Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1895-01-24

however. who, if you told them q e
Silt. would be able to evolve :l".::
their own inner consciousness whA.
the steps were which led up to tina,
result. This power is what l mean
when l talk of reasoning backward, or
analytically."
IL understand said I.
Now this was q case in which you
We're given the result and had to lind
everything else for yourself Now let
me cnueavor to show you the differ
ent steps in my reasoning. To begin
at the beginning: I approached the
house. as you know, on foot. and with
with my mind entirely free from all
impressions. I naturally began to
examine the roadway, and there. as I
have already explained to you, I saw
clearly the marks of cab, which, I
asccr,;ined by inquiry must have
been there during the night.
I satisfied myself that it was cab and
not Il private carriage by the narrow
gauge Of the wheels. The ordinary
London growlcr is considerably less
wide than 4 gentleman's brougham.
This was the first point gained. 1
then walked slowly down the garden
path, which happened to be composed
Of Il clay soil. peculiarly suitable for
taking impressions. No doubt it ap-
peared to you to be mere trampled
line OF slush. but to my trained eyes
every mark upon its surface had 4
meaning. There is no branch of detec-
tive science which is so important and
so much neglected as the art T. f trac-
ing footsteps. Happily, have always
laid great stress upon it, and much
practice has made it second nature to
me. l saw the heavy footmarks of the
constables, but I saw also the track
of the two men who had first passed
through the garden. 1t was easy to tell
that they had been before the others.
because in places their marks had
been entirely obliterated by the others,
coming on top of them. In this way
my second link was formed, which told
me that the nocturnal visitors were
two i'll number, one remarkable for his
height (as calculated from the length
of his stride), and the other fashionably
dressed, to judge from the small and
elegant impression left by his boots.
ION entering the house this last in
ference was confirmed. My well boot
ed man lay before me. The tall enc,
then, had done the murder, if murder
there was. There was no wound upon
the dead mans person, but the agitated
expression upon his face assured me
that he had foreseen his fate before
it came upon him. Men who die from
heart disease or any sudden natural
cause. never by any chance exhibit
agitation upon their features. Having
shifted the dead mans lips, I detected
slightly sour smell, and came to the
conclusion that lie had had poison
forced upon him. Again, I argued that
it bad been forced upon him from the
hatred and fear expressed upon lis
face. By the method Of exclusion I
had arrived at this result for no other
hypothesis would meet the facts. Do
not imagine that it was very unheard-
Of idea. The forciblc administration
Of poison is by no means new thing
in criminal annals. The cases of Dol
sky, in Odessa, and of Leturier, in
Montpelier, will occur at once to any
toxioolo gist.
Gard now came the great question as
to the reason why. Robbery had not
been the object Of the murdeC, for
nothing was taken. Was it politics,
then, or was it a woman? That was
the question that confronted me.
was inclined from the first to the lat
ter supposition. Political assassins are
are only too glad to do their work
and to fly. This murder had, OH the
contrary, been done more deliberately.
and the perpetrator had left his tracks
all over the room, showing that he
had been there all the time. 1t must
have been a private wrong. and not Il
political one. which called for such
methodical revenge. When the in
scripton was discovered upon the wall
! was more inclined than ever to my
oririon. The thing was too 'vilantly
q blind. When the ring was found,
however it settled the question. Cl eur-
~ the murderer had used it to remind
his victim of some dead or absent
woman. 1t was at this point that ]
asked Gregson whether he had inquired
in his telegram to Cleveland as to any
particula- point in Mr.. Drebbar's for
uler career. He answered, you RENE m
Der, in the negative.
II then proceeded to make a careful
examination of the room, which con.
firmed me in my opinion as to the muir
derer's height, and furnished me with
thu. additional details as 20 the Trichi.
nopoly cigar and the length Of his nails
[ had already come to the conclusion,
since there were no signs of a struggle
that the blood which covered the floor
had burst from the murderer's nose in
his excitement. l could see that the
track Of blood conceded with the track
| Of his feet. 1t is seldom that any man.
unless he is very full-blooded, breaks
out in this way through emotion, so
hazarded the opinion that the criminal
was probably a robust and ruddy faced
man. Events proved that judged cor
rectly.
"Having left the house. proceeded
to do what Gregson had neglected.
telegraph the head Of the police al
Cleveland, limiting my inquiry to the
circumstances connected with the mar
rage Of Enoch Drebber. The answer
was conclusive. IT told me that Dreb
Der had already applied for the pro
lection of the law against an old riva
In love. named Jefferson Hope, and
that this same Hope, was at presen,
in Europe. ] knew now that held thu
clue to the mystery in my hand, and
all that remained was to secure thu
murderer
~ had also determined in my owl
mind, that the man who had walked