never to have occurred to the
multitudinous admirers OF this writer that
1t might be within the range of legitimate
investigation to subject a few Of his cases
TO a court Of inquiry in order to ascertain
whether there may be any discrepancies
or inconsistencies in his statements.
Not long ago a reporter Of a daily paper
described what purported to be an actual
incident which served to illustrate how
easy 1t is to work up a case of marvellous
intellectual insight-on paper. The re-
porter's story was that a certain young
man, noted for his ~shrewdness, very clev-
erly 'sold out" a party of his companions
one evening by developing a case "inferen-
ti~ally"-after the manner of Sherlock
Holmes-in this way: Holding up a lady's
black kid glove, he said he had picked 1t
up an hour before on the floor Of a public
hall, from which a crowd was passing at
the time. The young man proceeded to
give a circumstantial description OF the
owner OF the glove, saying she was a Jew
ess. rather feshy, medium height. quite
handsome, belonged to one Of the best fam
lilies in the city, was rich. unmarried. etc.
The company listened with increasing
wonder, and when the amateur detective
concluded. they challenged him in concert
to verify his deductions. He then offered
to wager S. with the company that he
could satisfy the most incredulous Of them
that he was correct in every particular.
The wager was taken and the money put
up. He then said:
Gentlemen, I know this glove belongs
to a lady of the description I have given,
because I saw her drop IT."
This story may or may not have been a
newspaper reporters hoax; It serves the
purpose Of this article just the same. It
required but small acumen to 'infer'-as
did Sherlock Holmes-that a certain gentle
man was a retired English officer. an In
valid just from Afghanistan. ETC., because
ali these conditions had been deliberately
parceled out beforehand by the literary in
stigator as parts OF his story. Given all
the facts in any case. however complicated,
and 1t is an easy task to string them to-
gether in a train of sequences. 1t is like
working a mathematical problem with the
printed analysis lying before YOU Or.
given an educated writer with fair con-
structive ability and a turn for telling
stories. and we have all the conditions
necessary for the fabrication Of a detective
tale. But let him fail at a single point to
maintain the logic OF sequences and at that
point the continuity OF the narrative Is
broken and IL becomes little better than a
clumsy farce.
In the account OF Sherlock Holiness last
adventure there are at least two distinct
breaks, 10 bridge over the first or which
the distinguished author resorts TO a plain
subterfuge; and In the next he Is guilty
perhaps not wilfully-of a glazing incon-
sIstency. / will try to show the business OF
this criticism.
Those who read the story will remember
that Holmes. while flying from his enemy
and on his way 10 his friends residence,
Is attacked by a rough who tries to kill
him with a bludgeon- He battles the fell
low, hands him over to the police. and then
proceeds 10 the home OF his friend, to whom
he afterwards relates the incident. He is
morally certain that the rough is an ennis
sary OF the chief criminal and that the
assault was made In obedience to instruc-